iOS 16.7.1 and iPadOS 16.7.1 Offer Two Security Fixes

For those who haven’t yet updated to iOS 17 or whose devices remain stuck on iOS 16, Apple has released iOS 16.7.1 and iPadOS 16.7.1 to address the two security vulnerabilities fixed in iOS 17.0.3 (see “iOS 17.0.3 Addresses iPhone 15 Overheating Issue and Security Vulnerabilities,” 4 October 2023).

Apple identifies one of the vulnerabilities (CVE-2023-42824) as being exploited in the wild, and while the other (CVE-2023-5217) lacks Apple’s standard phrasing about being exploited, Google and Microsoft identified it as such in their fixes for Google Chrome and various Microsoft products.

However, the Center for Internet Security rates the risk of these vulnerabilities as LOW for home users, raising it to MEDIUM for small government and business entities, and HIGH for larger government agencies and businesses. As such, most people can install these updates when convenient.