patch early, patch often iOS 18.3.1 update fixes security flaw used in extremely sophisticated attack Updates may also re-enable Apple Intelligence for those who turned it off. Andrew Cunningham Feb 11, 2025 10:17 am | 13 iPhones running iOS 18. Credit: Apple iPhones running iOS 18. Credit: Apple Story textSizeSmallStandardLargeWidth *StandardWideLinksStandardOrange* Subscribers only Learn moreApple has released new security fixes for iPhones and iPads in the form of iOS 18.3.1 and iPadOS 18.3.1. According to Apple's release notes, these updates patch an actively exploited security flaw in the USB Restricted Mode feature, which requires users to unlock their devices periodically to continue using USB data connections via a device's Lightning or USB-C port.Apple says that the vulnerability, labeled CVE-2025-24200, "may have been exploited in an extremely sophisticated attack against specific targeted individuals." We don't know anything more specific about who those individuals are or why they might have been targeted.Apple has also supplied an identical fix for older iPads in the form of iPadOS 17.7.5, which is still being updated on old models like the 2nd-generation 12.9-inch iPad Pro, the 10.5-inch iPad Pro, and the 6th-generation iPad.Apple has released updates for some of its other operating systems, too: macOS Sequoia 15.3.1, macOS Sonoma 14.7.4, macOS Ventura 13.7.4, watchOS 11.3.1, and visionOS 2.3.1. The company's security updates page says these releases don't fix any currently published CVEs, but there's always a chance this could change later on as more CVEs are disclosed.Some users have also reported that this update has been re-enabling Apple Intelligence on some systems where it had been turned off (as spotted by 9to5Mac). When they were released last month, the iOS 18.3, iPadOS 18.3, and macOS 15.3 updates were the first to turn Apple Intelligence on by default rather than making it opt-in by default.I was able to re-create this behavior on a MacBook Air running macOS 15.3I turned Apple Intelligence off, installed the 15.3.1 update, and confirmed that Apple Intelligence had been switched back on after installation. But the same test on an iPhone 15 Pro produced different resultsI turned off Apple Intelligence in iOS 18.3, and it was still off after I installed iOS 18.3.1. Your mileage may varyand if you're updating directly to 18.3.1 or 15.3.1 from a version older than 18.3 or 15.3, Apple Intelligence will be enabled automatically as part of that update if your device supports it.Andrew CunninghamSenior Technology ReporterAndrew CunninghamSenior Technology Reporter Andrew is a Senior Technology Reporter at Ars Technica, with a focus on consumer tech including computer hardware and in-depth reviews of operating systems like Windows and macOS. Andrew lives in Philadelphia and co-hosts a weekly book podcast called Overdue. 13 Comments