New macOS update breaks multiple security products

macOS 15 logo
(Image credit: Apple)

Every now and then, software updates for popular operating systems break other programs installed on these devices, and this time around, it’s Apple’s turn.

TechCrunch is reporting that the latest macOS update, Sequoia (AKA macOS 15) broke many major cybersecurity solutions. This, understandably, caused both frustration and fear among the Apple community since, after all, not having endpoint protection places many organizations at serious risk.

In its writeup, the publication mentions some of the most popular security solutions today: CrowdStrike, SentinelOne, Microsoft, ESET, and others. Most of these companies alerted their users that they would not be able to support macOS Sequoia and advised against updating the OS until the matter is resolved.

Four more bugs

“I’m very sorry to report that we will not be supporting Sequoia on day 1 in spite of our intention (and previous track record) to support the latest OS within hours of [General Availability],” a CrowdStrike engineer said in a Slack message seen by TechCrunch.

Furthermore, the developers are under the impression that they will have to be the ones addressing the issue, and not Apple. The company is yet to address the problem.

“I get it, that writing bug-free software is challenging, but maybe if Apple spent less time and money on marketing, and more time on actually testing their software, we’d all be better off!” Patrick Wardle, the founder of Mac and iOS security startup DoubleYou, and a longtime expert on macOS security, told TechCrunch.

While yet unconfirmed, the problem seems to be related to firewalls and DNS on the OS, since two separate researchers reported these issues, per Apple Insider. One of the researchers, Will Dormann, said blocking incoming connections in the macOS Sequoia firewall can also block replies to DNS requests. "Depending on your firewall config, silly things like DNS may stop working for some apps.”

Via TechCrunch

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Sead is a seasoned freelance journalist based in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. He writes about IT (cloud, IoT, 5G, VPN) and cybersecurity (ransomware, data breaches, laws and regulations). In his career, spanning more than a decade, he’s written for numerous media outlets, including Al Jazeera Balkans. He’s also held several modules on content writing for Represent Communications.

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