Apple is using a Swift logo (Swift is a language developed by Apple) to promote their World Wide Developer Conference 2023, better known as WWDC23.. While it is aimed at programmers and software designers (and the Swift logo is a strong suggestion that development will be the main focus), Apple has traditionally highlighted a consumer-friendly introduction to new products, operating systems, and other goodies in the opening keynote of the conference. This year, the conference will be both in-person and streamed online.
The keynote — and everyone is encouraged to stream it, since it is free — starts Monday at 10 a.m. Pacific Time, June 5, 2023. More details are available on Apple’s site. You can stream it on an iPad, Macintosh, or Apple TV — pretty much anything that can stream video from the Internet.
Then on Saturday, June 10, 2023, at 1 p.m., SMUG will have an in-person demonstration of Computer Troubleshooting for Non-Techies, covering both Windows and Macintosh computers, at Trinity United Methodist Church in Sequim. Check this website for more details, plus a poster for the event, plus three odd troubleshooting guides.
Apple issued a large number of security updates on May 18, plus an unusual one earlier in the month for the AirPods and Beats headphones and earpods. The updates in many case also have performance updates (such as a bug that sometimes resulted in a long pause before a wireless Bluetooth keyboard synced with a Mac at startup, for example). And there is a hint that the updates are also laying the groundwork for Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC23), which begins June 5.
An overview of the updates:
AirPods Firmware Update 5E133, AirPods 2nd gen. and AirPods Pro, AirPods Max
Issued April 11, 2023
Applied automatically when your AirPods are charging and your iPhone is within range of the charger.
Security update.
Beats Firmware Update 5B66, PowerBeats Pro, Beats Fit Pro
Issued May 2, 2023
Automatically updated when in Bluetooth range of paired Mac, iPhone, or iPad.
Security update.
iOS 16.5, iPadOS 16.5
Issued May 18, 2023
For iPhone 8 and later, IPad Pro (all models), iPad Air 3rd gen. and later, iPad 5th gen. and later, iPad mini 5th gen. and later
Many, many security and performance updates.
iOS 15.7.6 and iPad 15.7.6
Issued May 18, 2023
For iPhones and iPads not capable of running iOS 16 or iPadOS 16
Many, many security updates.
macOS Ventura 13.4
Issued May 18, 2023
For all Macs that can run macOS Ventura
Many, many security and performance updates.
macOS Monterey 12.6.6
Issued May 18, 2023
For all Macs that can run Monterey but not run Ventura
Many, many security and performance updates.
macOS Big Sur 11.7.7
Issued May 18, 2023
For all Macs that can run Big Sur but cannot run Monterey or Ventura
Many, many security updates.
tvOS 16.5
For all Apple TV devices that can run tvOS 16
Issued May 18, 2023
Many, many security and performance updates.
watchOS 9.5
Issued May 18, 2023
For Aople Watch Series 4 and later
Many, many security and performance updates.
Safari 16.5
Issued May 18, 2023
The Safari update is included with the Big Sur, Monterey, and Ventura updates.
Several security updates.
You can sign up to get Apple’s security announcements by going to:
and filling in the relevant information. A typical message from the list will look like this. Yes, it is somewhat cryptic and technical, but the important thing is: it tells you there is a security update.
Hash: SHA256
APPLE-SA-2023-05-18-3 macOS Ventura 13.4
macOS Ventura 13.4 addresses the following issues.
Information about the security content is also available at
https://support.apple.com/HT213758.
Apple maintains a Security Updates page at
https://support.apple.com/HT201222 which lists recent
software updates with security advisories.
Accessibility
Available for: macOS Ventura
Impact: An app may be able to bypass Privacy preferences
Description: A privacy issue was addressed with improved private data
redaction for log entries.
CVE-2023-32388: Kirin (@Pwnrin)
Accessibility
Available for: macOS Ventura
Impact: Entitlements and privacy permissions granted to this app may be
used by a malicious app
Description: This issue was addressed with improved checks.
CVE-2023-32400: Mickey Jin (@patch1t)
AppleMobileFileIntegrity
Available for: macOS Ventura
Impact: An app may be able to bypass Privacy preferences
Description: This issue was addressed with improved entitlements.
CVE-2023-32411: Mickey Jin (@patch1t)
Associated Domains
Available for: macOS Ventura
Impact: An app may be able to break out of its sandbox
Description: The issue was addressed with improved checks.
