Summary
- Apple is rolling iOS 26.3 update to supported iPhones with a handful of vulnerability fixes.
- The update patches a dyld vulnerability known to be exploited in targeted attacks.
- iOS 26.3 resolves memory corruption issues and dozens of other flaws as the update weighs over 11 GB in size.
Apple is rolling out a significant wave of software updates to its ecosystem – iOS 26.3, iPadOS 26.3 and macOS Tahoe 26.3. The updates are aimed at patching security vulnerabilities, and among the fixes is a critical fix to a flaw that Apple admittedly said is being exploited in the wild.
iOS 26.3 fixes the Zero-Day Threat
One of the major issues that the update addresses is a vulnerability within the dyld dynamic link editor. It was previously reported by Apple and many others that this flaw allowed attackers with memory write capabilities to execute arbitrary code.
Apple highlighted that this specific bug was likely used as an extremely sophisticated attack, targeting specific individuals running iOS versions before iOS 26. Apple states that the issue was related to a memory corruption error and has now been fixed through improved state management.
In layman's terms, Apple spotted a flaw in the system that allows attackers to inject code by tricking the system's startup process into executing malicious instructions, posing a threat to privacy and security. Beyond this, the updates contain lots of fixes which Apple hasn't disclosed, citing that bad actors may try to reverse-engineer the patches.
iOS 26.3 is now rolling out to supported iPhones, and the update is over 11 GB in size. The company recommends that all users update their iPhones to the latest version to ensure protection against these potential threats.
For context, Apple seeded iOS 26.3 Public Beta 3 towards the end of January 2026, which means the latest update brings an end to the iOS 26.3 beta cycle. While the iOS 26.4 Beta was expected to be one of the biggest releases since iOS 26, it appears that might not be the case anymore. That's because Apple is pushing back on revamped Siri features beyond iOS 26.4 or even iOS 27.
For those unaware, iOS 26.4 was expected to reap the seeds of Apple's collaboration with Google and Gemini, but the features are running late. More information should be revealed as we inch closer to the first iOS 26.4 Beta, so stay tuned!
