iOS 18.6.2 comes with a single repair for a critical gap already being utilized in real-life assaults.Getty Photographs
Replace Aug. 22, 2025: This text, initially revealed on Aug.21, has been up to date so as to add evaluation of the difficulty fastened in iOS 18.6.2.
Apple has launched iOS 18.6.2, together with a warning to replace your iPhone now. That’s as a result of iOS 18.6.2 comes with a single repair for a critical gap already being utilized in real-life assaults.
Apple doesn’t give a lot element about what’s fastened in iOS 18.6.2, to provide individuals as a lot time to replace as doable.
Tracked as CVE-2025-43300, the flaw patched in iOS 18.6.2 is a matter in Picture/IO, which permits purposes to learn and write most picture file codecs, that would lead to reminiscence corruption if a person processes a malicious picture.
“Apple is conscious of a report that this situation might have been exploited in a particularly subtle assault in opposition to particular focused people,” the iPhone maker wrote on its assist web page.
Reminiscence corruption can lead to information within the machine’s storage being altered in unintended methods, which attackers “can then exploit to make apps crash and even run malicious code,” says Jake Moore, international cybersecurity advisor at ESET.Whereas Apple doesn’t say so explicitly, it seems that the difficulty patched in iOS 18.6.2 might have been utilized in spyware and adware campaigns — presumably by a nation state adversary.Apple iPhone
About The Concern Patched In iOS 18.6.2
The discharge of iOS 18.6.2 comes simply three weeks after iOS 18.6 fastened a hefty checklist of 29 vulnerabilities. Whereas Apple doesn’t say so explicitly, it seems that the difficulty patched in iOS 18.6.2 might have been utilized in spyware and adware campaigns — presumably by a nation state adversary.
Spyware and adware usually targets customers through a zero-click assault. This sees an attacker ship a picture through a service comparable to iMessage or WhatsApp, which can obtain the malware onto an individual’s iPhone with none interplay.
As soon as spyware and adware is in your machine, it’s very tough to mitigate and the malware is ready to see and listen to every part you do on display — even through end-to-end encrypted channels comparable to WhatsApp and Sign.
Apple’s iOS 18.6.2 addresses a zero-day flaw that may use a malicious picture file to set off reminiscence corruption, enabling unauthorised entry and malicious code execution on the machine, confirms Sylvain Cortes, VP technique at Hackuity. This opens the door to so-called zero-click assaults, the place a easy malicious message might let attackers run code with none motion from the sufferer, Cortes says.
The repair issued in iOS 18.6.2.might enable an attacker to set off reminiscence corruption if a person opens a malicious picture file, probably enabling malicious code execution and compromise of the iPhone, says Adam Boynton, senior safety technique supervisor EMEIA at Jamf.
Whereas Apple has not confirmed whether or not this particular flaw was linked to spyware and adware, comparable vulnerabilities in ImageIO and WebKit have beforehand been utilized in campaigns utilizing the Pegasus varient, he says. “Though the exploitation seems focused, we advocate that each one customers replace to iOS 18.6.2 instantly, notably these in industries most prone to spyware and adware assaults.”ForbesiOS 26—Which iPhones Can Run Apple’s New Software program?By Kate O’Flaherty
How The Assault Utilizing The iOS 18.6.2 Flaw Works
Pieter Arntz, a researcher at safety outfit Malwarebytes has written a weblog analysing the flaw patched in iOS 18.6.2. The weblog describes how the Picture I/O framework is the a part of macOS that “does the heavy lifting every time an app must open or save an image.”
“An out-of-bounds write vulnerability signifies that the attacker can manipulate elements of the machine’s reminiscence that must be out of their attain,” Arntz says. “Such a flaw in a program permits it to learn or write outdoors the bounds this system units, enabling attackers to govern different elements of the reminiscence allotted to extra vital capabilities. Attackers can write code to part of the reminiscence the place the system executes it with permissions that this system and person mustn’t have.”
Arntz describes how an attacker might assemble a picture to use the vulnerability, in the identical means adversaries carry out a zero-click assault utilizing spyware and adware. “Processing such a malicious picture file would lead to reminiscence corruption. Reminiscence corruption points will be manipulated to crash a course of or run attacker’s code.”
Apple has acknowledged experiences that attackers might have already used this flaw in a extremely subtle operation aimed toward particular, excessive‑worth targets.
“However historical past teaches us that when a patch goes out, attackers waste little time recycling the identical vulnerability into broader, extra opportunistic campaigns,” Arntz warns. “What begins as a extremely focused marketing campaign usually trickles down into mass exploitation in opposition to on a regular basis customers. That’s why it’s necessary that everybody takes the time to replace now.”
iOS 18.6.2 — How To Examine Your iPhone For Spyware and adware
Assaults utilizing the vulnerability fastened in iOS 18.6.2 are aimed toward a restricted group. Up to now, spyware and adware has been used in opposition to dissidents, journalists and public sector employees — in addition to companies working in sure sectors.
It’s tough to inform if spyware and adware is already in your iPhone, nonetheless indicators embody the machine working very slowly, or overheating. You can too use instruments such because the app iVerify, which claims it may possibly detect spyware and adware in your iPhone.
Should you do suspect a spyware and adware assault, the malware can typically be disrupted by turning your iPhone on and off once more, however observe it is a non permanent repair. The one approach to actually do away with spyware and adware is to cease utilizing your iPhone altogether. Teams comparable to Amnesty and Entry Now provide assist for human rights defenders focused by spyware and adware.
Why You Ought to Replace to iOS 18.6.2 Now
The flaw fastened on this newest iPhone replace is critical, so it’s necessary to replace to iOS 18.6.2 now. Moore advises updating your iPhone “instantly” to stay protected.
The truth that the difficulty patched in iOS 18.6.2 is actively being exploited level to the significance of making use of the replace, says Sean Wright, head of software safety at Featurespace. “Fortunately, the exploit does look like advanced and sure solely exploited in a really focused assault, so most strange customers are unlikely to change into a sufferer. However I’d nonetheless extremely advocate making use of the repair as quickly as doable to be on the secure facet.”
It’s higher to obtain and set up iOS 18.6.2 manually, as it may possibly take time to achieve each iPhone person’s machine.
Remember the fact that spyware and adware could be very focused in opposition to a subset of individuals. However for the reason that flaw fastened in iOS 18.6.2 has already been utilized in assaults, it’s nonetheless necessary to replace your machine because it might be used extra broadly.
It’s particularly key that enterprise and public sector customers are looking out for iOS 18.6.2, Cortes warns. “Organizations dealing with Apple gadgets want to have the ability to determine and replace all affected gadgets instantly, particularly in the event that they function in at-risk fields just like the authorized, media and public sectors.”
Apple’s iOS 18.6.2 and iPadOS 18.6.2 can be found for the iPhone XS and later, iPad Professional 13-inch, iPad Professional 12.9-inch third era and later, iPad Professional 11-inch 1st era and later, iPad Air third era and later, iPad seventh era and later, and iPad mini fifth era and later.
Apple iOS 18.6.2 was issued alongside iPadOS 17.7.10 for the iPad Professional 12.9-inch 2nd era, iPad Professional 10.5-inch, and iPad sixth era, fixing the identical flaw.
Apple has additionally launched macOS Sequoia 15.6.1,macOS Sonoma 14.7.8 and macOS Ventura 13.7.8 for Mac gadgets.
So, what are you ready for? Go to Settings > Basic > Software program Replace and obtain and set up iOS 18.6.2 in your iPhone now.