CVE-2023-32371: James Duffy (mangoSecure)
Contacts
Available for: macOS Ventura
Impact: An app may be able to observe unprotected user data
Description: A privacy issue was addressed with improved handling of
temporary files.
CVE-2023-32386: Kirin (@Pwnrin)
Core Location
Available for: macOS Ventura
Impact: An app may be able to read sensitive location information
Description: The issue was addressed with improved handling of caches.
CVE-2023-32399: an anonymous researcher
CoreServices
Available for: macOS Ventura
Impact: An app may be able to bypass Privacy preferences
Description: This issue was addressed with improved redaction of
sensitive information.
CVE-2023-28191: Mickey Jin (@patch1t)
CUPS
Available for: macOS Ventura
Impact: An unauthenticated user may be able to access recently printed
documents
Description: An authentication issue was addressed with improved state
management.
CVE-2023-32360: Gerhard Muth
dcerpc
Available for: macOS Ventura
Impact: A remote attacker may be able to cause unexpected app
termination or arbitrary code execution
Description: A use-after-free issue was addressed with improved memory
management.
CVE-2023-32387: Dimitrios Tatsis of Cisco Talos
DesktopServices
Available for: macOS Ventura
Impact: An app may be able to break out of its sandbox
Description: The issue was addressed with improved checks.
CVE-2023-32414: Mickey Jin (@patch1t)
GeoServices
Available for: macOS Ventura
Impact: An app may be able to read sensitive location information
Description: A privacy issue was addressed with improved private data
redaction for log entries.
CVE-2023-32392: an anonymous researcher
ImageIO
Available for: macOS Ventura
Impact: Processing an image may result in disclosure of process memory
Description: An out-of-bounds read was addressed with improved input
validation.
CVE-2023-32372: Meysam Firouzi of @R00tkitSMM Mbition mercedes-benz
innovation lab working with Trend Micro Zero Day Initiative
ImageIO
Available for: macOS Ventura
Impact: Processing an image may lead to arbitrary code execution
Description: A buffer overflow was addressed with improved bounds
checking.
CVE-2023-32384: Meysam Firouzi @R00tkitsmm working with Trend Micro Zero
Day Initiative
IOSurface
Available for: macOS Ventura
Impact: An app may be able to leak sensitive kernel state
Description: An out-of-bounds read was addressed with improved input
validation.
CVE-2023-32410: hou xuewei (@p1ay8y3ar) vmk msu
IOSurfaceAccelerator
Available for: macOS Ventura
Impact: An app may be able to cause unexpected system termination or
read kernel memory
Description: An out-of-bounds read was addressed with improved input
validation.
CVE-2023-32420: Linus Henze of Pinauten GmbH (pinauten.de)
Kernel
Available for: macOS Ventura
Impact: An app may be able to execute arbitrary code with kernel
privileges
Description: A type confusion issue was addressed with improved checks.
CVE-2023-27930: 08Tc3wBB of Jamf
Kernel
Available for: macOS Ventura
Impact: A sandboxed app may be able to observe system-wide network
connections
Description: The issue was addressed with additional permissions checks.
CVE-2023-27940: James Duffy (mangoSecure)
Kernel
Available for: macOS Ventura
Impact: An app may be able to execute arbitrary code with kernel
privileges
Description: A use-after-free issue was addressed with improved memory
management.
CVE-2023-32398: Adam Doupé of ASU SEFCOM
Kernel
Available for: macOS Ventura
Impact: An app may be able to gain root privileges
Description: A race condition was addressed with improved state
handling.
CVE-2023-32413: Eloi Benoist-Vanderbeken (@elvanderb) from Synacktiv
(@Synacktiv) working with Trend Micro Zero Day Initiative
LaunchServices
Available for: macOS Ventura
Impact: An app may bypass Gatekeeper checks
Description: A logic issue was addressed with improved checks.
CVE-2023-32352: Wojciech Reguła (@_r3ggi) of SecuRing
(wojciechregula.blog)
libxpc
Available for: macOS Ventura
Impact: An app may be able to modify protected parts of the file system
Description: A logic issue was addressed with improved state management.
CVE-2023-32369: Jonathan Bar Or of Microsoft, Anurag Bohra of Microsoft,
and Michael Pearse of Microsoft
libxpc
Available for: macOS Ventura
Impact: An app may be able to gain root privileges
Description: A logic issue was addressed with improved checks.
CVE-2023-32405: Thijs Alkemade (@xnyhps) from Computest Sector 7
Metal
Available for: macOS Ventura
Impact: An app may be able to bypass Privacy preferences
Description: A logic issue was addressed with improved state management.
