iOS 6.1.3 Fixes Lock Screen Security Flaw

Apple has started to roll out iOS 6.1.3 to iPhone and iPad users as an over-the-air update, fixing a security flaw that could allow a hacker to bypass the iPhone’s lock screen.

It has taken more than a month to fix the bug, which allowed just about anyone with a degree of smartphone literacy to gain access to the ‘phone’ application by cancelling an emergency call and performing a series of well-timed taps.

Hackers would then have access to phone calls, call records and contact details stored on the handset.

In addition to fixing the lock screen vulnerability, it also improves the performance of the Apple Maps application for users in Japan.

iOS 6.1.3 released

Apple has had to release a number of updates for iOS 6.1 since it was first rolled out earlier this year. It offered expanded support for LTE networks on the iPhone 5 and faster web browsing, but some users flocked to Apple’s support forums to complain about connection problems and reduced battery life.

Vodafone had told its customers not to download the update, warning that they might “occasionally experience difficulty in connecting to the network to make or receive calls or texts or to connect to the Internet.” Apple responded by rolling out iOS 6.1.1, which Vodafone ruled was safe for its iPhone users.

It was then forced to release another update, iOS 6.1.2, which resolved an issue with Microsoft Exchange 2010 servers that caused log files to swell and CPU and RAM usage on servers running Exchange to spike, severely degrading performance.

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Originally published on eWeek.