Yahoo Finance Apple Mac update fixes major macOS security flaw
Apple has fixed a significant security flaw which allowed anyone to unlock a Mac or Macbook without a password.
The issue was shared publicly on Twitter yesterday, in an attempt to alert Apple to the severity of the problem.
The error was identified on the most recent Apple computer operating system, macOS High Sierra. Users found that typing ‘Root’ in as a username and leaving the password blank would grant access to locked Mac computers.
In response, Apple has released Security Update 2017-001 to fix the issue.
While the update is available to install manually, it will be automatically downloaded and applied to all users running the current version of macOS High Sierra.
"Security is a top priority for every Apple product, and regrettably we stumbled with this release of macOS,” Apple said in a statement.
"When our security engineers became aware of the issue Tuesday afternoon, we immediately began working on an update that closes the security hole. This morning, as of 8 a.m., the update is available for download, and starting later today it will be automatically installed on all systems running the latest version (10.13.1) of macOS High Sierra.
"We greatly regret this error and we apologize to all Mac users, both for releasing with this vulnerability and for the concern it has caused. Our customers deserve better. We are auditing our development processes to help prevent this from happening again."
