Apple on Meltdown and Spectre bugs: 'All Mac systems and iOS devices are affected'

Apple has just confirmed that very nearly all of its devices are affected by the serious vulnerabilities.
 By 
Karissa Bell
 on 
Apple on Meltdown and Spectre bugs: 'All Mac systems and iOS devices are affected'
The Apple Downtown Brooklyn store grand opening on Dec. 2, 2017. Apple's 11th store in New York City is a giant glass-sided triangle right down the street from the Atlantic Terminal and Barclays Center. Credit: Erik Pendzich/REX/Shutterstock

Apple just confirmed that nearly all of its devices are impacted by the serious vulnerabilities affecting processors made by Intel and other chip makers.

In the company's first public statement on the vulnerabilities, Apple confirmed that all of its Mac and iOS devices are affected by the bugs known as Meltdown and Spectre.

"These issues apply to all modern processors and affect nearly all computing devices and operating systems. All Mac systems and iOS devices are affected, but there are no known exploits impacting customers at this time," the company said.

Apple also explained that most exploits rely on apps with malicious code, reiterating that users should only download software from "trusted sources," such as its own App Stores. The company says it has addressed the bugs with its own software updates for MacOS (10.13.2), iOS (11.2), and tvOS (11.2).

For Safari, Apple says users can expect a software update meant "to help defend against Spectre," in the next few days. Google and Microsoft also previously issued patches meant to address the vulnerabilities, which first came to light earlier this week.

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Karissa Bell

Karissa was Mashable's Senior Tech Reporter, and is based in San Francisco. She covers social media platforms, Silicon Valley, and the many ways technology is changing our lives. Her work has also appeared in Wired, Macworld, Popular Mechanics, and The Wirecutter. In her free time, she enjoys snowboarding and watching too many cat videos on Instagram. Follow her on Twitter @karissabe.

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