Apple Pulls iOS 16.5.1 (a) and macOS 13.4.1 (a) Rapid Security Response Updates Hours After Their Release

Apple released iOS 16.5.1 (a) and macOS 13.4.1 (a) as Rapid Security Response (RSR) patches for the company's phones, tablets, and Mac computers on Monday. The update contained remedies for a vulnerability in Apple's browser engine that hackers might have exploited to remotely run malicious code on a user's device and get access to personal data. However, only hours after releasing the security update, Apple allegedly withheld the software update owing to a flaw and will re-release it after the issue is rectified.

On Monday, customers received the iOS 16.5.1 (a) and iPadOS 16.5.1 RSR upgrades, as well as a remedy for a WebKit vulnerability that might allow arbitrary code execution while processing malicious web content. Apple encouraged all customers to get the update after learning that the security issue was being actively exploited, and credited an unnamed researcher with uncovering the flaw.

However, according to user complaints on the MacRumors forum, websites like as Facebook, Instagram, Zoom, and WhatsApp began to display a warning that the company's Safari browser was not supported. According to reports, this is due to the inclusion of the (a) from the update version in the "user agent" for Safari, which identifies the user when connecting to a website.

After the problem was detected, Apple apparently yanked the update. Users who have already downloaded and installed the upgrade can revert to iOS 16.5.1 and iPadOS 16.5.1 by going to Settings > General > About > iOS Version and selecting Remove Security upgrade.

After upgrading to iOS 16.5.1 (20F75), Gadgets 360 confirmed that the RSR upgrade was no longer accessible for download. Once the fault linked to the Safari user agent has been rectified, Apple is likely to provide an update for iOS, iPad, and macOS, and customers who have downgraded due to the issue should apply the update when it is issued again with remedies for the security issues.