I realize there’s a ton of different Apple news happening today, however if you’re analyzing it on a Mac, iPhone, iPad, or Apple Watch (okay, that final one may be a stretch), you should probably pause and replace that device — today’s replace fixes a safety issue that Apple says may have been actively exploited.
The updates contained in iOS / iPadOS 14.5.1, macOS 11.3.1, and watchOS 7.4.1 are intended to restore arbitrary code execution exploits found in WebKit, Apple’s framework that renders most of the web content material you see on your device (unless you’re using, say, Chrome or Firefox on Mac). In regular language, the updates patch a hole that let malicious web sites run unchecked code for your device, so it’s not the type of update you want to put off.
If you've got got an older device, such as an iPhone 5s or 6, iPad Air or Mini 2 and 3, Apple also launched iOS 12.5.3, which addresses WebKit flaws.
If this tale sounds a touch familiar, it’s due to the fact there have been two current updates, iOS 14.4 and 14.4.2, that closed comparable security holes. Even if you don’t think you should update because you use an opportunity web browser on your Mac, or don’t browse the web on your Apple Watch (for obvious reasons), it’s still really well worth updating any devices you may have — WebKit can be used in sudden places, and it’s never right to have security holes open on your gadgets, particularly ones that may have been exploited.
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