macOS Update Archives - Page 4 of 7

Catalina 10.15.7 Supplemental Update (19H15) Released!

MrMacintosh.com - 10.15.7 Supplemental Update (19H15) Released! — 10.15.7 Supplemental Update (19H15) Released!

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!

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT211947

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
10.15.0-10.15.5 users = 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.

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT210642

developer.apple.com/documentation/macos_release_notes

developer.apple.com/documentation/macos-release-notes/macos-catalina-10_15_6-release-notes

For more detailed information about this update and previous updates, please visit: https://support.apple.com/kb/HT210642

Previous 10.15 Releases + Previous Patch Notes

22. 10.15.7 = (19H15) – Supplemental Update – Nov 5th 2020
21. 10.15.7 = (19H2) – Update – Sep 24th 2020
20. 10.15.6 = (19G2021) – Supplemental Update – Aug 12th 2020
19. 10.15.6 = (19G2006) – 2020 iMac Fork Re-Released – Aug 4th, 2020
18. 10.15.6 = (19G2005) – 2020 iMac Fork – Aug 4th, 2020
17. 10.15.6 = (19G73) – July 15th, 2020
16. 10.15.5 = (19F2200) – 16″ MBPro Update Fork – June 15th 2020
15. 10.15.5 = (19F2096) – 16″ MBPro Shipping Fork – June 15th 2020
14. 10.15.5 = (19F101) – Supplemental Update – June 1st, 2020
13. 10.15.5 = (19F96) – May 26, 2020
12. 10.15.4 = (19E2269) – 13″MBPro Shipping Fork – May 6th 2020
11. 10.15.4 = (19E287) – Supplemental Update – April 8th, 2020
10. 10.15.4 = (19E266) – March 24th 2020
9. 10.15.3 = (19D2064) – MBAir Shipping Fork March 23rd 2020
8. 10.15.3 = (19D76) – January 28th 2020
7. 10.15.2 = (19C57) – December 10th 2019
6. 10.15.1 = (19B2106) – 16″ MBPro Update Fork – November 13th 2019
5. 10.15.1 = (19B2093) – 16″ MBPro Shipping Fork – Nov 13th 2019
4. 10.15.1 = (19B88) – October 29th 2019
3. 10.15.0 = (19A603) – Supplemental Update Re-Released – Oct 21st 2019
2. 10.15.0 = (19A602) – Supplemental Update – October 15th 2019
1. 10.15.0 = (19A583) – October 7th 2019

macOS Catalina 10.15.7 Supplemental Update Changes, Info & Download Links

Supplemental Update

The “Supplemental Update” update is smaller in size because it only includes fixes for the previous point release only.

NOTE: The Supplemental update is ONLY for 10.15.7 Users

Download Link – waiting

Size = 1.21 GB

Product ID = 001-73001

Requirements = 10.15.7

Delta Update

The “Delta” update is smaller in size because it only includes fixes for the previous point release only.

NOTE: The Delta update is ONLY for 10.15.6 Users

Download Link – waiting

Size = 2.84 GB

Product ID = 001-57230

Requirements = 10.15.6

Combo Update

The “Combo” update is for all previous versions of Catalina.

Download Link – NONE! combo update is not available as this update is ONLY for 10.15.7 users.

Size =

Product ID =

Requirements =

Full Installer.app

It looks like a full installer was NOT released! Will update …

Below is the OLD VERSION (19H2)

Link – Catalina 10.15.7 Mac App Store

Size = 8.75 GB

Product ID = 001-51042

Requirements – 10.15 Catalina Requirements

T2 BridgeOS Update

UPDATE! T2 BridgeOS was updated!

Size = 417.7 MB

Product ID = 001-51038

BridgeOS Update Version = 17.16.16610.0.0

3. Previous 10.15.7 Update = 17.16.16610 = BuildVersion 6
2. Previous 10.15.6 Supplemental Update = 17.16.16610
1. Previous BridgeOS Update Version = 17.16.16065

Security Content of macOS Catalina 10.15.7 Update.

This document lists security updates for Apple software.

support.apple.com/en-us/HT201222

MacOS Catalina 10.15.7 Supplemental Update

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT211947

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.

CVE-2020-27950: Google Project Zero

Catalina 10.15.7 Supplemental Update

Mojave Supplemental Update (Safari 14) Released to Fix Previous Issues

MrMacintosh.com - Apple has just released the macOS Mojave 10.14.6 "Supplemental Update" which is a fixed version of Safari 14.0. It address the problems of the previous 14.0 release. — 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.

mrmacintosh.com/mojave-2020-005-security-update-causing-major-problems-updated/

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

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!
4. macOS Mojave 2020-005 Security Update Re-Released
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.

MrMacintosh.com - running softwareupate -l to check the names of the updates. — 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

From – support.apple.com/en-us/HT211872

MrMacintosh.com - macOS 10.14.6 Supplemental Update (Safari 14.0) Details. — 6. Confusing? Yes, I will explain.Contents of the 10.14.6 Supplemental Update (Safari 14.0)

macOS Mojave 10.14.6 supplemental update includes Safari 14 and bug fixes for your Mac.

Resolves an issue that could impact app performance
Addresses a stability issue with Migration Assistant
Fixes an issue that may prevent user account creation

3. I’ve tested this update and have confirmed that it fixes most of the issues! (Memory issue needs more testing)

As you can see in the first 3 patch notes, this update looks to resolve our memory issues, account creation issues and the migration assistant issues!

I have confirmed that this update at the very least fixes the following.

UPDATE! 10:30PM – I am seeing multiple reports that all memory problems are fixed after installing the new Supplemental Update!

Account creation issues
Migration assistant crashing
Software Update errors
Time Machine Local Snapshot errors.
The Memory issues looks to be sorted out (From multiple user reports!)

4. macOS Mojave 2020-005 Security Update Re-Released

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?

MrMacintosh.com - macOS 10.14.6 Supplemental Update (Safari 14.0) inside Details. — 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?

MrMacintosh.com - macOS 10.14.6 Supplemental Update #2 inside Details. — 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.

MrMacintosh.com - Did you install ONLY install - Safari 14.0? — 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?

MrMacintosh.com - Did you install ONLY install - 2020-005 Security 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?

MrMacintosh.com - What you would see in SU if you previously installed both problematic updates. — *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?

MrMacintosh.com - 11. Did you not install either of the updates? — 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

sudo softwareupdate -ignore "Security Update 2020-005"

If so, see below

13. I ran softwareupdate –ignore “Security Update 2020-005”

In my previous post, I showed you how to ignore the problematic security update by running

sudo softwareupdate -ignore "Security Update 2020-005"

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.

