If you own a Mac computer running the latest version of High Sierra — 10.13.1 (17B48) then do not leave your PC unattended because security researchers disclosed a bug that lets anyone with physical access to a Mac gain system access even without entering a .
Anyone can gain the highest level of access to your Mac just by typing “root” in the name field, leaving the blank and clicking “unlock” a couple of times. That’s it you will immediately gain full access to the computer without even requiring hacking skills.
This silly yet major vulnerability was first noticed by a developer named developer Lemi Orhan Ergin and then he publicly addressed it on Twitter.
Here’s How To Perform This Hack:
- Open System Preferences on your Mac with High Sierra operating system.
- Select s & Groups.
- Click the lock button.
- Enter “root” in the name field of the window.
- Leave the field blank and hit enter button few times.
These steps lets will make you a super with read and write privileges to more areas of the system, including files in other macOS s. You can alter s, email id’s linked to the and much more to create a havoc on the computer.
This flaw can be exploited in several ways such as when the full-disk encryption is disabled or disabling the FileVault. But it’s not possible to exploit this vulnerability when a Mac computer is turned on, and the screen is protected with a .
However, Ergin ed Apple to address the issue and Apple responded that it is reportedly working on a fix.
“We are working on a software update to address this issue. In the meantime, setting a root prevents unauthorized access to your Mac. To enable the Root and set a , please follow the instructions here: https://.apple.com/en-us/HT204012. If a Root is already enabled, to ensure a blank is not set, please follow the instructions from the ‘Change the root ’ section.”
Temporary Fix To MacOS High Sierra Bug
Until Apple releases a fix for this bug, you can protect your Mac by ensuring to set a root . To do that:
- Go to System Preferences and then select s & Groups.
- Click the lock icon and then enter name and .
- Click on Options and select at the bottom of the screen.
- Select Open Directory Utility
- Click the lock icon in the Directory Utility window, then enter an name and .
- Click Edit at the top of the menu bar
- Select Enable Root if you haven’t already and then choose Change Root .
You can also disable the guest s on your Mac for additional security. To do this go to System Preferences > s & Groups > select Guest > disable “Allow guests to to this computer.”
Update:
On Wednesday, Apple said it has issued a software update for the vulnerability in High Sierra version of its MacOS. The update was made available at 8 a.m. PT Wednesday and the computers would automatically start installing the update later in the day.
“When our security engineers became aware of the issue Tuesday afternoon, we immediately began working on an update that closes the security hole,” Apple said in a statement.
