All iPhone owners would be wise to make sure their devices are running the very latest version of iOS. The US technology giant has released an urgent update overnight which fixes over 10 security glitches affecting its popular brand of smartphones. That’s bad enough but to make matters worse, one of the bugs – which has been found within Apple’s WebKit software – has been given the worrying ‘zero day’ rating.

That stamp basically means hackers and cyber crooks are now aware of the issue and could be actively exploiting it right now. That’s one of the reasons Apple has rushed so quickly to patch the glitch.

Explaining more about the WebKit issues and confirming their seriousness, Apple said the bug could allow the “processing maliciously crafted web content that may lead to arbitrary code execution. Apple is aware of a report that this issue may have been exploited.”

It’s now vital you quickly head to the settings and check for any updates from Apple including version iOS 17.3.

This is the very latest upgrade that also includes a number of new features.

To check for iOS 17.3 simply head to the Settings menu, then tap General and Software Update. iOS 17.3 is around 800MB in size so it might be worth performing the download when connected to Wi-Fi otherwise you will make a dent in your monthly mobile data allowance – unless you have unlimited data of course.

The security fixes are not the only changes in this release. Apple has also confirmed that it has added a swathe of new features in iOS 17.3 including Stolen Device Protection.

This increases the security of your iPhone and Apple ID sign-ins by requiring Face ID or Touch ID with no passcode fallback to perform certain actions. The idea behind this is that should make it a lot harder for anyone to access the device if it’s been taken without permission.

Another update to the safety of the device is Security Delay. This requires Face ID or Touch ID, an hour’s wait, and an additional successful biometric authentication before sensitive operations like changing device passcode or Apple ID password can be performed.

There is also a new Unity wallpaper in this release which honours Black history and culture and Music gets changes including emoji reactions to songs and collaborative playlists which allow you to invite friends to join your playlist with everyone then able to add, reorder and remove songs.

iOS 17.3 is available now.

Finally, there’s AirPlay hotel support which now lets you stream content directly to the TV in your room in selected hotels.