Stay Safe: Indian Government Issues Security Advisory for iPhone, iPad, and Mac Owners

Apple users in India received a new security alert this week from the Indian government's nodal security agency. The Computer Emergency Response Team of India (CERT-In) has issued an alert on April 2, 2024 with a high severity rating. The security problem is really big because it affects major parts of Apple devices including iPhones and Macs. Here's a detailed look at the vulnerability, which devices are affected, and how to protect your iPhone from potential threats.

Apple security issue: Which devices are affected
- Apple Safari versions prior to 17.4.1

- Apple macOS Ventura versions prior to 13.6.6

- Apple macOS Sonoma version 14.4.1 or earlier

- Apple visionOS versions prior to 1.1.1

- Apple iOS and iPadOS versions earlier than 17.4.1

- Apple iOS and iPadOS version 16.7.7 or earlier

The Apple software version affected by the security issue also includes the latest devices such as the iPhone 15 Pro Max and the Vision Pro headset. You also have a range of iPad and iPad Pro models listed along with their respective software versions. Users of older iPhone models such as the 8, 8 Plus and iPhone X also need to be aware of the vulnerability.

Apple Security Alert April 2024: What it says
As noted by CERT-In, these security vulnerabilities exist in Apple products that could allow an attacker to execute arbitrary code on a targeted system. This vulnerability exists in Apple products due to out-of-bounds write issues in WebRTC and CoreMedia. A remote attacker could exploit this vulnerability by convincing a victim to visit a specially crafted request.

How to protect your Apple device
Common practice recommends that people update their Apple devices to the latest available updates as soon as possible. And if your device is limited to the software version listed here, you should ideally consider upgrading to a newer device to avoid being attacked by bad actors.