Anyone using MacOS High Sierra should be on high alert. A Twitter user revealed a massive security vulnerability which allows anyone to log into your system as an administrator without valid login credentials. All a malicious user has to do is attempt to log in as “root” from the login screen, leave the password field blank, and press enter over and over until the system allows access.
Dear @AppleSupport, we noticed a *HUGE* security issue at MacOS High Sierra. Anyone can login as "root" with empty password after clicking on login button several times. Are you aware of it @Apple?
— Lemi Orhan Ergin (@lemiorhan) November 28, 2017
The scary news is that it’s true, or it was before Apple released a security patch. So all you need to do is open your Mac App Store and check for updates. You should see a security update available, go ahead and download that and you’re all set. Before it was fixed, the vulnerability meant anyone could approach your iMac, MacBook, or Mac Pro and access your computer without anything more than a couple keystrokes and zero technical know-how.
Additionally, it’s never a bad idea to change your system’s root password; leaving it blank was the key to the vulnerability before it was fixed. Here’s a quick tutorial on how to do just that.
Assuming you’re running MacOS High Sierra, we’ll teach you below how to fix the problem.
First, we’re going to open up System Preferences, open Users & Groups, select Login Options, then click the lock on the bottom left side of the window and enter your password. Next, hit Join right beside Network Account Server. This will open up a small dialog box, there you will want to click Open Directory Utility. Now we’re going to click that little lock again, and enter your password.
From here, mouse up to your Finder bar, and click Edit. From this drop-down menu click Change Root Password. This is the most important part: Pick a strong, unique password that you won’t forget.
That’s it, just an extra layer of security for your Mac, now that Apple has addressed the vulnerability with a security update.
The whole issue came to light after an industrious Twitter user pinged Apple Support’s official Twitter account for help regarding the vulnerability and from there it caught fire and spread. Twitter users from all over the world were confirming that they could replicate the vulnerability, and access their own computers without using anything more than a four-letter word.
Even though it’s fixed, this wasn’t just a minor vulnerability, like a loophole in some bit of code somewhere that only a security expert could exploit. This was a dead-simple way to break into someone else’s computer, so make sure you download and apply that patch from the Mac App Store.
Update: Apple has issued a security patch to address the issue.
The absolutely absurd idea of putting a touchscreen display on a mouse isn't exactly new. Turtle Beach already did it with its Command Series MC7, which features a 2.25-inch control screen. But apparently, even that wasn't ridiculous enough for Arctic Fox Technologies. Its new Super Mouse looks like someone took the chunky old Atari ST mouse, slapped a touchscreen and scroll wheel on it, and called it an upgrade.
The result is a rather unusual-looking mouse that is now on Kickstarter, starting at $199. And as ridiculous as it looks, some of its features are genuinely intriguing.
Apple is less than a day away from launching its highly anticipated OLED MacBook Pro with a touch-sensitive screen. But it appears that the upgrade is going to cost a pretty penny. According to a report by Bloomberg, Apple is reportedly eyeing a starting price of $2,899 for the 14-inch MacBook Pro, while the 16-inch version could start at $3,399 in the US.
"At $2,899, the 14-inch model would mark the highest starting price for a new MacBook Pro model, surpassing the $2,799 Apple charged for a 17-inch version introduced in 2006," says the report. The report claims that Apple is targeting a minimum price hike of $400 for its upcoming redesigned 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models.
I've spent a good amount of time digging into the spec sheet of the new M6 MacBook Pro (14-inch), and for all intents and purposes, this is a classic Apple "chip and connectivity" refresh. It's not a full redesign. The chassis, Liquid Retina XDR panel, speakers, ports, and battery, all of them carry over unchanged.
However, the M6 brings more cores, stronger on-device AI, higher memory bandwidth on the larger configs, and modern wireless. Here’s the practical rundown of what actually improved, and whether those gains are worth your money.