WWDC 2018 takes place June 4 to June 8 in San Jose, California.
Apple Releases macOS High Sierra Security Update to Fix Root Password Vulnerability
Apple today released Security Update 2017-001 to fix a serious vulnerability that enables access to the root superuser account with a blank password on any Mac running macOS High Sierra version 10.13.1.
The critical bug, which gained attention after it was tweeted by developer Lemi Ergin yesterday, lets anyone gain administrator privileges by simply entering the username "root" and a blank password in System Preferences > Users & Groups.
The security update is rolling out on the Mac App Store now, and it should be installed by all users running macOS High Sierra as soon as possible. Regardless, starting later today, Apple said the security update will be automatically installed on all Macs running macOS High Sierra 10.13.1.
Apple has since apologized for the vulnerability in a statement issued to MacRumors:
The critical bug, which gained attention after it was tweeted by developer Lemi Ergin yesterday, lets anyone gain administrator privileges by simply entering the username "root" and a blank password in System Preferences > Users & Groups.
The security update is rolling out on the Mac App Store now, and it should be installed by all users running macOS High Sierra as soon as possible. Regardless, starting later today, Apple said the security update will be automatically installed on all Macs running macOS High Sierra 10.13.1.
Apple has since apologized for the vulnerability in a statement issued to MacRumors:
Security is a top priority for every Apple product, and regrettably we stumbled with this release of macOS.The vulnerability does not affect macOS Sierra or any other previous version of the operating system.
When our security engineers became aware of the issue Tuesday afternoon, we immediately began working on an update that closes the security hole. This morning, as of 8 a.m., the update is available for download, and starting later today it will be automatically installed on all systems running the latest version (10.13.1) of macOS High Sierra.
We greatly regret this error and we apologize to all Mac users, both for releasing with this vulnerability and for the concern it has caused. Our customers deserve better. We are auditing our development processes to help prevent this from happening again.
Related Roundup: macOS High Sierra
[ 288 comments ]
Top Rated Comments
(View all)
21 weeks ago
How embarrassing...
I wish Apple did a better job testing their releases. We used to enjoy such high quality when it came to software updates and releases.
I wish Apple did a better job testing their releases. We used to enjoy such high quality when it came to software updates and releases.
21 weeks ago
How embarrassing...
I wish Apple did a better job testing their releases. We used to enjoy such high quality when it came to software updates and releases.
You ever heard of Windows? Perhaps you should read up on that OS if you haven't.
Also, give me a break. Nobody finds everything, not even "Apple". Patched quickly and painlessly. Move along.
21 weeks ago
You ever heard of Windows? Perhaps you should read up on that OS if you haven't.
Also, give me a break. Nobody finds everything, not even "Apple". Patched quickly and painlessly. Move along.
Three... count 'em... THREE... critical and ridiculous security issues with Mac OS High Sierra within as many months. This one, the Disk utility one, and the keychain one. And that's just the security issues...
There's no excuse for it. Saying "well, microsoft is just as bad" just means that Apple is stooping to Microsoft's level... but I'd actually venture to say that Apple is starting to get worse than Microsoft when it comes to Mac OS vs Windows.
21 weeks ago
This is actually an argument in favor of public disclosure of vulnerabilities. Lemi Orhan Ergin was catching a lot of criticism yesterday for posting it on twitter, but if this bug had been reported privately, it would have taken much longer to fix, while malicious actors would be able to exploit it all along.
21 weeks ago
Let's face it. Every operating system or application will come across vulnerabilities, but it doesn't truly matter how bad or embarrassing they are (like this one was).
The real test of a quality company is how fast they can provide the update/patch to fix the security issues.
This was a big miss on the "QA front end" for Apple, but it was an excellent timely response to an urgent issue.
The real test of a quality company is how fast they can provide the update/patch to fix the security issues.
This was a big miss on the "QA front end" for Apple, but it was an excellent timely response to an urgent issue.
21 weeks ago
Does Craig loose some stock options for this and other software bugs that seem to become more prevalent with Apple software?
21 weeks ago
How embarrassing...
I wish Apple did a better job testing their releases. We used to enjoy such high quality when it came to software updates and releases.
Typical knee-jerk response from someone who doesn't understand the nature of the bug or the scope of OS development and testing.
[ Read All Comments ]
All of Apple's Macs come with Preview, a feature that's built into macOS. Preview is the default app that opens up whenever you view an image or a PDF, and it actually has quite a few useful...
Amazon's Kindle app for iOS was today updated to version 6.6, introducing a handful of useful new features to those who read Amazon books on their iPhones and iPads.
The updated version of...
Best Buy is back today with a refresh of deals on Apple and Apple-related products and accessories, this time including a deal on the iPhone X. With the sale, you can save up to $200 on...
GE has a new HomeKit-enabled single-room air conditioner available for purchase, which is the first HomeKit-compatible GE product that's launched so far.
The GE Energy Star 115 Volt...
Apple Music has been the focus of numerous record-breaking reports in recent weeks, and the latest comes from rapper J. Cole after he broke the service's record for most album streams in the...
In a new survey conducted by SurveyMonkey and shared by Recode, 11 percent of respondents said that they believe Apple has the most positive impact on society today. Apple came in third place,...
Last week, Apple supplier TSMC saw its shares decline around nine percent after it cut its full-year revenue growth target to 10 percent, compared to its previous 10-15 percent estimate. The...
Back in January, Toyota finally announced support for CarPlay, becoming one of the last major car manufacturers to support Apple's system for accessing iPhone apps through a vehicle's...
