The maintenance update Apple released for iOS (11.2.2) last week could throttle iPhone performance by over 40%, according to a benchmark test conducted by Dutch security researcher Melvin Mughal.
Mughal used benchmarking software to track the performance of his iPhone 6 before and after installing the release, only to find that single-core power had dropped by an eye-watering 41%, while multi-core was down 39% in his tests.
“The benchmark had the full CPU capacity and all other iPhone resources at its disposal,” said Mughal, after clarifying the iPhone 6 in question was unmodified. “The [aforementioned] percentages are rounded accordingly,” he added.
Related: iPhone X
Apple’s latest update supersedes an earlier release – which mitigated against the effects of Spectre on the iPad and iPhone – by reinforcing the barrier that stops hackers from using Javascript to infiltrate Apple’s in-house Safari browser.
Their intention here would be to exploit the CPU-based loophole in a bid to gain access to the part of a computer system that’s used to store sensitive information, like credit card information and passwords, as part of a larger phishing operation.
It’s unclear whether Apple’s aware of the issue, but we’ve reached out in search of a statement and will update this post as soon as we hear back.
In the meantime, we’d love to know whether the latest update took a toll on your iPhone’s performance. Drop us a line on Facebook or Twitter @TrustedReviews.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
