Apple announced on Friday that there is a major flaw in its software that could allow hackers to intercept information that should be encrypted, including email messages and passwords.
If you own an iOS device, such as an iPhone or iPad, University IT recommends that you download the software update provided by Apple as soon as possible. To do so, go to Settings > General > Software Update, then select Download and Install. After updating, iOS users should be at version 7.0.6.
This vulnerability has also been discovered in Mac OS X Mavericks (10.9.1), the latest version of Apple’s desktop operating system. A patch for Mac OS X is expected soon. In the meantime, University IT recommends using Firefox or Chrome instead of Safari for more secure browsing. (These web browsers are not subject to the same vulnerability as Safari because they are not built on Apple’s code.)
Further information about this bug is available on the Apple Support website.