Apple is rolling out its first Background Security update for iPhone, iPad, and Mac to fix the Safari bug

Apple has rolled out its first “Background Security Improvement” update to patch a security flaw in its Safari web browser on iPhone, iPad, and Mac.

According to a new security advisory published Tuesday, Apple said a security researcher discovered a bug in WebKit, the browser engine that powers Safari and other apps. If exploited, this bug could allow a malicious website to potentially access data from another website in the same browser session.

Apple explains that background security improvements are “lightweight” software updates containing important fixes for vulnerabilities, which the company pushes to customer devices between larger software updates.

These updates, which first debuted with iPhone, iPad, and Mac devices running the latest version of iOS, iPadOS, and macOS (version 26.1 and later), can contain fixes for certain software components, such as Safari, its WebKit engine, and other system libraries that benefit from ongoing security updates from time to time.

Apple did not provide a reason why this specific error was corrected, and an Apple spokesperson did not immediately comment when contacted by TechCrunch.

When we downloaded the new security update in the background, it only required a quick reboot of the device, rather than the longer reboot typically reserved for software updates that contain more substantial fixes.

Ahead of the first background security improvement on Tuesday, Apple posted several security fixes for software testers to try out the new update feature before it launches.