Update your iPhone immediately. Apple has addressed a critical security flaw
Apple recently released the official versions of iOS 18.3.1 , iPadOS 18.3.1, macOS Sequoia 15.3.1, watchOS 11.3.1, and visionOS. All of the releases came without any major new features, but they did bring several bug fixes and resolved a serious security issue. So, if you haven’t updated your devices already, you should do so.
As explained on Apple’s security support page , the flaw (CVE-2025-24200) allowed a sophisticated attack to disable USB Restricted Mode, which was released a few years ago. The flaw was discovered by Bill Marczak of the Citizen Lab at the Munk School at the University of Toronto.
We have to go back to 2018, when Apple introduced a security mode to prevent attacks via the USB port on iPhones using devices like GrayKey, a sophisticated box capable of unlocking iPhones. This mode disables USB data transfers to iPhones and iPads if the devices are not unlocked within a week, meaning that connections are only allowed to charge the devices.
Another similar feature called “Idle Restart” arrived with iOS 18.1 and allows devices to restart after three days of inactivity to prevent thieves from accessing them. One of the security measures the company has implemented recently was to remove dozens of apps from the App Store that contained malware capable of reading users’ screenshots to steal information.
Although this bug was exploited, it was very specific. However, it is important to update to this new version to fix it, as it has been confirmed that the issue has now been resolved. But it seems that all is not well, as in the case of macOS Sequoia, Apple appears to have re-enabled Apple Intelligence for some users, who can now enjoy its features.
These types of bugs happen from time to time, but Apple is quick to find fixes by releasing minor patches like this one. After iOS 18.3.1 and other releases, we’re now waiting for the first beta of iOS 18.4, which should enable new Siri features, as well as Apple Intelligence features in more languages, like Arabic.