iPhone users in India at high risk, government issues warning

iPhone

If you use an iPhone or iPad in India, the government has just issued a high-risk warning for certain Apple devices. And it’s not just a small bug, it could make your phone completely unresponsive.

The alert, shared by CERT-In, says that older versions of iOS and iPadOS basically anything before iOS 18.3 and iPadOS 17.3 are at serious risk. A flaw in the software could let malicious apps take over and crash your device, leaving it frozen or unusable until you reset it. In worst cases, your device might be “bricked,” which means it’s as good as dead.

What’s the issue? It all boils down to something called Darwin notifications — a system deep inside iPhones and iPads that helps different parts of the device communicate with each other. CERT-In says that any app — even ones without special access — could misuse this system to send dangerous commands, causing your phone or tablet to stop working properly.

Thankfully, Apple has already released updates to fix the problem. So, if you haven’t updated your iPhone or iPad in a while, now’s the time to do it. Just go to your settings and install the latest software version.

Apple, as usual, didn’t say much about the issue until a fix was ready. The company also reminded users to avoid downloading apps from shady sources and to stay alert for any strange behavior on their devices — things like apps crashing often, sudden battery drain, or your phone heating up for no reason.

This warning also follows a recent alert from Apple about possible spyware attacks aimed at users around the world — some people even got messages from Apple warning them they were being targeted.

So, long story short: If you’re using an iPhone or iPad, update it now. It might save you a major headache later.