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Update your iPhone — Apple just disclosed hackers may have 'actively exploited' a vulnerability in its iOS (AAPL)

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Apple on Tuesday released a new iOS software update that includes fixes for three security weaknesses in the former version. 

The company said on its support website that it is aware of the three security bugs and that they "may have been actively exploited." The company also said it does not disclose details regarding security issues "until an investigation has occurred."

Apple did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment. TechCrunch first reported the news. 

To protect the security of their iPads and iPhones, Apple users should immediately update to iOS 14.4, which the company rolled out with fixes for the security flaws.

Read more: How to find which version your iPhone is running and check if there's an update available

Two of the security vulnerabilities were found in WebKit, according to the security update page on Apple's support website. As TechCrunch notes, WebKit is an open-source browser engine used by the Safari web browser. These security bugs may enable remote hackers to "cause arbitrary code execution," Apple said.

The third security bug was found in Kernel, part of Apple's operating software framework. All three security flaws were discovered by anonymous researchers and affect Apple users with iPhone 6s models and later, as well as iPad Air 2 or later.

Read more: How Apple, Google, and other browser makers are quietly duking it out over the future of the web

Apple rolled out its iOS 14 software in September with major upgrades like widgets for your home screen and the option to choose a different web browser than Safari, which Apple has long set as the default. Other changes include incoming calls appearing in the form of a banner instead of dominating the entire screen.

You can find which version of Apple's iOS is on your phone by starting in the "Software Update" area of the "General" section in your Settings app.

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