Mac OS X 10.1 (code named Puma) is the second major release of Mac OS X (now named macOS), Apple's desktop and server operating system. It superseded Mac OS X 10.0 and preceded Mac OS X 10.2. Version 10.1 was released on September 25, 2001 as a free update for Mac OS X 10.0 users.
In continuing with Apple's yearly operating system release cycle, the latest entry in the series after is. Version 10.12 of the OS brings more than just a name change (the company dropped OS X with this release)—it further delivers on the seamless user experience established in previous OSes by extending, and to name a few of the technologies shared between the desktop and mobile platforms.
The release also offers advanced malware protection and optimized storage functionalities. This primer details what you need to know about macOS Sierra. We'll update this 'living' guide about macOS Sierra periodically when Apple releases updates, important security fixes, and new information about the OS. SEE: (TechRepublic) Executive summary. What is macOS Sierra? MacOS Sierra is Apple's latest iteration of operating system in its desktop computing line; it's the successor to OS X El Capitan.
Why does macOS Sierra matter? MacOS Sierra includes new features to its core functionality, including advanced security capabilities to protect system integrity from malware threats, along with productivity enhancements to allow users to continue working when mobile.
Who does macOS Sierra affect? Consumers, business users, and IT pros that rely on Apple computers to power their business functions and empower themselves simply, securely, and efficiently. When was macOS Sierra released? Apple released macOS Sierra (version 10.12) to all users on September 20, 2016. Build 10.12.5 was released on May 15, 2017 for download, deprecating the previously released builds 10.12.1, 10.12.2, 10.12.3, and 10.12.4. How can I get macOS Sierra?
MacOS Sierra is available for download from Apple's Mac App Store. In keeping with its licensing terms, the downloadable installer is available for free to all users on supported equipment. Additional resources:. (TechRepublic). (ZDNet). (CNET).
Alongside key changes to the core OS, new features have been introduced in an effort to simplify the use of products in the Apple ecosystem, ensuring a seamless transition between work being performed on one device and picking up where you left off on a second device without losing a step. New and upgraded features include the following. Siri: 'Just ask,' as Apple states, to get the most out of your Mac. Siri's systemwide integration allows for voice recognition support throughout all common uses: finding your files, searching websites, or controlling multimedia playback. Auto Unlock: Using a paired, macOS will automatically unlock the desktop or log in the user—the person doesn't have to enter their password, making it quick and easy for users to access their Mac. iCloud Drive: Leveraging the Drive's available storage, users can synchronize their Desktop and Documents folders across all macOS-enabled devices for simpler, centralized file management.
Apple Pay: Using the biometric security of your, Apple Watch, or Touch Bar-enabled, on websites on your Mac ensures your personal details remain encrypted. Optimized storage: By keeping track of your recently used files, macOS Sierra will monitor existing storage space and offload rarely used files to iCloud, thus freeing up space on your local drive for newer files. Tabs: Working with multiple documents within the same application meant keeping multiple windows open at the same time. With macOS Sierra, multiple documents are stored within tabs, similar to how internet browsers store multiple pages within one window. Picture in Picture: Similar to how TVs display one show in a small window within the larger screen, Apple has allowed for apps to run within smaller floating windows.
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Universal Clipboard: Copy & paste expanded so that items copied on one device can be pasted on another device regardless of whether the device is running macOS or iOS. Safari: Apple's latest version of Safari—10.0—includes support for Apple Pay, enhanced Extensions support and securing the browser by turning off Legacy plug-ins by default as well as hiding the presence of installed legacy plug-ins. Apple File System : This is Apple's new file system and the still-in-development successor to the current HFS+. The solid-state optimized system seeks to correct existing issues with HFS+ while adding support for snapshots and clones, which copy files without using additional storage space. Data integrity takes a front seat with the use of checksums and multiple modes of disk encryption for volumes.
System requirements. RAM: 2 GB.
