Close
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Apple
    • Apple
    • Cybersecurity

    Apple Updates macOS High Sierra With Patches for Two Critical Flaws

    By
    Sean Michael Kerner
    -
    October 6, 2017
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin
      1088_HighSierraUpdate

      Apple released an update for macOS High Sierra on Oct. 5, patching two critical vulnerabilities in the new operating system.

      The security update for macOS come less than two weeks after Apple released High Sierra on Sept. 25. The initial High Sierra release patched 43 vulnerabilities, though it apparently missed the two that have now been fixed in the supplemental update.

      “Apple has released a supplemental security update to address vulnerabilities in macOS High Sierra 10.13,” US-CERT warned in an advisory. “An attacker could exploit these vulnerabilities to obtain sensitive information.”

      One of the flaws fixed in the supplemental update is a critical issue that could have enabled an attacker to steal passwords from the macOS keychain. The keychain is a service where users can store passwords for different websites and applications.

      “A method existed for applications to bypass the keychain access prompt with a synthetic click,” Apple warned in its advisory. “This was addressed by requiring the user password when prompting for keychain access.”

      The keychain flaw is identified as CVE-2017-7150 and was reported to Apple by Synack security researcher Patrick Wardle. Wardle publicly demonstrated the vulnerability in a video he released on Sept. 25.

      “On High Sierra (unsigned) apps can programmatically dump & exfil keychain (w/ your plaintext passwords),” Wardle wrote in a Twitter message.

      In a blog post, Wardle noted that he contacted Apple’s product security team via email and text in early September, providing details of the flaw.

      “I think it is important to note that I did not release any technical details of the vulnerability,” Wardle wrote. “My goal of posting the video was to raise awareness of the fact that High Sierra was shipped with an exploitable vulnerability—so we can all take necessary precautions.”

      StorageKit

      The second critical issue that Apple patched in the supplemental update for macOS High Sierra is a flaw in the StorageKit library identified as CVE-2017-7149.

      “If a hint was set in Disk Utility when creating an APFS encrypted volume, the password was stored as the hint,” Apple warned in its advisory. “This was addressed by clearing hint storage if the hint was the password, and by improving the logic for storing hints.”

      APFS is the new Apple File System that debuted in High Sierra, replacing the decade-old HFS+ filesystem that had been in used in prior macOS releases. The CVE-2017-7149 vulnerability was reported to Apple by security researcher Matheus Mariano of Leet Tech. In a blog post, Mariano detailed how he simply found the vulnerability while testing out High Sierra. 

      “I really don’t know how this went unnoticed by Apple (and anyone else),” Mariano wrote.

      Sean Michael Kerner is a senior editor at eWEEK and InternetNews.com. Follow him on Twitter @TechJournalist.

      Sean Michael Kerner
      Sean Michael Kerner is an Internet consultant, strategist, and contributor to several leading IT business web sites.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Big Data and Analytics

      Alteryx’s Suresh Vittal on the Democratization of...

      James Maguire - May 31, 2022 0
      I spoke with Suresh Vittal, Chief Product Officer at Alteryx, about the industry mega-shift toward making data analytics tools accessible to a company’s complete...
      Read more
      Cybersecurity

      Visa’s Michael Jabbara on Cybersecurity and Digital...

      James Maguire - May 17, 2022 0
      I spoke with Michael Jabbara, VP and Global Head of Fraud Services at Visa, about the cybersecurity technology used to ensure the safe transfer...
      Read more
      Applications

      Cisco’s Thimaya Subaiya on Customer Experience in...

      James Maguire - May 10, 2022 0
      I spoke with Thimaya Subaiya, SVP and GM of Global Customer Experience at Cisco, about the factors that create good customer experience – and...
      Read more
      Big Data and Analytics

      GoodData CEO Roman Stanek on Business Intelligence...

      James Maguire - May 4, 2022 0
      I spoke with Roman Stanek, CEO of GoodData, about business intelligence, data as a service, and the frustration that many executives have with data...
      Read more
      Cloud

      Yotascale CEO Asim Razzaq on Controlling Multicloud...

      James Maguire - May 5, 2022 0
      Asim Razzaq, CEO of Yotascale, provides guidance on understanding—and containing—the complex cost structure of multicloud computing. Among the topics we covered:  As you survey the...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2022 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×