Improved security is the focus of the update to Ios 16.3. The new software provides stronger encryption – and support for logging in with physical security keys.
The growing risk of unauthorized monitoring and leaks is causing the tech giants to strengthen the security of their consumer services.
The iPhone manufacturer Apple has just rolled out a new update to the operating system Ios. The emphasis in the fresh version 16.3 is on extended data protection – and means that iPhone and iPad for the first time get built-in support for the use of so-called physical security keys, such as Yubikey manufactured by Swedish Yubico.
Physical security keys provide an extra layer of security to the login. Whoever activates the function must first enter their Apple ID password and then connect the physical key to the phone in order to log in at all.
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This may seem more cumbersome to users. But one of the advantages of Yubikey and other security keys is that these provide stronger protection against IT attacks such as phishing, or “phishing”, than mobile-based authentication solutions offer.
Yubico showed off two new models of the Yubikey at the CES show in Las Vegas. The white one is the Yubikey Lightning and the blue one is a new version of the Security Key with support for NFC. Photo: Yubico
Stronger encryption of data
The transition to Ios 16.3 also means that Apple’s built-in data protection is also improved for Swedish users. With the update, Apple is adding end-to-end encryption, or end-to-end encryption, of more apps and almost all data uploaded to the cloud storage service iCloud.
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This applies, among other things, to Notes, Pictures and iCloud Drive. Even backup copies of iPhones and iPads can now be completely encrypted.
– The IT giants have realized that the only way to strengthen the protection of data from a global perspective is to introduce actual technical protection functions, such as end-to-end encryption. Data can only be protected 100 percent using technology and math, not policies and law, IT security specialist Karl Emil Nikka said in a December interview about Apple’s update.
How to install iOS 16.3
Other news in Ios 16.3 is that the iPhone gets support for the second generation Homepod, which was launched last week. In addition, Emergency SOS has been updated, and now requires the side button and one of the volume buttons to be held down and then released. This is to prevent the function from being activated accidentally.
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iOS 16.3 also fixes a previous issue that caused Siri to not always respond correctly to music requests.
To update your phone, open Settings and click General. Then select Software Update. The oldest iPhone models that can install Ios 16.3 are the iPhone 8, launched in 2017, and the iPhone Se 2, which was released in April 2020.
