Security Updates 2020-001 for Catalina & 2020-007 Mojave
Security Updates 2020-001 for macOS Catalina (19H114) & 2020-007 Mojave (18G7016) & Safari 14.0.2 are now Available.
Apple has released Security Updates 2020-001 (Catalina) and 2020-007 (Mojave). MacOS High Sierra is now officially unsupported by Apple. The 2020-006 Security Update was High Sierra’s final update. Mojave has taken its place as the 3rd supported version of macOS behind Catalina.
Since this security update is Catalina’s first it was named 2020-001. Mojave has had 7 Security Updates so the version is 2020-007. Next year they will both be named 2021-001.
Mr.Macintosh 2020-001, 2020-007 & Safari 14.0.2 Security Update video
Mojave however still does! The 2020-007 security update creates a snapshot and does NOT purge previous snapshots.
I really wish Apple could get this feature working again.
The Safari 14.0.1 upload issue is not fixed in 14.0.2.
A simple example of this is using Gmail in Safari. If you update to Safari 14.0.1 or 14.0.2 you will be unable to attach anything to an email The only work around right now is to use Chrome or Firefox.
New workaround = drag and drop the file into the window.
Install Process Fixed!
With the release of 2020-006, Apple has changed things up. In the past you could have the base version of Mojave, 18G103 for example and the latest security update would show as available and you could update right to it. With 2020-006 you will need to be on 2020-005 first before you can update to 2020-006! This is a huge pain if you have systems that are behind in build versions.
Example.
If you have a fresh build of macOS Mojave 10.14.6 (18G103) and you want to get to 2020-006.
1. Install Security Update 2020-005 first.
2. After installing 2020-005, you will now see 2020-006 available for instal in software update.
With the release of the new 2020-001 and 2020-007 Security Updates, Apple now lets you jump straight to the latest update.
Updated Fixed Example
If you have a fresh build of macOS Mojave 10.14.6 (18G103) and you want to get to 2020-007.
Install 2020-007 = Done
Testing the Security Update Install Process
After all the problems of the 2020-005 Security Update for Mojave caused, I wanted to again make sure everything was ok with 2020-001 & 2020-007. I’ve installed both the 2020-007 and Safari 14.0.2 updates and have not found any issues. You can safely install both of them together.
Click “Continue Reading” to read the rest of the article.
2020-006 Security Update for Mojave & High Sierra + Safari 14.0.1
Security Updates 2020-006 for macOS Mojave 10.14 (18G6042), High Sierra 10.13 (17G14042) & Safari 14.0.1 are now Available.
With the release of macOS Big Sur, Apple also released Security Updates for both macOS Mojave and High Sierra. Catalina was issued a 10.15.7 Supplemental Update to address the same security issues in 2020-006.
NOTE: Apologies for the tardiness of this article, Big Sur and Apple Silicon really took my attention away. I didn’t forget about everyone who asked me when my Security Update article would come out. I will always test the update out first so you don’t have to deal with issues.
You can read more about the 10.15.7 Supplemental update below.
macOS Catalina 10.15.7 Supplemental Update is now Available.
UPDATE 11/11/20:Apple has just released a full installer for macOS Catalina 10.15.7 that includes the Supplemental Update Security Fixes! No word of an updated combo update or a downloadable pkg yet. I will update if they become available!
Today Apple released the 6th Supplemental Update for macOS Catalina. With the release of 10.15.7, we thought Apple would continue with an easy way to identify updates. The 10.15.7 Supplemental update seemed to dash those hopes. The update does not even list any fixes in it. The only wording is
“macOS Catalina 10.15.7 Supplemental Update is recommended for all users and improves the security of macOS”
This tells us that the update only has security related fixes in it!
In the security link, Apple calls out 3 security vulnerabilities. I will go over them below.
Mr. Macintosh Catalina 10.15.7 Supplemental Update Video
The macOS Catalina 10.15.7 Update includes the following Security fixes.
macOS Catalina 10.15.7 Supplemental Update provides important security updates for your Mac.
This update is an important update due to this quote from Apple
A malicious application may be able to execute arbitrary code with kernel privileges. Apple is aware of reports that an exploit for this issue exists in the wild.
Apple
The Supplemental Update patches the following
FontParser arbitrary code execution = Found in the wild!!!
Two Kernel Exploits = Both found in the wild!!!
All three vulnerabilities have been reported to Apple from the Google Project Zero Team.
Treat this Supplemental Update as a High Priority!
Confusing Update Situation
We have a couple update scenarios that we need to discuss. Normally Apple releases new Delta and Combo Updates. This time we only have a delta update for 10.15.6 users. If you have anyone on 10.15.0-10.15.5 they will be offered the OLD 10.15.7 (19H2) Update. They will have to install the 10.15.7 Supplemental Update after!
10.15.7 users = NEW 10.15.7 Supplemental Update
10.15.6 users = NEW 10.15.7 Delta Update
10.15.0-10.15.5users = OLD 10.15.7 Combo Update – Will need to install the 10.15.7 Supplemental Update after.
10.15.7 Full Installer = Remains OLD 10.15.7 (19H2) version and will need to install the 10.15.7 Supplemental Update after.
Hat Tip to my fellow Software Update Investigator Eric Holtam! Follow him on Twitter @eholtam
Apple’s Public Patch Notes / Release Notes Documentation
NOTE: Apple Documentation takes a little while to show up online after release. I will update when the new articles are made available.
The following security fixes are included in Catalina 10.15.7.
Released November 5, 2020
FontParser
Available for: macOS Catalina 10.15.7
Impact: Processing a maliciously crafted font may lead to arbitrary code execution. Apple is aware of reports that an exploit for this issue exists in the wild.
Description: A memory corruption issue was addressed with improved input validation.