Disk Space: 8.8 GB. Only these Macs are supported: iMac (late 2009 or newer) MacBook (late 2009 or newer) MacBook Pro (mid-2010 or newer) MacBook Air (late 2010 or newer) Mac Mini (mid-2010 or newer) Mac Pro (mid-2010 or newer) Additional resources:. (CNET). (ZDNet). (ZDNet).
(Apple) Why does macOS Sierra matter? What's Hot at TechRepublic. For this release, Apple opted to rebrand the OS X moniker and upgrade the OS feature set to include a number of productivity-enhancing features for business users and new features to its existing applications, such as Photos and Maps. Added security has been implemented to strengthen its UNIX-based system services, including additional refinements to Gatekeeper's malware protection by way of implementing code signing for disk images and path randomization for applications. Aesthetically, macOS Sierra is similar to previous versions of OS X, as Apple continues to work toward a more platform-unified design with further integration with iOS without fully merging the two.
Additional resources:. (TechRepublic).
(TechRepublic). (TechRepublic). (TechRepublic) Who does macOS Sierra affect? Apple users from all facets will be directly affected by this latest version of macOS, particularly users that rely on macOS and iOS to bridge the work-life balance and use Mac computers, iPhones, and iPads.
Additional resources:. (TechRepublic). (Tech Pro Research). (Tech Pro Research).
(TechRepublic). (TechRepublic) When was macOS Sierra released? Apple provided its first official glimpse of macOS Sierra to the world on June 13, 2016 at its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC). Developers were provided with a beta version of the OS, followed by a public beta available to users who signed up for the Apple Beta Software Program on July 7, 2016.
The final release build (16A323) of macOS Sierra was made available on September 20, 2016 for download on the Mac App Store. Build 10.12.4 Build 10.12.4 was released on March 27, 2017 for download, deprecating the previously released builds,.
Previous point upgrade builds were minor in size and focus solely on providing fixes for the stability and reliability of known issues. With it, 10.12.4 brings several enhancements to macOS Sierra for consumers and enterprise users. Will automatically shift your display's color toward the warmer spectrum to aid while using devices in the evening.
Support for Siri and dictation for additional sports and languages has been included, as well as more digital camera RAW format support. Enterprise users have received several new updates to be used in conjunction with the newly released, which includes added support for managing devices via Terminal, for Cache Server, Keychains and Profile Manager's Mobile Device Management (MDM) enrollment. This update improves the stability and compatibility of macOS Sierra client and server operating systems and based on Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) related to the hardening of these OSes. Build 10.12.5 Apple made build 10.12.5 available for download on May 15, 2017 as an update in the Mac App Store and in the form of a stand-alone combo update for deployment across the enterprise. This build is slightly larger than previous updates. The crux of the change log mainly to correct issues affecting audio played back over USB headphones, compatibility enhancements with the Mac App Store and its delivery of future software updates and continues added support of RAW formats for digital cameras.
There are a couple of bug fixes for enterprise users. One is a known issue that would affect the system date to be set incorrectly. Another fix stems from the use of the NetInstall server service, which would result in a kernel panic when trying to deploy macOS to Apple computers. One new feature is support for Microsoft's latest version for Windows 10, aptly known as the (or version 1703), for those looking to dual-boot using Boot Camp. This update improves the stability and compatibility of macOS Sierra client and server operating systems and based on Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVEs) related to the hardening of these OSes. Build 10.12.6 Apple released update 10.12.6 to macOS Sierra on July 19, 2017.
While the update does not add any new features or enhancements, it does include fixes to certain issues that lead to instability and/or compatibility concerns on your Mac. The update resolves issues that prevents users from making SMB connections, as well as, a bug that restarts your Apple computer which serves as an Xsan client. Additionally, a stability improvement has been included for the Terminal app. Update 10.12.6 also includes 37 security updates to address Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVEs) for a variety of vulnerabilities affecting Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and the system's Kernel, just to name a few of the more pressing fixes in this important and highly recommended update.
Additional resources:. (Apple). (Apple). (Apple). (Apple).
(Apple). (Apple). (Apple). (Apple).
(Apple). (Apple). (Apple). (Apple) How can I get macOS Sierra?
