Apple Issues Network Time Protocol Security Fix for OS X Users
Apple today released a new security update that’s designed to address a "critical security issue" with the Network Time Protocol service on OS X. Apple recommends that all Yosemite, Mavericks, and Mountain Lion users install the update "as soon as possible."
The update appears to address a problem that was highlighted by the U.S. Government on Friday, December 19 and originally discovered by the Google Security Team. The vulnerability has the potential to allow an attacker to execute arbitrary code using the privileges of the ntpd process.
Google Security Team researchers Neel Mehta and Stephen Roettger have coordinated multiple vulnerabilities with CERT/CC concerning the Network Time Protocol (NTP). As NTP is widely used within operational Industrial Control Systems deployments, NCCIC/ICS-CERT is providing this information for US Critical Infrastructure asset owners and operators for awareness and to identify mitigations for affected devices. ICS-CERT may release updates as additional information becomes available.
These vulnerabilities could be exploited remotely. Exploits that target these vulnerabilities are publicly available.
Products using NTP service prior to NTP–4.2.8 are affected. No specific vendor is specified because this is an open source protocol.
Apple has faced several vulnerabilities over the course of 2014, most recently releasing an OS X bash update in September to fix the “Shellshock” security flaw. Today’s security update can be downloaded from the Mac App Store.
Update: As noted by Reuters, this update marks the first time Apple has deployed an automatic security update, which can be installed without user authorization.
Popular Stories
Apple has announced it will be holding a special event on Tuesday, May 7 at 7 a.m. Pacific Time (10 a.m. Eastern Time), with a live stream to be available on Apple.com and on YouTube as usual. The event invitation has a tagline of "Let Loose" and shows an artistic render of an Apple Pencil, suggesting that iPads will be a focus of the event. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more ...
Apple has stopped production of FineWoven accessories, according to the Apple leaker and prototype collector known as "Kosutami." In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Kosutami explained that Apple has stopped production of FineWoven accessories due to its poor durability. The company may move to another non-leather material for its premium accessories in the future. Kosutami has revealed...
Apple has dropped the number of Vision Pro units that it plans to ship in 2024, going from an expected 700 to 800k units to just 400k to 450k units, according to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. Orders have been scaled back before the Vision Pro has launched in markets outside of the United States, which Kuo says is a sign that demand in the U.S. has "fallen sharply beyond expectations." As a...
The upcoming iOS 17.5 update for the iPhone includes only a few new user-facing features, but hidden code changes reveal some additional possibilities. Below, we have recapped everything new in the iOS 17.5 and iPadOS 17.5 beta so far. Web Distribution Starting with the second beta of iOS 17.5, eligible developers are able to distribute their iOS apps to iPhone users located in the EU...
Apple is finally planning a Calculator app for the iPad, over 14 years after launching the device, according to a source familiar with the matter. iPadOS 18 will include a built-in Calculator app for all iPad models that are compatible with the software update, which is expected to be unveiled during the opening keynote of Apple's annual developers conference WWDC on June 10. AppleInsider...
The lead developer of the multi-emulator app Provenance has told iMore that his team is working towards releasing the app on the App Store, but he did not provide a timeframe. Provenance is a frontend for many existing emulators, and it would allow iPhone and Apple TV users to emulate games released for a wide variety of classic game consoles, including the original PlayStation, SEGA Genesis,...
Top Rated Comments
1.4? I can install it using my floppy drive.
You have to love that in 2014 people still equate hacking to unemployment.
Why would I do that? Snow Leopard works, and runs all my software properly. Later OSs add nothing of value to me, and, judging by comments on this board, causes problems that i don't currently have.
Yes it is, but apparently Apple no longer cares about the security of their Snow Leopard and Lion customers. You either upgrade your perfectly good software (if you can) or you're on your own.
Well, you could just buy a new Mac, which is what Apple wants you to do anyway.
As I've said numerous times before, no-one should expect eternal updates in terms of new features etc - that's what new versions of the OS are for, and what should attract users to upgrade. Of course it's unreasonable to expect Apple to develop new features for old OS versions that a few versions old.
However, when bad security vulnerabilities / flaws are discovered that apparently wouldn't take very much effort for Apple to patch, I think it's unconscionable to not provide security patches for machines that are otherwise still perfectly usable today other than having software Apple can't be bothered to support in the very slightest, narrow way. Apart from anything else, we know compromised machines are bad for everyone on the internet.
Are you aware that Software Support isn't the same as Hardware Support?