A stalker may potentially monitor your whereabouts according to a security flaw in iOS 16.2 for Apple's mobile devices.
In a report by Fox News, a blogger has recently revealed that a major Brazilian food corporation has been monitoring his iPhone. He installed the company's app, but he never allowed it to access his whereabouts.
Apple nonetheless shared information with the app when it was not supposed to.
Therefore, there may be a potential problem with Apple's upcoming iOS 16.2 release.
iOS 16.3 to the Rescue
Good thing possible fixes for the location tracking issue might be included in the recent iOS 16.3 release. After updating from iOS 16.2 to version 16.3 and then restarting his iPhone, the blogger who says his device was being actively hijacked no longer witnessed his personal information being shared with the food service app.
The following notes seem to be part of a discussion of this privacy concern in Apple's iOS 16.3 latest update, which can be found in the Maps section:
- Impact: An app may be able to bypass Privacy preferences.
- Description: A logic issue was addressed with improved state management.
- CVE-2023-23503: an anonymous researcher.
Supported hardware for version 16.3 includes modern devices starting with iPhone 8, iPad Air 3, iPad 5, iPad mini 5, and all models of iPad Pro.
Now is a good time to see what version of iOS your Apple iPhone and iPad are running. Even if you have automatic updates turned on, upgrading to iOS 16.3 or later by hand is still the quickest way to ensure you get the latest features and security patches.
Safeguarding Your Devices
Install the latest operating system on your iPhones and iPads. Do so by launching the configuration utility or the Settings app. Tap the General option, then the Software Update.
It is suggested to upgrade to version 16.3 or later if you find an outdated software version, such as 16.2, to fix the issue.
Meanwhile, according to reports, iOS 16.3.1 is currently being developed by Apple and will be launched sometime in February.
More than only the tracking flaw, which has been receiving a lot of attention in online support forums, many issues may be fixed in this update, including additional concerns linked to errors in iCloud backups. There have been rumors that the way iCloud verifies your device before letting it to the cloud is the root of the problem.
Aside from updating your gadget's operating system, two-factor authentication should also be used wherever feasible. Moreover, robust antivirus software should be installed on all devices to reduce the likelihood of a hacker getting unauthorized access to your systems.