CVE-2020-27930: Google Project Zero
Kernel
Available for: macOS Catalina 10.15.7
Impact: A malicious application may be able to execute arbitrary code with kernel privileges. Apple is aware of reports that an exploit for this issue exists in the wild.
Description: A type confusion issue was addressed with improved state handling.
CVE-2020-27932: Google Project Zero
Kernel
Available for: macOS Catalina 10.15.7
Impact: A malicious application may be able to disclose kernel memory. Apple is aware of reports that an exploit for this issue exists in the wild.
Description: A memory initialization issue was addressed.
Apple has just released the macOS Mojave 10.14.6 “Supplemental Update” which is a fixed version of Safari 14.0
The macOS Mojave 10.14.6 Supplemental Update is Live! It includes a fixed version of Safari 14.0. The update also address the problems of the previous release. Security Update 2020-005 was also re-released.
Apple has just released a Mojave Supplemental Update that address all the problems that the previous Safari 14.0 and 2020-005 Security Updates! This news comes one day after Apple pulled both software updates from the software update catalog.
You can find a full summary of the issue in the link below.
UPDATE 10/08 11:30PM – Safari 14.0.1 Seed 2 was just released today. Mr. Macintosh reader Joe wrote in to let me know that after he installed Seed 2 over Seed 1 all of his problems went away! This will be a perfect fix for anyone who installed Safari 14.0.1 Seed 1 and were still having problems (since the Supplemental Update was not compatible with 14.0.1).
UPDATE 10/03 3:00PM– I’ve added a direct download link to the safari 14.0 package from the software update service in section 16 below. Apple has also added back the Mojave 2020-005 Security Update back to Apple.com downloads. The security update link is also in section 16 below.
UPDATE: 10/02 3:00PM – NOTE: Apple still has an old link to the Supplemental Update from 9/26/19 up on the the Apple downloads site. This is NOT the update you need. Apple has not released a stand alone download for this update yet. The update is only available from software update.
UPDATE: 20/02 10:30AM – I’ve added section 5 to make sure you know that the Supplemental Update will install Safar 14.0. This is important to understand in case you needed to remain on Safari 12 or 13. Some users are asking me what they should so if they installed Safari 14.0.1 Beta. I’m looking into that now.
You can also check out my new update deep dive video below.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=VmefkXN-4nY
Mojave Supplemental Update (Safari 14) Mr. Macintosh Video
Table of Contents
1. Name of the Update?
2. Details of the macOS Mojave Supplemental Update
3. I’ve tested this update and confirmed that it fixes most issues!
5. The Supplemental update will install Safari 14.0!
6. Inside the macOS 10.14.6 Supplemental Update
7. Which update does your Mac need?
8. Did you ONLY install – Safari 14.0?
9. Did you ONLY install – 2020-005 Security Update?
10. Did you install BOTH Safari 14.0 & Security Update 2020-005?
11. Did you not install either of the updates?
12. Not seeing the 2020-005 Security Update?
13. I ran softwareupdate --ignore "Security Update xx" now what?
14. Did you install Safari Beta 14.0.1 ?
15. Did I cover all the situations that you could be in?
16. 10.14.6 Supplemental Update Links
17. Security Content of macOS 10.14.6 Supplemental Update
18. Final Thoughts
19. Thank You
1. Name of the Update?
Apple calls this update “macOS 10.14.6 Supplemental Update” Which is a bit confusing. In this particular case, the naming might make sense. Even though the update only includes a fixed Safari pkg, it also includes fixes that repair previous install OS level issues.
softwareupdate -l shows the name. It’s technically called Safari14.0MojaveAuto-10.14.6
NOTE!!! The update also includes a required restart. (Normal Safari Updates do not require a restart.)
2. Details of the macOS Mojave Supplemental Update
Along with the new Supplemental Safari Update, the Mojave 2020-005 Security update was re-released back into the software update catalog.
5. The Supplemental update will install Safari 14.0!
I need to make this clear, If you do not want Safari 14.0 don’t install the new macOS Supplemental update! I’ve heard from a few users who need to remain on the old version. Only update when you are ready to make the jump to Safari 14.0
6. Inside the macOS 10.14.6 Supplemental Update
So if this is not a normal supplemental update, what is it?
This is what’s inside of the macOS 10.14.6 Supplemental Update (FIxed Safari 14.0)
As you can see, this update only has the fixed version of Safari 14.0 inside! NOTE: this update has a REQUIRED RESTART!
What does a normal supplemental update look like?
This is what’s included in a full Supplemental Update. This is the 10.14.6 Supplemental Update #2
As you can see a normal “Supplemental Update” includes a bunch of stuff. I just wanted to clear up any confusion that you might have. (I was confused when I first saw the update.)
7. Which update does your Mac need?
We have multiple scenarios to work with here. I have used a test Mac to go over the many situations that a user might be in so you are not left wondering what to do!
1. Did you install ONLY install – Safari 14.0?
2. Did you install ONLY install – 2020-005 Security Update?
3. Did you install BOTH Safari 14.0 & Security Update 2020-005?
4. Did you not install either of the updates?
Below is a screenshot of what About This Mac > System Report > Installations will look like.
System Report – This is what it would look like after installing both problematic updates then installing both fixed updates.
8. Did you only install – Safari 14.0?
Let’s say that you installed Safari 14.0 a few days ago but heard the news about all the problems that the 2020-005 security update was causing.
Your Safari Version is = 14.0 (14610.1.28.1.9)
You will see the following in Software update.
This is what you will see if you only installed the old version of Safari 14.0
The following will happen in this scenario.
Fixed version of Safari Supplemental Update + fixes update will be installed
The Re-Released version of Mojave 2020-005 Security Update will install
Reboot
You are now fully up to date with no issues!
