May Apple Software Updates: What You Need to Know

[Nathan ParkerAskWoody_MVP]

Apple released a round of software updates this week. Here’s what you need to know:

macOS Mojave has been updated to 10.14.5. It mainly contains bug fixes, plus a security patch for ZombieLoad. It also contains enhanced AirPlay 2 support. The new Apple TV app has not been released in this macOS update yet (I believe it’s coming to the Mac in the fall). There’s also an iTunes Device Support Update. I haven’t heard any issues with installing these updates, so they should be safe to install.

Those still on macOS High Sierra will also see Security Update 2019-003 10.13.6, plus the iTunes Device Support Update and Safari 12.1.1. The Security Update also patches ZombieLoad. These are relatively minor updates, so they should be safe to install.

iOS 12.3 introduces the overhauled Apple TV app, as well as the new Apple TV Channels feature and AirPlay 2 enhancements. Apple TV+ as a service won’t be available until the fall, but this will prepare customers for it (for those interested in it). It’s a slightly larger update, but I haven’t heard any major issues with it yet.

watchOS 5.2.1 was also released rolling out ECG on Apple Watch Series 4 to more countries, as well as other bug fixes. It’s a small update, so it should be safe to install.

tvOS 12.3 was also released which rolls out the overhauled Apple TV app with the same features as the iOS app. It’s a little more major than some of the updates, but I’ve generally had good experience updating Apple TV’s. Even the third-gen Apple TV received an update with the new Apple TV app, as well as AirPlay 2 and the new Apple TV app has been switched on some recent Samsung TV’s in an update.

HomePods have been updated to 12.3 as well.

In other news:

• Apple Pay can now be used for iTunes, App, and Book purchases.
• Some Apple Support chat requests now work with Apple Messages (iMessage/Apple Business Chat).
• Apple is rolling out support for Apple Pay-supported NFC tags.

I’m updating all my devices Friday evening and will test over the weekend to see how everything goes and report back if I happen to encounter any issues.

Nathan Parker

3 users thanked author for this post.

woody, DrBonzo, OscarCP

[OscarCPAskWoody Plus]

Nathan Parker, The 10.14.5 update has not yet shown up on my Mac’s update service, I checked and it informed me that I have 10.14.4 in my Mac (I knew that) and this is up to date.

When .5 finally shows up, would it be OK to wait a few weeks before installing it? I did that with 14.4 without ill consequences and prefer to do it this way whenever there are important updates, particularly of the operating system. But some times there may be a good reason for acting more quickly.

10 minutes later: Well, just now 10.14.5 and the “iTunes  Support Device” updates showed up!

Windows 7 Professional, SP1, x64 Group B & macOS + Linux (Mint) => Win7 Group W + Mac&Lx

[DrBonzoAskWoody Plus]

I updated a High Sierra machine last night. After the download (which took about 10 minutes – it’s over 2 GB!), it took about 30 minutes until everything was back up and running. Everything went well, and after a full day of use by the principal user (not me) all seems to be working normally.

(I seem to be having some trouble posting so hopefully this one makes it.)

2 users thanked author for this post.

Nathan Parker, OscarCP

[Nathan ParkerAskWoody_MVP]

Mine Mojave machine also showed up to date, and a few minutes later showed the update, so keep Software Update open if it doesn’t appear, and it finally will.

You should be fine waiting a few weeks before installing, although with the security patch, you’ll eventually want to update to patch against it. I’ll be updating over the weekend, and I’ll let you know if it works on my machine or if I have any issues. Since I have to upgrade a $5,000 iMac Pro, if it doesn’t brick my machine when I report back, then you should be safe to update.

Nathan Parker

1 user thanked author for this post.

OscarCP

[OscarCPAskWoody Plus]

Nathan Parker,

Any idea of how is Apple dealing with the new kind of malware that has been demonstrated can infiltrate at least Windows 7 PCs and can even propagate worm-style from machine to machine? (If connected to the same network, I suppose — the bugs might be malicious, but I am not inclined to assume that they are magical as well.)

Or are they a threat only for Windows?

