Update Safari Immediately
If you are using an iPhone, iPad, or Mac, you should update your Safari browser as soon as possible. Apple today released the latest software for all three of its latest systems — iOS 15.3, iPadOS 15.3, and macOS Monterey 12.2 — and if you’re usually slow to install new updates, you can make this a priority as it fixes a serious security flaw.
What’s wrong with safari?
For some time now, Safari has had a serious security vulnerability due to a bug in implementing IndexedDB with WebKit. This bug allowed websites to read your data from other open windows in addition to your Google ID and other Google information. Normally websites shouldn’t be able to access databases that don’t match their own domain name, however this bug breaks that security wall.
Here’s an example of why this is so bad: If your bank is using the IndexedDB JavaScript API, a malicious website can see this information if they have the right know-how. The same goes for any website using this API. It’s just a privacy and security time bomb. But while Apple has taken the time to fix this issue, the patch is finally here.
How to update to fix this Safari security bug
To make sure Safari is up to date and patched, you need to install the latest version of iOS, iPadOS, and macOS on iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Simply go to Settings > General > Software Update (iOS and iPadOS) or System Preferences > Software Update (macOS), then follow the onscreen instructions to download and install the latest update.
Safari isn’t the only security update here
While Safari is by far the most important reason to update ASAP, it’s not the only fix iOS 15.3, iPadOS 15.3, and macOS 12.2 brings to your devices. Apple has security updates for ColorSync, Crash Reporter, iCloud, and more. You can read Apple’s full security notes for iOS 15.3 and iPadOS 15.3 here (the company doesn’t have security notes for macOS 12.2 yet).