Mojave will be on the same Build Version 10.14.6 (18G6032)
Safari version is UPDATED – 14.0 (14610.1.28.1.10)
You are good to go!
9. Did you only install – 2020-005 Security Update?
Let’s say you need flash and you didn’t want to install Safari 14.0. But you did see the Security Update 2020-005 and installed it. In this situation, you would still be fine (maybe) even if you installed the old version of Safari 14.0. The problem would only happen if you installed Safari 14.0 first then the 2020-005 update.
What would you see in software update?
You only need to install the Supplemental Update (Safari 14.0 Fixed) and will be good to go!
In this case you would only see the fixed Safari 14.0 Supplemental Update.
Once installed you are good to go!
10. Did you install BOTH Safari 14.0 & Security Update 2020-005?
Let’s say that you had automatic updates set and you got both updates. Your system is in a broken state.
What would you see in software update?
What you would see in SU if you previously installed both problematic updates.
The following will happen in this scenario.
Fixed version of Safari Supplemental Update + fixes update will be installed
Reboot
You are now fully up to date with no issues!
Mojave will be on the same Build Version 10.14.6 (18G6032)
Safari version is UPDATED – 14.0 (14610.1.28.1.10)
You should be fixed!!!
11. Did you not install either of the updates?
Let’s say that you heard of the news of the problematic updates and were able to save your Mac.
What would you see in software update?
This is what you would see on a mac with 10.14.6 (18G6020) and Below.
You would see both updates
The following will happen in this scenario.
Fixed version of Safari Supplemental Update + fixes update will be installed
The Re-Released version of Mojave 2020-005 Security Update will install
Reboot
You are now fully up to date with no issues!
Mojave will be Build Version 10.14.6 (18G6032)
Safari version now – 14.0 (14610.1.28.1.10)
You are good to go!
12. Not seeing the 2020-005 Security Update?
You might have either installed the update or ignored it by running
If you would like to install the re-released version of the 2020-005 Security Update, all you need to do is run this command.
sudo softwareupdate --reset-ignored
The security update will now show up in software update for you to install.
14. Did you install Safari Beta 14.0.1 ?
I am testing this situation out now.
Yikes, looks like the Supplemental Update does not show up if you have installed Safari Beta 14.0.1. The installer will let you install the Supplemental Update over the top of the 14.0.1 Beta, but does not actually install.
15. Did I cover all the situations that you could be in?
Did you have an install scenario that I missed. I attempted to cover and test them all. Let me know!
16. 10.14.6 Supplemental Update Links
Apple has not released a standalone installer or pkg for the supplemental Update. I’ve included direct links from the Software Update Service below. Apple has added the Mojave 2020-005 Security Update back to the Apple.com downloads page.
It was really cool to see this little blog mentioned. 🙂
With that said, I think Apple handled this pretty good. They might have taken a bit to pull the update, but they came out with a fix only one day later!
Hopefully we can get a closer eye on update quality moving forward.
19. Thank You
I wanted to thank all of my Mr. Macintosh readers, Twitter followers, YouTube Subscribers and those who emailed me. You have shared so many of your thank-you notes, comments, tips and fix stories. I really appreciated reading them all, I created this blog for you! I am finally at a point in my life where I can take all of the knowledge that I’ve learned along the way and share it with you.
If you install Security Update 2020-005 for Mojave, you could run into major issues!
Multiple reports are coming in from users who are starting to have major problems after installing the latest Mojave 2020-005 Security Update.
UPDATE #8 – 10/01 10:00PM –Apple has just released a fix and I’ve just finished an article going over all the details. I tried to test and figure out every scenario that you might be in, so you know exactly what will happen.
UPDATE #5 – 9/28 7:30PM – I have added 3 new sections below. The first one shows you how to ignore the Mojave 2020-005 Security Update. The second will show you a very quick way to find out if your Mac is affected by this issue. In the 3rd, I will show you 4 different install scenarios. We now know the issue only happens if you install Safari 14.0 first, then install the 2020-005 update after. An example of a Mac that would unaffected by this issue would be if you installed the 2020-005 Security Update first, then the Safari 14.0 update after.
UPDATE #4 – 9/28 12:30PM – I have reproduced the install problem flow Please read section #5 below for more info. You can install the Mojave 2020-005 Security update WITHOUT Safari 14.0 and not have any issues. You can even Install Safari 14.0 after and not have any issues. It’s only when you install Safari 14.0 first then install 2020-005 after when the problems start! I will continue to test this and post updates.
UPDATE #3 – 9/28 11:30AM – After running some more tests, Safari 14.0 could be one of the problems. The next test performed was to build a fresh 10.14.6 Mac and install only the 2020-005 Security Update = No problems. I then installed Safari 14.0 = No problems. Then I reinstalled 2020-005 again = All Problems are back!!! I am going to check the order, maybe if Safari 14.0 is being installed first with softwareupdate this could be part of the problem. I am going to continue to test to find out more.
9/27
UPDATE #2 – 9/27 5:00PM – I am keeping an eye on Apple’s Software Update Server to see if they pull the update. I will update if they do.
UPDATE #1 – 9/27 3:30PM – A few users have asked if they can install the 2020-004 update over the 2020-005 update. They mentioned being able to do this in the past. Usually you can’t go backwards using Apple’s .pkg installers. I tested this out and sure enough, the installer says that a newer version of this update is installed. Apple didn’t design the installers to undo newer security updates. This is unlike the full .app installer which can replace all OS level files.
This article will include will be continually updated with the latest information on this issue.
I have some workarounds and fixes that could help you if you already installed the Mojave 2020-005 Security Update.
macOS Mojave 2020-005 Security Update Causing Major Problems Mr. Macintosh Video.
Past macOS Security Update Issues
This is not the first time that I’ve reported on update issues. Below you can read a few of the major issues that I’ve written about.
