Apple has been stealing headlines more than often this year. First came the buzz of the big redesign of its iOS, and then was the launch of the two iPhones which are both unusual in ther own ways. And now Apple has released the iOS 7.0.2 update for users running iOS 7 or 7.0.1 on their iPhone, iPad and iPod touch devices.
The update has been made to fix the lock screen vulnerabilities which were discovered few days back.
The iOS 7.0.2 update varies in size from 17MB to 20MB depending on the device, can be downloaded over the air on devices or via iTunes on computers. Apple states that the iOS 7.0.2 software update fixes bugs that could allow someone to bypass the lock screen passcode and reintroduces a Greek keyboard option for passcode entry.
Detailing the update’s security content, Apple mentions that the update fixes a passcode lock vulnerability on iPhone 4 or newer versions which allowed a person with physical access to the device to make calls to any number.
“A NULL dereference existed in the lock screen which would cause it to restart if the emergency call button was tapped repeatedly. While the lock screen was restarting, the call dialler could not get the lock screen state and assumed the device was unlocked, and so allowed non-emergency numbers to be dialed. This issue was addressed by avoiding the NULL dereference,” said Apple.
The update has come comparatively quickly from Apple, which has in the past typically taken at least two weeks to fix such major security loop holes.
