Ένα πολύ σημαντικό κενό ασφαλείας αποκαλύφθηκε πριν λίγες ημέρες.

Μερικές από τις εφαρμογές στο App Store για Mac, συλλέγουν κρυφά τα δεδομένα των χρηστών και τα ανεβάζουν σε Analytics Servers χωρίς την άδεια των ανυποψίαστων χρηστών.

Δημοφιλείς εφαρμογές όπως οι Dr. Unarchiver και Dr. Cleanerand, καθώς και άλλες εφαρμογές της εταιρείας ανάπτυξης "Trend Micro Inc.", συλλέγουν και ανεβάζουν πληροφορίες των χρηστών στους servers τους, από το ιστορικό των Safari, Google Chrome και Firefox.

Όλα αυτά μέσω πρόσβασης στον Φάκελλο του Χρήστη (macOS Home Directory).

Οι "πονηρές" αυτές εφαρμογές συλλέγουν δεδομένα κι από άλλα εγκατεστημένα apps εντός του συστήματος, στα οποία ξεκινάει η περισυλλογή μόλις τα εκκινήσετε, σύμφωνα με το 9to5Mac. Το πρόβλημα εντοπίστηκε αρχικά από χρήστη του Malwarebytes forum.

Οι αναφορές επιβεβαιώθηκαν από το 9to5Mac, όταν μετά από εγκατάσταση της εφαρμογής Dr. Unarchiver και σκαναρίσματος του home directory μέσω του "Quick Clean Junk Files", η εφαρμογή ξεκίνησε να συλλέγει σωρεία από περιττές πληροφορίες.

Αυτές περιείχαν δεδομένα από διάφορους browsers, αποκλειστικά αρχεία από πρόσφατα Google searches και έναν πλήρη κατάλογο από όλες τις εγκατεστημένες εφαρμογές που υπάρχουν στο σύστημα (συμπεριλαμβανομένων Code Signatures, εάν είναι ή όχι συμβατές με 64-bit και πληροφορίες σχετικά με το από που έγινε το download).

Κατά την διάρκεια της έρευνας, το Dr. Unarchiver ήταν η 12η δημοφιλέστερη εφαρμογή στο Αμερικάνικο Mac App Store, αλλά πλέον το έχουν αποσύρει από την αρχική σελίδα.

Ενώ το macOS Mojave έρχεται για να βελτιώσει την ασφάλεια σχετικά με τις εφαρμογές που έχουν πρόσβαση στο Home Directory, η διαδικασία ελέγχου του Store θα έπρεπε να είχε αντιληφθεί την συγκεκριμένη παραβίαση περί ασφάλειας του χρήστη και να μην είχε επιτρέψει την κυκλοφορία των εφαρμογών στο Mac App Store.

Επιπλέον τα νέα αυτά αμαυρώνουν την φήμη του Αμερικανικού κολοσσού, καθώς η Apple θα έπρεπε να παρέχει μεγαλύτερη ασφάλεια από την στιγμή που έχει πιο αυστηρή προσέγγιση σε ότι αφορά τις εφαρμογές, τουλάχιστον σε σύγκριση με την προσέγγιση της Google.

Τα νέα αυτά έρχονται μετά την αποκάλυψη πως μια άλλη διάσημη εφαρμογή του Apple Mac App Store, το Adware Doctor, ήταν τελικά ένα μυστικό spyware το οποίο έστελνε το ιστορικό του browser στην Κίνα.

Προτού αφαιρεθεί, το Adware Doctor (αξίας 4,99$) ήταν 5ο στην λίστα με τις επί πληρωμή εφαρμογές του App Store.

Η εφαρμογή είχε λάβει πάνω από 6000 βαθμολογήσεις 5 Αστέρων, αλλά είναι αμφίβολο κατά πόσο οι θετικές βαθμολογήσεις ήταν πραγματικές.

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Apple released OS X Yosemite. By now you should recognize this as a familiar refrain from yours truly, but I'm going to say it anyway: Don't upgrade. Just don't do it. At least not yet.

Yosemite's been in developers' hands since June, when it was announced at Apple's WWDC event in San Francisco, and it's also been in the public's hands — in the form of a public beta version that's been iterated several times since its release this summer.

So I, for one, am hoping for a more stable release than we saw of Mavericks, which took months to sort out after it made its debut last fall.

But I'm not counting on it.

Ever since iOS 8 dropped in September there's been incessant chatter on tech blogs armchair-quarterbacking Apple's internal development processes. I've also seen at least a few blogs suggest that Apple's quality assurance measures have gone downhill; that Apple's no longer focusing on quality. Some have even hauled out the well-worn "This never would have happened with Steve Jobs" trope that's been beaten to death since his passing in 2011.

It's all bullshit.

Apple's QA has been a lot worse. Just ask any of us old Mac vets who lived through the "Classic" Mac OS days. And there were a few stinkers on the OS X road too.

Certainly stuff like iOS 8.0.1 shouldn't have happened - killing your new flagship product with an over the air update was just baffling, and I hope some day to learn the story of just how that got out the door.

