July was a month of important updates, including fixes for vulnerabilities already exploited in Microsoft and Google products. This month also saw the first Apple iOS update in eight weeks, patching dozens of security flaws in iPhones and iPads.
Security vulnerabilities also continue to affect enterprise products, with July patches released for SAP, Cisco and Oracle software. Here’s what you need to know about the vulnerabilities patched in July.
Apple iOS 15.6
Apple released iOS and iPadOS 15.6 to fix 37 security flaws, including an issue in Apple File System (APFS) tracked as CVE-2022-32832. If exploited, the vulnerability could allow an app to run code with kernel privileges, according to Apple’s support page, giving it deep access to your device.
Other iOS 15.6 patches fix vulnerabilities in the WebKit kernel and browser engine, as well as flaws in IOMobileFrameBuffer, Audio, iCloud Photo Library, ImageIO, Apple Neural Engine, and GPU drivers.
Apple is not aware of any of the patched flaws used in the attacks, but some of the vulnerabilities are quite severe, especially those that affect the kernel at the heart of the operating system. It’s also possible for vulnerabilities to be chained together in attacks, so be sure to update as soon as possible.
iOS 15.6 patches were released alongside watchOS 8.7, tvOS 15.6, macOS Monterey 12.5, macOS Big Sur 11.6.8, and macOS Catalina 10.15.7 2022-005.
Google Chrome
Google released an emergency patch for its Chrome browser in July, fixing four issues, including a zero-day flaw that has already been exploited. Tracked as CVE-2022-2294 and reported by Avast Threat Intelligence researchers, the memory corruption vulnerability in WebRTC was exploited to get shellcode executed in Chrome’s rendering process.
The flaw has been used in targeted attacks against Avast users in the Middle East, including journalists in Lebanon, to distribute spyware called DevilsTongue.
Based on the malware and tactics used to carry out the attack, Avast attributes Chrome’s zero-day usage to Candiru, an Israel-based company that sells spyware to governments.
Microsoft Patch Tuesday
Microsoft’s July Tuesday patch is significant, fixing 84 security issues, including a flaw already used in real attacks. The vulnerability, CVE-2022-22047, is a local elevation of privilege flaw in the Windows Client/Server Runtime Subsystem (CSRSS) server and client Windows platforms, including the latest versions of Windows 11 and Windows Server 2022 An attacker able to successfully exploit the vulnerability could gain system privileges, according to Microsoft.
Of the 84 issues fixed in Microsoft’s July patch, 52 were privilege escalation flaws, four were security feature bypass vulnerabilities, and 12 were remote code execution issues.
Microsoft security patches sometimes cause other problems, and the July update was no different: after the release, some users found that MS Access runtime applications wouldn’t open. Fortunately, the company is rolling out a fix.
July Android Security Bulletin
Google released July updates for its Android operating system, including a fix for a critical security vulnerability in the system component that could lead to remote code execution without additional privileges needed.
Google also fixed serious issues in the kernel, which could lead to information disclosure, and in the framework, which could lead to local elevation of privilege. Meanwhile, vendor-specific fixes from MediaTek, Qualcomm, and Unisoc are available if your device uses these chips. Samsung devices are starting to receive the July patch, and Google has also released updates for its Pixel lineup.
SAP
Software maker SAP released 27 new and updated security notes as part of its July Security Patch Day, fixing several high-severity vulnerabilities. Tracked as CVE-2022-35228, the most serious issue is an information disclosure flaw in the central management console of the vendor’s Business Objects platform.
The vulnerability allows an unauthenticated attacker to obtain token information on the network, according to security firm Onapsis. “Fortunately, an attack like this would require a legitimate user to access the application,” the firm adds. However, it is still important to patch as soon as possible.
Oracle
Oracle released 349 fixes in its July 2022 critical update, including fixes for 230 vulnerabilities that could be remotely exploited.
Oracle’s April patch update included 520 security fixes, some of which addressed CVE-2022-22965, aka Spring4Shell, a remote code execution flaw in the Spring framework. Oracle’s July update continues to fix this issue.