You may have recently encountered an update ready to install on your iOS device — alas, it’s not iOS 10 yet, but rather a security fix.
Apple released iOS 9.3.4 late Thursday, and it’s available to download over the air for the iPhone 4S and later, the iPad 2 and later, and the iPod Touch fifth generation and later.
The update notes describe a security flaw that may have allowed an application to “execute arbitrary code with kernel privileges.” That means an attacker could execute any command and take over a device. It’s also the way people can install the Pangu jailbreak method, which allows users to have a little more control and install features unapproved by Apple.
“A memory corruption issue was addressed through improved memory handling,” the update notes read. Ironically, Apple lists the credit to Team Pangu, the Chinese team that provides jailbreaking tools for the Pangu method.
So, the update most likely kills the iOS 9.3.3 Pangu jailbreak method that was recently released. Jailbreaking your iOS device may give you more control over your device, but it also has the possibility to allow malware to seep in. Either way, you should update to 9.3.4 if you want to close the security flaw.
The update was released the same day Apple announced a new bug bounty program at the Black Hat security conference. The bug addressed in the update would have qualified for up to $50,000, but the program doesn’t launch until September. It’s also an invite-only program, and the highest bounty is $200,000.
You can read more about the update here.
