Mac

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Apple Apps No Longer Bypass macOS Big Sur Firewalls

Andrew Orr ·

In macOS Big Sur, Apple deprecated third-party kernel extensions including Network Kernel Extensions (NKEs). NKEs are used by apps like firewalls to monitor network traffic. Apple’s new user-mode Network Extension Framework had a side-effect: Apple’s own apps wouldn’t be routed through it and thus could bypass third-party firewalls. But now that has changed.

I of course also wondered if malware could abuse these “excluded” items to generate network traffic that could surreptitiously bypass any socket filter firewall.  Unfortunately the answer was yes! It was (unsurprisingly) trivial to find a way to abuse these items, and generate undetected network traffic.

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Mozilla VPN Arrives on macOS and Linux

Andrew Orr ·

After rolling out on platforms like Windows, Android, and iOS, the Mozilla VPN arrives on macOS and Linux for US$5/month.

The Mozilla VPN isn’t the cheapest option on the market. However, Mozilla has said that, because it uses fewer lines of code than other VPNs, the service is faster than many rival ones. You can connect to more than 280 servers in more than 30 countries via the VPN without any bandwidth restrictions.

I think US$5/mo is definitely one of the cheapest VPNs on the market.

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‘ElectroRAT’ is the First Mac Malware Spotted in 2021

Andrew Orr ·

We’re barely a week into 2021 and a piece of Mac malware has already been spotted. Dubbed “ElectroRAT” its primary goal is to steal personal information from cryptocurrency users.

These [malicous] applications were promoted in cryptocurrency and blockchain-related forums such as bitcointalk and SteemCoinPan. The promotional posts, published by fake users, tempted readers to browse the applications’ web pages, where they could download the application without knowing they were actually installing malware.

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Adobe Lightroom Adds Support for M1 Macs, ProRAW

Andrew Orr ·

Adobe Lightroom is now a native app for M1 Macs and supports Apple’s ProRAW photo format it will release in iOS 14.3 for iPhone 12 Pro/Pro Max.

As we’re getting started on desktop Arm / Apple M1, we’ll continue to optimize for Arm and M1 in subsequent releases. And if you’re on an Intel based computer, don’t worry…we’ll continue to invest in and improve Lightroom for you too.

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Windows 10 on ARM Running on an M1 Mac Beats Surface Pro X

Andrew Orr ·

An engineer for Amazon Web Services was able to run Windows on ARM on an M1 Mac, and it’s faster than Microsoft’s Surface Pro X.

According to Geekbench 5 results, Windows ARM running on the M1 chip is faster than Microsoft’s Surface Pro X, which is a great deal. The version running on the M1 Mac scored a single-core score of 1288 and a multi-core score of 5449, which obliterates the Surface’s single-core score of 765 and multi-core score of 3014.

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Apple Releases Pro Display XDR Calibration Tool

Andrew Orr ·

Apple has released a tool for owners of its Pro Display XDR screen that lets users calibrate their display for specific color workflows.

Every Pro Display XDR undergoes state-of-the-art factory calibration with laboratory grade instrumentation. Pro Display XDR Calibrator enables in-field recalibration of Pro Display XDR for specific color workflows that may require custom calibration. Recalibration with this utility requires one of the following spectroradiometers: Photo Research SpectraScan PR-740, PR-745 or PR-788; Colorimetry Research CR-300

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This Terminal Command Can Bypass Mac Privacy Protections

Andrew Orr ·

A UNIX command line tool called “ls” can be used to bypass Mac privacy protections like TCC (Transparency, Consent, and Control) and the sandbox. This provides unauthorized access to file metadata in directories that are supposed to be protected

I continue to believe that macOS “security” is mainly theater that only impedes the law-abiding Mac software industry while posing little problem for Mac malware. It doesn’t take a genius hacker to bypass macOS privacy protections: calling “ls” is a script kiddie level attack.

It affects macOS Big Sur, Catalina, and Mojave.

Keep All Your Mac Apps Updated With ‘MacUpdater’
Cool Stuff Found

Keep All Your Mac Apps Updated With ‘MacUpdater’

Andrew Orr ·

MacUpdater is an app that automatically tracks the latest updates of all applications installed on your Mac. You can quickly see which apps are out of date and update them with a click. When you launch the app you’ll see a list of all your apps and the ones with updates will be highlighted in red. Its database has information about the newest versions of over 40,000 apps. MacUpdater’s privacy policy says you don’t need an account to use it, and it doesn’t collect or sell your data.

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MacFamily Tree 9 Introduces macOS Big Sur Support

Andrew Orr ·

Briefly shown off during Apple’s M1 Mac event, Synium Software announced the immediate availability of MacFamilyTree for macOS Big Sur and Apple’s just announced Macs with M1 chip. MacFamilyTree is a modern and sophisticated genealogy application for macOS and an easy way of recording cornerstones in your family history. Get an overview of where you hail from and maybe enthuse your relatives about exploring your family’s past at your upcoming family reunion. 

Synium Software announces the immediate availability of MacFamilyTree for macOS Big Sur and Apple’s just announced Macs with M1 chip. MacFamilyTree is a modern and sophisticated genealogy application for macOS and an easy way of recording cornerstones in your family history. Get an overview of where you hail from and maybe enthuse your relatives about exploring your family’s past at your upcoming family reunion.