iOS Update Quashes Dangerous SSL Bug

Photo by: Duncan Hull

If you haven't gotten the iOS 7.0.6 update, you need to stop what you're doing and get it now. There's a dangerous SSL bug that can hurt you in numerous ways if you don't take care of it right away by updating your Apple operating system. Even if you have an older version, you're going to want to make sure you're protected and have the latest OS available for your particular mobile device.

Back in February of this year, it came out that not updating could lead to bad people being able to read and modify encrypted communications whether people were using iPhones, iPads or other iOS devices. As you might imagine, this upset a lot of people. The good news is that Apple was pretty quick at making sure an update was available for people who downloaded it.

And yet that's part of the problem - not everyone updates their operating system on their own, especially on their phone or mobile device. Some people have claimed that it wasn't a flaw and was built-in iOS as a means for people - like the NSA perhaps - to be able to spy on people easier. Apple denied the claims, of course, but if you Google around, you're going to find some interesting speculation about the "flaw" found in iOS.

According to Ars Technica, the problem may have gone beyond iOS mobile devices and actually affected Mac OS X users - even if they had all the current patches and updates installed! According to them, "[The] vulnerability has been confirmed in iOS versions 6.1.5, 7.0.4, and 7.0.5, and OS X 10.9.0 and 10.9.1." That's quite a wide vulnerability. And while Apple seemed to be working fast to squash the bug last month, there's a good chance that a lot of people still don't have it patched.

In order to make sure you stay safe, here are some specific tips you should follow.

• Always Update - The first thing you want to do is make sure you ALWAYS update your OS when you find out there's a new version available.
• Be Aware - In order to know when you should update your OS, you're going to make sure you're aware of major problems that have been found.
• Act Quickly - The sooner you patch the vulnerable code, the sooner you're going to be safe from attacks.

While there's no guarantee your mobile devices are going to be safe and secure, you want to make sure you take whatever steps you can to guarantee that you're as safe as possible. If you have any thoughts or opinions about the latest iOS update that killed some major security flaws, feel free to leave a comment below and let us know what you're thinking.