Security News
Apple on Monday rolled out security updates for iOS, macOS, tvOS, watchOS, and Safari web browser to fix multiple vulnerabilities, including an actively exploited zero-day flaw in macOS Big Sur and expand patches for two previously disclosed zero-day flaws. Tracked as CVE-2021-30713, the zero-day concerns a permissions issue in Apple's Transparency, Consent, and Control framework in macOS that maintains a database of each user's consents.
Apple has patched a hole in macOS that has been exploited by malware to secretly take screenshots on victims' Macs. Three flaws, including one spotted by Google's Project Zero, fixed in iOS 14.6 and iPadOS 14.6 can be exploited by a malicious app to run code with kernel-level privileges, allowing malicious software to completely take over the device.
Apple has released security updates to patch three macOS and tvOS zero-day vulnerabilities attackers exploited in the wild, with the former being abused by the XCSSET malware to bypass macOS privacy protections. In all three cases, Apple said that it is aware of reports that the security issues "May have been actively exploited," but it didn't provide details on the attacks or threat actors who may have exploited the zero-days.
Apple has released security updates to patch three macOS and tvOS zero-day vulnerabilities attackers exploited in the wild, with the former being abused by the XCSSET malware to bypass macOS privacy protections. In all three cases, Apple said that it is aware of reports that the security issues "May have been actively exploited," but it didn't provide details on the attacks or threat actors who may have exploited the zero-days.
Microsoft has added support for identifying and assessing the security configurations of Linux and macOS endpoints on enterprise networks using Microsoft Defender for Endpoint. The secure configuration assessment feature is now in public preview, and it has expanded to include macOS and Linux devices after initially only supporting Windows 10 and Windows Server devices.
Apple's problems with zero-day attacks continued this week with news of another mysterious in-the-wild compromise affecting iPhones, iPads and macOS devices. News of the latest compromise was included in a one-line mention in an advisory from Apple that documents fixes for a pair of WebKit security flaws that have been exploited on both iPhones and macOS computers.
Apple on Monday patched security flaws in its software said to have been exploited in the wild by miscreants to hijack gear. WebKit, fixed in macOS Big Sur 11.3.1, can be tricked into executing arbitrary code by processing malicious web content - a bad webpage can take over the browser, in other words.
Apple just patched a MacOS vulnerability that bypassed malware checks. The flaw is akin to a front entrance that's barred and bolted effectively, but with a cat door at the bottom that you can easily toss a bomb through.
The latest update to Apple's Big Sur includes critical security patches, which is why Cory Bohon advises upgrading your macOS devices now. Apple released macOS 11.3 on April 26, 2021 to the public.
"An unsigned, unnotarized, script-based proof of concept application could trivially and reliably sidestep all of macOS's relevant security mechanisms, even on a fully patched M1 macOS system," security researcher Patrick Wardle explained in a write-up. "Armed with such a capability macOS malware authors could returning to their proven methods of targeting and infecting macOS users."