The latest version of Apple's operating system is available for download from the Mac App Store. Continuing the licensing structure established with OS X Mavericks (version 10.9), Apple has made the download available for free to all Apple users (consumers and business users). Users will upgrade directly from the downloaded installer app. The upgrade process is identical to previous versions for supported devices—this means no specialized versions or multiple SKUs. All downloads have the same software features and functionality.
Regardless of the underlying version of OS X, the base system may be upgraded directly to macOS Sierra by running the installer app download. Performing a clean install is also possible, yet not necessary to make the jump to macOS Sierra. If you wish to perform a clean install, remember to back up your data prior to installing the new OS. Additional resources:. (Apple).
(CNET). (CNET). (TechRepublic). (TechRepublic). (TechRepublic).
(ZDNet). (CNET). (TechRepublic). (TechRepublic).
Released October 24, 2016 AppleGraphicsControl Available for: OS X Yosemite v10.10.5 and OS X El Capitan v10.11.6 Impact: An application may be able to execute arbitrary code with kernel privileges Description: A memory corruption issue was addressed through improved lock state checking. CVE-2016-4662: Apple AppleMobileFileIntegrity Available for: macOS Sierra 10.12 Impact: A signed executable may substitute code with the same team ID Description: A validation issue existed in the handling of code signatures. This issue was addressed through additional validation. CVE-2016-7584: Mark Mentovai and Boris Vidolov of Google Inc.
Entry added November 27, 2016 AppleSMC Available for: macOS Sierra 10.12 Impact: A local user may be able to elevate privileges Description: A null pointer dereference was addressed through improved locking. CVE-2016-4678: daybreaker@Minionz working with Trend Micro's Zero Day Initiative ATS Available for: macOS Sierra 10.12 Impact: Processing a maliciously crafted font file may lead to arbitrary code execution Description: A memory corruption issue was addressed through improved memory handling. CVE-2016-4667: Simon Huang of alipay, [email protected], Moony Li of TrendMicro, @Flyic Entry updated October 27, 2016 ATS Available for: macOS Sierra 10.12 Impact: A local user may be able to execute arbitrary code with additional privileges Description: A memory corruption issue was addressed through improved memory handling. CVE-2016-4674: Shrekwzw of Qihoo 360 Nirvan Team CFNetwork Proxies Available for: macOS Sierra 10.12 Impact: An attacker in a privileged network position may be able to leak sensitive user information Description: A phishing issue existed in the handling of proxy credentials. This issue was addressed by removing unsolicited proxy password authentication prompts. CVE-2016-7579: Jerry Decime Core Image Available for: OS X El Capitan v10.11.6 Impact: Viewing a maliciously crafted JPEG file may lead to arbitrary code execution Description: A memory corruption issue was addressed through improved input validation. CVE-2016-4681: Ke Liu of Tencent's Xuanwu Lab Entry added October 25, 2016 CoreGraphics Available for: macOS Sierra 10.12 Impact: Viewing a maliciously crafted JPEG file may lead to arbitrary code execution Description: A memory corruption issue was addressed through improved memory handling.
CVE-2016-4673: Marco Grassi (@marcograss) of KeenLab (@keenlab), Tencent FaceTime Available for: macOS Sierra 10.12 Impact: An attacker in a privileged network position may be able to cause a relayed call to continue transmitting audio while appearing as if the call terminated Description: User interface inconsistencies existed in the handling of relayed calls. These issues were addressed through improved protocol logic.
CVE-2016-7577: Martin Vigo (@martinvigo) of salesforce.com Entry added October 27, 2016 FontParser Available for: macOS Sierra 10.12 Impact: Parsing a maliciously crafted font may disclose sensitive user information Description: An out-of-bounds read was addressed through improved bounds checking. CVE-2016-4660: Ke Liu of Tencent's Xuanwu Lab FontParser Available for: macOS Sierra 10.12 Impact: Processing a maliciously crafted font file may lead to arbitrary code execution Description: A buffer overflow existed in the handling of font files. This issue was addressed through improved bounds checking. CVE-2016-4688: Simon Huang of Alipay company, [email protected] Entry added November 27, 2016 IDS - Connectivity Available for: macOS Sierra 10.12 Impact: An attacker in a privileged network position may be able to trick a user on a multi-party call into believing they are talking to the other party Description: An impersonation issue existed in the handling of call switching.
