Millions of iPhone Users Get ‘Rapid’ Security Update

A woman uses her iPhone in a file photo. Jack Guez/AFP via Getty Images

Apple on Monday released its first series of “rapid security” patches targeting security vulnerabilities that are being actively exploited for iPhones, iPads, and Mac computers.

According to a notice posted on Monday, the tech giant said the Rapid Security Response updates will “deliver important security improvements between software updates.” And the firm said, “They may also be used to mitigate some security issues more quickly, such as issues that might have been exploited or reported to exist ‘in the wild.’”

The update issued on Monday, however, did not detail what iOS or Mac security flaws were addressed. It merely stated that “this Rapid Security Response provides important security fixes and is recommended for all users” and signaled the download is about 85 MB in size.

Apple also said that the rapid update feature is enabled by default, meaning users likely won’t have to manually download the update on Monday.

But it advised that iPhone or iPad users go to Settings, General, Software Update, and then Automatic Updates. There, they should ensure the “Security Responses & System Files” feature is turned on.

Mac users, meanwhile, should go to the Apple menu, then click on System Settings. After that, click General in the sidebar and click Software Update on the right. There, they should click the Show Details button next to Automatic Updates before making sure that “Install Security Responses and system files” is turned on.

“If you choose to turn off this setting or not to apply Rapid Security Responses when they’re available, your device will receive relevant fixes or mitigations when they’re included in a subsequent software update,” it says.

Some Apple users on social media and various tech websites said they were having difficulties installing Monday’s rapid security update. An “Unable to Verify Security Response” message was displayed instead of the update, they said, according to screenshots posted online and multiple tech news websites.

Apple did not provide other details about the update. The Epoch Times has contacted the Cupertino, California-based firm for comment.

It comes as criminals and companies are designing new forms of spyware, including “Reign,” a newly discovered type of spyware manufactured by Israeli firm QuaDream. Researchers have told Forbes and other outlets that the software was detected in connection to cyberattacks carried out between 2019 and 2021.

Phone hacking tools like Reign “must never be underestimated,” Jake Moore, global cybersecurity adviser at ESET Antivirus company, told Forbes in a recent report. “Its quiet, under-the-radar delivery method enables it to monitor the vast majority of a device and those targeted will have no idea it’s there. Once deployed to a device, it is extremely difficult to remove Reign.”