CVE-2023-32407: Gergely Kalman (@gergely_kalman)
Model I/O
Available for: macOS Ventura
Impact: Processing a 3D model may result in disclosure of process memory
Description: An out-of-bounds read was addressed with improved input
validation.
CVE-2023-32368: Mickey Jin (@patch1t)
CVE-2023-32375: Michael DePlante (@izobashi) of Trend Micro Zero Day
Initiative
CVE-2023-32382: Mickey Jin (@patch1t)
Model I/O
Available for: macOS Ventura
Impact: Processing a 3D model may lead to arbitrary code execution
Description: An out-of-bounds write issue was addressed with improved
bounds checking.
CVE-2023-32380: Mickey Jin (@patch1t)
NetworkExtension
Available for: macOS Ventura
Impact: An app may be able to read sensitive location information
Description: This issue was addressed with improved redaction of
sensitive information.
CVE-2023-32403: an anonymous researcher
PackageKit
Available for: macOS Ventura
Impact: An app may be able to modify protected parts of the file system
Description: A logic issue was addressed with improved state management.
CVE-2023-32355: Mickey Jin (@patch1t)
PDFKit
Available for: macOS Ventura
Impact: Opening a PDF file may lead to unexpected app termination
Description: A denial-of-service issue was addressed with improved
memory handling.
CVE-2023-32385: Jonathan Fritz
Perl
Available for: macOS Ventura
Impact: An app may be able to modify protected parts of the file system
Description: A logic issue was addressed with improved state management.
CVE-2023-32395: Arsenii Kostromin (0x3c3e)
Photos
Available for: macOS Ventura
Impact: Photos belonging to the Hidden Photos Album could be viewed
without authentication through Visual Lookup
Description: The issue was addressed with improved checks.
CVE-2023-32390: Julian Szulc
Sandbox
Available for: macOS Ventura
Impact: An app may be able to retain access to system configuration
files even after its permission is revoked
Description: An authorization issue was addressed with improved state
management.
CVE-2023-32357: Yiğit Can YILMAZ (@yilmazcanyigit), Koh M. Nakagawa of
FFRI Security, Inc., Kirin (@Pwnrin), Jeff Johnson (underpassapp.com),
and Csaba Fitzl (@theevilbit) of Offensive Security
Screen Saver
Available for: macOS Ventura
Impact: An app may be able to bypass Privacy preferences
Description: A permissions issue was addressed by removing vulnerable
code and adding additional checks.
CVE-2023-32363: Mickey Jin (@patch1t)
Security
Available for: macOS Ventura
Impact: An app may be able to access user-sensitive data
Description: This issue was addressed with improved entitlements.
CVE-2023-32367: James Duffy (mangoSecure)
Shell
Available for: macOS Ventura
Impact: An app may be able to modify protected parts of the file system
Description: A logic issue was addressed with improved state management.
CVE-2023-32397: Arsenii Kostromin (0x3c3e)
Shortcuts
Available for: macOS Ventura
Impact: A shortcut may be able to use sensitive data with certain
actions without prompting the user
Description: The issue was addressed with improved checks.
CVE-2023-32391: Wenchao Li and Xiaolong Bai of Alibaba Group
Shortcuts
Available for: macOS Ventura
Impact: An app may be able to bypass Privacy preferences
Description: This issue was addressed with improved entitlements.
CVE-2023-32404: Mickey Jin (@patch1t), Zhipeng Huo (@R3dF09) of Tencent
Security Xuanwu Lab (xlab.tencent.com), and an anonymous researcher
Siri
Available for: macOS Ventura
Impact: A person with physical access to a device may be able to view
contact information from the lock screen
Description: The issue was addressed with improved checks.
CVE-2023-32394: Khiem Tran
SQLite
Available for: macOS Ventura
Impact: An app may be able to access data from other apps by enabling
additional SQLite logging
Description: This issue was addressed by adding additional SQLite
logging restrictions.
CVE-2023-32422: Gergely Kalman (@gergely_kalman)
StorageKit
Available for: macOS Ventura
Impact: An app may be able to modify protected parts of the file system
Description: This issue was addressed with improved entitlements.
CVE-2023-32376: Yiğit Can YILMAZ (@yilmazcanyigit)
System Settings
Available for: macOS Ventura
Impact: An app firewall setting may not take effect after exiting the
Settings app
Description: This issue was addressed with improved state management.
