With the launch of a new version of macOS from Apple typically comes a culmination of new features, better performance, and enhanced security. Unfortunately, the previous statement might not necessarily be true as security researcher Patrick Wardle, co-founder of Digita Security, has discovered that MacOS Mojave includes a severe security flaw; the bug is currently present on all machines running the latest version of macOS and allows unauthorized access to a users’ private data.
Wardle announced his discovery on Twitter, showcasing that he could easily bypass macOS Mojave’s built-in privacy protections. Due to the flaw, an unauthorized application could circumvent the system’s security and gain access to potentially sensitive information. With the Twitter post, Wardle also included a one-minute Vimeo video showing the hack in progress.
The short video begins with Wardle attempting to access a user’s protected address book and receiving a message that states the operation is not permitted. After accessing and running his bypass program, breakMojave, Wardle is then able to locate the user’s address book, circumvent the machine’s privacy access controls, and copy the address book’s contents to his desktop — no permissions needed.
Wardle is an experienced security researcher who has worked at NASA and the National Security Agency in his past; he notes that one of his current passions is finding MacOS security flaws before others have the chance. While it is unlikely Wardle will release the app as a malicious tool, he does want to spread knowledge of its existence so that Apple addresses the issue in a timely fashion.
As usual for such a discovery, Apple has yet to comment on the vulnerability, so our eyes will be tied to future OS updates, looking for a bug fix. As MacOS Mojave was only officially launched September 24, the finding is indeed considered a ‘day-zero’ vulnerability, and we hope that Apple will jump to address the problem as soon as possible.
For fellow security researchers who want to know more details about the attack, Wardle will be speaking about the bug at the upcoming Mac security conference ‘Objective by the Sea,’ hosted in Hawaii in November. For the rest of us, we are in Apple’s hands until the security vulnerability is patched.
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.