FYI for Mac users: iOS High Sierra security flaw indentified

Liz_A

Which would allow anyone that can access your Mac to login via the root account with no password. So in essence the Mac becomes the perfect hack victim. This was identified by the tech community, reported via Twitter but not yet commented on by Apple. A work around has been identified until such time as when Apple releases a patch.

Gabe

Good catch Liz.  It looks like Apple has delivered a fix for this security flaw.

https://www.macworld.com/article/3238868/macs/macos-high-sierra-root-security-issue-allows-admin-access-to-your-macbut-theres-a-fix.html

SandyMcC

Fortunately, Apple was all over it very quickly. By the time I read about it and logged into my Mac, there was an update ready to install to fix it. Still, one has to wonder how something that made a Mac SO vulnerable without it even being a hack, could have slipped through. I call it "lousy program management."  

Liz_A

@SandyMcC - yup and lousy testing ! That's a pretty significant lack of security.

Gabe

Where I work we have several ex-Apple Genius guys. One of them told me this is an old problem that Apple had to fix several years ago.  When I told him about the new one, he said, "Again?  Man, I can't believe they let that slip through again!"

SandyMcC

Gabe said:

Where I work we have several ex-Apple Genius guys. One of them told me this is an old problem that Apple had to fix several years ago.  When I told him about the new one, he said, "Again?  Man, I can't believe they let that slip through again!"

Unreal!

Liz_A

I had a programmer who would do that...he would have to unprotect the application while he made code changes, then ship us a release and he would have forgotten to password it again. It annoyed me to no end!!!