Apple patches 163 security vulnerabilities in iOS 27.2 update

Apple released iOS 27.2 and iPadOS 27.2 on October 27, implementing fixes for 163 tracked security vulnerabilities. The update targets critical system areas, including the Apple Intelligence framework, email privacy protections, the WebKit browser engine, and core system kernels.

Among the addressed issues are flaws that could have allowed remote access to sensitive user data or exposed hidden email addresses. Additionally, the update resolves more than 30 WebKit vulnerabilities and approximately 15 kernel-level bugs, which the company states reduces the risk of system-wide compromises.

This release effectively closes several vulnerabilities previously utilized by the research group Calif to perform a 'tetherless' jailbreak on iOS 27.0.1. While the company stated there is no evidence of active exploitation in the wild, the public disclosure of these flaws prompted the urgent patch release.

Security researchers, including teams from Anthropic and OpenAI, contributed to identifying these vulnerabilities, reflecting the growing role of AI in security analysis. Apple has also provided a concurrent update, iOS 26.7.2, to ensure legacy devices receive similar security protections.