Tag Archives: Apple

Posted on Author Atlantic Computer Services Categories Blog

Apple Turns Off Mac OS Feature For Security Concerns

Apple is in the news again, but not for anything good.

Jonathan Leitschuh, a security researcher, recently unearthed a serious security flaw that allowed a hacker to activate a Mac computer’s webcam without alerting the computer’s owner.

The problem is a program called Zoom.

The Zoom software installs a web server on the owner’s computer, which is designed to provide a rapid launch feature for the on-board camera when users click on a web link.  The server is also designed to re-install Zoom’s software if it gets removed for any reason.

Unfortunately, a flaw in the program’s design would have allowed hackers easy remote access. That is why Apple quietly removed part of the software’s functionality that allowed users to quick-connect to video conference calls.  The company didn’t formally announce the change, nor have they responded to attempts to contact them for an ETA and more details about the bug. However, the company is being tight-lipped about the issue.

Priscilla Barolo, a spokesperson for Zoom, offered this about the issue:

“We’re happy to have worked with Apple on testing this update to resolve the web server issue.  We appreciate our users’ patience as we continue to work through addressing their concerns.”

From this, we can glean that there is an effort underway to address the issue, and Apple’s move was a temporary stopgap.  Unfortunately, it provides no actionable information. So for the time being, if you use Zoom, it’s not going to work as you’re expecting it to.

Apple is usually more forthcoming than this, but it would probably be a mistake to read too much into their silence.  From a practical perspective, be aware that if you rely on Zoom for video conferencing, you may want to look for an alternative, at least in the short term.

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Posted on Author Atlantic Computer Services Categories Blog

Windows Update May Not Work On Some Dual Boot Macs

Windows 10 version 1903 is out. However, if you’re a Mac user running Windows 10, you may not be able to get the latest from Microsoft.  According to Microsoft’s official statement on the matter:

“Macs introduced before 2012 or newer Mac devices with older versions of Apple Boot Camp or Windows Support Software drivers installed will not be able to install the May 2019 Windows 10 Feature Update.”

Those users who try to install it will get a message that reads: “Mac HAL Driver – machaldriver.sys:  Your PC has a driver or service that isn’t ready for this version of Windows 10.”

The company is currently working to resolve the issue, and will make the update available to impacted users as soon as possible. No firm ETA has been given at this point.  Microsoft did offer one bit of advice that may serve as a workaround for some users.

If you open the Apple Menu, go to the App Store and install all available updates. That may be enough to allow you to proceed with the latest Windows 10 installation.  Apple has also chimed in on the matter and has a second possible workaround available on their support site. The workaround provides instructions on installing Windows Support Software manually.

If you’re not in a great rush for the latest version, you can skip both of those options and simply wait for Microsoft to resolve the issues and push the revised version out to you. Although, there are risks associated with doing so, as you’ll be lacking the latest security fixes for a time.

Sadly, this is but the latest in an ongoing series of problematic Windows 10 releases. In this case however, it has only impacted a small number of users.  Even so, if you’re one of them, that’s small consolation.

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Posted on Author Atlantic Computer Services Categories Blog

Apple iCloud App Now Available On Windows 10

Great news for inter-operability.  Apple has brought their new iCloud app to the Microsoft Store for Windows 10 devices. Even better, the app is designed such that it’s deeply integrated with Windows 10, even allowing you to access iCloud files from inside other Windows apps.

The version available on the Microsoft Store is identical to the desktop version available online, but it offers a new iCloud experience on Windows 10. It allows Apple users to store and access their files across both Microsoft and Apple devices seamlessly.

When you install the app, you’ll be asked what types of content you’d like to integrate with the Windows OS.  Configuration is a snap, and once you’ve got the app up and running, you can access its various features simply by clicking on the Taskbar icon which will bring up a menu of your available options.

Key features of the new iCloud app for Windows 10 include:

  • The ability to share any file from File Explorer and collaborate with others with any and all edits being synced across all of your devices.
  • Store all your files in the iCloud Drive and access from your Apple device or other iCloud apps
  • Choose the files and folders you want to keep on your PC

Microsoft announced that the new iCloud Drive experience utilizes the same technology as OneDrive’s Files On-Demand feature, which means that iCloud users can temporarily download and use files from Apple’s online storage system.

If you work from a homogenous set of devices, this change won’t impact you in the least. If you have a constellation of devices that utilize both Apple and Windows technology, this is absolutely huge.  It represents a big leap forward and makes it orders of magnitude easier to manage your data across both platforms and devices.  Kudos to both Apple and Microsoft!

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Posted on Author Atlantic Computer Services Categories Blog

Apple Is Saying Goodbye To iTunes With New Service

It’s the end of an era.  In 2001, Apple introduced iTunes, which transformed the music industry. For the first time ever, it was possible to buy individual songs, transfer files, and automatically sync data. It was safe and secure, and people flocked to it in droves.

The truth is that iTunes isn’t so much going away, as it’s being changed and broken into smaller pieces.

Apple is transitioning its music customers to its new Apple Music service.  Instead of buying individual songs, Apple Music has a monthly subscription fee, and it is much more modern than the app it’s replacing.

The company has assured all users that their iTunes song purchases will still be available in Apple Music, and all iTunes gift cards will continue to function just fine.  Apple also assured users that when they switch to the new TV app, all of their movies and TV shows will still be available.

While we completely understand what’s driving the company’s thinking on this front, it is a sad day indeed and a bittersweet moment in computing history.  iTunes was a transformational service that changed the way people interacted with the web.  In an age where there was relatively little faith and trust in digital transactions, Apple’s product offering changed the game. iTunes did much to build a culture of trust among the internet’s user base of that time.  If it had never existed, there’s no telling how long it might have taken for people to begin trusting online transactions.

If you haven’t already tried Apple Music, give it a go, if for no other reason than to confirm that all your old iTunes purchases made the journey with you.  It’s truly the end of an era.  iTunes is dead.  Long live iTunes!

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Posted on Author Atlantic Computer Services Categories Blog

Macs Get More Protection Against Viruses With Update

Apple recently made an update to their XProtect antivirus software, which is the company’s built-in means of protecting Macs from virus threats.

Patrick Wardle is one of the best-known Mac security experts. According to him, Apple released two new signatures that when put together allow the software to spot adware bundles containing Windows .exe files that are capable of running on Macs.

Here’s why it’s significant:

There’s a platform in the Apple ecosystem called Mono.  Mono is a cross-platform framework that allows code written in C# to run on a variety of machines including Windows, Linux and Mac systems.  While this is a great boon to legitimate developers, it has also been quickly taken advantage of by hackers around the world, who have already developed malware strains designed to be cross platform.

So far, the malware strains discovered that fall into this category fall more into the annoyance category than dire threats.  They’re designed to contact remote servers that produce pop up ads for various offers, add surreptitious cryptocurrency miners, and add unwanted browser extensions.  They could, of course, easily be retooled to be much more harmful, which is ultimately why Apple made the decision to update XProtect to better guard against these emerging threats.

Aside from making sure you’ve got the latest version of XProtect installed, there’s nothing to do really. It’s more a matter of being aware of the changing threat landscape.

What we’re seeing right now is a kind of half step.  The current Windows based malware files automatically attempt to run Mac’s Mono framework libraries, which means that these files won’t impact a Windows-based machine.  There are easy fixes for that and future iterations of code like this will no doubt be smarter and fully cross-platform capable.

 

 

 

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