Starting with macOS Ventura, Apple has added a new feature called “Rapid Security Response”. This new update system was designed so that Apple can quickly deploy a small targeted security update. Users no longer have to wait for a large OS updates to be fully protected.
This database will contain both the OS and Safari version number changes when a RSR update is made available.
UPDATED: 7/12/23
NOTE: I’ve included an direct Apple download link for each RSR. The update can not be installed manually, but you can inspect it.
Download the standalone macOS Safari pkg directly from Apple!
Download macOS Safari Full Installers
This database will contain download links for macOS Safari full Installer pkg files (Safari16.0MontereyAuto.pkg example). This file is the same full installer that you would download directly from software update for Intel and Apple Silicon M1 Mac Computers. The “SafarixxxxAuto.pkg” is stored on Apple’s servers and is a standalone installer package. Once downloaded, all you need to do is install the pkg and Safari will be updated. You can use this pkg to reinstall Safari if you are having issues. Make sure that you download the correct version of Safari for your OS. For macOS Ventura, Safari is included in all updates.
NOTE #1 : I strongly recommend using the Software Update pane or softwareupdate binary to update Safari. Use the stand alone pkg as a last resort before reinstalling macOS.
NOTE #2: You can not use a previous Safari stand alone package to downgrade to a previous version of Safari.
NOTE#3: Apple usually only keeps 2 versions of Safari in the software update catalog. The current version and one behind. When a new version is released, the 3rd download link is removed.
macOS Big Sur 11.4 (20F71) is now available for all users!
UPDATED 05/27/21
Apple just dropped the new macOS Big Sur 11.4 Update (on a Monday???). The 11.4 update was released only a month after 11.3 Let’s jump in and find out what’s new!
The 11.4 update also patches the screen shot vulnerability CVE-2021-30713.
The detection team noted that once installed on the victim’s system, XCSSET was using this bypass specifically for the purpose of taking screenshots of the user’s desktop without requiring additional permissions.
jamf.com
Jamf security researchers found the vulnerability and detailed it in the article below.
The macOS Big Sur 11.3 (20E232) update is now available for all users!
UPDATED 04/29/21
Apple just released macOS Big Sur 11.3 just one week after Apple’s “Spring Loaded” event. This is the one of the longest beta cycles that we’ve seen. The release had 8 beta and one Release Candidate Update. We have a brand new 24″ iMac with 7 different colors! The previous 11.2 update was released a over 2 and a half months ago.
Apple’s “Spring Loaded” Event Notes:
iMac!!! 24″
New iPad Pro with M1 Processor & ThunderBolt
New Magic keyboard with Touch ID
AirTags introduced
Apple TV 4k with A12 & Remote
11.3 Big Sur & Safari version 14.1 (one week later)
The new Let’s jump in and find out what’s new in the macOS Big Sur 11.3 Update!
macOS Big Sur 11.3 Patch Notes Summary
53 – Security Fixes
29 – New Features
13 – Enterprise Changes/Fixes
7 – Resolved Issues
Mr. Macintosh macOS Big Sur 11.3 quick 5 min video on all the new features.
My macOS Big Sur 11.3 everything new in 5 min video! Stay tuned to my normal DEEP DIVE video!
My 2nd video that is more of a discussion and deep dive into the 11.3 update.
Mr. Macintosh 11.3 Update Deep Dive Video.
Table of Contents
1. Apple Links
2. Mr. Macintosh articles of interest for Apple Silicon & macOS Big Sur
3. Apple Articles of interest related to the macOS Big Sur 11.3 Update
4. Undocumented macOS Big SUr 11.3 Update changes & fixes
5. Previous Big Sur 11 Beta and Final Releases
6. macOS Big Sur 11 Standalone Pkg downloads no longer available.
7. macOS Big Sur 11.3 Full Installer.app
8. macOS Big Sur Update sizes for Intel and M1
9. Apple Silicon M1 Firmware Update
10. Intel T2 BridgeOS Update
11. Apple Silicon IPSW Restore file Update
12. Safari 14.1 Update
13. What’s new for enterprise in macOS Big Sur 11.3
14. Security Content of macOS Big Sur 11.3
15. macOS Big Sur 11.3 (20E232) Release Notes / Patch Notes / Changes
Click “Continue Reading” for the rest of the article.
The macOS Big Sur 11.2.3 (20D91) update is now available for all users!
Apple surprised us today by dropping a new Big Sur 11.2.3 update. The previous 11.2.2 update was released a little over 2 weeks ago. Let’s jump in and find out what’s new in the macOS Big Sur 11.2.3 Update!
This update focuses on one security fix.
WebKit
Available for: macOS Big Sur
Impact: Processing maliciously crafted web content may lead to arbitrary code execution Description: A memory corruption issue was addressed with improved validation.
CVE-2021-1844: Clément Lecigne of Google’s Threat Analysis Group, Alison Huffman of Microsoft Browser Vulnerability Research
Apple.com
Safari version 14.0.3 was also released.
macOS Big Sur 11.2.3 Patch Notes Summary
0 – New Features
1 – Resolved Issues
0 – Enterprise Changes
Mr. Macintosh macOS Big Sur 11.2.3 Update DEEP DIVE Video
Click “Continue Reading” for the rest of the article.
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.
Do you need to downgrade Safari? I will show you 2 ways to do it.
If you recently installed the Mojave Supplemental Update and were surprised to see Safari 14.0 installed, you are not alone.
