macOS

Here’s a straightforward list, in no certain order, of Mac apps that I’m currently using.

Apple transitioned the Mac lineup to Apple Silicon starting in 2020, and they completed the transition in 2023. Since the transition started, Apple quickly started dropping support for Intel Macs on newer versions of macOS. That raises the question: how much longer will Intel Macs receive software support?

Shortly after the release of macOS Big Sur back in 2020, Apple faced widespread server outages. The outage affected macOS installations, iMessage, Apple Pay, and most notably: the notarization service. This meant that users had major issues opening apps, revealing a flaw in how Apple handles app verification on the Mac.¹

A vulnerability found in Microsoft apps for macOS allowed hackers to spy on Mac users. Security researchers from Cisco Talos reported in a blog post how the vulnerability could be exploited by attackers and what Microsoft has been doing to fix the exploits.

Apple has released an update to macOS 14.6. The latest version of macOS Sonoma is now 14.6.1.

9to5Mac Security Bite is exclusively brought to you by Mosyle, the only Apple Unified Platform. Making Apple devices work-ready and enterprise-safe is all we do. Our unique integrated approach to management and security combines state-of-the-art Apple-specific security solutions for fully automated Hardening & Compliance, Next Generation EDR, AI-powered Zero Trust, and exclusive Privilege Management with the most powerful and modern Apple MDM on the market. The result is a totally automated Apple Unified Platform currently trusted by over 45,000 organizations to make millions of Apple devices work-ready with no effort and at an affordable cost. Request your EXTENDED TRIAL today and understand why Mosyle is everything you need to work with Apple.

A leading cybersecurity firm, Picus Security, has released its annual Blue Report study that analyzes the state of exposure management at organizations. The study uses 136 million simulated cyberattack scenarios executed by Picus customers from January to June 2024 to assess the effectiveness of security measures on Windows, Linux, and macOS systems in an organization’s environment.

In this year’s Blue Report 2024, Picus revealed a massive gap in macOS Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) misconfigurations leading to vulnerabilities.

Safari is one of the many Apple apps bundled with iOS and macOS. With iOS 18 and macOS Sequoia, Apple has introduced Safari 18 with new features and improvements. However, when it comes to the Mac, you don’t need to update your Mac to macOS 15 in order to try out the new Safari 18 beta.

I recently did a deep dive into the macOS 15 Sequoia beta. Some of the headline features, like iPhone Mirroring, and Apple Intelligence, have yet to launch, but we can expect iPhone Mirroring to arrive with today’s release of beta 2. Yet, even without those features, there are more than enough changes and updates found in macOS Sequoia to keep things interesting!

In this hands-on video, I walk through dozens of new macOS Sequoia changes and features. Catch a glimpse of what’s new inside, and be sure to subscribe to 9to5Mac on YouTube for more macOS 10.5 walkthroughs and tutorials.

If you’ve got an Intel Mac of up to six years old, there was mixed news for most when Apple announced macOS 15 Sequoia. Most Macs that can run macOS 14 can still run this year’s version – but Intel models unsurprisingly won’t get the headline Apple Intelligence features.

A historical analysis of how long Macs continue to support the latest version of macOS shows that – with a couple of exceptions – not much changed this year on the surface, but it does still leave the question of Apple’s future plans for its Intel-chipped machines …

Apple today announced major updates to its operating systems during the opening keynote of WWDC 2024. Both iOS 18 and macOS 15 come with many new features, including iMessage improvements, more continuity features, and Apple Intelligence. However, not all of these features are currently available to beta users.

Read on as we detail which features announced at WWDC 2024 are yet to become available to beta users.

Apple on Monday announced macOS 15 “Sequoia” during the WWDC 2024 opening keynote. The new version of the Mac operating system comes with Math Notes, new features in Messages, a new way to mirror your iPhone on your Mac screen, and more.

Capturing a screen recording on your Mac is valuable for a variety of scenarios. There are handy third-party apps to help with this, but Apple offers a free built-in option with macOS. Follow along for several ways to screen record on Mac.

The Mac’s position as an established, decades-old platform means that any time Apple makes changes to the way that platform works, some pushback is expected. In macOS Ventura, for example, the company redesigned the System Preferences app to look and feel more like the iPhone and iPad’s Settings app. The rebranded System Settings debuted to some notable backlash, especially during the beta cycle.