But the fact is that iOS and OS X are both complex, intricate systems. And Apple has a pretty aggressive update schedule that brings major new versions of its operating systems each year. Sometimes it takes a bit of time for Apple to shake out the problems.

The problem as I see it is that Apple has now made it trivially easy for many of us to upgrade the second we get a notification, so upgrade we do. Anyone on the bleeding edge of an upgrade who experiences problems is likely to complain about it, and social media makes it simple for us to find like-minded people and band together. Even Apple's own discussion forums sometimes give us a distorted sense of the magnitude of technical problems we have with our Apple products.

Before I wrote I had a career in IT, and it was drilled into me by my bosses that we should never be on the bleeding edge of anything because doing so carries risk, and risk costs us profitability. It was a problem, sometimes, because vendors promised the moon if we'd just agree to upgrade our software or hardware. The temptation is to increase productivity — and therefore profits.

That risk aversion is easy to lose when it's not a question of making money, but just of having the newest thing you can. It's easy when Apple releases the software updates for free, too.

It's especially compelling this year, because many Mac users have iOS devices too, and already have upgraded to iOS 8 or may have purchased a new device that already has iOS 8 installed on it. And iOS 8 and Yosemite sport benefits together — in the form of Apple's "Handoff" technology — that promise an experience greater than the sum of their parts.

But if your Mac is stable and working well enough right now with Mavericks, I'd caution you to consider waiting just a little bit of time before upgrading to Yosemite. You really ought to wait and see where the pitfalls are before you jump.

Some of you are reading this and scoffing. You've been using the public beta and you see no reason to wait. Or you really want or need those Handoff features to work right. Or you mistakenly upgraded to iCloud Drive when you switched to iOS 8 and you want to get access to your iCloud documents again.

Before you start crafting an angry retort scoffing at my suggestion, please understand that my advice is not offered as a one-size-fits-all recommendation to everyone — just to those of you reading this who may not have a compelling reason (or think you know better). For those of you, just hang on a bit and see where the problems lie. Then decide when it's time to make the jump to Yosemite.

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System Requirements:
OS X Yosemite 10.10

The OS X Yosemite 10.10.1 update is recommended for all Yosemite users. It improves the stability and compatibility of your Mac.

This update:
- Improves Wi-Fi reliability
- Improves reliability when connecting to a Microsoft Exchange server
- Improves reliability sending Mail messages when using certain email service providers
- Improves reliability when connecting to remote computers using Back to My Mac

For more detailed information about this update, please visit: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT6572

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System Requirements:
10.9.4 and later

This update improves reliability when connecting devices to the Apple Thunderbolt Display, and addresses a rare issue that may cause the display to go black.

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System Requirements:
OS X 10.10 w/ iPhoto 9.6 or Aperture 3.6

This update adds RAW image compatibility for the following cameras to Aperture 3 and iPhoto '11:

• Canon EOS 7D Mark II
• Fujifilm X30
• Nikon D750
• Panasonic LUMIX DMC-LX100

For more information on supported RAW formats, see http://support.apple.com/kb/HT6476

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System Requirements:
OS X Lion or later

This update installs the latest software for your Canon inkjet printer and scanner.

For information about supported printer models, see: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3669#canon-inkjet

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System Requirements:
Mac OS X 10.7
Mac OS X 10.8
Mac OS X 10.9
Mac OS X 10.10

This update installs the latest software for your Canon laser printer and scanner for Mac OS X 10.7, Mac OS X 10.8, Mac OS X 10.9, Mac OS X 10.10.

For information about supported printer models, see: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3669#canon-laser

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System Requirements:
OS X Yosemite
OS X Mavericks
OS X Mountain Lion
OS X Lion

This download includes the latest Fuji-Xerox printing and scanning software for OS X Yosemite, OS X Mavericks, OS X Mountain Lion and OS X Lion.

For more information about printing and scanning software, see http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3669#fuji-xerox.

Η εταιρία Palo Alto Networks, αποκάλυψε ένα malware για συσκευές της Apple με λειτουργικό Mac OS X και iOS, πρακτικά όλες τις συσκευές της εταιρίας.
 
Σύμφωνα με την Palo Alto Networks, το malware με την ονομασία WireLurker έχει εξαπλωθεί από το Maiyadi App Store (κινέζικο App Store για το OS X) και έχει μολύνει περισσότερους από 350 χιλιάδες υπολογιστές, οι οποίοι με τη σειρά τους μολύνουν τις iOS φορητές συσκευές της Apple.
 
Το WireLurker "μεταδίδεται", όταν οι συσκευές με iOS (iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch) συνδεθούν μέσω USB με τον μολυσμένο υπολογιστή.
 
Κατά τη σύνδεση, το WireLurker αποκτά πρόσβαση στη συσκευή, χρησιμοποιώντας πλαστό enterprise provisioning certificate (χρησιμοποιείται από εταιρίες για  εγκατάσταση software χωρίς την έγκριση του App Store), ενώ εγκαθίσταται και σε συσκευές που έχει γίνει jailbreak.
 