Either way, it will be nice to know, because I am at the moment keeping my Windows 7 PC turned off for several days, until that threat as well as the patches for the threat and their own problems have become better understood, and using only my Mac for anything and everything I need to do with a computer, for the duration of this waiting period.

 

Windows 7 Professional, SP1, x64 Group B & macOS + Linux (Mint) => Win7 Group W + Mac&Lx

[Nathan ParkerAskWoody_MVP]

The ZombieLoad vulnerability has been patched in Mojave 10.14.5 and High Sierra Security Update 2019-003 10.13.6 if that’s what you’re referring to.

There could be a performance hit with it if users disable hyper-threading, but it doesn’t affect most users. See: https://appleinsider.com/articles/19/05/15/why-that-40-performance-hit-for-full-zombieload-mitigations-probably-wont-affect-you

Nathan Parker

[OscarCPAskWoody Plus]

Nathan Parker,

Thanks, but I think that is different. The bug(s) I was referring to is (or are) explained in today’s blog by Woody and others, here:

MS-DEFCON 3: Get Windows XP, Win7 and associated Servers patched

 

 

Windows 7 Professional, SP1, x64 Group B & macOS + Linux (Mint) => Win7 Group W + Mac&Lx

[Paul TAskWoody MVP]

Oscar, you are talking about a Windows bug. These are not applicable to Macs.

cheers, Paul

1 user thanked author for this post.

OscarCP

[EllyAskWoody MVP]

@PaulT and @OscarCP-

Part of the cluster of Window’s 7 patches discussed by Woody, in the article referred to by @oscarcp, included fixes for the Microarchitectural Data Sampling (MDS)” vulnerability… which is related to the Spector/Meltdown fixes for Windows… and the ZombieLoad fixes for Mac. They are all due to the same speculative execution process, which is designed to speed up data processing and performance, included in Intel chips… whether those processors are used for Mac or Window machines.

However, the ‘worm’ problem that @oscarcp refers to is related to Windows Remote Desktop Services, and does not effect Macs.

Nothing like bugs and worms, eh?

Win 7 Home, 64 bit, Group B

3 users thanked author for this post.

Nathan Parker, OscarCP, willygirl

[willygirlAskWoody Plus]

@elly – love your comments, and thanks for clarifying this

Win7 SP1 Home 64-bit, GrpA

1 user thanked author for this post.

Elly

[OscarCPAskWoody Plus]

Thanks Nathan, Paul T and Elly: I got mixed up, because the hyperthreading vulnerability and the worm thing got blended together in my mind in a kind of wormy milkshake. Now you’ve put me right.

Anyhow, after I learned that Apple does not disable hyperthreading, but just lets those worry-cats among Mac users know how to do it by clicking here and there and entering this and that command in Terminal, I decided to try my luck and upgraded from 10.14.4 to 10.14.5. And here I am still, and so is the Mac, while I use it to type this. So things are not too bad. And, as the days go by, I’ll be making more implicit tests of the Mac’s post-update condition by trying to perform the various task I usually need this machine for. If something bad or weird happens, you’ll be hearing from me again.

Windows 7 Professional, SP1, x64 Group B & macOS + Linux (Mint) => Win7 Group W + Mac&Lx

1 user thanked author for this post.

Elly

[Nathan ParkerAskWoody_MVP]

By the way, some older Macs weren’t able to get patched. Here are the details:

https://appleinsider.com/articles/19/05/16/apple-says-these-macs-may-not-be-patched-for-future-vulnerabilities-similar-to-zombieload

Nathan Parker

1 user thanked author for this post.

willygirl

[Nathan ParkerAskWoody_MVP]

I updated all my devices. So far so good. I also took the new TV app for a spin on my iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV. It looks interesting and stores my purchased content from iTunes well, although since I’m not using any streaming service that integrates with it, I don’t know how much I’d use it (I don’t see where it’s superior to simply using streaming apps). It’s nice that Apple offers the ability to subscribe to channels in the app, but it doesn’t offer any I’m interested in at the moment. So the updates are good for security, and I’m glad Apple is streamlining the TV app, but nothing to overly wow me.

Nathan Parker

1 user thanked author for this post.

OscarCP

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