Apple iOS 4 Patches Might Not Cover iPad Users

Apple patched a record 65 iPhone vulnerabilities in the iOS 4 upgrade it released Monday, more than half of which were deemed serious. But iPad owners will have to wait until the fall for Apple to issue the iOS 4 update for their devices, according to Computerworld.

Some security solution providers place the blame on Apple’s expanding market share, which is making it a bigger target for attacks.

“It’s an ironic twist that Apple’s now dealing with some of the same challenges that Microsoft did years ago,” said Daniel Duffy, CEO of Valley Network Solutions, a solution provider in Fresno, Calif. “Back in the days when Apple didn’t enjoy such success, I remember that everyone seemed to take pleasure in slinging arrows at Microsoft, because it was simply a much larger target.”

Because Apple hasn’t yet released an incremental update for the iPad, it's leaving Apple users vulnerable to a variety of attacks, according to David Sockol, CEO of Emagined Security, a San Carlos, Calif.-based solution provider.

According to Duffy, Apple should have foreseen some of these prevalent security issues.

“I think it’s a matter of time until the attacks reach a critical mass and Apple is forced to focus more on security and quality than features, functionality and beauty,” he added. “I also remember how many people said, incorrectly, that Apple systems couldn’t be hacked or get virus and malware attacks because they were so well-built.”

Sockol says a security-patching mechanism in the future could update the Apple’s mobile products without requiring a full-blown firmware upgrade.

“A solution like this would go a long way to supporting the security of their iOS,” he said.