CVE-2023-28202: Satish Panduranga and an anonymous researcher
Telephony
Available for: macOS Ventura
Impact: A remote attacker may be able to cause unexpected app
termination or arbitrary code execution
Description: A use-after-free issue was addressed with improved memory
management.
CVE-2023-32412: Ivan Fratric of Google Project Zero
TV App
Available for: macOS Ventura
Impact: An app may be able to read sensitive location information
Description: The issue was addressed with improved handling of caches.
CVE-2023-32408: Adam M.
Weather
Available for: macOS Ventura
Impact: An app may be able to read sensitive location information
Description: This issue was addressed with improved redaction of
sensitive information.
CVE-2023-32415: Wojciech Regula of SecuRing (wojciechregula.blog), and
an anonymous researcher
WebKit
Available for: macOS Ventura
Impact: Processing web content may disclose sensitive information
Description: An out-of-bounds read was addressed with improved input
validation.
WebKit Bugzilla: 255075
CVE-2023-32402: an anonymous researcher
WebKit
Available for: macOS Ventura
Impact: Processing web content may disclose sensitive information
Description: A buffer overflow issue was addressed with improved memory
handling.
WebKit Bugzilla: 254781
CVE-2023-32423: Ignacio Sanmillan (@ulexec)
WebKit
Available for: macOS Ventura
Impact: A remote attacker may be able to break out of Web Content
sandbox. Apple is aware of a report that this issue may have been
actively exploited.
Description: The issue was addressed with improved bounds checks.
WebKit Bugzilla: 255350
CVE-2023-32409: Clément Lecigne of Google's Threat Analysis Group and
Donncha Ó Cearbhaill of Amnesty International’s Security Lab
WebKit
Available for: macOS Ventura
Impact: Processing web content may disclose sensitive information. Apple
is aware of a report that this issue may have been actively exploited.
Description: An out-of-bounds read was addressed with improved input
validation.
WebKit Bugzilla: 254930
CVE-2023-28204: an anonymous researcher
This issue was first addressed in Rapid Security Response macOS 13.3.1
(a).
WebKit
Available for: macOS Ventura
Impact: Processing maliciously crafted web content may lead to arbitrary
code execution. Apple is aware of a report that this issue may have been
actively exploited.
Description: A use-after-free issue was addressed with improved memory
management.
WebKit Bugzilla: 254840
CVE-2023-32373: an anonymous researcher
This issue was first addressed in Rapid Security Response macOS 13.3.1
(a).
Wi-Fi
Available for: macOS Ventura
Impact: An app may be able to disclose kernel memory
Description: This issue was addressed with improved redaction of
sensitive information.
CVE-2023-32389: Pan ZhenPeng (@Peterpan0927) of STAR Labs SG Pte. Ltd.
Additional recognition
Accounts
We would like to acknowledge Sergii Kryvoblotskyi of MacPaw Inc. for
their assistance.
CloudKit
We would like to acknowledge Iconic for their assistance.
libxml2
We would like to acknowledge OSS-Fuzz, Ned Williamson of Google Project
Zero for their assistance.
Reminders
We would like to acknowledge Kirin (@Pwnrin) for their assistance.
Rosetta
We would like to acknowledge Koh M. Nakagawa of FFRI Security, Inc. for
their assistance.
Safari
We would like to acknowledge Khiem Tran for their assistance.
Security
We would like to acknowledge Brandon Toms for their assistance.
Share Sheet
We would like to acknowledge Kirin (@Pwnrin) for their assistance.
Wallet
We would like to acknowledge James Duffy (mangoSecure) for their
assistance.
Wi-Fi
We would like to acknowledge an anonymous researcher for their
assistance.
macOS Ventura 13.4 may be obtained from the Mac App Store or Apple's
Software Downloads web site: https://support.apple.com/downloads/
All information is also posted on the Apple Security Updates
web site: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201222.
This message is signed with Apple's Product Security PGP key,
and details are available at:
https://www.apple.com/support/security/pgp/
It is highly recommended that you install security updates immediately. While it is very easy to find people on the Internet recommending that you wait, it is very hard to find competent people recommending that you wait.
On April 7, Apple issued several security updates:
macOS Ventura 13.3.1 corrects a security vulnerability that could allow applications to change their security privileges; this was patched. Also patched was a vulnerability in WebKit (used by Safari, Photos, Reminders, and hundreds of other applications) that could be exploited by malicious software.
