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Nasty macOS flaw is bricking MacBooks: Don't install this update

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Re: Nasty macOS flaw is bricking MacBooks: Don't install this update

#61

Post by Moru »

userbinator wrote: post #43
apostacy wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The first thing I always do is disable auto-updates. Auto updating does not deserve the level of trust we put it in it. Just a few months ago, Google's creepy invisible updater rendered people's Apples unbootable if they didn't have SIP enabled, which many people including myself have good reason not to[1]. Thankfully, I had already blocked Keystone Agent with an immutable folder. This auto-updating treadmill we've b…

This auto-updating treadmill we've been sold on is really beneficial for developers, but it causes some major problems for end-users. How so? If anything, I think it's just as bad for developers, who expect a stable foundation to be able to build on.

It's two-edged. On the one hand it's easy because you only get to target one version of your software. On the other hand your developing environment can suddenly change, what worked fine yesterday requires a complete rewrite the next day.

Re: Nasty macOS flaw is bricking MacBooks: Don't install this update

#62

Post by tmh88j »

gregmac wrote: post #45
ObsoleteNerd wrote: post #4

It's not "bricked" if you can fix it in Recovery Mode. Still bad that it's happening, but the term "bricked" is thrown around so flippantly these days. If a piece of tech is bricked, it's not recoverable at all.

"Bricked" is relative, depending on your skill level. For some consumers, if recovery mode doesn't work that might be the end of line. However, there are more advanced users that can access the storage via another system and fix it there, hook up via serial port or JTAG and flash new firmware, or even desolder and replace chips. On the far other end of the spectrum, there's going to be people that consider "doesn't s…

>"Bricked" is relative, depending on your skill level.

>For some consumers, if recovery mode doesn't work that might be the end of line.

If you want to go by that rule, for a large number of people simply getting a virus would mean their computer is bricked. I think it's safe to assume "bricked" means it's a hardware level issue.

Re: Nasty macOS flaw is bricking MacBooks: Don't install this update

#63

Post by saagarjha »

LilBytes wrote: post #50
saagarjha wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Where does it say that you lose your data?

I was hit by this bug, my entire unit was fucked and I had to use Recovery over the Internet to reinstall a fresh OS on my 2019 MacBook Pro. Nearly everything on my Mac was dot sourced, on Git or using my local NAS' TimeMachine share. All the same, all my data on the Mac was still lost and had to be restored using backup.

Reinstalling the OS shouldn't wipe your data partition…

Re: Nasty macOS flaw is bricking MacBooks: Don't install this update

#64

Post by someonehere »

diebeforei485 wrote: post #25

I think companies are pushing updates way too aggressively to those who have auto update on. Is there some reason why phased release isn't more common among OS/firmware updates? Auto update does not have to mean "update my device the day new versions are out". Edit: Is this related to public disclosure of security bugs? If so, the community should change their standard so that public disclosure doesn't happen until a…

macOs management tools for enterprises like Jamf allow you to explicitly set deferral for updates for 30 days to avoid situations like this. I may actually set this for my company since we try and patch within two weeks of a general security patch release.

Re: Nasty macOS flaw is bricking MacBooks: Don't install this update

#65

Post by boardwaalk »

d99kris wrote: post #52

I have a MacBook 12" 2017 and have not encountered any serious issue with 10.15.4 supplemental update, yet.. I do however note that when adjusting volume in the status bar the UI dragbar position is very jumpy, which gives a rather unpolished impression.

I haven't had any issues either, 2017 MBP. Volume slider acts normally, too.

Re: Nasty macOS flaw is bricking MacBooks: Don't install this update

#66

Post by saagarjha »

ivan_gammel wrote: post #58
cesarb wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> If so, the community should change their standard so that public disclosure doesn't happen until a week after the update is available. The update being available is public disclosure! For an experienced reverse engineer, comparing the files before and after the update is usually enough to pinpoint the security issue.

No, it is not necessarily so. First phase of rollout can happen to the users and businesses under NDA.

Betas are partly NDA'd to some extent, but this has historically been enforced quite poorly.

Re: Nasty macOS flaw is bricking MacBooks: Don't install this update

#69

Post by NaOH »

irjustin wrote: post #47
gregmac wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Bricked" is relative, depending on your skill level. For some consumers, if recovery mode doesn't work that might be the end of line. However, there are more advanced users that can access the storage via another system and fix it there, hook up via serial port or JTAG and flash new firmware, or even desolder and replace chips. On the far other end of the spectrum, there's going to be people that consider "doesn't s…

Granted there's no formal definition of "bricked" it usually means a hardware requirement to restore functionality. I'd like to keep it this way even to the general lay person. Because if you need hardware the barrier to entry goes up significantly. Agreed that 'bricked' is not the right term here.

> Granted there's no formal definition of "bricked" it usually means a hardware requirement to restore functionality.

From Dictionary.app that comes standard with the Mac: "a smartphone or other electronic device that has completely ceased to function"

Re: Nasty macOS flaw is bricking MacBooks: Don't install this update

#70

Post by toomim »

sv9 wrote: post #67

I'm consistently amazed by HN's ability to take the most meaningless, inconsequential part of an article (the scroll behavior, the whitespace, the usage of the word "bricked"), and nitpick it to hell and back instead of actually discussing the article. Bravo.

Well, maybe it's because the article is hyping itself up in order to get more attention than its content justifies.

As a result, some large percentage of readers are let down by the actual content, and think it wasn't worth reading, let alone commenting on.

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