While there aren’t many big new features in the latest versions of Apple’s operating systems (apart from l’app Podcasts et for the Studio Display webcam), on the other hand the manufacturer has put the package on the security patches. For macOS 12.4there are no less than 54, which is really very large – and probably unheard of in recent memory.
My 6 vulnerabilities patched today in macOS 12.4. ☠️ Let me tell you something more regarding them: 1/nhttps://t.co/uwhEVEZVgH pic.twitter.com/bVcDx5UrjL
– Wojciech Reguła (@ _r3ggi) May 16, 2022
Security researcher Wojciech Regula rejoices moreover to see that six of the macOS flaws that he had reported to Apple have been corrected. One of which touched the yet innocent Photo Booth, allowing a villain to take control of the webcam, the address book and the microphone.
There’s really everything in this patch package, from Contacts (a plug-in might inherit app permissions and access user data) to Intel graphics drivers (executing arbitrary code with privileged of the kernel), through the private browsing of Safari, in which a malicious site might still follow the Internet user. And even for printers: an app might bypass privacy preferences.
Part of these fixes are also available in security updates for Catalina (2022-004) et Big Sur (macOS 11.6.6). Still on the Mac, but for Xcode this time, the version 13.4 fixes two security vulnerabilities.
27 vulnerabilities have been fixed in iOS 15.5 and iPadOS 15.518 in watchOS 8.6 and 20 in tvOS 15.5. A priori, none of these flaws were “zero day” (actively exploited), but perhaps we will learn more in the coming days. Anyway, we will also benefit from updating our devices as quickly as possible.