iPhone, iPad and Mac users alert! Govt flags critical security flaw, here’s how to stay safe

Updated on 01-Oct-2025
HIGHLIGHTS

CERT-In has identified a new vulnerability that affects a variety of Apple devices.

Attackers can exploit the vulnerability to cause denial-of-service conditions, corrupt process memory, and destabilise apps running on vulnerable systems.

CERT-In urges users to update their systems immediately.

India’s cyber security authority, the Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In), has identified a new vulnerability that affects a variety of Apple devices, urging users to update their systems immediately. The vulnerability is classified as medium medium-severity risk, and attackers could exploit it to cause denial-of-service conditions, corrupt process memory, and destabilise apps running on vulnerable systems.

As per the advisory, the vulnerability exists in the FrontParser component of Apple’s operating systems and is linked to an out-of-bounds write issue. In simpler terms, this flaw can be triggered if a device processes a maliciously crafted font. Once exploited, it could lead to a range of problems, including system crashes, application failures, or temporary unavailability of services.

So, if you are using the iPhones, iPads or MacBooks running running iOS and iPadOS versions prior to 18.7.1 and 26.0.1 and macOS Tahoe before version 26.0.1, macOS Sequoia before 15.7.1, and macOS Sonoma before 14.8.1, you might be affected. Even Apple’s newest visionOS platform is impacted in versions prior to 26.0.1. This means nearly every modern Apple product line.

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It must be noted that the threat is not limited only to individual users. Companies that rely on Apple devices for daily operations could also face disruptions if the flaw is exploited. CERT-In warned that the potential consequences include instability in critical processes, service outages, and data manipulation.

How to be safe

In order to be safe, authorities have strongly advised to install the latest software update on their respective devices immediately. All the users need to do is head to Settings and search for Software update and then click install. The users can also install automatic updates.

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Ashish Singh

Ashish Singh is the Chief Copy Editor at Digit. He's been wrangling tech jargon since 2020 (Times Internet, Jagran English '22). When not policing commas, he's likely fueling his gadget habit with coffee, strategising his next virtual race, or plotting a road trip to test the latest in-car tech. He speaks fluent Geek.

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