Security patches for nearly decade-old iPhones arrived Tuesday as Apple extended critical fixes to hardware that can no longer run modern iOS versions.
iOS 16.7.15 and iOS 15.8.7 deliver protection against the Coruna exploit kit, a sophisticated hacking tool that Google's Threat Intelligence Group discovered targeting iPhones running iOS 13 through iOS 17.2.
The vulnerability allows attackers to execute arbitrary code with kernel privileges through malicious web content, potentially enabling data theft from compromised devices.
Apple originally shipped fixes for newer hardware in September and December of last year with iOS 17 and iOS 17.2 releases. Tuesday's updates bring those same protections to legacy devices including the iPhone X, iPhone 8 series, iPhone 7 series, first-generation iPhone SE, iPhone 6s models, and multiple iPad generations dating back to 2015.
The company maintains security support for iPhones for at least five years after launch, but these patches demonstrate an extended commitment beyond that baseline timeframe. Devices with automatic updates enabled will receive the software automatically over the coming days.
Users can manually install the updates by navigating to Settings > General > Software Update on supported hardware. The release notes describe both versions as providing "important security fixes" without detailing specific vulnerabilities.
Covered models include the fifth-generation iPad, iPad Pro 9.7-inch and first-generation iPad Pro 12.9-inch, iPad Air 2, iPad mini 4, and seventh-generation iPod touch alongside the iPhone lineup.