About the Supplemental Update = support.apple.com/en-us/HT211872
Direct Safari 14 download link from SUS – http://swcdn.apple.com/content/downloads/08/46/001-55225-A_FKPERA412C/z81r8bvj47p12e0pvcz9dj33l43z7h201b/Safari14.0MojaveAuto.pkg
Safari 13.1.2 – http://swcdn.apple.com/content/downloads/38/62/061-98246-A_DETHLIXKPC/njpb63acy0z0rgpdpewxts5rfjlkhtdvcy/Safari13.1.2MojaveAuto.pkg
Direct 2020-005 Security Update link from SUS – https://updates.cdn-apple.com/2020/macos/001-48329-20200924-122a4260-eb65-4492-b08e-f69dfa22c2dc/SecUpd2020-005Mojave.dmg
Mojave 2020-005 Security Update download from Apple.com – https://support.apple.com/kb/DL2054

17. Security Content of macOS 10.14.6 Supplemental Update

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT211872

18. Final Thoughts

Wow… what a week. After breaking this story on Sunday, many mainstream Apple websites started to pick up on this.

macrumors.com/2020/10/01/apple-pulls-macos-mojave-security-update/

9to5mac.com/2020/10/02/apple-releases-new-macos-mojave-10-14-6-supplemental-update-with-important-bug-fixes/

appleinsider.com/articles/20/10/01/apple-pulls-buggy-macos-mojave-security-update-safari-14

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.

Catalina 10.15.7 Update = accountsd hitting 400% CPU if using iCloud

MrMacintosh.com - Catalina 10.15.7 Update = accountsd using 400% CPU if using iCloud — Catalina 10.15.7 Update = accountsd using 400% CPU if using iCloud

Catalina 10.15.7 Update is causing problems with the accountsd process. The issue only seems to happen if you use iCloud Drive, Mail, Calendar or Internet Accounts.

Something is wrong with the iCloud sync process. Users are saying that after they installed the 10.15.7 update, the accountsd process runs up to 400%+ in Activity Monitor. When the issue starts, it slows the Mac down to a crawl. This causes the Mac to quickly drain the battery, heat up and kick the CPU fans into high gear. Another process that could be acting up is suggestd.

UPDATE 9/29 10:00AM – I’ve added 2 new fixes in the workarounds section below. One kills the cm.apple.iCloudHelper process and recreates the .sqlite database. The other was to remove Find My Mac then re enable it.

This comes after I reported major problems with the macOS Mojave 2020-005 Security Update that came out on the same day. Apple has pulled both the Safari 14.0 and Mojave 2020-005 Security Updates.

mrmacintosh.com/mojave-2020-005-security-update-causing-major-problems-updated/

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 macOS Catalina 10.15.7 Update.

10.15.7 Update = accountsd process using 400%+ CPU if using iCloud Mr. Macintosh Video.

1. macOS Catalina 10.15.7 Update Problems
2. Affected macOS Build Versions
3. What is the accountsd process?
4. Affected Mac Hardware
5. User Reports
6. I’m trying to replicate this issue now.
7. Workarounds / Fixes
8. If you are seeing this issue, please let Apple know.
9. Catalina 10.15.7 Update accountd issue links
10. Hat Tip/Credits

1. macOS Catalina 10.15.7 Update Problems

What are the reported problems with this update?

The macOS Catalina 10.15.7 Update was released on September 24th, 2020.

mrmacintosh.com/whats-new-in-the-macos-catalina-10-15-7-update-19h2/

If you use iCloud – Drive, Mail & Calander and you have installed the 10.15.7 update, you might have problems. Finder will be sluggish and general system speed is slow. If you open up Activity Monitor and then select the CPU tab, you might see accountsd taking up a huge amount of CPU. It might be running at over 400%, you can see what that looks like in the screenshot below.

2. Affected macOS Build Versions

This issue affects the following macOS Build Versions.

macOS Catalina 10.15.7 Update (19H2) – Released on September 24th, 2020
macOS Catalina 10.15.6 and below, as I noticed a few reports from 10.15.6 around the 25th. For 10.15.6 users, sometimes just updating to 10.15.7 fixes the issue for them.
No reports so far of this happening on macOS Mojave 10.14 or High Sierra 10.13.

Looks like a variant of this issue goes all the way back to the Catalina 10.15.1 Update. But most reports disappeared until it came back after installing 10.15.7.

3. Affected Mac Hardware

Past problems would only happen with certain hardware models. Not this time, if you installed the Catalina 10.15.7 Update on a compatible Mac you might have problems. As I noted in the Affected macOS Build Versions above, the issue could be affecting 10.15.6 and below users.

4. What is the accountsd process?

From Apple

Help users access and manage their external accounts from within your app, without requiring them to enter login credentials. The Accounts framework provides access to user accounts stored in the Accounts database, which is managed by the system. An account stores the login credentials of a particular service, such as Twitter, and you use those credentials to authenticate with the service. When you integrate the Accounts framework into your app, you don’t need to store account logins yourself. Instead, the user grants your app access to use their account login credentials, bypassing the need to type their username and password. If no account for a particular service exists in the user’s Accounts database, you can let them create and save an account from within your app.
Developer Documentation

developer.apple.com/documentation/accounts#//apple_ref/doc/uid/TP40011024

5. User Reports

The first reports came in on Friday, one day after Apple released the Catalina 10.17.5 Update.

accountsd process is eating 500% cpu and making macbook pro 15,1 useless after Catalina 10.15.7 update. Even if you force this process to quit it comes back at ~500% CPU and make lots os apps to hang.
Apple Discussion Forum User fpmalard2017

More reports started to roll in on the Apple Discussion Forums.

Same here, upgraded to 10.15.7 and CPU usage spikes. Seems that the processes ‘accountds’/ ‘commerce’ are responsible for this and killing the process ‘commerce’ is a only a temp ‘solution’ for minutes and then same problem appears again. Tried also SMC reset without success!!!
Apple Discussions Forum User doobieb

I just updated to Catalina last month. Everything was running smooth and fine under 10.15.6. I did the 10.15.7 update yesterday first through the normal way –> system preferences – Software update and then the trouble with the accountsd-process has also begun.
Apple Discussions Forum User Oevie

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.
MacRumors Forum User Minipudding

After reading multiple reports I felt that it was time me to take a closer look.

6. I’m trying to replicate this issue now.

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.

The test Mac was setup with the exact settings that most of the users have reported.

