Apple Inc. today released a new security update to its iOS mobile operating system a week after it was reported that it had managed to open a vulnerability that allowed Apple devices to be jailbroken.

iOS 12.4.1, available for iPhone 5s and later, iPad Air and later and sixth-generation iPod Touch devices, addresses what Apple describes as the ability for a malicious application “to execute arbitrary code with system privileges.” In layman’s terms, Apple is describing the ability to jailbreak the phone and run apps not approved by Apple.

Jailbreaking is the process of hacking an iOS device to allow users to remove software restrictions put in place by Apple. A jailbroken phone enables the installation of third-party software not available in the App Store and gives users the ability to customize the devices.

Though it sounds good in theory since it delivers the same features to the ever-decreasing number of iPhone users that are already available in Android, the exploit used to jailbreak iOS is also a serious security vulnerability that could be exploited by malicious actors.

As Pwn20ed, which is credited by Apple for finding the vulnerability, told Motherboard last week, the vulnerability could be exploited to make a malicious app or web page that includes the ability to steal data.

Even though the vulnerability is a security risk, Pwn20ed, which is the same site that offers the code to jailbreak Apple devices, is advising people not to upgrade to the latest iOS.

iOS 12.4.1 is OUT.

Do *NOT* upgrade to it.

— Pwn20wnd is reviving 0-Days (@Pwn20wnd) August 26, 2019

Blake Collins, research analyst at website security firm SiteLock LLC, previously told SiliconANGLE that although jailbreaking and rooting are great options for consumers who want to have more control over the software on their devices, the vulnerability opens Apple devices to spyware or worse.

“The implications for this are far-reaching,” Collins said. “This toolkit makes phones an easier target for malware and spyware. When you jailbreak your phone in this manner, you are making personal and private data on your phone more accessible in unforeseen ways.”

Photo: Pxhere