Apple’s Passwords app had a security flaw that exposed users to phishing attacks for months. Learn what happened and how to stay protected.

Apple has fixed a bug in the iOS Passwords app that allowed iPhone users to be susceptible to phishing attacks, potentially for years. In a note on its security page, the company described the issue as one where "a user in a privileged network position may be able to leak sensitive information.

A security flaw left iPhone users vulnerable to phishing attacks for nearly three months, but Apple just released a patch to fix the problem.The Latest Tech News, Delivered to Your Inbox

Apple's revised release notes for the iOS 18.2 update reveal that it patched two issues related to its Passwords app.

While iPhone, iPad, and Mac users have been able to manage passwords through iCloud Keychain for years, and Apple has even embraced new features like Passkeys and password sharing, this was all pretty hidden away, initially buried in the Safari settings, and then later brought out to its own distinct section in the Settings app in iOS 14.

In iOS 18, Apple spun off its Keychain password management tool—previously only tucked away in Settings—into a standalone app

A bug in the Apple Passwords app left users open to phishing attacks during the first three months following the release of iOS 18.

Apple's Passwords app was found to have a significant security vulnerability that left users susceptible to phishing attacks for nearly 3 months.

A pple fixed a bug in the iOS 18.2 Passwords app that, for three months starting with the release of iOS 18, made users vulnerable to phishing attacks, according to an Apple secur