Your iPhone Is at Risk! Update Now Before It’s Too Late
Published On: February 6, 2025
Apple has issued an urgent advisory to its users following the discovery of a critical kernel vulnerability, identified as CVE-2025-24118. This flaw, reported by security researcher Joseph Ravichandran from MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL), affects the core of Apple’s operating systems, potentially allowing malicious applications to execute code, corrupt kernel memory, or cause unexpected system terminations. The vulnerability has been assigned a CVSS score of 9.8 out of 10, indicating its severity.
The issue comes from a flaw in Apple’s core system (XNU kernel) that controls how apps and processes access important system resources. Normally, the system keeps security permissions (credentials) in a protected area that shouldn’t be changed. However, due to a weakness in how Apple’s system updates this information, hackers could exploit a timing issue to alter these permissions—potentially gaining control over the device or running malicious code.
In response, Apple released patches on January 27, 2025, addressing this vulnerability in iOS 18.3, iPadOS 17.7.4, macOS Sequoia 15.3, and macOS Sonoma 14.7.3. The company has improved memory handling to mitigate the issue. Users are strongly advised to update their devices promptly to these latest versions to protect against potential exploits.
The urgency of this update is heightened by the public release of a proof-of-concept (PoC) exploit by Ravichandran, demonstrating how the vulnerability can be leveraged to achieve kernel-level code execution. The availability of this PoC increases the risk of malicious actors developing and deploying attacks targeting unpatched systems.
While iPhones and Macs that update promptly will be safe, what about users who avoid updates due to compatibility issues, lack of storage, or simply forgetting? And what about businesses and organizations that run multiple Apple devices? Are they prepared to push these updates quickly to all their employees?
One effective method to hide from hackers is using a VPN. A Virtual Private Network (VPN) encrypts your internet connection, making it much harder for attackers to intercept your data or track your online activity. When you connect to a VPN, your IP address is masked, replacing it with one from the VPN server, preventing websites, advertisers, and even hackers from identifying your real location or network.