Apple Fixes Lock Screen Bug With iOS 6.1.3, Only To Encounter Yet Another One [Updates]

Apple has just released iOS 6.1.3 which includes a very important fix. As you might recall, iOS 6.1.2 had a couple of nasty bugs that allowed unauthorized access through a device’s lock screen, which meant private information was available to people looking at a phone without the owner’s permission. Thankfully, those bugs have been squashed with the release of the latest version of Apple’s mobile operating system, but it seems that new ones have emerged, even on this version of iOS.

The bugs allowed users to start an emergency call and quickly cancel it to see the information on the lock screen, make phone calls, and listen to voicemails. One method was simple, and the other was somewhat more complicated, but they both led to the same result. While the bugs do not grant full access to the entire phone, text messages and other personal information are easily accessible directly on the lock screen.

The new version of the bug was discovered by YouTube user videosdebarraquito, and was already replicated on iPhones 4, 4S and 5. According to the YouTube video, the bug can be avoided by disabling the voice dial system.

The latest version of iOS also brings some improvements to Apple’s often ridiculed Maps application. The focus of the update is on Japan maps, which according to Apple should now be more accurate. Previous updates to Apple’s Maps app have come on the server-side, and did not require a firmware or software updates, which makes this one strangle different.

Another important, and likely less exciting, part of iOS 6.1.3 is that the popular evasi0n jailbreak tool will no longer work. Older versions of iOS can still be jailbroken using Redsn0w, but anyone running a device with an A5 processor will want to hold off on updating to iOS 6.1.3.

So one security hole was plugged, but it seems that Apple is still not free of lockscreen bugs. Will you update to iOS 6.1.3?

Source: VentureBeat, TheNextWeb

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