UPDATE 4/30/21 – This article explained originally how to downgrade from Safari 14.0 to 13.1.2 due to a problem. Apple has pulled the Safari 14.1 Update for both Catalina and Mojave. Users are reporting the error Safari 14.1 = webpage loading errors “a problem repeatedly occurred”. You can attempt to use the same instructions to downgrade from Safari 14.1 to 14.0.3. I’ve included Safari 14.0.3 download links at the bottom
Confirmed the following after reinstall of 10.14.6 over the top of current install (retains user data) Build Version (18G103) Safari 12.1.2 Software Update shows Security Update 2021-003 & Safari 14.0.3 Good workaround until Apple releases a fix ? Should be the same for 10.15
You are probably asking yourself, why would anyone want to downgrade from Safari 14 to 13. Safari was offered as a separate download in software update so users could remain on Safari 13 if they wanted. This was fine until the 2020-005 Security Update started to break systems. After issue, Apple re-issued Safari 14.0 but renamed it “Mojave Supplemental Update”. This caught many off guard because they didn’t understand that installing this update was actually installing Safari 14.0.
Readers wrote in and asked me if there is a way to downgrade Safari. Many still needed Flash, others had website compatibility issues. Some just really missed Top Sites. Another big problem was that some users upgraded to Safari 14.0.1 Beta. They are still broke because the supplemental update did not include 14.0.1 as a compatible upgrade version. I recommend that you do anything possible so you don’t need to downgrade. Most users will be just fine with Safari 14. The new version includes user privacy improvements and security fixes.
Mr. Macintosh How to Downgrade Safari 14.0 to 13.1.2 video.
Supported and Unsupported
I will show you 2 different ways to downgrade from Safari 14.0 to 13.1.2.
1. Supported Way – Reinstall (not erase and install) macOS Mojave 10.14.6 (18G103) = Safari 12.1.2
2. Unsupported Way – Disable SIP protection > Remove Safari 14.app and Files > Install Safari 13.1.2 > Enable SIP again = Safari 13.1.2
When I say Supported I mean this is what Apple would recommend and is the best path forward. Unsupported is what some users have done the past that might or might not have some compatibility issues. Consider this a warning. I have tested this multiple times and not had an issue, but you might! So please backup before you test this path. You can always install Safari 14.0 again if needed.
The following instructions are only for macOS Mojave.
I did not test this on Catalina or High Sierra, but I’ve included download links below if you would like to try. Readers who have contacted me were only asking about Mojave because of the Supplemental Update naming issue.
Supported Way = Reinstall macOS Mojave
The is pretty cut and dry, you will reinstall macOS Mojave 10.14.6 over the top of your current version of Mojave. An example of this that you are running 10.14.6 (18G6032). This is the latest version of Mojave available and includes all the security fixes in the 2020-005 Update. If you want to see a full listing of macOS versions, take a look at my macOS System Status and Versions Page. After reinstalling macOS Mojave you will be at version# 10.14.6 & BuildVersion number (18G103). Safari will be at 12.1.2.
1. Backup all your files (always a good thing just in case)
2. Reboot to the Recovery Partition (Command R)
3. Click Install macOS
4. You are now at macOS Mojave 10.14.6 BuildVersion 18G103 and Safari 12.1.2
5. Install Safari 13.1.2 (download link below)
6. Install Security Update 2020-004
7. NOTE: I did NOT test installing the 2020-005 Security Update after. The Safari 13.1.2 + 2020-004 Security Update install order was offered by Apple when the 2020-005 update was pulled. This was a tested path by them and is supported.
You are back on Safari 13.1.2! Keep in mind you aremissing important security updates. I hope that you can fix any compatibility issues that you may have and get on the latest version.
Unsupported Way = Uninstall Safari
As mentioned above, this is an unsupported path. Please backup your files or run a time machine before attempting this. Another thing you could do is run a tmutil localsnapshot /. You could immediately revert back to before any changes if needed. Remember the localsnapshots only last for 24 hours! I have tested this multiple times and have not found any issues, but you might! Let’s get started.
1. Make a backup first!
2. Disable SIP
3. Boot to the recovery partition > Open Terminal > Type in csrutil disable
10. Use AppCleaner to remove Safari 14.0 – Go to preferences and uncheck “Protect default OS X apps”. Drag safari.app over to the app then select all files. then click remove.
11. Install Safari 13.1.2MojaveAuto.pkg using Pacifist.app – Drag Safari13.1.2MojaveAuto.pkg over to the app. A new window will pop up. Highlight the main pkg in the list then hit install. You will see 2 admin prompts and a prompt to overwrite files, select overwrite all.
12. Reboot to recovery and re-enable SIP. Open Terminal > Type in csrutil enable
13. Reboot back to macOS. You are now back to Safari 13.1.2
Download Links
You might need to cut and paste the link in a new browser tab.
1. Safari 13.1.2 for Mojave – UPDATE LINK DEAD! added link above. http://swcdn.apple.com/content/downloads/38/62/061-98246-A_DETHLIXKPC/njpb63acy0z0rgpdpewxts5rfjlkhtdvcy/Safari13.1.2MojaveAuto.pkg
2. Safari 14.0 for Mojave – http://swcdn.apple.com/content/downloads/08/46/001-55225-A_FKPERA412C/z81r8bvj47p12e0pvcz9dj33l43z7h201b/Safari14.0MojaveAuto.pkg
3. Safari 14.0 for Catalina – http://swcdn.apple.com/content/downloads/00/48/001-50020-A_14M4NE130Q/q4lojf164rqsmp57dawdtgs25ut2d1j44m/Safari14.0CatalinaAuto.pkg
