The iOS 9.3.5 Update Patches Security Holes for Users Who Have Not Yet Upgraded to iOS 10
Even though Apple has released iOS 10, many people still like to wait a while before upgrading to a new version. If you are one of those people, you need to install the iOS 9.3.5 update on your Apple iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch device as soon as possible. If you do not install it, cybercriminals could take control of your device — and you would not even know it.
The iOS 9.3.5 update patches three vulnerabilities that, when exploited together, can give cybercriminals full access to iPhone, iPad, and iPod devices. Researchers from Lookout andCitizen Lab discovered these three vulnerabilities when they were used in a spyware attack.
For two days in August 2016, human rights defender Ahmed Mansoor received text messages on his iPhone device. The messages told him to click a link to learn about detainees being tortured in United Arab Emirates jails. He was suspicious about the text messages, so he sent them to researchers for investigation. They discovered that if he had clicked the link, his iPhone device would have been infected with a spyware product named Pegasus. Offered by the NSO Group, Pegasus is a "lawful interception" (i.e., legally sanctioned) monitoring tool, supposedly for sale to governments only. Had the attack been successful, Pegasus would have been able to track Mansoor's location, monitor his emails, collect his passwords, record his phone calls, and much more — all because the three vulnerabilities would have enabled full access to his iPhone.
Now that cybercriminals know the security defenses of older unpatched iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch devices are penetrable, they will likely try to exploit the vulnerabilities in their own cyberattacks. To thwart such attacks, you need to update your device to iOS 9.3.5 if you have not upgraded to iOS 10 yet.
Updating is simple. You just need to perform these steps:
Back up your iOS device in case something goes wrong during the update operation.
Open the Settings app.
Select "General".
Choose "Software Update".
Tap the "Download and Install" option when the iOS 9.3.5 update notification appears on screen.
Follow the instructions provided until your phone is updated.
If you need help backing up your iOS device or installing the iOS 9.3.5 update, contact your IT service provider. Electro-America is always happy to help.
