Apple Pushes Another Automatic Mac Software Update to Address Further Zoom-Related Vulnerabilities

by

Apple today pushed a second silent security update to Macs to address further vulnerabilities related to the Zoom video conferencing app for macOS, reports The Verge.

Apple removed software that was installed by RingCentral and Zhumu, two video conferencing apps that relied on technology from Zoom and were also found to have the same vulnerabilities as Zoom earlier this week.

zoom logo
These two apps installed software able to respond to commands that could potentially allow websites to open up your webcam during a video conference without permission. Removing the apps did not remove the secondary software that was vulnerable to exploitation, which is also how Zoom worked.

Discovered last week, the Zoom vulnerability let a website forcibly initiate a video call on a Mac with the Zoom app installed, due to a web server that Zoom installed in the background.

When the vulnerability was first discovered, Zoom said that it used a local web server as a workaround to Safari changes that Apple introduced in Safari 12, calling it a "legitimate solution" to an otherwise "poor user experience" that allowed users to access "seamless, one-click-to-join meetings."

At issue was a new popup Apple implemented to require user approval when launching a third-party app, which Zoom wanted to avoid. Zoom did so through the aforementioned web server, which was designed to wait for calls to open up Zoom conferences automatically.

Zoom eventually released a patch to address the issue, and Apple also took the step of removing web server software that was not initially removed from the Mac when uninstalling the Zoom app. Zoom has since made it so uninstalling the Zoom app will remove the web server, and has made other changes.

Installing Zoom no longer installs a local web server on Mac devices, and there is a new setting to save the "Always turn off my video" preference that disables video in Zoom by default until it is manually enabled.

As with the original Zoom patch, the new patch for RingCentral and Zhumu is deployed automatically so that users are not required to apply it manually for it to take effect. Apple told The Verge that it plans to fix the vulnerability for all of Zoom's partner apps.

Tag: Zoom

Popular Stories

iOS 26

15 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 26.2

Friday December 5, 2025 9:40 am PST by
Apple is about to release iOS 26.2, the second major point update for iPhones since iOS 26 was rolled out in September, and there are at least 15 notable changes and improvements worth checking out. We've rounded them up below. Apple is expected to roll out iOS 26.2 to compatible devices sometime between December 8 and December 16. When the update drops, you can check Apple's servers for the ...
Read Full Article • 42 comments
Intel Inside iPhone Feature

Apple's Return to Intel Rumored to Extend to iPhone

Friday December 5, 2025 10:08 am PST by
Intel is expected to begin supplying some Mac and iPad chips in a few years, and the latest rumor claims the partnership might extend to the iPhone. In a research note with investment firm GF Securities this week, obtained by MacRumors, analyst Jeff Pu said he and his colleagues "now expect" Intel to reach a supply deal with Apple for at least some non-pro iPhone chips starting in 2028....
Read Full Article • 137 comments
Photos App Icon Liquid Glass

John Gruber Shares Scathing Commentary About Apple's Departing Software Design Chief

Thursday December 4, 2025 9:30 am PST by
In a statement shared with Bloomberg on Wednesday, Apple confirmed that its software design chief Alan Dye will be leaving. Apple said Dye will be succeeded by Stephen Lemay, who has been a software designer at the company since 1999. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced that Dye will lead a new creative studio within the company's AR/VR division Reality Labs. On his blog Daring Fireball,...
Read Full Article • 316 comments
ive and altman

Jony Ive's OpenAI Device Barred From Using 'io' Name

Friday December 5, 2025 6:22 am PST by
A U.S. appeals court has upheld a temporary restraining order that prevents OpenAI and Jony Ive's new hardware venture from using the name "io" for products similar to those planned by AI audio startup iyO, Bloomberg Law reports. iyO sued OpenAI earlier this year after the latter announced its partnership with Ive's new firm, arguing that OpenAI's planned "io" branding was too close to its...
Read Full Article • 52 comments
iOS 26

Apple Seeds iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2 Release Candidates to Developers and Public Beta Testers

Wednesday December 3, 2025 10:33 am PST by
Apple today seeded the release candidate versions of upcoming iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2 updates to developers and public beta testers, with the software coming two weeks after Apple seeded the third betas. The release candidates represent the final versions of iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2 that will be provided to the public if no further bugs are found during this final week of testing....
Read Full Article • 40 comments
iphone air camera

iPhone Air's Resale Value Has Dropped Dramatically, Data Shows

Thursday December 4, 2025 5:27 am PST by
The iPhone Air has recorded the steepest early resale value drop of any iPhone model in years, with new data showing that several configurations have lost almost 50% of their value within ten weeks of launch. According to a ten-week analysis published by SellCell, Apple's latest lineup is showing a pronounced split in resale performance between the iPhone 17 models and the iPhone Air....
Read Full Article • 206 comments
iPhone 17 Pro Cosmic Orange

iPhone 17 Pro Lost a Camera Feature Pro Models Have Had Since 2020

Thursday December 4, 2025 5:18 am PST by
iPhone 17 Pro models, it turns out, can't take photos in Night mode when Portrait mode is selected in the Camera app – a capability that's been available on Apple's Pro devices since the iPhone 12 Pro in 2020. If you're an iPhone 17 Pro or iPhone 17 Pro Max owner, try it for yourself: Open the Camera app with Photo selected in the carousel, then cover the rear lenses with your hand to...
Read Full Article • 50 comments
ios 18 to ios 26 upgrade

