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Updated on Nov. 28, 2025

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 rule names (signatures) are obfuscated, with a bit of reversing engineering, security researchers can map them to their common industry names.

In this updated Thanksgiving edition of Security Bite, I revisit a story I started working on in May of 2024. Because Apple is continuously adding new modules to its XProtect suite to combat the latest malware trends, I suspect this column will continue to update over time. Here’s what malware your Mac can detect and remove on its own:

Apple currently partners exclusively with TSMC for production of its M-series chips, but analyst Ming-Chi Kuo says that may change soon, with Intel being brought in as an important new supplier.

Apple TV is now running a Black Friday deal for over 50% off that’s available through Cyber Monday (December 1), letting new and returning subscribers get the streaming service for just $5.99/month for up to six months. Here are the details.

While I don’t have a bunch of Thunderbolt 5 compatible gear yet, that transition is coming promising blisteringly-fast data transfer speeds and even more bandwidth for high-res external displays.

The 11-port OWC Thunderbolt 5 dock (on sale for 15% off for Black Friday) makes the convenient single cable desk lifestyle even better, with access to higher throughputs. By plugging in your MacBook Pro to the dock with a Thunderbolt 5 cable, you can connect to fast external storage, 2.5Gb Ethernet, up to two 6K displays, keep your laptop battery charged with 140 W power delivery, and access even more I/O peripherals …

Regulation enforcement against Apple in the EU may be about to intensify. Under the Digital Markets Act rules, the company must notify the EU commission about services that reach the thresholds for so-called gatekeeper status, targeting big tech services with more than 45 million active users in Europe.

As it is obliged, Apple informed the EU that Apple Maps and Apple Ads meet that level. The commission now has 45 days to decide whether Maps and the company’s ad businesses are sufficiently monopolistic to warrant a step up in regulation.

We have now collected all of the best Black Friday Apple deals live for this year’s festivities. While loads of deals went live early than ever this year, the best prices tend to culminate on Thanksgiving Day and we are here to make sure everything is on your radar. From the best prices ever on AirPods 4 at $69 and AirPods 4 with ANC at $100 to a new all-time low on AirPods Pro 3, don’t let anyone convince you the Black Friday Apple deals aren’t seriously great this year. We also have new lows on M4 MacBook Air and $200 price drops on M5 MacBook Pro, as well deep discounts on M4 Mac mini from $479 and the best prices to date on Apple Watch 11, just to name a few highlights. Everything, along with a massive collection of accessories and deals across every major product category, awaits below.

Users in the U.S. trying to access Apple’s online store right now are being greeted with a “be right back” message, inviting them to check back soon. Here’s why.

A new report from Counterpoint Research shows that the iPhone’s comeback in China is still going strong. Here are the details.

If you’ve had Apple Podcasts open randomly to a show you don’t subscribe to, you’re not alone. Here’s what’s going on.

Let’s say you already have the latest and greatest Apple gear, maybe like yours truly. Well, the good news is we still have plenty of Black Friday deals on ways to accessorize your gear. We’re tracking huge savings on Apple’s entire lineup of official accessories for iPhone, Apple Watch, and more. Plus, deals on the best accessories from our favorite accessory makers like Nomad, Twelve South, and Satechi.

Apple has had quite the rollercoaster ride over plans to scan devices for the presence of child sexual abuse materials (CSAM).

After announcing and then withdrawing its own plans for CSAM scanning, it appeared that it might be legally required to do it anyway. The EU has now backed down on this, but that doesn’t necessarily let Apple off the hook …

My favorite gift picks to make any desk setup even better!

This is Rumor Replay, a weekly column at 9to5Mac offering a quick rundown of the most recent Apple product rumors, with analysis and commentary. Today: iOS 27’s ‘Snow Leopard’ update, iPhone Fold pricing, 2026 product launches, and more Apple rumors.

Apple has launched its new holiday ad A Critter Carol, which features a misplaced iPhone 17 Pro being used by woodland critters to record themselves singing a Christmas carol.

Apple simultaneously released a making of video that shows how the company also used iPhones in the making of the film, as well as how all the hand-crafted puppetry was animated and brought to life.

I have an AirTag on my keychain to keep track of my keys, but obviously an AirTag is too big and bulky to fit inside a wallet. That’s what the SwitchBot Wallet Finder is for, currently discounted to just $9.99 for Black Friday, a rare 60% discount.

Disguised inside a thin, credit-card form factor, the SwitchBot Wallet Finder connects to the Find My app on your iPhone, so you can follow its location, and it even houses a speaker so you can make it beep to help you find your wallet when it inevitably gets lost somewhere in your home. Read on for my review …

If you receive a notification from ChatGPT provider OpenAI that one of its partners has suffered a data breach, it’s likely that your own data is safe. Only those who have an API account may have been affected

The company says it is being transparent by notifying all subscribers, even though only a small subset of them will have been impacted …

The Plex personal media server had long allowed remote streaming for free users. The company announced back in March that this would in future require a paid Plex Pass subscription, which was set to come into effect from the end of April.

The company initially hadn’t appeared to enforce the new rule, but it appears that it is now starting to do so, with the Roku app first in the firing line …

It’s widely believed that sales of the iPhone Air have been disappointing and that Apple has either massively reduced or even suspended manufacturing altogether.

A new report says that several Chinese brands have responded by canceling their own plans for similar ultra-slim phones …

Listen to a recap of the top stories of the day from 9to5Mac. 9to5Mac Daily is available on iTunes and Apple’s Podcasts app, Stitcher, TuneIn, Google Play, or through our dedicated RSS feed for Overcast and other podcast players.

Sponsored by Roborock: Save up to 50% on Roborock’s flagship vacuums during their Black Friday event — but hurry, these deals won’t last long! 

Opera updated its AI-powered Neon browser today with a handful of welcome integrations and usability improvements. Here’s what’s new.

Apple is seeking to invalidate a new Indian antitrust penalty formula that allows fines to be based on a company’s global turnover rather than its local revenue. Here are the details.

YouTuber Becca Farsace has posted a new video documenting her experience using the M5 Apple Vision Pro to replace all her other non-smartphone screens for a month. Here’s how it went.

Apple offers two entry level MacBook models: the MacBook Air, and the base model MacBook Pro. There’s a couple hundred dollars in difference between the two, which begs the question – is the MacBook Pro worth the premium, or should you save money and stick to the MacBook Air?