Also patched: some users (chiefly those in large corporations or other institutions) had problems with home directories located on external drives or servers; this was corrected. Other users had problems with the Quick Look function (that allows you to peek at files without opening them); this was corrected. Others had problems getting Universal Control and Handoff to work when using the Mac with other devices and iCloud; this was corrected.
iOS 16.4.1 and iPadOS 16.4.1 corrected an application security vulnerability similar to that in macOS Ventura, as well as a similar WebKit vulnerability.
Also patched were issues some people were having with the Weather app, some anecdotal issues with battery drain, and issues with the Home app (used for controlling smart home devices).
If you have a Mac capable of running macOS 13.3.1 Ventura, you are highly encouraged to install this operating system, and keep it up to date.
Similarly, if you have an iPhone or iPad capable of running iOS 16.4.1 or iPadOS 16.4.1, you are encouraged to update them, and keep them current.
If you absolutely, positively have a good reason to run an older Macintosh operating system, please consider getting a second Mac, and not allowing that Mac to touch the Internet. While Apple has a stellar reputation for creating secure devices, the security of your computer and portable electronics is closely tied to user behavior, and you are ultimately responsible for your own privacy and security.
If you have an iPhone that can’t run iOS 16, replace it. There is no other safe option.
In February, we looked at accessibility, something of a companion topic to January’s focus on health.
Accessibility is usually associated with individuals who have handicaps: vision problems, hearing problems, and mobility issues. But hearing, vision, and mobility problems are things everyone encounters, and your Macintosh, Apple Watch, iPhone, and iPad have technologies that help you deal with temporary as well as more permanent afflictions.
One of the most basic is changing the size of items displayed on your Mac, iPhone, Watch, or iPad.
You can, for example, vary the size of text,
from small, in instances where you want a lot of stuff on the screen at once, to
normal, for comfortable reading
to large, for reading at a distance
to extra large, for posters or shouting.
You can also change other attributes how information is displayed, depending on the program and context
Somethimes, you can change the background color on the screen,
or tint the screen and text to get rid of blue colors late at night, to help you sleep.
Your iPhone, iPad, and Mac can also speak to you, and you can speak to them.
Unfortunately, Zoom seems to have disabled many of these features, partly because the changes are intended for the user sitting at their own computer, and not for the screens of viewers. Additionally, the demo computer’s screen was being mirrored on a TV, and some of the accessibility features were not available, as the TV was a remote device, not subject to the whims of the computer.
What could not be shown: changing the resolution of the screen. While this was a Macintosh screen, you can do similar things on an iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch.
This was a screen on the computer. The Displays pane (System Settings > Displays in Ventura) is set at Larger Text,
macOS Ventura System Settings > Displayed set at Larger Text
In this image, the Displays pane (System Settings > Displays in Ventura) is set at the second level, to show more of the screen,
macOS Ventura System Settings > Displays set to show more screen.
In this image, the Displays pane (System Settings > Displays in Ventura) is set at the default level, halfway between Large Text and More Space.
macOS Ventura System Settings > Displays set to the middle, default setting.
In this image, the Displays pane (System Settings > Displays in Ventura) is set to show more of the screen.
macOS Ventura System Settings > Displays set to show more of the screen.
In the final image, the Displays pane (System Settings > Displays in Ventura) is set to show the maximum amount of screen space.
macOS Ventura System Settings > Displays set to show the maximum amount of screen space.
You can easily change the screen resolution at any time. Writing a memo? Set to show larger text. Sorting photos? Set to show more of the screen. You don’t need to strain your eyes to read or write, nor spend endless amounts of time scrolling through lists of photos when it is a simple matter to show more photos at once. Designing a poster? Set to maximum screen size, then set it for larger text to work on fine details.
It was also difficult to demonstrate many of the things you can do with Siri because the Mac is set up to serve the person at the keyboard, and not people in remote locations. In response to one question concerning dictation of messages and documents on the Mac, please see Apple’s online guidance:
If you have purchased an earlier version of any of these books, you can log into the Take Control site and download the update, for free. If you don’t have a previous version, you can go to the site, buy the book or books at a discount, and start reading the books immediately.
A note on format: Take Control offers books in PDF, ePub, and Kindle (Mobi) formats. I recommend ePub, as this is the format used by Apple for iBooks on the Mac, iPhone, and iPad. Recent versions of Amazon Kindle also accept ePub.
PDF documents are not recommended. They tend to be larger, and have fixed page dimensions, which make them almost impossible to read on an iPhone, and difficult even on an iPad. Stick to ePub.
