054: A great big fat macOS bug
Smashing Security
Graham Cluley
4.7 • 579 Ratings
🗓️ 29 November 2017
⏱️ 8 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Yes, you can log into macOS High Sierra's root account with no password.
In this special "emergency" edition of the podcast computer security veterans Graham Cluley and Carole Theriault discuss the breaking news of a serious Apple macOS bug that allows anyone to log into your Mac with root admin rights, without having to enter a password.
Follow the show on Twitter at @SmashinSecurity, or visit our website for more episodes.
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Warning: This podcast may contain nuts, adult themes, and rude language.
Links:
- Tweet by Lemi Ergin
- Huge MacOS bug lets anyone login as root without a password: what you need to know
- How to enable the root user on your Mac or change your root password - Apple Support
- Smashing Security on Facebook
- Smashing Security merchandise (t-shirts, mugs, stickers and stuff)
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Smashing Security, Episode 54, a great big fat Mac OS bug, with Carol Terrio and Graham |
| 0:12.3 | Cluley. |
| 0:14.2 | Hello, hello, and welcome to episode 54, a special bonus podlet of Smashing Security. |
| 0:21.7 | And I am joined by Corral Terror. |
| 0:23.5 | Hello, Corral. |
| 0:24.1 | Why are we chatting today? |
| 0:25.6 | Why are we releasing a podcast on a Wednesday, for goodness sake? |
| 0:28.2 | Well, there was quite a big Mac snafu that just happened. |
| 0:31.9 | And we thought we would give some people some advice and some reassurance at this stage. |
| 0:36.5 | It's pretty bad. I think this is of interest |
| 0:39.8 | if you're an Apple user, obviously, because of the security fundability. But it's also of interest, |
| 0:45.9 | I think, if you're a Windows user, because this is a great excuse to feel really, really smug |
| 0:50.4 | about running Windows rather than Apple Macs. I'm not sure I'd agree with that. |
| 0:57.1 | Yeah, it's still a big deal. |
| 0:59.1 | It's still a big deal, though. |
| 1:00.3 | Sometimes Windows users, they need an excuse to feel smug compared to those Apple using polo neck wearing. |
| 1:07.6 | Wait, I'm glad they exist. |
| 1:09.2 | They keep the whole market a bit more heterogeneous. |
| 1:11.8 | Well, long word, Coral, for a Wednesday morning. |
| 1:15.1 | Well, glad I'm impressed. |
| 1:16.3 | Let's describe exactly what has happened. |
| 1:19.5 | A Turkish developer, his name is Lemmy or can't be Lemmy from Motorhead, surely. |
... |
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