Apple Pushes iPhone Users Still on iOS 18 to Upgrade to iOS 26

Tuesday December 2, 2025 11:09 am PST by
Apple is encouraging iPhone users who are still running iOS 18 to upgrade to iOS 26 by making the iOS 26 software upgrade option more prominent. Since iOS 26 launched in September, it has been displayed as an optional upgrade at the bottom of the Software Update interface in the Settings app. iOS 18 has been the default operating system option, and users running iOS 18 have seen iOS 18...
Read Full Article • 274 comments
maxresdefault

iPhone Fold: Launch, Pricing, and What to Expect From Apple's Foldable

Monday December 1, 2025 3:00 am PST by
Apple is expected to launch a new foldable iPhone next year, based on multiple rumors and credible sources. The long-awaited device has been rumored for years now, but signs increasingly suggest that 2026 could indeed be the year that Apple releases its first foldable device. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Below, we've collated an updated set of key details that ...
Read Full Article • 54 comments
iPhone 17 Pro Cosmic Orange

10 Reasons to Wait for Next Year's iPhone 18 Pro

Monday December 1, 2025 2:40 am PST by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models at the same time, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 18 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. One thing worth...
Read Full Article • 107 comments

Top Rated Comments

BWhaler Avatar
BWhaler
84 months ago
NO

It was NOT discovered last week.

ZOOM was informed months ago, decided not to fix the patch because it would lower their value proposition and product strategy. Again, they chose to leave the security hole open for their business gain.

Two weeks ago was when the researcher got fed up and disclosed it to the public. Only then did Zoom jump into PR mode and fox the problem.

Apple, god bless them, learned of this and shut the exploit down. No point waiting for an unethical company. What else does Zoom know about they still haven’t disclosed?

MacRumors writers, do your job. Don’t let unethical companies spin or this behavior will never go away.
Score: 30 Votes (Like | Disagree)
arkmannj Avatar
arkmannj
84 months ago
Even if you discount the security issues... thanks companies for installing a 24x7 service consuming resources just to avoid a potential CLICK.

Good on Apple for pushing out the updates to help mitigate the stupidity of these companies.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Westside guy Avatar
Westside guy
84 months ago
Any chance you’re willing to share your script? :) It’s a shame that you’d even need to make something like that, especially having to run regularly.
Here it is, warts and all (replace "{username1}, {username2}, etc. with actual user accounts of course).

* There should really be some error checking added to this, for example it shouldn't try to move the files if it's unable to create the "-unused" directories.
* Released under the "you break it, you get to keep both pieces" license


#!/bin/bash -f

#
# Cleans out all the cruft that Adobe, Microsoft, and Google try to hide
# in the Launch* directories. This script works from the command line, but
# it's mainly intended for use as a cron job.
#
# Needs to be run with sudo, or as root
#
#
# Changelog: Added Skype to the list 2018-12-03 TLS
#
# Initial script written 2018-08-15 TLS
#

if [ $USER != "root" ] ; then
echo "Error - needs to be run with root permissions (you are $USER). Please use sudo."
exit 1;
fi

DIRECTORY_LIST=(
"/Library/LaunchAgents"
"/Library/LaunchDaemons"
"/Users/{username1}/Library/LaunchAgents"
"/Users/{username2}/Library/LaunchAgents"
)
UNWANTED_LAUNCHERS_LIST=(
"com.adobe.*"
"com.citrix.*"
"com.google.*"
"com.lifescan.*"
"com.microsoft.*"
"com.skype.*"
)

for THIS_DIR in ${DIRECTORY_LIST* } ; do
if [ ! -d $THIS_DIR ] ; then
continue
fi
STORAGE_DIR="$THIS_DIR-unused"
if [ ! -d $STORAGE_DIR ] ; then
mkdir $STORAGE_DIR
fi
for THIS_GLOB in ${UNWANTED_LAUNCHERS_LIST* } ; do
find $THIS_DIR -maxdepth 1 -type f -iname $THIS_GLOB -exec mv \{\} $STORAGE_DIR \;
done
done
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Westside guy Avatar
Westside guy
84 months ago
Even if you discount the security issues... thanks companies for installing a 24x7 service consuming resources just to avoid a potential CLICK.
Yeah, this is a problem - even setting aside security concerns. All sorts of companies add superfluous scripts to our system's LaunchAgents and LaunchDaemons folders, usually for no good reason. Adobe, Citrix, Google, Microsoft, etc. Maybe each one doesn't normally chew up much memory, but the effect is cumulative... and sometimes those processes run away.

I actually have a "cleanup unwanted launchers" bash script running as a cron job on all my Macs. It runs each hour and moves the cruft any of these companies (and a couple others) placed into the various LaunchAgents and LaunchDaemons folders into LaunchAgents-unused and LaunchDaemons-unused, respectively.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Kaibelf Avatar
Kaibelf
84 months ago
Automatic silent OS updates huh? Sounds like some Google privacy invading stuff to me.
Howso? By making sure people can NOT access your camera and mic without your knowledge in a way that was designed to sidestep basic OS protections, now it's invading your privacy?
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
iGeneo Avatar
iGeneo
84 months ago
Good!

I have ZERO issue with these silent updates
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Read All Comments