It’s been a week of critical security updates so whether you’re reading this on a Mac, iPhone, iPad, or even an Apple Watch, it probably needs an update. Apple and Google have pushed critical security updates this week, so if you haven’t already stop reading and check out your software update if you’re using one of these devices or apps:
iOS 15.6.1: Apple released a small update to iPhones this week that includes two important security patches affecting Kernel and WebKit. Both updates could lead to execute arbitrary code with kernel privileges and may have been actively exploited. Head over to the Settings on your iPhone and tap General then Software Update to install it.
iPadOS 15.6.1: The same security updates that are on iOS above are included in the iPadOS 15.6.1 update. To update, go to the Settings app on your iPad, then General and Software Update.
macOS Monterey 12.5.1: macOS Monterey 12.5.1 also includes two important security updates for the Kernel (CVE-2022-32894) and WebKit (CVE-2022-32893). Like iOS 15.6.1 and iPadOS 15.6.1, Apple says it is aware of a report that this issue may have been actively exploited. To update, go to System Preferences and click Software Update.
watchOS 8.7.1: Apple says this update, which is only available for the Apple Watch Series 3, doesn’t include any CVE security entries. However, it fixes a bug that causes the watch to unexpectedly reboot. To update you watch, make sure it’s charging and at 50 percent power, and launch the iPhone app.
Safari 15.6.1: For Big Sur and Catalina, Apple has patched the CVE-2022-32893 WebKit vulnerability in Safari, an “out-of-bounds write issue was addressed with improved bounds checking.” You can update Safari on the Mac in the Software Update pane in System Preferences.
Chrome for Mac: This week Google pushed version 104.0.5112.101 for Mac that included 11 security fixes, including a critical fix for CVE-2022-2856 that exists in the wild. To update, go to Preferences, then About Chrome.
Author: Michael Simon, Executive Editor
Michael Simon has been covering Apple since the iPod was the iWalk. His obsession with technology goes back to his first PC—the IBM Thinkpad with the lift-up keyboard for swapping out the drive. He's still waiting for that to come back in style tbh.