1. Install 10.15.6
2. Set Up iCloud Drive, Mail and Cal
3. Install 10.15.6 Update > 10.15.7
4. Test settings.

I’ve been unable to reproduce this issue. I had the article ready for this weekend but did not have enough solid reports of the issue. Now enough reports have come in to solidify the issue as a problem for users.

7. Workarounds / Fixes

This list of workarounds will start from the very simple to more advanced.

You do NOT have to follow the list until the end, just stop when one of the solutions fixes the issue for you (starting from #1).

1. Reboot! Yes multiple users have mentioned that a simple reboot fixes the issue.

2. Cycle Wifi off then back on. (I said we were starting out simple.. )

3. Sign out of iCloud then reboot.

4. Sign back into iCloud – For some users they are able to sign back in and not have any issues. If you sign back in and are still having issues keep going down the list.

4. Boot into safe mode one time (this automatically runs a disk check) support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/start-up-your-mac-in-safe-mode-mh21245/mac – once in safe mode, reboot your Mac.

5. Are you on 10.15.6 with this issue? Install the 10.15.7 Update.

6. Disable iCloud Drive Options > Internet Accounts > iCloud > Options Button > unselect all options – Restart

6. Disable iCloud options – Internet Accounts > iCloud Uncheck all – Photos, Mail Contacts, Calendars, Reminders, Safari, Find My Mac, Notes & Keychain – Reboot – If you get any popup messages asking if you want to keep the items on your Mac. Make sure you select “Keep on This Mac” if you need to save your keychain passwords for example. After this if the problem goes away you can attempt to re enable them.

7. Sign out of all System Preferences > Internet Accounts > added email addresses. This includes any IMAP, POP, Gmail, Yahoo. Office365 o365 or Exchange accounts. Reboot – Then see if the issue comes back. If not then attempt to re add the email accounts.

Below are medium skill level fixes

7. Delete local Mail store & preferences – Disable iCloud Mail Sync – then delete /Users/yourhomefolderhere/Library/mail & /Users/yourhomefolderhere/Library/containers/com.apple.mail – Enable iCloud Mail Sync.

8. Delete Local Items Keychain folder (BACKUP ANY PASSWORDS FIRST) – Users/yourhomefolderhere/Library/Keychains – It will be the blue folder with the UUID looking numbers. Delete this folder and immediately reboot.

9. Reset iCloud settings when you can’t sign out.

If you run this command it will do the following.

1. Kill the com.appleiCloudHelper process
2. Move your iCloud .sqlite database to a new backup folder
3. kill accountsd process
4. reboot

Open the terminal.app, then cut and paste the command below.

sudo -v ; killall -9 accountsd com.apple.iCloudHelper ; defaults delete MobileMeAccounts ; 
mkdir ~/Library/Accounts/Backup; mv ~/Library/Accounts/*.sqlite* ~/Library/Accounts/Backup/ ; 
killall -9 accountsd com.apple.iCloudHelper ; sudo reboot

Below are more advanced level fixes that hope you don’t have to do.

9. Do you have time machine backups? Restore from your last good backup.

10. Reinstall (Not Erase) macOS Catalina 10.15.7 – This workaround will reinstall macOS Catalina 10.15.7 and you will be able to keep all your files and applications. All you need to do is download the Catalina Full installer from the App Store and reinstall. You can also do this by booting to recovery. Restart your mac and hold down Command R. This will boot you to recovery, just select Install macOS Catalina.

If you need any help with any of the above workarounds let me know in the comments.

Update Automatic Snapshots

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 this will not help you in this situation as they only work for 10.13 and 10.14 Security Updates. Apple disabled this option in 10.15 Catalina Combo Updates.

mrmacintosh.com/10-15-3-combo-security-updates-are-not-creating-backup-snapshots/

Links

Download Catalina Full Installer – mrmacintosh.com/how-to-download-macos-catalina-mojave-or-high-sierra-full-installers/

8. 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 and get it resolved ASAP!

9. macOS Catalina 10.15.7 & 10.15.6 accountsd process issue links

This is a list of all the reports of issues with the Catalina 10.15.7 update accountsd process.

MacRumors.com

Apple Discussion Forums

Reddit.com

Tech Blogs

Accountsd and secd high CPU usage on Catalina –waal70blog.wordpress.com/2019/12/16/accountsd-and-secd-high-cpu-usage-on-catalina/

Accountsd using 400% CPU on MacOS Catalina 10.15.7 (19H2) –gist.github.com/l3nz/9fe151c0d398055b000d59b644f13c65

Hacker News – news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24619716

Twitter.com

After updating macOS to 10.15.7, `accountsd` is using almost 600% CPU, for over an hour now. Using Safari for more than 30 seconds makes it hang, I have to force quit it. pic.twitter.com/yf7DXlFH44
— Kevin Renskers (@kevinrenskers) September 27, 2020

@Apple Since today's update macOS Catalina 10.15.7.
MacBook Pro 2019, i9 – 16 GB Ram.
Fan is on constantly, system slow, battery % goes down with mac plugged to the electricity, accountsd 500% CPU: pic.twitter.com/a42ReehP6a
— ll2double (@ll2double) September 28, 2020

Dear @AppleSupport “accountsd” is eating up 600% of my 2.3 GHz 8-Core i9 MBP iOS 10.15.7. Can’t work offline. Can’t work at all.
— Alexandra Papadopoulos (@wusi) September 28, 2020

After updating MacOS 10.15.7, accountsd's CPU utilization spiked to almost 500%. I tried rebooting several times, but it didn't fix the problem. As accountsd is icloud sync process, I signed out from iCloud and re-signed in. And then, everything got back to normal. v(´-ω-｀)v
— maasa (@w0o0ps) September 26, 2020

catalina 10.15.7 update accountsd

What’s New in the macOS Catalina 10.15.7 Update (19H2)?

macOS Catalina 10.15.7 Update is now Available!

For the first time since Mac OS X Snow Leopard, Apple has progressed past a .6 point release! I’m very happy with this change, as it’s easier to understand dot releases compared to supplemental updates. This is the 21st update overall for macOS Catalina.

UPDATE! 9/29/20 – I just posted an article talking about the Catalina 10.15.7 Update accountsd process using 400%+ CPU.

mrmacintosh.com/catalina-10-15-7-update-accountsd-using-400-if-using-icloud-mail/

UPDATE! 9/27/20 – A few reports are coming in that the 10.15.7 update is causing some problems with the accountsd process. After the installing the 10.15.7 update, accountsd runs up to 400% in Activity Monitor. The issue might happen for some users that are using iCloud for Drive, Mail or Cal. Other reports say the issue can happen if you are using internet accounts with Gmail. This issue causes system slowness until resolved. Most fixes say to log out of iCloud or Gmail then restart.

