Apple has released another "minor" update for iOS, iPadOS and macOS, namely iOS 15.6.1 and macOS 12.5.1. Although small, this update turned out to be very important.
In this update, Apple patched a number of security vulnerabilities that were stored at the OS kernel level as well as WebKit. Before being patched, with this vulnerability cyber demons were able to infiltrate and run malware code into the device.
Apple also explained in a note in the update that this newly patched vulnerability may have often been exploited by hackers, as quoted from The Verge, Friday (19/8/2022).
Since iOS 15 was released, Apple has provided 13 updates, and nine of them are updates to patch security holes. And some of these loopholes allow hackers to infiltrate the operating system kernel level, aka very deep or arguably the core of the operating system.
Then worse again, there are five updates in which Apple gives a warning that the vulnerability may have been exploited by hackers. That's why, even though you may sometimes be lazy to update your OS, believe me, this is a very important thing.
Oh yes, iOS 15.6.1 is small in size, really. Only 200s MB, and how to update it is easy.
Here's how to update iOS 15.6.1:
On iOS
Go to Settings - General - Software Update
On Mac
Open System Preferences - Software Update
In fact, in iOS and iPadOS 16 and macOS Ventura, Apple added a feature called Rapid Security Response. This feature allows Apple to update device security without requiring a restart. However, for major updates to the kernel level, the device still needs to be restarted.