If you use an iPhone, iPad, MacBook, or Apple Watch, stop scrolling and check your updates. Security experts are warning that a newly discovered vulnerability affects nearly every Apple device currently in use, and the fix is already available.
Chris Pierson, CEO of cybersecurity firm BlackCloak, told Yahoo Finance Live that Apple users need to install the latest security patches immediately. His warning is blunt: “The main message on this to everyone is that if you have not updated your device, you are 100% vulnerable right now, so go immediately update it.”
Apple recently rolled out emergency security updates for iOS, macOS Monterey, iPadOS, and Safari, following reports of multiple zero-day flaws. While Apple hasn’t publicly detailed every vulnerability, experts say at least two of them target core components of Apple’s systems — the kernel and WebKit.
The kernel is the command center of any Apple device that controls how apps access your data and hardware. Pierson warns that a kernel-level flaw could let a remote attacker take full control of your device, potentially accessing files, photos, messages, and even your camera.
He explained, “Think about The Colonel as the heart and brains of every Apple device – that a fundamental flaw in it could allow any external attacker, used by a nation-state intelligence agency, the ability to access your entire device.”
The second vulnerability is in WebKit, the engine that powers Safari and many in-app browsers across Apple devices. A WebKit exploit could allow attackers to inject malicious code through ordinary websites. If a user visits an infected page, it can trigger the breach if the device isn’t patched.
This is what he said about it, “WebKit is the brains behind the Safari web browser. So, what this means is that if somebody were to go ahead and put malicious code on a website – and they were to be triggered by Safari – that your device could be, if you weren’t patched, compromised once again.”
Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has also issued a public warning, which urges individuals and organizations to instantly apply Apple’s latest updates. CISA rarely comments on consumer tech vulnerabilities unless they pose a serious, widespread threat — so this one’s worth paying attention to.
Cyberattacks have surged this year, and while headlines often focus on crypto-related hacks like the recent $190 million Nomad heist, this latest Apple issue is a reminder that no device can be truly immune, no matter how good or big the company is.
So, if you haven’t updated your iPhone or Mac yet, don’t hit “remind me later.” Go ahead and install it now. It’s a quick step that could save you from a major privacy headache.