3. How can I tell if my mac is affected by this issue?
4. How can I ignore this update in software update?
5. How to Reproduce – Install Order
5. User Reports
6. This time around the issue can be reproduced
7. Fix! Rolling back with Automatic Update Snapshots. (within 24 hours of install)
8. Workarounds
9. If you are seeing this issue, please let Apple know.
10. Mojave 2020-005 Security Update Issue Links
11. Hat Tip/Credits
1. Mojave 2020-005 Security Update Problems
What are the reported problems with this update?
1. Memory issues – Reports of large increases of memory usage = no free memory and a large amount of compressed memory.
2. Slow boot & High fan speed
3. System slowness / stalling in finder
4. New local user can not be created through Users & Groups.
5. Migration assistant crashes to login window when started.
6. Large amounts of system.log entries – Class asn1SetToken is implemented in both /System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/StoreServices.framework/Versions/A/StoreServices
7. Errors when using tmutil localsnapshot /
8. Error when running softwareupdate -l (not sure if it causes any issues with the softwareupdate binary)
9. System locks up in Desktop & Screen Saver > Screen Saver when trying to select a picture type screen saver.
10. WindowServer Process using 4 times amount of memory. Should be anywhere between 40-125MB after the update it jumps to 400MB
11. cDock 4 – Dock customization app becomes unusable.
12. Menu bar sometimes does not change after switching from applications back to the finder.
1. Affected Safari & macOS Build Versions
This issue affects the following Safari & macOS Build Versions.
Safari 14.0 – September 16th, 2020
Mojave 10.14.6 Security Update 2020-005 (18G6032) – September 24th, 2020
No reports so far of this happening on macOS High Sierra 10.13.
2. Affected Mac Hardware
Past problems would only happen with certain hardware models. Not this time, if you installed the Mojave 2020-005 Security Update on a compatible Mac you might have problems.
3. How can I tell if my Mac is affected by this issue?
Very simple, just open up the terminal.app and run softwareupdate -l
If you get this error your Mac is affected.
Class AMSupportURLConnectionDelegate is implemented in both /System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/EmbeddedOSInstall.framework/Versions/A/EmbeddedOSInstall (0x1130cec58) and /System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/OSPersonalization.framework/Versions/A/OSPersonalization (0x112f31358). One of the two will be used. Which one is undefined.
4. How can I ignore this update in software update?
All you need to do is use the softwareupdate ignore option.
I discovered last night that on my Mojave test Mac that I couldn’t reproduce the issue even though I could on my 2nd test Mac. I realized that I only installed the 2020-005 Security update and NOT the Safari 14.0 update. This is when I restored back to the previous snapshot and tried again. For the next test, I let software update install both updates. Safari 14.0 was first then 2020-005, after the reboot I had the problem. Let’s go over a few of the install scenarios below.
Scenario #1 How to install both Updates and be affected by the issue.
1. 10.14.6 (18G103) Base Install
2. Use software update to install both Safari 14.0 and 2020-005 Updates
3. After the restart = You will have the problem.
Scenario #2 You installed Safari 14.0 as soon as it came out on 9/16
1. 10.14.6 (18G103) Base Install
2. Install Security Update 2020-005 + Reboot = You will have the problem
Scenario #3 How you can install both updates with NO PROBLEMS
1. 10.14.6 (18G103) Base Install
2. Install Security Update 2020-005 ONLY + Reboot = No Problem
3. Now Install Safari 14.0 = No Problem
Scenario #4 How you can install both updates with in the correct order and still have the problem
1. 10.14.6 (18G103) Base Install
2. Install Security Update 2020-005 ONLY + Reboot = No Problem
3. Now Install Safari 14.0 = No Problem
4. Install Security Update 2020-005 AGAIN + Reboot = You will have the problem (NOTE: the same problem happens if you use the 2020-004 installer in this step)
3. User Reports.
The first report came in on Thursday, just 4 hours after Apple released the Mojave 2020-005 Security Update.
Is anyone getting really low free RAM after applying this update? Activity Monitor says I have 12GB of RAM used right after I launch it after logging in.
I applied the 2020-005 Security Update today to my MacBook Pro running Mojave (10.14.6) and after it restarted, I started experiencing problems. The first and most obvious is the Dock crashes repeatedly. I have also noticed that when running applications, the menu bar does not display the app’s menus, but stays showing Finder menus. I downloaded the .dmg file with the updater on it and applied it again, thinking perhaps something went amiss the first time, but it did not resolve the issue.
After doing this job for many years, I get an sense when things are starting to become an issue. Just to be sure, I always wait for more reports and attempt to reproduce the issues myself before reporting.
Additionally, boot time is slower, logging in is slower and when doing so I’m met with a blank desktop which needs 7-8 seconds before icons finally appear. Everything feels sluggish, and applications also take more than twice as long to start up.
After reading multiple reports I felt that it was time me to take a closer look. Sure enough, more users have started to report the same issues.
4. This time around the issues can be reproduced
When issues like this have come up in the past, I might not be able to reproduce them. I have to go purely on user reports, which at times can be tough. I want to make sure the reporting is very accurate. Especially when I am recommending that users not install a security update. This time around is different, I have tested the update on multiple Macs and can reproduce most of the issues. I also found a few that have not been reported on the forums or twitter.
5. A Fix! Rolling back with Automatic Update Snapshots. (within 24 hours of install)
Do you have time machine backups?
If you do, just restore and you are good to go! Now would be a good time to start. If not keep reading.
Automatic Update Snapshots was introduced as a feature in macOS High Sierra. You can read about them below. This was one of the best features that Apple has ever added to macOS. Sadly they only work for 10.13 and 10.14 Security Updates and not 10.15 Catalina Combo Updates.
