If you have a Mac or any of Apple’s devices that you haven’t updated this past week, now’s the time to check whether they need one. For over the last few days, Apple has released:

• macOS Ventura 13.4.1
• macOS Monterey 12.6.7
• macOS Big Sur 11.7.8
• Safari 16.5.1 for Monterey and Big Sur
• iOS 16.5.1
• iOS 15.7.7
• iPadOS 16.5.1
• iPadOS 15.7.7
• watchOS 9.5.2
• watchOS 8.8.1
• XProtect 2168
• XProtect Remediator 101
• macOS 14 Sonoma, developer beta release 2
• iOS 17, developer beta release 2
• iPadOS 17, developer beta release 2
• watchOS 10, developer beta release 2
• tvOS 17, developer beta release 2
• Xcode 15 beta 2,

and it’s only ten days since the last updates to Pages, Numbers and Keynote.

Security updates

Most of the flurry of updates is in response to recent reports from Kaspersky about malware, in what they refer to as Triangulation or TriangleDB. Its researchers have discovered evidence of infection of iOS devices going back as long as four years, in a series of attacks that have continued with iOS 15.7. In a series of research articles published this month, Kaspersky’s researchers have revealed how devices have received iMessages with an attachment containing an exploit. Without any user interaction, that attachment has run and exploited vulnerabilities in iOS to launch the malware payload, gain control over the device, and install persistent malware that’s remotely controlled.

Although there’s still much to be learned about this malware, it’s now believed to be targeting macOS as well as other platforms. Apple has thus patched the vulnerability in the kernel that is thought to be exploited by the initial iMessage and its attachment. A second vulnerability in macOS affects WebKit, and is also believed to be used in an active exploit, although probably not Triangulation. Thus these security updates are very important, and should be installed without delay.

Given that Triangulation seems to have been around since 2019, when Mojave and Catalina were current versions of macOS, it seems likely that one or both of those vulnerabilities are also present in those old versions of macOS, which aren’t likely to be updated to address them. If you’re still running either of those, you may wish to reassess your security protection and any continuing use of Messages. If that Mac can run Big Sur or later, now might be a good time to upgrade.

Apple would have preferred to accomplish these urgent fixes without having to release full macOS updates, using its Rapid Security Response (RSR) mechanism, as was done with macOS 13.3.1 a couple of months ago. However, that couldn’t address the vulnerability in the kernel, which still requires a proper update. Apple does have aspirations for RSRs to be more capable, and in their configuration data appears to hope that they will one day even be able to include pre-boot (firmware) patches, but there’s a long way to go before that becomes feasible. An RSR also wouldn’t have been possible for Monterey or Big Sur, or older iOS/iPadOS, which would still have required security updates.

I have examined version and build numbers for macOS 13.4.1 against those of 13.4, and can’t see any evidence of changes other than those expected for the security fixes. The next round of non-security bug fixes is expected in Ventura 13.5, due in late July, and the last before Ventura enters the first year of its security-only support.

Betas

Updates to developer beta releases appear more routine, as this is the time that Apple usually prepares them for the start of public testing, which is expected in early July.

Security software

Updates to XProtect data and XProtect Remediator don’t appear to add support for any new malware detections or remediations, but most probably tune those already offered. One nuisance that has been reported with XProtect Remediator version 101 is that Intego’s VirusBarrier anti-malware product may report a false positive from one of its updated scanner modules. This is one of the dangers with third-party anti-malware checking updated system files, and should be fixed in an update from Intego.

Coming next

Finally, a warning of what happens next in macOS updates, as we reach the end of support for Big Sur, and the replacement of Ventura by Sonoma. In the next couple of months, expect to see the final security update for Big Sur, which will be left unsupported from September or October at the latest. From that time, Ventura will cease receiving non-security updates. However, all versions of macOS from Catalina onwards should still get updates to their XProtect Remediator anti-malware scanners, while earlier versions will only get regular XProtect data updates, as in the past.