iPhone owners receive important free upgrade after Apple uncovers serious bug that hackers have already exploited

APPLE has rolled out a new iOS update for customers with older iPhones that patches up a serious security bug.

The tech company has only just released its new iOS 17 – the biggest update of the year – however, this is not available to folks with older devices.

Reuters

Customers have been urged to check their settings and download the update sooner rather than later[/caption]

iOS 17, and all its perks, can’t be downloaded by anyone with an iPhone 8, iPhone X or older.

Apple has now welcomed a new update specifically for iPhone 8s, iPhone Xs and above, named iOS.16.7.1.

iOS is the operating system iPhones run on.

Customers have been urged to check their settings and download the update sooner rather than later.

If your device is still operating on iOS 16, then it’s important you heed Apple’s advice.

The company has confirmed that a bug found in a previous version of iOS 16 “may have” been exploited by a hacker before Apple had discovered and fixed the flaw.

Using the security hole, “a local attacker may be able to elevate their privileges” inside the operating system, Apple wrote on a security page.

“Apple is aware of a report that this issue may have been actively exploited against versions of iOS before iOS 16.6,” the company added.

The same 16.7.1 update is available for a range of iPads.

This includes all Pro models, iPad Air 3rd generation and later, iPad 5th generation and later, as well as iPad mini 5th generation and later.

To download the update, go to Settings > General > Software Update. 

Before you update, you should consider freeing up some storage space to make room for the update and back up your data.