Automatic Update Snapshots could save you, if you installed the Mojave 2020-005 Security Update in the last 24 hours. That’s the problem with tmutil localsnapshots they only last 24 hours!!! So if you installed the update you might still be able to roll back to the previous Mojave Security Update 2020-004 (18G6020).
Steps to restore from an Automatic Update Snapshot.
Reboot to recovery. Hold down Command R
Once in recovery select “Restore from Time Machine Backup”
On the next screen select “Macintosh HD”. If your Mac is filevault encrypted you will be asked for your password.
On the next screen, if you have a snapshot available it will look like this.
If you have an automatic update snapshot available, this is what it will look like.
5. Select it and hit continue! Your Mac will now restore back to the snapshot taken just before the 2020-005 Security Update was installed.
But what if 24 hours has past since you installed the update? Keep reading below.
6. Workarounds
If you don’t have an Automatic Update Snapshot available, hopefully one of the following options will help you.
Upgrade to Catalina. This was recommended by Apple Support. If don’t want to upgrade to Catalina yet, scroll down to option #2.
We’d like to see how we can help. We recommend upgrading to the latest macOS Catalina by following the steps in this link: https://t.co/cCbnQHhGBJ
This workaround will reinstall macOS Mojave 10.14.6 (18G103) and you will be able to keep all your files and applications. All you need to do is download the Mojave Full installer from the App Store and reinstall. To keep your Mac protected, you can install Security Update 2020-004 and not have any issues.
You can also perform an erase and install if you have all your files backed up.
@AppleSupport@havertyj@vitahallo We operate a fleet of about 350 Macs, and are seeing issues with extreme stalling after Security-Update 2020-005 and 10.15.7. Not all of our machines, but enough that it concerns me. Standard troubleshooting has not helped… any news or help?
@Apple I installed the 2020-005 Security Update for my MacBook Air and now the computer is super slow, has no free memory left even when it just booted up, and it takes ages to start up programs. Can you give me instructions on how to uninstall the update?
@AppleSupport The newest security update for Mojave—2020-005 10.14.6—slowed my computer to a crawl and caused nearly constant freezes. I had to roll-back to a previous version. It's a late 2015 27-inch iMac, serial C02SH3TBGG7J
Multiple Hat tips go out to my website and twitter followers for reporting the issue to me so I could take a closer look. Special thanks to Hyram Hakkenbecker for double-checking my articles for any grammar issues that sneak past!
UPDATE 9/26/20 – Some users have reported major problems after installing the update!
Today, Apple released macOS Security Update 2020-005 for High Sierra and Mojave. The 2020-005 security update will most likely will be the end of the line for macOS High Sierra. After macOS Big Sur is released, Apple will no longer support High Sierra.
Below you will find Build Versions, Download Links, Update Sizes and previous Security Update Links.
What’s New in the macOS 2020-005 Security Updates – Mr. Macintosh Video.
The 2020-005 Update fixes & reverts the 2020-003 changes made to the –ignore flag. After installing the update, you can now ignore major upgrades again.
UPDATE 9/24/20 – The 2020-004 update was said to fix this but it actually did not work properly. If you had a UAMDM (User Approved Mobile Device Management) Enrolled Mac the --ignore option did NOT work. The 2020-005 update fixed this and now works properly. Big hat tip to @pcrandom for doing a ton of testing. He was able to confirm that this issue was fixed.
After installing 2020-004 on 10.14 & 10.13 you can once again block major upgrades (Catalina). I mentioned this change in my Catalina 10.15.6 Patch Notes Article.
NOTE: This change is ONLY for UAMDM (User Approved Mobile Device Management) and Supervised Macs. If your Mac is not Supervised or part of an UAMDM you will not be able to ignore major updates.
In macOS Big Sur softwareupdate --ignore is deprecated and no longer works. You will only be able to block minor and major updates for 90 days using MDM.Please file feedback NOW, if you need the ability to block minor & major updates in macOS Big Sur!Thanks for the clarification @mboylan!
How do I keep track of all the macOS Build Versions?
I document all of the macOS Build Versions like the latest Mojave 2020-005 High Sierra 2020-005 along with most Apple Applications, XProtect, Gatekeeper and MRT updates in one database. You can check out the link below.
Security Update 2020-004 released for Mojave and High Sierra + Safari 13.1.2
Security Updates 2020-004 for macOS Mojave 10.14 (18G6020) & High Sierra 10.13 (17G14019) are now Available.
Today, Apple released macOS Mojave Security Update 2020-004 and High Sierra Security Update 2020-004. Below you will find Build Versions, Download Links, Update Sizes and previous Security Update Links. MacOS Sierra is no longer supported by Apple for Security Updates.
Apple listened to us! The 2020-004 Update reverts the 2020-003 changes made to the –ignore flag. After installing the update, you can now ignore major upgrades again.
After installing 2020-004 on 10.14 & 10.13 you can once again block major upgrades (Catalina). I mentioned this change in my Catalina 10.15.6 Patch Notes Article.
NOTE: This change is ONLY for UAMDM (User Approved Mobile Device Management) and Supervised Macs. If your Mac is not Supervised or part of an UAMDM you will not be able to ignore major updates.
In macOS Big Sur softwareupdate --ignore is deprecated and no longer works. You will only be able to block minor and major updates for 90 days using MDM.Please file feedback NOW, if you need the ability to block minor & major updates in macOS Big Sur!Thanks for the clarification @mboylan!
How do I keep track of all the macOS Build Versions?
I document all of the macOS Build Versions like the latest Mojave 2020-004 High Sierra 2020-004 along with most Apple Applications, XProtect, Gatekeeper and MRT updates in one database. You can check out the link below.
Apple has a released a new Supplemental Update for macOS Catalina 10.15.5. The update patches CVE-2020-9859, a Kernel Exploit from uncOver.
