iOS 15.3 is out now, fixes major security flaw that leaks browser history and Google ID

Apple has rolled out its new iOS 15.3 update for iPhone and iPadOS 15.3 for iPad early this morning. The new update addresses a series of bugs and major security issues instead of introducing new features.

One of the major fixes is for the Safari browser where malicious websites could view your recent browsing history and Google account information. Even if you use alternative browsers such as Google Chrome on your iPhone or iPad, it doesn’t make any difference as it utilises the same Safari web engine.

Depending on your device and current iOS version, the update is about 865MB to 1GB in size. If you haven’t received any notification yet, you can download iOS 15.3 manually by going to Settings > General > Software Update.

There are a total of 10 security fixes and most of them are to prevent malicious apps from being able to execute arbitrary code with kernel privileges. This includes ColorSync, Crash Reporter. WebKit and iCloud. It was recently reported that some third-party apps have issues with iCloud syncing and users were getting “Service unavailable” errors.

In case you missed it, iOS 15 adoption rate isn’t as great as its predecessors as Apple had given users the option to remain on iOS 14 while still getting security updates. Among all the iPhone models introduced by Apple in the last four years, only 72% of iPhone users have switched to iOS 15. The adoption rate is lower for iPad with an adoption rate of 57% among devices introduced in the last four years. To encourage more users to switch, Apple now appears to be pushing users to iOS 15 by giving just a single option to download the latest iOS 15 update for those who are still sticking with iOS 14.

[ SOURCE ]

Related reading

• This bug leaks your iPhone’s web browser history, even on Private Browsing
• iOS 15 moves Safari’s URL bar to the bottom. Here’s how to move it back to the top
• iOS 15.2 will tell you if your iPhone’s replacement parts were genuine or not
• Fewer users are upgrading to iOS 15, so Apple is making it harder to stay on iOS 14