hoakley Macs, Technology, Updates

Apple has just released an update to XProtect for all macOS

Apple has just released an update to XProtect, bringing it to version 5371, for all Macs, following the previous release of 5368. As usual it doesn’t release information about what security issues this update might address.

This is another major update, and adds 12 new Yara rules for MACOS.NIMBLERAT.AGCOA, MACOS.NIMBLERAT.PEA, MACOS.ODYSSEY.SIA, MACOS.ODYSSEY.CRA, MACOS.ODYSSEY.PRA, MACOS.SHADYSHOELACE.USSTDE, MACOS.SHADYSHOELACE.USCFDI, MACOS.SHADYSHOELACE.USST, MACOS.BOATLOAD.DE, MACOS.BOATLOAD.BO, MACOS.BOATLOAD.MI and MACOS.SHADYSHOELACE.JXENKELOFI, amends a great many rules going back years (mainly adjusting file sizes), and removes 8 rules for MACOS.60a3d68, OSX.Leverage.A, OSX.iWorm.A, OSX.iWorm.B/C, OSX.SMSSend.i, OSX.SMSSend.ii, MACOS.HONKBOX.A and MACOS.HONKBOX.C.

Changes in the Osascript rules in XPScripts.yr include the addition of 10 new rules for HUNT.MACOS.OSWAEXLI, HUNT.MACOS.OSCOTA, HUNT.MACOS.OSRECHRE, HUNT.MACOS.OSBRZSSTPI, MACOS.OSASCRIPT.STDI, MACOS.OSASCRIPT.STSYEN, MACOS.OSASCRIPT.STDASC, MACOS.OSASCRIPT.STVA, MACOS.OSASCRIPT.SHJXENKELO and MACOS.OSASCRIPT.SHJXENKELOHE, and amendments to existing rules for MACOS.OSASCRIPT.TABUPA, MACOS.OSASCRIPT.EXPA, MACOS.OSASCRIPT.ENAN and MACOS.OSASCRIPT.REFU.

In older versions of macOS you can check whether this update has been installed by opening System Information via About This Mac, and selecting the Installations item under Software.

A full listing of security data file versions is given by SilentKnight and SystHist for El Capitan to Golden Gate available from their product page. If your Mac hasn’t yet installed this update, you can force it using SilentKnight or at the command line.

If you want to install this as a named update in SilentKnight, its label is XProtectPlistConfigData_10_15-5371

Sequoia, Tahoe and Golden Gate systems only

This update has now been released for Sequoia and later via iCloud. If you want to check it manually, use the Terminal command
sudo xprotect check
then enter your admin password. If that returns version 5371 but your Mac still reports an older version is installed, you should be able to force the update using
sudo xprotect update
Those are unlikely to work correctly in Sequoia, though.