The original version of Catalina 10.15.5 was only released 6 days ago on May 26th. The New Supplemental update patch notes remain unchanged. The update patches CVE-2020-9859, a Kernel Exploit. “An application may be able to execute arbitrary code with kernel privilege“. The Supplemental Update is now available for download as a full installer.app, delta and combo update.
10.15.5 Supplemental Update Patch Notes Summary
Announcements
New Features
Resolved Issues
Enterprise Fixes
1 Security Fixes
Apple’s Public Patch Notes / Release Notes Documentation
NOTE: Apple Documentation takes a little while to show up online after release. I will update when the new articles are made available.
Big changes coming to softwareupage –ignore command after installing the 2020-003 update.
The Catalina 10.15.5 Update & 2020-003 Security Updates remove the software update –ignore ability for Major Updates. The –ignore flag for Minor Updates is now deprecated.
UPDATE 7/16/20 – Apple just released Catalina 10.15.6 and Security Updates 2020-004. Apple listened to us and reverted the changes made in 10.15.5 and 2020-003 (with a caveat). After installing 10.15.6 or the 2020-004 updates, you can once again use softwareupdate --ignore to block minor and major updates. As long as the Mac is enrolled in Apple School Manager, Apple Business Manager or a User Approved MDM.
Managing macOS in Enterprise or Education is a tough job no matter how you look at it. One of the toughest things that we have to deal with is 3rd party software. On top of that macOS updates & upgrades can cause additional problems. If you are a regular reader of this blog, you know what I’m talking about. 3rd party software is mission critical, and needs to run without issues. We need the ability to test new macOS Software Updates and Upgrades. Any of which could break that critical software, and cause major problems. A few points >
If we find a problem with 3rd party after installing an update, we would need to reach out the vendor. The fix might take longer than 90 days.
A macOS Update causes a big problem, so bad that we immediately need to block it. Sometimes it takes 2-5 months for Apple implement the fix to the next point release update.
Your Mac needs to be Supervised / Enrolled in an MDM, or you won’t be able to hide the Major Update (10.15.4+) update.
7. How can we ignore Updates and Upgrades in the future? (10.15.4+)
8. System Preferences Icon Red Dot Notification (How To get rid of it)
9. Don’t like this change? What can you do?
1. UPDATES!
UPDATE 6/9/20 – 10.15.6 Beta 2 (19G46c) was released today. The softwareupdate --ignore flag was changed to include some changes that we asked for! Be sure to check the AppleSeed Beta notes for all the details. I am still checking to see if the change will make it to Mojave 10.14.
UPDATE5/28/20 – I ran a quick test on a 10.14.6 (2020-002) Mojave Mac. First I used the command softwareupdate --ignore "macOS Catalina" to ignore the macOS Catalina Upgrade. The Upgrade disappeared from System Preferences > Software Update. I then installed a configuration profile that used the restrictions payload that deferred updates for 90 days. I installed the 2020-003 security update. Catalina showed up in System Preferences > Software Update. This can only mean one of two things…
1. A Mojave Mac with 2020-003 installed can now understand the new MDM Profile “Major Update” deferral. The Upgrade shows up because we are more than 90 days away from when Catalina was released.
2. We are taking this sentence literally “Starting with macOS 10.15.4, major releases of macOS can be deferred for up to 90 days using MDM.” Meaning the change was not backported to 10.14 and we will be unable to ignore 10.16 on Mojave.
I have reached out to Apple for clarification on this.
2. 10.15.5 & 2020-003 Update Changes.
Lets jump right in and look at the new changes.
Before I do, I need to do a quick shout out to @bp Balmes Pavlov
Balmes first called this out on April 16th, and really took a deep dive into this upcoming change.
The changes are here now, so let’s take a look at the 10.15.5 patch notes.
10.15.5 Softwareupdate –ignore changes
“Major Releases of macOS are no longer hidden when using the softwareupdate command with the –ignore flag”.
Updates are considered 10.15.4 > 10.15.5.
Major Releases or Upgrades are considered 10.14 > 10.15.
Notice how at the bottom of the note it says, “This change also affects macOS Mojave and macOS High Sierra after installing Security Update 2020-003”.
3. Right now, this only affects macOS Mojave
The direct impact of this update is to macOS Mojave. If you are running 10.14.6 and have the 2020-002 Security update installed, you can block macOS Catalina with softwareupdate --ignore "macOS Catalina"
After running the above command, macOS Catalina will not show up in System Preferences > Software Update.
This is what the Software Update Pane will look like in 10.14.6 before installing 2020-003.
Looks great! This is after running softwareupdate –ignore “macOS Catalina” on 2020-002
After installing 2020-003, this is what the Software Update pane will look like.
10.15.5 2020-003 softwareupdate –ignore. this is what Software Update looks like after 2020-003.
This leaves macOS 10.14.6 with very few options if you want to block users from upgrading to macOS Catalina.
Turn Off Automatic Updates (manually deploy updates)
Hide/Block the Software Update Preference Pane
Software Restrictions on “Install macOS Catalina.app”
4. What about High Sierra 10.13?
The 10.15.5 patch notes specifically mention High Sierra. For Software Updates, 10.13 still uses the App Store Preference Pane. When you click on it, you go right to the App store updates tab. macOS Catalina is NOT listed anywhere in the “updates” Section.
High Sierra and Sierra used notification banners.
10.13 and 10.14 macOSInstallerNotification_GM notification dialog.
If you wanted to block the banners on High Sierra and Sierra, you would run the following command.
You will now run into another problem after installing the 2020-003 Update.
Ignoring software updates is deprecated.
The ability to ignore individual updates will be removed in a future release of macOS
Reading that deprecation note, it looks like we will not only lose the ability to use the --ignore for Major updates (Right Now on 10.15.5 & 10.14) but also point updates in the future (10.16).
