This critical exploit could let hackers bypass your Mac’s defenses

Microsoft has discovered a critical exploit in macOS that could grant hackers easy access to your Mac’s most important data. Dubbed ‘Migraine,’ it shows why it’s vital to update your Mac as soon as possible. Migraine is so damaging because it can bypass Apple’s System Integrity Protection, or SIP for short. SIP is enabled by default on modern Macs and works by sandboxing sensitive parts of the computer from outside meddling. Only processes that are signed by Apple (or those with special privileges, like Apple installers) are allowed to alter something guarded by SIP. If a piece of malware can simply sneak past SIP, though, it can do untold damage — and that’s just what Migraine is capable of. Ordinarily, the only way to disable SIP is to restart your Mac in Recovery mode, enter a specific command into the Terminal, then restart again. That means you need to be present in front of the computer in question, which on the surface should make exploits like Migraine untenable. However, Migraine doesn’t actually require physical access to the target device, meaning a hacker could activate it remotely and gain unauthorized admission to the most sensitive parts of your Mac. Instead, Migraine abuses macOS’ built-in Migration Assistant utility, which contains SIP-bypassing capabilities. Microsoft’s researchers found that a person can automate the utility’s migration process with AppleScript, add a malicious payload to the SIP exclusions list, then launch it on the target Mac. All of this could be done without restarting the computer or booting from macOS Recovery mode. Getting past the protections offered up by SIP gives malware writers significant powers to harm your Mac. They could bypass Apple’s Transparency, Consent, and Control (TCC) policies, for example, which would grant them access to your private data. Or they could craft SIP-protected malware that can’t be deleted using normal methods. That all makes this vulnerability a very high priority to get fixed. Fortunately, Apple and Microsoft have been working hand in hand to do just that. Microsoft alerted Apple as soon as it discovered the vulnerability, and Apple was able to quickly roll out a fix in various updates: macOS Ventura 13.4, macOS Monterey 12.6.6, and macOS Big Sur 11.7.7, all of which were released on May 18. It’s not the first time that an exploit has been found that can access extremely important data on your Mac. If anything, Migraine illustrates exactly why you should always keep your Mac up to date and install security fixes as soon as they become available. Doing that should help you stay on top of headache-inducing threats like Migraine. Moving from Windows to Mac can be confusing. Long ago, I was a lifelong Windows user before I tried my first Mac, and many of the changes were jarring and confusing. It’s often not the biggest differences that give you pause, either — it’s the hundreds of tiny discrepancies that are just dissimilar enough to befuddle the heck out of you. For me, one of the most perplexing changes was how much working with apps in macOS differed from Windows. “You mean I don’t need a wizard to uninstall an app?” I thought. “I can just move it to the Trash? Won’t that … break something?” Apple designed your computer to be reliable and user-friendly, but even the best MacBooks are far from foolproof. Whether user error or software crashes, you can end up losing your data in an instant. That might feel like a disaster, but it doesn’t have to be. With the right data recovery software on your Mac, you stand a good chance of getting back what you lost and ending the anxiety. Apple’s MacBook lineup has exploded over the last several years, with its Silicon chipsets offering class-leading performance and efficiency. The MacBook Pro, in particular, is faster than many Windows laptops, longer-lasting than most, and has an excellent mini-LED display. There are many good reasons to choose a MacBook over a Windows laptop in today’s market. But all isn’t lost for the Windows platform. Even aside from the upcoming Snapdragon X Elite laptops that look to be competitive, there are still some more basic features that you can only get on a Windows laptop at the moment. Here are the four that I keep coming back to.