- Apple is pushing iOS alerts to older handsets
- You need to apply the latest updates to stay protected
- This affects iOS 13 through to iOS 17.2.1
Earlier this month Apple took the rare step of issuing a public security warning to users running out-of-date versions of iOS on their iPhones, and how the company has gone further, pushing alerts to the lock screens of vulnerable devices.
As spotted by MacRumors, the alert comes labeled as a "Critical Software" update, and urges users to get their phones patched to protect against "attacks targeting out-of-date iOS software, including the version on your iPhone".
The attacks Apple is referring to here include fraudulent and compromising web links created through the exploit kits Coruna and DarkSword. As the official support document says, following one of these links could put your device at risk.
The exploits can work on phones running iOS 13 all the way up to iOS 17.2.1, and the equivalent iPadOS versions are affected too. Apple has been delivering patches to protect against this attacks — which you should install, if you haven't already.
How to stay protected
The fix for this is straightforward: update your phone through General > Software Update in Settings. All versions of iOS from iOS 15 onwards are now protected against these threats, and will block access to the malicious links that have been identified.
If you're still on iOS 13 or iOS 14, you need to update to at least iOS 15 at your earliest opportunity. iOS 15 is compatible with handsets as far back as the iPhone 6S, launched in 2015, so it's only on really old iPhones you'll still have a problem.
For those of you using anything older than 2015, it might be time to consider investing in a new iPhone — otherwise you're going to leave yourself rather exposed to these issues. There are no fixes coming for those really old software versions.
Apple says if you're unable to update your iPhone for whatever reason, you can consider enabling Lockdown Mode. This is a super-secure iOS configuration that adds extra protections, but it's only available on iOS 16 and later.