5. Blocking the 2020-003 Security Update
If you would like to block the 2020-003 Security update, run the following command below.
Please let Apple know NOW, not later (10.16 is coming in one month!).
Apple Enterprise Ticket
Apple FeedBack Assistant
If you have an Apple SE assigned to your company, talk to them.
AppleSeed for IT: macOS Deployment & Management Survey (this survey is available for AppleSeed for IT participants and can only be taken in the FeedBack Assistant.app)
Some Intel GPU Only Based MacBooks Airs are Freezing / Crashing while using Video Conf apps like Zoom After installing the 2020-002 Security updates.
After Apple Released the 2020-002 Security Updates, some users started to report that their Mac would would freeze up when using GPU Hardware Accelerated apps or video.
UPDATE 05/26/20 – Apple has just released the 2020-003 Security Update for macOS Mojave 10.14 and High Sierra 10.13. Please let me know if the new update fixes the issue for you!!!
UPDATE 05/18/20 – On Friday I tested Zoom client v4.6.8 on a 2017 MacBook Air with 10.13.6. I experienced a freeze & 5 different app crashes on a multi user meeting. Today I installed 2020-003 Beta and did not see a single crash for over 6 hours on the same meeting. The 2020-003 Security Update is looking really good, but I still would like to see more confirmations. If you installed 2020-003 Beta and it fixed the issue for you , please let me know. I am hoping the update is released tomorrow or sometime this week!
UPDATE 4/29/20 – Today Apple released the Developer Beta version of 2020-003 Security Update for Mojave and High Sierra. I am trying to find out if it includes a fix for this issue. I will update you as soon as I have more information.
UPDATE 4/28/20: The consensus amongst users is upgrading to Catalina fixes the issue. The only problem with this is, some users have reported other GPU related weird issues in 10.15.4. Sometimes the system will freeze for a few seconds in Finder, Safari or performing other tasks. The good news is, even if the Mac does freeze (only for a few seconds) it will not require a hard power down. With that said, you could upgrade to Catalina and not have any of the above issues! If you are cautious, it might be better to wait for an update from Apple.
UPDATE 4/08/20: As the update is installed on more Macs, reports continue to come in. Apps like Illustrator and Animate from the Adobe Creative Cloud Suite are now causing freezing A MacAdmins User who has a ticket in, says Apple is aware of the issue and is actively working on a fix.
UPDATE 4/03/20: MacAdmins User Bollman decided to test the latest Zoom installer (4.6.9) and has not had any crashes for 6 hours. I loaded up (4.6.8) 3 times to confirm the crashes and gather additional logs. Then I updated to Zoom 4.6.9 and have not had any crashes for over an hour. I added this new information to the work around section below.I can’t explain this as the Zoom update patch notes only mention updates to fix the installer issues brought up by Security Researchers.
UPDATE 4/02/20: New reports are still rolling in. As each new report rolls in with a confirmed .gpuRestart log I will add that application to affected list below. The issue might not be only related to Video Conference Apps. Some users are seeing the issue with anything that is related to Hardware Accelerated Video.Full screen video, video in Safari, or YouTube.
I reported on a similar issue in August of 2019 when the macOS Mojave 10.14.6 Update started to cause Kernel Panics if you used the Built In FaceTime Camera.
This article has seen a big uptick in traffic as of a few days ago. Then I started to receive emails from users who were having their Mac freeze up after installing the Security Updates. After that the reports started to come in on MacAdmins Chat.
In this article, I will give you you an overview of the issue. In the end, I will show you a few workarounds that might work until Apple releases a fix.
Let’s dive right in and see what’s going on here.
Table of Contents
1. Affected macOS Build Versions
2. Affected Mac Hardware & Intel GPU Versions
3. User Reports
4. What is the Issue? Mac will Freeze up requiring a hard shutdown
5. .gpuRestart Freeze Log Report
6. Software that can cause the FreezingIssue
7. This time around the issue CAN be reproduced
8. Why rolling back with Automatic Update Snapshots will NOT work.
9. Workarounds
10. If you are seeing this issue, please let Apple know.
11. Conference Software Freezing Issue Links
12. Hat Tip/Credits
1. Affected macOS Build Versions
This issue affects the following macOS Build Versions.
Catalina 10.15.4 Update(19E266)March 24th, 2020
Mojave 10.14.6 Security Update 2020-002(18G4032) March 24th, 2020
High Sierra 10.13.6 Security Update 2020-002 (17G12034) March 24th, 2020
2. Affected Mac Hardware & Intel GPU Versions
I have looked over a bunch of MacAdmin and User reports reports. It looks like the affected machines are 5th Generation Intel HD Graphics GPU only based Macs.
This is the Hardware that we think is affected so far.
1. 2015 MacBook Air
2. 2017 MacBook Air
3. 2015 12″ MacBook
4. 2015 13″ MacBook Pro
5. 2015 21.5″ iMac
Intel only GPU Versions
1. Intel HD Graphics 6000
2. Intel HD Graphics HD 5300
3. Intel Iris 6100
4. Intel Iris Pro 6200
If you have the issue on other Macs like the Mac Mini or older Macs, please do not hesitate to Contact Me.
3. User Reports.
The first report came in just two days after Apple released the Security Updates.
Anyone have issue with Zoom 4.6.7 for the Mac running on 10.14.6 where the use of the internal camera causes it to crash.
The next day more detailed reports started to roll in.
We’ve seen hard crashes on macs running 10.13.6 with latest security update (17G12034) and latest zoom version 4.6.8 (19178.0323). So far, 4 out of 80 machines with this combination of OS and zoom. What’s more in common with these machines is that they are MBA 2015 (non-retina). Anyone else seeing problems with latest security update on 10.13.6?
