iOS 10 arrives with seven security fixes and one early glitch

Apple’s major iOS 10 update is rolling out across the globe today, and on top of a long list of new features it also brings a handful of important security fixes.

However, within the first hour of iOS 10’s release, some iPhone owners reported an error message during the over-the-air installation process that required the device be connected to iTunes on the desktop for a resolution. The error froze affected devices in Recovery Mode.

Apple has admitted to experiencing a “brief issue with these software update process” in a statement, but assured that it had been resolved.

"We experienced a brief issue with the software update process, affecting a small number of users during the first hour of availability. The problem was quickly resolved and we apologize to those customers. Anyone who was affected should connect to iTunes to complete the update or contact AppleCare for help."

It’s also released a support document detailing how to resolve the issue, which it notes in some cases may have erased settings and content on a device.

Shortly after these reports, Apple released iOS 10.0.1. It contains the same seven security fixes that ship with iOS 10.0, including for one interesting bug that would allow a man-in-the-middle attacker to stop an iPhone from receiving software updates.

That’s because previously Apple was not using an encrypted HTTPS connection for iOS software and security updates.

“An issue existed in iOS updates, which did not properly secure user communications. This issue was addressed by using HTTPS for software updates,” Apple notes.

Another notable fix addresses a bug in the iOS keyboard that could have allowed its auto correct suggestions to reveal private information because the keyboard was accidentally drawing on sensitive data from the cache.

The iOS Mail app also received an important fix to prevent a man-in-the-middle attacker from intercepting mail credentials.

Apple has now plugged a privacy bug that appeared when using Apple’s Handoff with Messages. Handoff uses Bluetooth to “hand off” activities between iOS and OS X Yosemite devices. The bug may have made messages visible on a device that has not signed into Messages.

A second privacy related issues allowed a malicious app to view whom a user is texting, caused by an “access control issue existed in SMS draft directories”.

Finally, the iOS 10 update addresses a GeoServices bug that could have exposed sensitive location information on an iPhone. The same bug was fixed in watchOS 3 that was also released today.