Let’s take a look at the macos Catalina 10.15.7 update changes.

What’s New in the 10.15.7 Update Mr. Macintosh video.

10.15.7 Update = accountsd process using 400%+ CPU if using iCloud Mr. Macintosh Video.

The macOS Catalina 10.15.7 Update includes the following fixes.

macOS Catalina 10.15.7 provides important security updates and bug fixes for your Mac.

Resolves an issue where macOS would not automatically connect to Wi-Fi networks
Fixes an issue that could prevent files syncing through iCloud Drive
Addresses a graphic issue that may occur on iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2020) with Radeon Pro 5700 XT

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.

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT210642

developer.apple.com/documentation/macos_release_notes

developer.apple.com/documentation/macos-release-notes/macos-catalina-10_15_6-release-notes

For more detailed information about this update and previous updates, please visit: https://support.apple.com/kb/HT210642

Previous 10.15 Releases + Previous Patch Notes

21. 10.15.7 = (19H2) – Update – Sep 24th 2020
20. 10.15.6 = (19G2021) – Supplemental Update – Aug 12th 2020
19. 10.15.6 = (19G2006) – 2020 iMac Fork Re-Released – Aug 4th, 2020
18. 10.15.6 = (19G2005) – 2020 iMac Fork – Aug 4th, 2020
17. 10.15.6 = (19G73) – July 15th, 2020
16. 10.15.5 = (19F2200) – 16″ MBPro Update Fork – June 15th 2020
15. 10.15.5 = (19F2096) – 16″ MBPro Shipping Fork – June 15th 2020
14. 10.15.5 = (19F101) – Supplemental Update – June 1st, 2020
13. 10.15.5 = (19F96) – May 26, 2020
12. 10.15.4 = (19E2269) – 13″MBPro Shipping Fork – May 6th 2020
11. 10.15.4 = (19E287) – Supplemental Update – April 8th, 2020
10. 10.15.4 = (19E266) – March 24th 2020
9. 10.15.3 = (19D2064) – MBAir Shipping Fork March 23rd 2020
8. 10.15.3 = (19D76) – January 28th 2020
7. 10.15.2 = (19C57) – December 10th 2019
6. 10.15.1 = (19B2106) – 16″ MBPro Update Fork – November 13th 2019
5. 10.15.1 = (19B2093) – 16″ MBPro Shipping Fork – Nov 13th 2019
4. 10.15.1 = (19B88) – October 29th 2019
3. 10.15.0 = (19A603) – Supplemental Update Re-Released – Oct 21st 2019
2. 10.15.0 = (19A602) – Supplemental Update – October 15th 2019
1. 10.15.0 = (19A583) – October 7th 2019

macOS Catalina 10.15.7 Update Changes, Info & Download Links

Delta Update

The “Delta” update is smaller in size because it only includes fixes for the previous point release only.

Download Link – support.apple.com/kb/DL2051

Size = 2.84 GB

Product ID = 001-51032

Requirements = 10.15.6

Combo Update

The “Combo” update is for all previous versions of Catalina.

Download Link – support.apple.com/kb/DL2052

Size = 4.78 GB

Product ID = 001-51037

Requirements = 10.15.0, 10.15.1, 10.15.2, 10.15.3, 10.15.4, 10.15.5 or 10.15.6

Full Installer.app

Link – Catalina 10.15.7 Mac App Store

Size = 8.75 GB

Product ID = 001-51042

Requirements – 10.15 Catalina Requirements

T2 BridgeOS Update

T2 BridgeOS remains the same version number but goes up to BuildVersion 6.

Size = 417.7 MB

Product ID = 001-51038

BridgeOS Update Version = 17.16.16610 = BuildVersion 6

Previous 10.15.6 Supplemental Update = 17.16.16610

Previous BridgeOS Update Version = 17.16.16065

Security Content of macOS Catalina 10.15.7 Update.

This document lists security updates for Apple software.

support.apple.com/en-us/HT201222

MacOS Catalina 10.15.7 & Security Updates 2020-005

support.apple.com/en-us/HT211849

The following security fixes are included in Catalina 10.15.7.

Model I/O

Available for: macOS High Sierra 10.13.6, macOS Mojave 10.14.6, macOS Catalina 10.15

Impact: Processing a maliciously crafted USD file may lead to unexpected application termination or arbitrary code execution

Description: An out-of-bounds read was addressed with improved bounds checking.

CVE-2020-9973: Aleksandar Nikolic of Cisco Talos

Sandbox

Available for: macOS High Sierra 10.13.6, macOS Mojave 10.14.6, macOS Catalina 10.15

Impact: A malicious application may be able to access restricted files

Description: A logic issue was addressed with improved restrictions.

CVE-2020-9968: Adam Chester(@xpn) of TrustedSec

Catalina 10.15.7 Update Changes

What’s New in the macOS Catalina 10.15.6 Update 19G73?

macOS Catalina 10.15.6 19G73 is now Available.

The final macOS Catalina 10.15.6 update is live! The update is now available for download as a full installer.app, delta and combo update. This update might include a fix for the fix for the MacBook Pro 16″ wake from sleep Kernel Panic Issue! NOTE: as in 10.15.5, the patch notes do not mention this issue. Did 10.15.6 fix the wake from sleep KP issue for you ? Let me know in the comments.

Let’s take a closer look at the final Catalina point release update. When I say final update, I mean that for the past 4 (10.11-10.14) macOS releases Apple has gone to .6. We could see a supplemental update or 2 (Mojave) if a serious defect is found in 10.15.6. Don’t count on this though, as all development is now being put into macOS Big Sur.

10.15.6 Patch Notes Summary

2 New Features
2 Resolved Issues
4 Enterprise Fixes
14 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.

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT210642

developer.apple.com/documentation/macos_release_notes

developer.apple.com/documentation/macos-release-notes/macos-catalina-10_15_6-release-notes

For more detailed information about this update and previous updates, please visit: https://support.apple.com/kb/HT210642

Apple Reverts softwareupdate –ignore changes from 10.15.5

You might remember my article talking about the changes Apple made in 10.15.5 and the 2020-003 security updates. mrmacintosh.com/10-15-5-2020-003-updates-changes-to-softwareupdate-ignore/. With the Catalina 10.15.6 & 2020-004 security updates, those changes were reverted back. 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.

