Apple slips up with software bug
Often touted as one of the most advanced, secure and competent firms, Apple is not often subject to scrutiny. However the tables have turned for the tech giants this week as it clambers to fix an almighty security flaw.
As around the globe, millions of people are excitedly getting to grips with their new iPhone X handset, dubbed the most advanced model from Apple yet; Apple is busy trying to rectify a huge software issues in its new MacOS High Sierra operating system which threatens to tarnish its glowing reputation.
Uncovered (and made public by) Turkish developer Lemi Ergin, the security glitch allows anyone to remotely hack into a Mac operating system through the Users & Groups menu simply by using the username ‘root’, leaving the password field blank and pressing enter a few times – at which point the user will not only gain access but also admin capabilities. Not good.
Instead of following the usual protocol in such a case, Lemi Ergin took to Twitter and publicly informed Apple of the flaw. His Tweet read: “Dear @AppleSupport, we noticed a *HUGE* security issue at MacOS High Sierra. Anyone can login as "root" with empty password after clicking on login button several times. Are you aware of it @Apple?”
Ergin has been scrutinised for his handling of the discovery. Generally when a bug is exposed the procedure means that the company is informed before the public and given time to rectify the problem. In response to the leak Apple published advice to users on how to access the root user and change the root password, commenting: “We are working on a software update to address this issue. In the meantime, setting a root password prevents unauthorised access to your Mac”.
Whilst Apple has historically experienced few major flaws, it has in recent months experienced a string of software issues that have left some users disappointed with the firm, including a problem that saw the letter "i" be mysteriously auto-corrected to "A?".
Whilst it might seem unfair of Ergin to publically out the problem without first informing Apple, it is clear that the software bug is a huge oversight, and one that users do not expect from a company of such magnitude.
For Apple to maintain its reputation as global leaders it will need to quickly rectify this issue, and make sure that going forward problems like this do not make it into software, and certainly not put in the public domain.
