Apple has released its first Rapid Security Response software to address vulnerabilities found in between larger updates. This is more than likely following a wave of zero-day exploits being found in their device updates.
“Rapid Security Responses are a new type of software release for iPhone, iPad, and Mac. They deliver important security improvements between software updates — for example, improvements to the Safari web browser, the WebKit framework stack, or other critical system libraries,” said the Apple Support team. “They may also be used to mitigate some security issues more quickly, such as issues that might have been exploited or reported to exist “in the wild.”
These Rapid Security Responses are only being rolled out for the newest versions of Apple devices, specifically, iOS 16.4.1, iPadOS 16.4.1, and macOS 13.3.1. The update allows users to apply and deploy the updates themselves, although the default settings will automatically apply the patch.
While it’s always recommended to automatically apply security updates to protect yourself against the growing cases of Spyware infecting Apply devices, in case you need to manually update it, or want to tweak your settings, follow these steps.
- On iPhone or iPad, go to Settings -> General -> Software Update -> Automatic Updates, then toggle “Security Responses & System Files” on or off.
- On Mac, choose Apple menu -> System Settings -> General -> Software Update -> Show Details button next to Automatic Updates, finally, toggle “Install Security Responses and system files” on or off.
You’ll know you’ve done it right because unlike standard updates, when a Rapid Security Response is issued, it adds a letter at the end of the update name. Ie, macOS 13.3.1 (a). Remember to make sure your device is compatible with the Rapid Security Response before worrying if you don’t see a letter on your device version.