Previous 10.15 Releases + Previous Patch Notes

17. 10.15.6 = (19G73) July 15th, 2020 – Current Release
16. 10.15.5 = (19F2200) 16″ MBPro Update Fork – June 15th 2020
15. 10.15.5 = (19F2096) 16″ MBPro Shipping Fork – June 15th 2020
14. 10.15.5 = (19F101) – Supplemental Update – June 1st, 2020
13. 10.15.5 = (19F96) May 26, 2020
12. 10.15.4 = (19E2269) 13″MBPro Shipping Fork – May 6th 2020
11. 10.15.4 = (19E287) – Supplemental Update – April 8th, 2020
10. 10.15.4 = (19E266) March 24th 2020
9. 10.15.3 = (19D2064) MBAir Shipping Fork March 23rd 2020
8. 10.15.3 = (19D76) January 28th 2020
7. 10.15.2 = (19C57) December 10th 2019
6. 10.15.1 = (19B2106) 16″ MBPro Update Fork – November 13th 2019
5. 10.15.1 = (19B2093) 16″ MBPro Shipping Fork – Nov 13th 2019
4. 10.15.1 = (19B88) October 29th 2019
3. 10.15.0 = (19A603) Supplemental Update Re-Released – October 21st 2019
2. 10.15.0 = (19A602) Supplemental Update – October 15th 2019
1. 10.15.0 = (19A583) October 7th 2019

Catalina 10.15.6 Info & Download Links

Delta Update

The “Delta” update is smaller in size because it only includes fixes for the previous point release only.

Download Link – support.apple.com/kb/DL2047

Size = 2.96 GB

Product ID = 061-94461

Requirements = 10.15.5

Combo Update

The “Combo” update is for all previous versions of Catalina.

Download Link – support.apple.com/kb/DL2048

Size = 4.78 GB

Product ID = 061-94457

Requirements = 10.15.0, 10.15.1, 10.15.2, 10.15.3, 10.15.4 or 10.15.5

Full Installer.app

Link – Catalina 10.15.6 Mac App Store

Size = 8.74 GB

Product ID = 061-94403

Requirements – 10.15 Catalina Requirements

T2 BridgeOS Update

T2 BridgeOS was updated along with the 10.15.6 update.

Size = 391.3 MB

Product ID = 061-94409

BridgeOS Update Version = 17.16.16065

Previous BridgeOS Update Version = 17.16.15290

Security Content for Safari 13.1.2

Waiting on new link, the old link for 13.1.1 is below.

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT211177

New Apple Support Documents

Use your iPhone or Apple Watch as a car key – Some car makers offer the option to control your vehicle with a digital car key. If your car is compatible, you can add this key to the Wallet app on your iPhone.

support.apple.com/en-us/HT211234

How to turn notifications and emails on or off in Apple News – Learn how to turn notifications on or off for the channels that you follow, new issues of magazines in Apple News+, and Apple News Today audio briefings in the ..

support.apple.com/en-us/HT211230

Catalina 10.15.6 Update 19G73 Overview

support.apple.com/en-us/HT210642

macOS Catalina 10.15.6 introduces local news in your Today feed in Apple News and improves the security and reliability of your Mac.

New Features

Apple News

Local news in your Today feed provides extensive coverage of San Francisco, the Bay Area, Los Angeles, Houston, and New York City
More stories available from local news providers with a subscription to Apple News+
Your daily newsletter from Apple News can now be personalized with stories that reflect your interests

This update also includes bug fixes and other improvements.

Adds a new option to optimize video streaming on HDR-compatible Mac notebooks for improved battery life
Fixes an issue where the computer name may change after installing a software update
Resolves an issue where certain USB mouse and trackpads may lose connection

Enterprise Fixes

When using a Mac with a built in keyboard that has a non-US layout, the FileVault login window would not recognize passwords containing certain characters on devices without an Apple T2 Security Chip. These passwords are now recognized.
Command Line utilities that don’t not use CFnetwork such as curl to continue connecting to TLS servers that use certificates issued by the recently expired AddTrust External Ca Root.
After installing software that uses a sudo plugin, attempting to use sudo command would fail with an error about being unable to load the plugin.
Major releases of macOS can be hidden when using the softwareupdate command with the --ignore flag, if the Mac is enrolled in Apple School Manager, Apple Business Manager or a User Approved MDM. This change also affects macOS Mojave and macOS High Sierra after installing security update 2020-004

Some features may not be available for all regions, or on all Apple devices.

Security Content of macOS Catalina 10.15.6

support.apple.com/en-us/HT211289

Released July 15, 2020 = 14 Catalina specific security fixes.

10.15.5 Update Resets Automatic Proxy Configuration Setting & URL

MrMacintosh.com - 0.15.5 Update Resets Automatic Proxy Configuration Setting & URL — macOS Catalina 10.15.5 update resets Automatic Proxy Configuration & URL

The 10.15.5 Update Erases Auto Proxy Setting + Proxy URL

Does your organization use a corporate proxy? Do you set the Automatic Proxy Configuration & URL via script? If so, you better check your proxy settings after installing the 10.15.5 update. On MacAdmins we have our own sad channel called #proxylife. It’s more of a support group for proxy issues.

10.15.1-10.15.5 Update Problems

This is my 10th article on Catalina Update issues. Take a look at the links below if you are interested.

Let’s take a closer look.

The test setup to reproduce this issue is pretty straight forward.

Build out a fresh 10.15.4 system
System Preferences > Network > Advanced > Proxy Tab
Verify Proxy settings (Proxy settings set with script in this test)
Update to 10.15.5
Automatic Proxy Configuration now UNCHECKED + Proxy URL erased.

Proxy Settings

NOTE: This test was set with a script that would run the following commands.

networksetup -setautoproxystate <networkservice> <on off>
networksetup -setautoproxyurl <networkservice> <proxyurl>

What can I do about this?

Let Apple know. Hopefully this can still be fixed in 10.15.6, we are quickly running out of time.

Until then, you will probably want your proxy configuration to still be set after the update. You could do the following as a workaround.

MDM Policy that will set the Proxy Settings again after the Update.
Install a LaunchDaemon that will run after the update to set the proxy setting again.
Install Proxy settings as a PROFILE. Note: I have not tested this to see if the settings still remain after the update. My guess the profile settings will remain. Please let me know if you have tested this.

Feedback Assistant Request #

I am having mixed success getting some of these issues fixed. I think we need a flag lead us. From now on, I will submit a FeedBack Assistant Request for each issue that I post about. You can reference this number when submitting your request.
NOTE: My request will not be enough, to get issues fixed we need to submit multiple requests to get proper visibility inside Apple Care.

FB7830358 – 10.15.5 Update Resets Automatic Proxy Configuration to OFF + Deletes Proxy Configuration File URL

Software Updates

Now is a good time to mention that we still need the ability to –ignore minor software updates.