Στα jailbroken iPhone, το malware ξαναεγκαθιστά εφαρμογές όπως το TaoBao και το AliPay (εφαρμογές για δημοπρασίες και πληρωμές) ώστε να μαζέψει χρήσιμες πληροφορίες.
 
Οι ερευνητές αναφέρουν ότι η συγκεκριμένη εφαρμογή είναι ένας έλεγχος για να δοκιμάσουν ότι το σύστημα λειτουργεί, πριν περάσουν σε κακόβουλες δραστηριότητες.
 
Το malware είναι σε πρώιμο στάδιο και δεν γνωρίζουν οι ερευνητές πως μπορεί να εξελιχθεί, ενώ προτείνουν να αποφεύγουν οι χρήστες USB φορτιστές από άγνωστους κατασκευαστές και να μην εγκαθιστούν εφαρμογές από τρίτα App Stores.
 
Η Palo Alto Networks έχει ήδη αναπτύξει το εργαλείο WireLurker: A New Era in OS X and iOS Malware που μπορεί να ελέγξει την ύπαρξη του malware.

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System Requirements:
OS X 10.7 and later
Windows XP SP 3 and later

This software will help you migrate data from a Windows PC running Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7 or Windows 8. The Migration Assistant will launch automatically after it has been installed.

For more information, please see http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4796.

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System Requirements:
OS X version 10.7.5 or later
400MB of available disk space
iTunes in the Cloud, iTunes Match, and iTunes Radio availability may vary by country
iTunes Radio requires OS X version 10.7 or later
iTunes Extras requires OS X version 10.9.3 or later


This update includes many design and performance improvements that make iTunes easier and more enjoyable to use.

Designed for OS X Yosemite. iTunes has been refined throughout. It now includes translucency to give it a sense of depth, a streamlined toolbar to give you more room for exploring or experiencing your content, and a more elegant use of color and textures while browsing albums within your library.

Family Sharing. You can now share your purchases from iTunes, iBooks, and the App Store with up to six people in your family — without sharing accounts or passwords. To start sharing, setup your iCloud Family by choosing iCloud in System Preferences on OS X Yosemite or Settings on iOS 8.

Faster access to all of your favorite media. iTunes now includes dedicated icons for music, movies, or TV shows, which make it easier to get to wherever you want to go in your library with a single click. 

Seamless browsing between Store and library. The iTunes Store is now a part of the music, movies, or TV shows views of your library — making it simple to jump between your personal collection and what’s new for each category in the Store.

Recently Added. iTunes puts recently added albums, movies, or TV shows at the top of your library — making it effortless to find something new to play. 

Improved playlist editing. You can now see your full music library and playlists side-by-side, making it easy to browse your music and drag your favorite songs into any playlist.

Improved Get Info. The all-new Get Info has been completely redesigned to focus your attention only on what’s necessary for the selected item.

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System Requirements:
Mac OS X 10.6 or later

This download includes the latest printing and scanning software for Mac OS X v10.6 or later.

For information about supported printer models, see: http://support.apple.com/kb/ht3669#gestetner

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System Requirements:
OS X Lion or later

This download includes the latest HP printing and scanning software for OS X Lion or later.

For information about supported printer models, see: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3669#HP

Likely to arrive in developer-preview form at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference this summer, OS X 10.10, codenamed Syrah, is receiving its final UI touches led by Human Interface chief Jonathan Ive.

A report covering iOS 8 and OS X 10.10 in anticipation of WWDC14 this June (with many more leaks likely on the way) reveals that Apple has ambitious plans with the user interface refresh planned for OS X 10.10. Rather than focusing on features, the new OS “will focus on aesthetics”.

These sources reportedly said that “Apple Senior VP of Design Jony Ive is leading a ‘significant’ design overhaul for OS X, and the new design will be the operating system’s cornerstone new feature (none of the mockups online, like the one above, are a good indicator of what to expect).”

The sources further said that “The new design will not be as stark as iOS 7, but it will include many of the flat elements and white textures instead of re-creations of life-like elements. The end-to-end redesign is said to be a top priority at Apple right now, with the specific details about the changes being sworn to extreme secrecy.”

New features set to make their way into OS X include Siri and support for iOS AirDrop, though it remains to be seen if they will make it into version 10.10, which is the planned update for this year.

The same report holds that “Apple is also working on some lower-cost iMacs and standard MacBook Air/Pro updates,” but these don’t have a definitive launch date set.

As far as iOS 8 is concerned, no new details are provided other than what we already know. Apple has a Healthbook application planned for it and an updated version of Maps. The codename for iOS 8 is Okemo, and there will be a preview of the software offered to developers in June at WWDC.

The Healthbook application “is capable of tracking data for various bloodwork details, heart rate, blood pressure, nutrition, blood sugar, sleep, respiratory rate, oxygen saturation, weight, and activity,” which lends credence to rumors about Apple launching a sensor-packed wrist-worn device.

Healthbook will also include an Emergency Card that holds important health information about the user, in case he / her becomes lost or loses consciousness, complete with “contact information, weight, and a list of medication prescriptions.”