Forum Discussion
Question about iOS Security Patch Levels
Hi all,
I am not an Intune admin, but an agent that supports devices in Intune. I'm looking at a report of our Intune's Security Patches w/ iOS (mobile) devices - most of the iOS phones in our environment show the patch level as (blank), but on occasion I'll see a patch level (a) or (c). I'm assuming (a) is an earlier update level than (c), but interestingly it's not clear to me from the https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201222 or the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IOS_version_history what a or c mean. I'm assuming that having a blank security patch level is bad, but can someone point me to a resource to help me understand what I'm looking at? Meaning if a user's mobile's iOS version is 13.6 and its security patch level is (blank) does that mean that it isn't patched at all, that the device is obsolete so it's "unpatched" since it's not running a modern OS, or that it just doesn't have a version a or c patch for that particular OS?
Thanks for answering my newbie questions 🙂
Hi --AIM--,
Rapid Security Responses (RSRs) are a new type of software release for iPhone, iPad, and Mac. They deliver important security improvements between software updates—for example, improvements to the Safari web browser, the WebKit framework stack, or other critical system libraries.
RSRs are identified by a letter after the software version number. For example, iOS 16.5.1 (a) and iPadOS 16.5.1 (a) are the first RSRs for iOS 16.5.1 and iPadOS 16.5.1, respectively.
iOS security patch levels (a) and (c) refer to the first and third RSRs for a given OS version, respectively.
If a user's mobile's iOS version is 13.6 and its security patch level is (blank), it means that the device has not been patched at all. This could be because the device is obsolete, or because it has not been updated to the latest OS version, or because it has not been updated to the latest RSR for iOS 13.6.It is important to keep devices patched to the latest security patch level to protect them from known security vulnerabilities.
About the security content of Rapid Security Responses for iOS 16.5.1 and iPadOS 16.5.1: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT213823
This article provides information about the security content of RSRs (a) and (c) for iOS 16.5.1 and iPadOS 16.5.1. It includes a list of the specific vulnerabilities that were addressed in each RSR.
About the security content of iOS 16.6.1 and iPadOS 16.6.1: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT213825
This article provides information about the security content of iOS 16.6.1 and iPadOS 16.6.1. It also includes a list of the specific RSRs that are included in each software update.
Please click Mark as Best Response & Like if my post helped you to solve your issue.
This will help others to find the correct solution easily. It also closes the item.If the post was useful in other ways, please consider giving it Like.
Kindest regards,
Leon Pavesic
1 Reply
Hi --AIM--,
Rapid Security Responses (RSRs) are a new type of software release for iPhone, iPad, and Mac. They deliver important security improvements between software updates—for example, improvements to the Safari web browser, the WebKit framework stack, or other critical system libraries.
RSRs are identified by a letter after the software version number. For example, iOS 16.5.1 (a) and iPadOS 16.5.1 (a) are the first RSRs for iOS 16.5.1 and iPadOS 16.5.1, respectively.
iOS security patch levels (a) and (c) refer to the first and third RSRs for a given OS version, respectively.
If a user's mobile's iOS version is 13.6 and its security patch level is (blank), it means that the device has not been patched at all. This could be because the device is obsolete, or because it has not been updated to the latest OS version, or because it has not been updated to the latest RSR for iOS 13.6.It is important to keep devices patched to the latest security patch level to protect them from known security vulnerabilities.
About the security content of Rapid Security Responses for iOS 16.5.1 and iPadOS 16.5.1: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT213823
This article provides information about the security content of RSRs (a) and (c) for iOS 16.5.1 and iPadOS 16.5.1. It includes a list of the specific vulnerabilities that were addressed in each RSR.
About the security content of iOS 16.6.1 and iPadOS 16.6.1: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT213825
This article provides information about the security content of iOS 16.6.1 and iPadOS 16.6.1. It also includes a list of the specific RSRs that are included in each software update.
Please click Mark as Best Response & Like if my post helped you to solve your issue.
This will help others to find the correct solution easily. It also closes the item.If the post was useful in other ways, please consider giving it Like.
Kindest regards,
Leon Pavesic