Apple’s Latest Update Patches a Zero-Day Vulnerability

Next month, those of us with compatible iPhones with be able to download iOS 26, Apple’s next big update. Before then, however, the company has a smaller, yet essential update that all iPhone users should install ASAP: iOS 18.6.2.

Apple released iOS 18.6.2 on August 20, but only included the following notes: “This update provides important security fixes and is recommended for all users. For information on the security content of Apple software updates, please visit this website: https://support.apple.com/100100.”

That vague message contains the link to Apple’s security releases website, which lists all of the company’s security patches and their detailed release notes. If you check the notes for 18.6.2, you see that the update fixes exactly one security flaw—an out-of-bounds write issue with ImageIO, Apple’s platform for processing images. Apple says that bad actors can send targets a malicious image file that, when processed, can result in memory corruption.

While any security vulnerability is important to patch, this one is particularly significant. Apple says that it is aware this flaw has been exploited in the wild, which means bad actors know how to use it against iOS users. Apple says that this vulnerability was exploited “in an extremely sophisticated attack against specific targeted individuals,” which implies that high-profile users were the targets here. In any case, it’s very important for all iPhone users to update their devices as soon as possible to protect themselves.

How to update to iOS 18.6.2

To update, open your iPhone’s Settings app, then go to General -> Software Update. Here, let your iPhone check for the latest software update.

Apple has issued similar updates for iPads still running iOS 17, as well as Macs running the last three versions of macOS. If you have any devices that fall under these categories, update them immediately.