Update Your iPhone: Apple Warns of Hackers Exploiting iOS Flaw
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Apple has uncovered hackers exploiting a vulnerability in iOS that appears to have been lingering for more than a year.
On Monday, the company issued the patch for the flaw in the iOS 18.3 release for iPhones. In the bug notes, Apple indicates that malicious software applications have been abusing the vulnerability to increase their access to system privileges.
The company added: 'Apple is aware of a report that this issue may have been actively exploited against versions of iOS before iOS 17.2,' which was released in December 2023. Apple iPhone models from 2018's XS and up are all affected.
The vulnerability, dubbed CVE-2025-24085, involves how iOS processes multimedia files through a software framework called Core Media. The same framework suffered from a memory corruption error, called a 'use after free' bug, which can cause unstable behavior — paving a way to tamper with the software.
Although details are thin, Apple's bug report suggests the hackers exploited the vulnerability starting over a year ago, possibly through fake apps designed to play media files. Since the attack went undetected for so long, the hackers may have used the vulnerability against specific high-value targets to hijack their iPhone devices.
CVE-2025-24085 also represents the first 'zero-day' vulnerability that Apple has fixed for this year so far. In response, the company has not only issued a patch for iPhones and iPads, but also for macOS Sequoia, watchOS, tvOS and even Apple's Vision Pro headset. Users can update their iPhones by going to Settings > General > Software Update. The phone can also patch itself automatically if you've toggled on automatic updates.
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Pressed again on whether the American people should be concerned about political attacks swaying the Fed's independence, Powell added, "I care about doing the job for the American people. The things we do matter a lot for people's lives, and that really concentrates the mind." "You want to just stay focused on that task as long as you're sitting in these chairs that we occupy. Focus on that task. Do what you think is the right thing and take the consequences." 'Well-positioned to wait' Earlier in his testimony, Fed Chair Jerome Powell reiterated that the central bank can afford to hold interest rates steady for now. In prepared remarks to the House Financial Services Committee, he said, "For the time being, we are well-positioned to wait to learn more about the likely course of the economy before considering any adjustments to our policy stance." Beyond addressing political pressure, Powell also spoke to broader economic challenges facing the Fed, including the impact of tariffs and rising geopolitical tensions in the Middle East. On inflation, he acknowledged the potential effects of trade: "At this time all forecasters are expecting pretty soon that that some significant inflation will show up from tariffs" Powell said, referencing the Fed's latest projections of higher inflation and slower economic growth compared to March's forecast. As for the conflict between Israel and Iran, Powell urged caution: "It's too early to know what any economic implications might be. I would not want to speculate. Like everyone else, we are, of course, watching the situation." Yahoo Finance's Ines Ferré reports: Read more here. Consumer confidence retreated in June after a large increase seen the month prior amid President Trump's various tariff delays. 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In addition to the Atlanta geography, the more established Alphabet-backed (GOOG, GOOGL) autonomous driving startup now offers self-driving rides in Los Angeles, Austin, Phoenix, and San Francisco and is expected to begin operating in Miami and Washington, D.C., next year. But Alphabet shares, which rose a little over 1% on Tuesday morning, haven't received the same investor excitement as Tesla shares. Tesla stock extended gains in premarket trading on Tuesday after launching its robotaxi service in Austin, Texas, over the weekend. Investors generally viewed the rollout as successful, despite some reported hiccups, boosting the stock over 8% on Monday. Tesla shares were up 2% Tuesday morning. Meanwhile, ride-hailing companies Uber and Lyft (LYFT) also gained premarket. Uber shares were up 3% on the Waymo rollout, while Lyft stock popped 5% after TD Cowen upgraded the stock. Yahoo Finance's Josh Schafer writes in today's Morning Brief: Read more here. 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- Tom's Guide
iOS 26 just got a big design upgrade — thanks to your complaints
Apple released iOS 26 Beta 2 this week, adding some new features while also apparently fixing complaints about the new Liquid Glass user interface for iPhone, iPad, and other Apple devices. Liquid Glass refreshed the interface across Apple's different operating systems with a new look and feel that gave it more of a transparent look. However, initial impressions were mixed. We found the look amazing but with some flaws such as app tinting and how Control Center looks. "This feature allowed you to change the color of your app icons — at least in theory. In practice, the finished result made it look like you poured sauce all over your apps," my colleague Josh Render said of the customizable feature. Tom's Guide's John Velasco found that the transparency caused issues with the way Control Center appears. Mostly it appears too busy and can make the settings panel unreadable. "I noticed how the transparency of Liquid Glass clashes with the way the Control Center appears on top of certain elements, like the icons on my home screen, or very busy web pages," he wrote. We were able to find workarounds for both issues, but it requires some finagling with the settings and does reduce the transparency. Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. With developer beta 2 for iOS 26, Apple has adjusted the background blur which obscures the home screen more and makes it more readable. Here's an example from X user Aaron Perris, a contributor at Mac Rumors. iOS 26 beta 2 blurs the background of the Control Center 23, 2025 Notifications appears to have received a similar update to make them more readable, though it doesn't look as dramatic as the Control Center change. To be clear, this likely won't be the final look for iOS 26 this is still a developers beta. A public beta won't launch until later this summer followed by the full release ahead of the iPhone 17 launch in the fall. Still, it is clear that Apple appears to be listening to user feedback and adjusting.
