According to Macrumors, this action comes as no surprise to Apple as they regularly disable signing for older iOS versions to prevent users from downgrading.
Apple blocks iPhone users from downgrading to iOS 17.1.1 and iOS 17.1.2Moreover, in recent years, there have been very few reasons for iPhone users to downgrade to older iOS versions, especially since they often update iOS directly over-the-air rather than through iTunes. Previously, users primarily downgraded iOS to perform jailbreaks.
Currently, the latest official iOS version is iOS 17.2.1, which Apple released earlier today to fix some critical issues for iPhone users. Additionally, Apple is currently testing the iOS 17.3 update for imminent release, which brings some notable changes such as Device Theft Protection and a work playlist feature for Apple Music.
Learn more: Apple unexpectedly releases iOS 17.2.1 with critical bug fixes for iPhone, update now recommended!