After doing this job for many years, I get an sense when things are starting to become an issue. It was not until this post came in on the following Monday.
For those running 10.15.4 (or latest 10.14/10.13 Security Update 2020-002 update) on the following hardware, can you try starting a zoom video conference (possibly may happen with other video conference software)? do you experience a hard crash?
After Balmes posted this, it was enough for me to take a closer look. Sure enough, users have started to report the same issues.
4. What is the Issue? The Mac will Freeze up requiring a hard shutdown.
UPDATE 04/01/20: After posting the article, I am getting a ton of reports that this issue is not just Video Conference Apps. Users are saying the Freeze / Lockup issue happens when using GPU Hardware Accelerated Video. This could be full screen video based activity.
How does the issue start? All you need to do is use some type of Video Conference Software that has multiple users with video enabled.
Once in the meeting the affected Mac can freeze up within one minute!
After the Mac Freezes, it will become 100% non responsive. The screen will freeze up and you will not be able to force quit. The only thing you can do is force power down the Mac.
5. .gpuRestart Freeze / Crashing Log Report
After you power up the Mac again, macOS will say that it was shut down due to a problem. At this point you need to look at the log to find the .gpuRestart log file.
UPDATE 04/02/20: To get the .gpuRestart log to show up, you have to let the Mac say on the frozen screen for at least a few minutes.
/Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports
You can also do a quick search by running this command
sudo ls -lah /Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports | grep .gpuRestart
Or use the Console.app, select “System Reports”.
A look at the console app and a few 2017 MacBook Air .gpuRestart error log files.
Application exampleGoogle Chrome He - Slack Helper (GP - zoom.us
Graphics Hardware exampleIntel HD Graphics 6000 - Iris Pro 6100
Signature example 803 - 802 - 806
6. Software that can cause the Freezing Issue
The following software can cause your affected Mac to freeze up. Below is a list of confirmed applications with a confirmed .gpuRestart freeze.
Zoom.us
Slack
Webex
Teams
Skype
BlueJeans
FaceTime
Sublime Text
Google Meet
Google Hangouts
Adobe Creative Cloud apps
Illustrator & Animate
VMWare Fusion
Spotify Helper
AnyDesk
ScreenConnect
Visual Studio Code
NOTE: Some of the new reports say that this happens when running the Video Conference Software from a Chrome Browser.
7. This time around the issue CAN be reproduced
I am able to reproduce this issue. If you would like to see what happens all you need to do is setup your Mac with the following.
2015-2017 MacBook Air
10.13.6 High Sierra with the 2020-002 Update installed.
Install zoom.us
Join any zoom meeting with multiple active users with their camera activated.
Join with Computer Audio. You can activate your own video or not does not matter.
Wait
Within about 1-5 min the MacBook Air screen will completely freeze and become unresponsive. You will need to hard power it off.
UPDATE 04/01/20: I was able to ssh into one of the MacBook Airs that was frozen. You can run commands like top and others. I attempted to force quit zoom.app and that did not change anything. I also tried to kill the loginwindow no go. Finally I attempted to restart the device with sudo reboot , I got the message that the ssh connection was closed like it was going to reboot but it didn’t.
8. Why rolling back with Automatic Update Snapshots will NOT work.
You might think, what if I roll back to a previous version of Mojave before the Security Update? In the past, this might have worked as the Update or security update is supposed to take an automatic tmutil localsnapshot before installing the update. If something went wrong you could boot to recovery and restore from that snapshot taken just before the update.
In this case that will not work because Update Snapshots are no longer working since 10.15.3!
Most issues like this have some type of workaround. Sometimes a workaround is found by accident or after hours of testing. This time around a few users on MacAdmins Slack have reported the following workarounds.
UPDATE 4/02/20: We are now hearing that Apple Support is recommending that users upgrade to macOS Catalina 10.15.4 to fix the issue. I can’t confirm if this fixes the issue but after looking at a large amount of .gpuRestart logs, I have not seen one from 10.15.4 yet. Many users are writing to me that after updating to 10.15.4, they are not having the freezing issue anymore.
UPDATE 4/03/20: For users who are having the freezing issue when using the Zoom.app, update to the latest version (4.6.9) and you should not see any more crashes.
Disable Zoom’s “Enable hardware acceleration for receiving video” option in the application video preferences. Scroll down and then hit the advanced button.
If the issue is happening in Chrome, some users found success with turning off Use hardware acceleration when available in Preferences > Advanced> System .
Use Firefox instead of Chrome when joining a browser based conference meeting.
Use conferencing in a browser instead of the application. An example of this is zoom. If you cancel out of the constant prompts to download the zoom.app, you will finally get an option to “Join Meeting with your Browser”
If you find any other workarounds please Contact Me
10. If you are seeing this issue, please let Apple know.
The only way to let Apple know that this is a big issue is to file a FeedBack Report. AppleCare Call or an Apple Enterprise Support Ticket.
This will help Apple Prioritize the issue.
11. Conference Software Freezing Issue Links
I created a MacAdmins Chat Channel to disccus the issue.
Bollman – MacAdmins Slack User who did a ton of testing. He also spun up a zoom meeting room where we could all test.
bp – MacAdmins Slack User who’s post get me to take a closer look.
vplc – MacAdmins Slack User who was able to get me info and logs
Georgia – MrMacintosh Reader who was able to quicly answer a bunch of questions along with logs and a sysdiagnose.
Apple Engineer – Who jumped on the issue almost immediately after being invited to the #conf-freezing-issue chat. Gathered logs and FB and Enterprise Support Tickets to help get attention on the issue.
Everyone who emailed me, shared information in Slack, DM’d me or shared my article. Without your help I wouldn’t have been able to put all this information together.