This issue was addressed through improved handling of 'switch caller' notifications. CVE-2016-4721: Martin Vigo (@martinvigo) of salesforce.com Entry added October 27, 2016 ImageIO Available for: OS X El Capitan v10.11.6 Impact: Parsing a maliciously crafted PDF may lead to arbitrary code execution Description: An out-of-bounds write was addressed through improved bounds checking. CVE-2016-4671: Ke Liu of Tencent's Xuanwu Lab, Juwei Lin (@fuzzerDOTcn) ImageIO Available for: OS X Yosemite v10.10.5 and OS X El Capitan v10.11.6 Impact: Processing a maliciously crafted image may result in the disclosure of process memory Description: An out-of-bounds read issue existed in the SGI image parsing. This issue was addressed through improved bounds checking.
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CVE-2016-4682: Ke Liu of Tencent's Xuanwu Lab ImageIO Available for: OS X El Capitan v10.11.6 Impact: A remote attacker may be able to execute arbitrary code Description: Multiple out-of-bounds read and write issues exited in SGI parsing. These issues was addressed through improved input validation. CVE-2016-4683: Ke Liu of Tencent’s Xuanwu Lab Entry added October 25, 2016 Kernel Available for: OS X Yosemite 10.10.5, OS X El Capitan 10.11.6, and macOS Sierra 10.12 Impact: A local user may be able to cause an unexpected system termination or arbitrary code execution in the kernel Description: Multiple input validation issues existed in MIG generated code. These issues were addressed through improved validation.
CVE-2016-4669: Ian Beer of Google Project Zero Entry updated November 2, 2016 Kernel Available for: macOS Sierra 10.12 Impact: A local application may be able to execute arbitrary code with root privileges Description: Multiple object lifetime issues existed when spawning new processes. These were addressed through improved validation. CVE-2016-7613: Ian Beer of Google Project Zero Entry added November 1, 2016 libarchive Available for: macOS Sierra 10.12 Impact: A malicious archive may be able to overwrite arbitrary files Description: An issue existed within the path validation logic for symlinks. This issue was addressed through improved path sanitization.
CVE-2016-4679: Omer Medan of enSilo Ltd libxpc Available for: macOS Sierra 10.12 Impact: An application may be able to execute arbitrary code with root privileges Description: A logic issue was addressed through additional restrictions. CVE-2016-4675: Ian Beer of Google Project Zero Entry updated March 30, 2017 ntfs Available for: macOS Sierra 10.12 Impact: An application may be able to cause a denial of service Description: An issue existed in the parsing of disk images. This issue was addressed through improved validation. CVE-2016-4661: Recurity Labs on behalf of BSI (German Federal Office for Information Security) NVIDIA Graphics Drivers Available for: OS X Yosemite v10.10.5 and OS X El Capitan v10.11.6 Impact: An application may be able to cause a denial of service Description: A memory corruption issue was addressed through improved input validation.
CVE-2016-4663: Apple Security Available for: macOS Sierra 10.12 Impact: A local attacker can observe the length of a login password when a user logs in Description: A logging issue existed in the handling of passwords. This issue was addressed by removing password length logging. CVE-2016-4670: Daniel Jalkut of Red Sweater Software Entry updated October 25, 2016 Thunderbolt Available for: macOS Sierra 10.12 Impact: An application may be able to execute arbitrary code with kernel privileges Description: A null pointer dereference was addressed through improved input validation. CVE-2016-4780: sweetchip of Grayhash Entry added November 29, 2016. Information about products not manufactured by Apple, or independent websites not controlled or tested by Apple, is provided without recommendation or endorsement. Apple assumes no responsibility with regard to the selection, performance, or use of third-party websites or products. Apple makes no representations regarding third-party website accuracy or reliability.
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