A HomeKit vulnerability in the current version of iOS 11.2 has been demonstrated to 9to5Mac that allows unauthorized control of accessories including smart locks and garage door openers. Our understanding is Apple has rolled out a server-side fix that now prevent unauthorized access from occurring while limiting some functionality, and an update to iOS 11.2 coming next week will restore that full functionality.
The hits just keep coming.
The update’s release notes indicate that this version:
It can downloaded now via the Mac App Store, and should be available as a standalone installer soon.
Months after it was initially announced, the Amazon Prime Video is now available for the Apple TV.
The app comes with many of the features of the iOS version, including X-Ray, which provides additional information on actors and trivia based on scenes. Watch lists created on other versions of the app sync to the Apple TV one, and content within Amazon’s ecosystem is exposed to tvOS’ universal search.
There’s no word if this means Amazon will be selling the Apple TV on its store again, but this news comes as the rift between Google and Amazon grows. Amazon seems to love getting into fights with competitors.
Well, now my home server and Relay FM’s live streaming box are both ineligible for repair. I’d replace one or both of them, but the Mac mini on sale today debuted 1,145 days ago. Woof.
Rob Griffiths has come across a super fun bug affecting Mac users right now:
But if you’re unlucky enough to be a Mac user in the month of December, 2017, then you’ll probably be seeing a lot of “Month 13 is out of bounds” messages in your Console. And by ‘a lot,’ I mean an exceedingly excessive never-ending stream of spewage…
Thousands and thousands and thousands of them — I’m getting anywhere from two to 20 per second, continuously. Ugh.
Today’s fix for Apple’s nasty root account bug has broken file sharing for some users, including on my iMac. Apple has published a fix, and I assume this will be resolved in a future, less critical software update:
sudo /usr/libexec/configureLocalKDC and press Return.An attacker may be able to bypass administrator authentication without supplying the administrator’s password. A logic error existed in the validation of credentials. This was addressed with improved credential validation.
Stop what you’re doing and go install this patch.
Here is Apple’s statement, as relayed by Matthew Panzarino:
Security is a top priority for every Apple product, and regrettably we stumbled with this release of macOS. When our security engineers became aware of the issue Tuesday afternoon, we immediately began working on an update that closes the security hole.
A newly discovered macOS High Sierra flaw is potentially leaving your personal data at risk. Developer Lemi Orhan Ergin publicly contacted Apple Support to ask about the vulnerability he discovered. In the vulnerability he found, someone with physical access to a macOS machine can access and change personal files on the system without needing any admin credentials.
Users who haven’t disabled guest user account access or changed their root passwords (likely most) are currently open to this vulnerability. We’ve included instructions on how to protect yourself in the meantime until an official fix from Apple is released.
I’m not want to publish a blog post about new ads, but these are great:
Marco Arment has outlined what Apple should do with the next MacBook Pro to fix the errors with the current design:
The best laptop to ever exist should be in the future, not the past.
There’s a lot to like about the new MacBook Pros, but they need some changes to be truly great and up to Apple’s standards.
All in all, I agree with everything in the post, as I sit here, typing this on a last-generation model.
I reviewed my original Apple Watch after three months of usage. I wrapped up that article1 with this:
I’d recommend it to anyone who is strongly tied to their iPhone and is looking for something to track their fitness.
That combination is what sets Apple Watch apart from things like the much-cheaper Fitbits of the world. Having one wearable to deal with notifications, fitness and more is great, but by no means necessary.
Dan Provost from Studio Neat has gotten nerdy with iPhone X’s camera system:
I created a test to hopefully get a rough idea of how much light is required before an iPhone 7 Plus and iPhone X decide to switch to their respective telephoto lenses in 2X mode. I placed an object (in this case, an old Rolleiflex camera) on a white backdrop, and flanked it on both sides with two LED studio lights. I set up the iPhone 7 Plus and iPhone X on tripods (using the Glif, natch) and positioned them to keep the framing as similar as possible. Then, starting from a completely dark room, I slowly raised the light levels and observed when the lens switched on each camera.