Listed below are a few articles to help you understand the current situation.

1. macOS Big Sur: Please do not apply enforcedSoftwareUpdateDelay to major OS updates – developer.apple.com/forums/thread/651698
2. APPLE PLANS ON REMOVING ENTERPRISE OPTIONS FOR MACOS SOFTWARE UPDATE – babodee.wordpress.com/2020/04/16/apple-plans-on-removing-enterprise-options-for-macos-software-update/
3. 10.15.5 & 2020-003 Updates = Changes to softwareupdate –ignore – mrmacintosh.com/10-15-5-2020-003-updates-changes-to-softwareupdate-ignore/

I hope that my articles have helped you! If you have any questions, leave a comment below or Contact Me.

macOS Catalina 10.15.5 Supplemental Update (19F101) CVE-2020-9859

MrMacintosh.com - macOS Catalina 10.15.5 Supplemental Update 19F101 addresses CVE-2020-9859 — *macOS Catalina 10.15.5 Supplemental Update 19F101* addresses CVE-2020-9859

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.

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT210642

developer.apple.com/documentation/macos_release_notes

developer.apple.com/documentation/macos_release_notes/macos_catalina_10_15_5_release_notes

For more detailed information about this update and previous updates, please visit: https://support.apple.com/kb/HT210642

Previous 10.15 Releases + Previous Patch Notes

11. 10.15.5 = (19F101) June 1st, 2020
10. 10.15.5 = (19F96) May 26, 2020
9. 10.15.4 = (19E287) April 8th, 2020
8. 10.15.4 = (19E266) March 24th 2020
7. 10.15.3 = (19D76) January 28th 2020
6. 10.15.2 = (19C57) December 10th 2019
5. 10.15.1 = (19B2106) November 13th 2019
4. 10.15.1 = (19B88) October 29th 2019
3. 10.15.0 = (19A603) October 21st 2019
2. 10.15.0 = (19A602) October 15th 2019
1. 10.15.0 = (19A583) October 7th 2019

Catalina 10.15.5 Info & Download Links

Supplemental Update

The Supplemental Update is only for Macs that already have the origional version of 10.15.5 installed.

Download Link – https://support.apple.com/kb/DL2043

Size = 1.02 GB

Product ID = 001-12339

Requirements = 10.15.5

Delta Update

The “Delta” update is smaller in size because it only includes fixes for the previous point release only.

Download Link – https://support.apple.com/kb/DL2039

Size = 2.98 GB

Product ID = 001-12341

Requirements = 10.15.4

Combo Update

The “Combo” update is for all previous versions of Catalina.

Download Link – https://support.apple.com/kb/DL2040

Size = 4.76 GB

Product ID = 001-12343

Requirements = 10.15.0, 10.15.1, 10.15.2, 10.15.3 or 10.15.4

Full Installer.app

Link – Catalina 10.15.5 Mac App Store

Size = 8.73 GB

Product ID = 001-12336

Requirements – 10.15 Catalina Requirements

T2 BridgeOS Update

The Supplemental Update updates the T2 BridgeOS Software.

Size = 392.8 MB

Product ID = 001-12349

BridgeOS Update Version = 17.16.15300

macOS Catalina 10.15.5 Supplemental Update, Security Update 2020-003 High Sierra

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT211215

Released June 1, 2020

Kernel

Available for: macOS High Sierra 10.13.6, macOS Catalina 10.15.5

Impact: An application may be able to execute arbitrary code with kernel privileges

Description: A memory consumption issue was addressed with improved memory handling.

CVE-2020-9859: unc0ver

Catalina 10.15.5 Supplemental Update

10.15.5 & 2020-003 Updates = Changes to softwareupdate –ignore

MrMacintosh.com - Big changes coming to softwareupdate --ignore command after installing the 2020-003 update. — 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.

Catalina 10.15.6 Update – mrmacintosh.com/whats-new-in-the-macos-catalina-10-15-6-update-19g73/

Security Update 2020-004 for 10.13 & 10.14 – mrmacintosh.com/security-update-2020-004-for-mojave-10-14-high-sierra-10-13-released/

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.
MacOS does NOT have an Update Recovery Ability. If something goes wrong after an update, we do NOT have any way to revert back to a previous update!!!

1. UPDATES!
2. 10.15.5 & 2020-003 Update Changes.
3. Right now, this only affects macOS Mojave
4. What about High Sierra 10.13?
5. Blocking the 2020-003 Security Update
6. Catalina 10.15.5 Changes
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.

UPDATE 5/28/20 – 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.

babodee.wordpress.com/2020/04/16/apple-plans-on-removing-enterprise-options-for-macos-software-update/

The changes are here now, so let’s take a look at the 10.15.5 patch notes.

MrMacintosh.com - 10.15.5 Softwareupdate --ignore changes — 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.

MrMacintosh.com - Looks great! This is after running softwareupdate --ignore "macOS Catalina" on 2020-002. — 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.

MrMacintosh.com - Not so good. This is after running softwareupdate --ignore "macOS Catalina" on 2020-003. — 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.

MrMacintosh.com - 10.13 and 10.14 macOSInstallerNotification_GM notification dialog. — 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.

sudo softwareupdate --ignore "macOSInstallerNotification_GM"

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.

softwareupdate --ignore "Security Update 2020-003"
The Mac App Store (10.13) & System Preferences > Software Update (10.14) will respect the --ignore option.

6. Catalina 10.15.5 Changes

This change does not really affect Catalina right now. The problem will come when 10.16 is released.

You will not be able to use

softwareupdate --ignore "macOS 10.16"

7. How can we ignore Updates and Upgrades in the future? (10.15.4+)

Apple is providing something for 10.15.4+ users.

Starting with macOS 10.15.4, major releases of macOS can be deferred for up to 90 days using MDM.
Apple Patch Notes

The forceDelayedSoftwareUpdates key in the Restrictions payload will now apply to major OS versions in addition to software updates.
Apple Patch Notes

We already have the MDM Key forceDelayedSoftwareUpdates but after installing 10.15.4 you can now defer Major Upgrades for up to 90 Days.

Once macOS 10.16 is live, you will be able to hide the Major (Upgrade) and Minor (Point Release) Updates for 90 Days.

8. System Preferences Icon Red Dot Notification

MrMacintosh.com - System Preferences Red Dot Notification. — System Preferences Red Dot Notification.

HT goes out to Jeff Johnson who first investigated this earlier today.

lapcatsoftware.com/articles/software-update.html

He called out that even though we can’t block the Catalina Update in System Preferences, we might still want to remove the Red Dot Notification.

