Apple to Release iOS Security Fix for iPhones, iPads and iPods

Apple (AAPL) plans to release a fix for two security flaws in its mobile device operating system when it sends out its next software update, according to a Bloomberg report. The flaws in iOS, which runs on iPhones, iPads and iPods, came to light earlier this week and could give malicious attackers the ability to gain complete control over other users' mobile devices.

The security vulnerabilities are in Apple's iOS versions 3 and 4 for the iPhone and iPod, as well as iPads running iOS version 3. When customers using the Mobile Safari Web browser land on a malicious website and try to open a PDF document, a hacker can take advantage of a memory corruption error when processing certain data in the document, exploit the flaw to execute arbitrary code, and take over the device.

Until Apple releases the security update, customers ideally should avoid opening PDFs or clicking on links in emails unless they know who sent them the information.