Now, ahead of WWDC in a few weeks, AppleInsider reports that Apple is planning some changes for System Settings in the forthcoming macOS 15. Will they be enough to win over the app’s critics?

A number of commenters have made the point that iPad reviews haven’t really changed in years. Each generation, the hardware gets better, and the software gets left behind. That has led some to suggest a dual-boot iPad, which can switch between iPadOS and macOS as desired.

However, former Microsoft exec Steven Sinofsky – who was President of the Windows division for several years – says this idea “is just nuts” …

Following release candidate versions of iOS and other operating systems this week, Apple has seeded out macOS 14.5 RC to testers. This version could be what ships when the final version reaches customers. Here are the release notes:

Ever wonder what malware macOS can detect and remove without help from third-party software? Apple continuously adds new malware detection rules to Mac’s built-in XProtect suite. While most of the rule names (signatures) are obfuscated, with a bit of reversing engineering, security researchers can map them to their common industry names. See what malware your Mac can remove below!

9to5Mac Security Bite is exclusively brought to you by Mosyle, the only Apple Unified Platform. Making Apple devices work-ready and enterprise-safe is all we do. Our unique integrated approach to management and security combines state-of-the-art Apple-specific security solutions for fully automated Hardening & Compliance, Next Generation EDR, AI-powered Zero Trust, and exclusive Privilege Management with the most powerful and modern Apple MDM on the market. The result is a totally automated Apple Unified Platform currently trusted by over 45,000 organizations to make millions of Apple devices work-ready with no effort and at an affordable cost. Request your EXTENDED TRIAL today and understand why Mosyle is everything you need to work with Apple.

Following the release of new betas last week, Apple snuck out one of the most significant updates to XProtect I’ve ever seen. The macOS malware detection tool added 74 new Yara detection rules, all aimed at a single threat, Adload. So what is it exactly, and why does Apple see it as such an issue?

9to5Mac Security Bite is exclusively brought to you by Mosyle, the only Apple Unified Platform. Making Apple devices work-ready and enterprise-safe is all we do. Our unique integrated approach to management and security combines state-of-the-art Apple-specific security solutions for fully automated Hardening & Compliance, Next Generation EDR, AI-powered Zero Trust, and exclusive Privilege Management with the most powerful and modern Apple MDM on the market. The result is a totally automated Apple Unified Platform currently trusted by over 45,000 organizations to make millions of Apple devices work-ready with no effort and at an affordable cost. Request your EXTENDED TRIAL today and understand why Mosyle is everything you need to work with Apple.

During an analysis of various splinter samples of a noteworthy macOS stealer, security researchers at Moonlock discovered one with an alarming level of sophistication. Under the disguise of the unreleased video game GTA 6, once installed, the malware executes rather clever techniques to extract sensitive information, such as passwords from a user’s local Keychain.

In typical Security Bite fashion, here’s the breakdown: how it works and how to stay safe.

9to5Mac Security Bite is exclusively brought to you by Mosyle, the only Apple Unified Platform. Making Apple devices work-ready and enterprise-safe is all we do. Our unique integrated approach to management and security combines state-of-the-art Apple-specific security solutions for fully automated Hardening & Compliance, Next Generation EDR, AI-powered Zero Trust, and exclusive Privilege Management with the most powerful and modern Apple MDM on the market. The result is a totally automated Apple Unified Platform currently trusted by over 45,000 organizations to make millions of Apple devices work-ready with no effort and at an affordable cost. Request your EXTENDED TRIAL today and understand why Mosyle is everything you need to work with Apple.

Following the release of iOS 17.4.1 last week, Apple is now rolling out a new update for the Mac. Today, Apple has released macOS 14.4.1 with bug fixes and security improvements for Mac users.

We learned with the public launch of iOS 17.4 that Apple included fixes for two exploited vulnerabilities and two other security issues. Now with the arrival of macOS 14.4, there are over 50 security patches and the list of security fixes for iOS 17.4 has been updated to over 40.

Malwarebytes has released its latest report digging into the state of malware to start 2024. The findings include which countries see the most ransomware attacks, the evolution of malware over the last year, how Mac threats are growing, which Mac threats to watch out for, and more.