Latest iOS 11.4.1 update makes your iPhone immune to USB hacking

Last month, Apple had unveiled iOS 12 at the WWDC 2018. The new OS was promised to be faster, more stable and bring a couple of new features over the iOS 11. However, iOS 12’s first stable build will be released in the fall of 2018, which means iOS 11 has still some time left. Apple, therefore, has rolled out another patch to keep the year-old OS work without issues and bugs.

Dubbed as iOS 11.4.1, the latest update aims to fix some known bugs and issues with iPhones and iPads. The new patch addresses an issue that prevented some users from viewing the last known location of their AirPods in the Find My iPhone app, Additionally, there’s also an improvement with regards to the reliability of syncing email, notes, and contacts with Exchange accounts.

However, the biggest change with the latest iOS update is the inclusion of the USB Restricted Mode. This new addition will prevent third-party passcode hacking tools to use the Lightning port for gaining physical access to the device and bypassing the verification. A new option, called USB Accessories, under TouchID and Passcode section in the Settings will let users choose whether they want the new security feature to be turned ON or OFF — turning on the toggle will let the hacking devices access the iPhone whereas the turning it OFF will disable the Lightning port within an hour after the device was locked.

As usual, the latest iOS 11.4.1 update is available on the iPhone 5s and newer iPhones along with the iPad Air and above models. The update is available as an Over-The-Air download and can also be downloaded via iTunes.

Apart from iOS 11.4.1, Apple also releases updates to other platforms in its portfolio. The watchOS 4.3.2 and tvOS 11.4.1 updates include several bug fixes and performance improvements for the Apple Watch and Apple TV respectively. macOS High Sierra 10.13.6 update adds AirPlay 2 support for iTunes on all supported Mac devices.

(source)