Check out his article to find out how disable the notification.

HT also goes out to this guy who first documented the fix.

tinyapps.org/blog/202005070700_remove_catalina_notification_badge.html

UPDATE 5/28/20 – A MacRumors forum user found a new way to block the notification.

I did by editing com.apple.dock.plist
changed “dock-extra” from YES to NO for system preferences and no more red annoyance.
MacRumors Forum User VTRN

9. Don’t like this change? What can you do?

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)

10.15.5 2020-003 softwareupdate –ignore

MacOS Mojave & High Sierra 2020-003 Security Updates Released!

MrMacintosh.com - MacOS Security Updates 2020-003 for Mojave 10.14, High Sierra 10.13 and Safari released! — MacOS Security Updates for Mojave 10.14, High Sierra 10.13 and Safari released!

Security Updates 2020-003 for macOS 10.14 Mojave (18G5033) & 10.13 High Sierra (17G13033) are now Available.

Today, Apple released macOS Mojave Security Update 2020-003 and High Sierra Security Update 2020-003. This update also includes a fix for the Intel GPU Freezing Issue! 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.

UPDATE 6/02/20 – Apple has re-released the 2020-003 Security Update! The new update has a fix for CVE-2020-9859, a Kernel Exploit. “An application may be able to execute arbitrary code with kernel privilege“

The new ProductID = 001-12354

New 10.13.6 Build Version of 2020-003 = 17G13035

The Apple download page now shows a June 1st date instead of May 26th.

WARNING!!! – If you use softwareupdate –ignore to block macOS Catalina.

If you use softwareupdate --ignore "macOS Catalina to ignore Catalina, you will need a different plan. I mentioned this in my Catalina 10.15.5 Update Article.

After installing the 2020-003 Security update on Mojave, you will no longer be able to ignore macOS Catalina from showing up in System Preferences > Software Update.

UPDATE: 5/27/20 – I just wrote an article explaining this a little better below.

mrmacintosh.com/10-15-5-2020-003-updates-changes-to-softwareupdate-ignore/

You can read up more on this in the article below.

babodee.wordpress.com/2020/04/16/apple-plans-on-removing-enterprise-options-for-macos-software-update/

How do I keep track of all the macOS Build Versions?

I document all of the macOS Build Versions like the latest Mojave 2020-003 High Sierra 2020-003 along with most Apple Applications, XProtect, Gatekeeper and MRT updates in one database. You can check out the link below.

mrmacintosh.com/macos-system-status-version-info-for-macadmins/

MacOS Mojave Security Update 2020-003 (18G5033)

macOS Mojave Security Update 2020-003
Size = 1.68 GB
Package Download and Information Link
https://support.apple.com/kb/DL2042

Information on the Security fixes included in the 2020-003 Mojave Security Update

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT211170

MacOS High Sierra Security Update 2020-003 (17G13033)

10.13.6 High Sierra Security Update 2020-003
Size = 2.11 GB
Package Download and Information Link
https://support.apple.com/kb/DL2041

Information on the Security fixes included in the 2020-003 High Sierra Security Update

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT211170

Safari Update

Safari was updated to version 13.1.1 (13609.2.9.1.3)

Download Size for High Sierra = 66.2mb

Downloads Size for Mojave = 70.6mb

T2 BridgeOS Update

Both the 2020-003 and 2020-003 Security Updates upgrade BridgeOS to version – 17.16.15290

Security Content for Safari 13.1.1

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT211177

Previous Releases

Security Related Content for 2020-003

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT211170

Security Updates 2020-003 Mojave

What’s New in the macOS Catalina 10.15.5 Update 19F96?

MrMacintosh.com - macOS Catalina 10.15.5 (19F96) Update — *macOS Catalina 10.15.5 (19F96) Update*

The macOS Catalina 10.15.5 Update 19F96 is now Available.

The much anticipated macOS Catalina 10.15.5 update is live! The update is now available for download as a full installer.app, delta and combo update. This update looks like it includes a fix for the MacBook Pro 16″ wake from sleep Kernel Panic Issue! Let’s take a look at the Catalina 10.15.5 Update 19F96 to find out what’s new. The update also includes a fix for the GPU Freezing issue with some Macs with an Intel Only Graphics Chip.

UPDATE 06/02/20 – Apple just released a 10.15.5 Supplemental Update. I have the info here – https://mrmacintosh.com/macos-catalina-10-15-5-supplemental-update-19f101-cve-2020-9859/

UPDATE 05/27/20 – I wrote an article on the changes to the softwareupdate --ignoreflag and what it means for MacAdmins. mrmacintosh.com/10-15-5-2020-003-updates-changes-to-softwareupdate-ignore/

10.15.5 Patch Notes Summary

2 Announcements
3 New Features
8 Resolved Issues
5 Enterprise Fixes
41 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.

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT210642

developer.apple.com/documentation/macos_release_notes

developer.apple.com/documentation/macos_release_notes/macos_catalina_10_15_5_release_notes

For more detailed information about this update and previous updates, please visit: https://support.apple.com/kb/HT210642

Previous 10.15 Releases + Previous Patch Notes

10. 10.15.5 = (19F96) May 26, 2020
9. 10.15.4 = (19E287) April 8th, 2020
8. 10.15.4 = (19E266) March 24th 2020
7. 10.15.3 = (19D76) January 28th 2020
6. 10.15.2 = (19C57) December 10th 2019
5. 10.15.1 = (19B2106) November 13th 2019
4. 10.15.1 = (19B88) October 29th 2019
3. 10.15.0 = (19A603) October 21st 2019
2. 10.15.0 = (19A602) October 15th 2019
1. 10.15.0 = (19A583) October 7th 2019

Catalina 10.15.5 Info & Download Links

Delta Update

The “Delta” update is smaller in size because it only includes fixes for the previous point release only.

Download Link – https://support.apple.com/kb/DL2039

Size = 2.98 GB

Product ID = 061-78581

Requirements = 10.15.4

Combo Update

The “Combo” update is for all previous versions of Catalina.

Download Link – https://support.apple.com/kb/DL2040

Size = 4.76 GB

Product ID = 061-78580

Requirements = 10.15.0, 10.15.1, 10.15.2, 10.15.3 or 10.15.4

Full Installer.app

Link – Catalina 10.15.5 Mac App Store

Size = 8.73 GB

Product ID = 061-78580

Requirements – 10.15 Catalina Requirements

T2 BridgeOS Update

T2 BridgeOS was updated along with the 10.15.5 update.

