Samuel Axon
Today, Apple released new versions of its iOS and iPadOS 14, macOS Big Sur, and watchOS 7 operating systems. The updates came just one day before Apple is expected to unveil its new iPhone and Apple Watch models and release dates for iOS 15 and watchOS 8.
These updates are security related across the board and do not add any new features or functionality.
In particular, two main issues have been addressed across all of Apple’s platforms, one with Core Graphics and the other with WebKit. In either case, maliciously crafted content (PDFs or web content) can be used when executing arbitrary code. Apple also says these updates fix an issue that allowed attackers to bypass Apple protections designed to stop code execution through Messages.
The updates are labeled iOS 14.8, iPadOS 14.8, watchOS 7.6.2, and macOS Big Sur 11.6.
Apple does not usually release security updates with a 14.x version instead of a 14.xx version. Normally, updates with one decimal place add new features in addition to fixing bugs or security vulnerabilities.
These updates are the first for Apple’s operating systems in weeks, but they are likely to be the last in this annual cycle. The company is likely to announce launch dates for iOS 15, iPadOS 15, and watchOS 8 at its livestreamed event tomorrow.
Those bigger updates will introduce plenty of new features announced at the company’s developer conference in June, although some of the iOS 15 features announced have already been pushed back to later updates in the iOS 15 cycle.