Size = 392.8 MB

Product ID = 061-70034

BridgeOS Update Version = 17.16.15290

Security Content for Safari 13.1.1

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT211177

New Apple Support Documents

Adapters for the Thunderbolt 3 or USB-C port on your Mac or iPad Pro

If the cable from your external device doesn’t connect to the Thunderbolt 3 or USB-C port on your Mac or iPad Pro, you might need an adapter.

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT207443

About Mac notebook batteries

Learn how to optimize the life of the battery in your Mac notebook, fix battery issues, and get service.

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204054

Catalina 10.15.5 Update 19F96 Overview

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT210642

macOS Catalina 10.15.5 introduces battery health management in the Energy Saver settings for notebooks, an option to control automatic prominence of video tiles on Group FaceTime calls, and controls to fine-tune the built-in calibration of your Pro Display XDR. The update also improves the stability, reliability, and security of your Mac.

Battery Health Management

Battery health management to help maximize battery lifespan for Mac notebooks
Energy Saver preference pane now displays battery condition and recommends if the battery needs to be serviced
Option to disable battery health management

For more information, please visit https://support.apple.com/kb/HT211094

FaceTime Prominence Preference

Option to control automatic prominence on Group FaceTime calls so video tiles do not change size when a participant speaks

Calibration Fine-Tuning for Pro Display XDR

Controls to fine-tune the built-in calibration of your Pro Display XDR by adjusting the white point and luminance for a precise match to your own display calibration target

This update also includes bug fixes and other improvements.

Fixes an issue that may prevent Reminders from sending notifications for recurring reminders
Addresses an issue that may prevent password entry on the login screen
Fixes an issue where System Preferences would continue to show a notification badge even after installing an update
Resolves an issue where the built-in camera may not be detected when trying to use it after using a video conferencing app
Addresses an issue for Mac computers with the Apple T2 Security Chip where internal speakers may not appear as a sound output device in Sound preferences
Fixes a stability issue with uploading and downloading media files from iCloud Photo Library while your Mac is asleep
Resolves a stability issue when transferring large amounts of data to RAID volumes
Fixes an issue where the Reduce Motion Accessibility preference did not reduce the speed of animations in a FaceTime group call

Enterprise Fixes

Improves performance on certain Mac models when enabling hardware acceleration in GPU-intensive apps such as those used for video conferencing.
Addresses an issue where Microsoft Exchange accounts were unable to sign in during account setup when using Conditional Access.
Resolves an issue that prevented some displays connected to MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2019) from waking from sleep when the Mac wakes
Single sign-on (SSO) works immediately after installing an app that contains a third party SSO extension.
Apple Push Notification Service traffic now uses a web proxy when specified in a PAC file via the Proxies payload

Announcements

Software Update
For increased security, major releases of macOS are not hidden when using the --ignore flag and the softwareupdate command starting with macOS 10.15.5. A major release is defined as one which receives a name, such as macOS Catalina.
Starting with macOS 10.15.4, major releases of macOS can be deferred for up to 90 days using MDM.

More on this here – mrmacintosh.com/10-15-5-2020-003-updates-changes-to-softwareupdate-ignore/

networksetup Command
Starting with macOS 10.15.5, the networksetup command behaves differently when run as a standard user versus an admin user. Standard users can do the following:
• 1. Read various network settings
• 2. Turn Wi-Fi power on or off (networksetup -setairportpower en0 on)
• 3. Change the Wi-Fi access point (networksetup -setairportnetwork en0
ExampleWiFiAP)
Other network settings can no longer be modified by standard users via networksetup.
For admin users, networksetup will continue to behave as it has in previous releases of macOS, provided System Preferences > Security & Privacy > Advanced… > “Require an administrator password to access system-wide preferences” is unchecked (which is the default state). If it is checked, admins will be bound by the same constraints as standard users when
using networksetup.

Security Content for 10.15.5

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT211170

Catalina 10.15.5 Update 19F96

macOS Catalina 10.15.7 Supplemental Update is now Available.

The macOS Catalina 10.15.7 Update includes the following Security fixes.

Confusing Update Situation

Apple’s Public Patch Notes / Release Notes Documentation

Previous 10.15 Releases + Previous Patch Notes

macOS Catalina 10.15.7 Supplemental Update Changes, Info & Download Links

Supplemental Update

Delta Update

Combo Update

Full Installer.app

T2 BridgeOS Update

Security Content of macOS Catalina 10.15.7 Update.

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.

Table of Contents

1. Name of the Update?

2. Details of the macOS Mojave Supplemental Update

3. I’ve tested this update and have confirmed that it fixes most of the issues! (Memory issue needs more testing)

4. macOS Mojave 2020-005 Security Update Re-Released

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 2020-005”

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

Catalina 10.15.7 Update is causing problems with the accountsd process. The issue only seems to happen if you use iCloud Drive, Mail, Calendar or Internet Accounts.

Table of Contents

1. macOS Catalina 10.15.7 Update Problems

2. Affected macOS Build Versions

3. Affected Mac Hardware

4. What is the accountsd process?

5. User Reports

6. I’m trying to replicate this issue now.

7. Workarounds / Fixes

Below are medium skill level fixes

Below are more advanced level fixes that hope you don’t have to do.

Update Automatic Snapshots

8. If you are seeing this issue, please let Apple know.

9. macOS Catalina 10.15.7 & 10.15.6 accountsd process issue links

macOS Catalina 10.15.7 Update is now Available!

The macOS Catalina 10.15.7 Update includes the following fixes.

Apple’s Public Patch Notes / Release Notes Documentation

Previous 10.15 Releases + Previous Patch Notes

macOS Catalina 10.15.7 Update Changes, Info & Download Links

Delta Update

Combo Update

Full Installer.app

T2 BridgeOS Update

Security Content of macOS Catalina 10.15.7 Update.

macOS Catalina 10.15.6 19G73 is now Available.

10.15.6 Patch Notes Summary

Apple’s Public Patch Notes / Release Notes Documentation

Apple Reverts softwareupdate –ignore changes from 10.15.5

Previous 10.15 Releases + Previous Patch Notes

Catalina 10.15.6 Info & Download Links

Delta Update

Combo Update

Full Installer.app

T2 BridgeOS Update

Security Content for Safari 13.1.2

New Apple Support Documents

Catalina 10.15.6 Update 19G73 Overview

Security Content of macOS Catalina 10.15.6

The 10.15.5 Update Erases Auto Proxy Setting + Proxy URL

10.15.1-10.15.5 Update Problems

Let’s take a closer look.

Proxy Settings

What can I do about this?

Feedback Assistant Request #

Software Updates

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.

10.15.5 Supplemental Update Patch Notes Summary