Enlarge (credit: Apple)

Apple has released security updates for iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and watchOS today to fix actively exploited zero-day security flaws that can be used to install malware via a "maliciously crafted image" or attachment. The iOS 16.6.1, iPadOS 16.6.1, macOS 13.5.2, and watchOS 9.6.2 updates patch the flaws across all of Apple's platforms. As of this writing, no updates have been released for older versions like iOS 15 or macOS 12.

The CVE-2023-41064 and CVE-2023-41061 flaws were reported by the Citizen Lab at the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy at the University of Toronto. Also dubbed "BLASTPASS," Citizen Lab says that the bugs are serious because they can be exploited just by loading an image or attachment, which happens regularly in Safari, Messages, WhatsApp, and other first- and third-party apps. These bugs are also called "zero-click" or "clickless" vulnerabilities.

Citizen Lab also said that the BLASTPASS bug was "being used to deliver NSO Group’s Pegasus mercenary spyware ," the latest in a long line of similar exploits that have been used to infect fully patched iOS and Android devices.

Enlarge / Macs running macOS Ventura. (credit: Apple)

Apple's iOS 16, iPadOS 16, and macOS 13 operating systems are all due to be replaced with new versions in the next two or three months, but some bugs can't wait for a whole new release. The company has released iOS/iPadOS 16.6 and macOS 13.5 to fix several "actively exploited" security bugs, plus a handful of other security fixes for problems that have been reported to Apple but aren't being exploited in the wild yet. The release notes also mention unspecified "bug fixes" for each OS.

The new updates don't add anything by way of new features—at least, there aren't any mentioned in the release notes. This will likely be the case for most iOS 16 and macOS 13 Ventura updates going forward, as Apple shifts its focus to newer operating systems. The iOS/iPadOS 17 and macOS 14 Sonoma updates should be available in September or October, if Apple sticks to its historical release schedule. The public betas were released earlier this month.

Several of the security fixes in these updates were originally part of a Rapid Response security update for iOS 16.5.1 and macOS 13.4.1. The original version of that update was pulled post-release after it broke a few major websites on devices that installed it, but a working version with the same fixes was released soon after.

Enlarge (credit: Andrew Cunningham)

Apple released its first public beta for macOS Sonoma (among other operating systems) this month, and per usual, headlining features like desktop widgets have gotten a lot of coverage. We'll take a more comprehensive look at the big-ticket items in our review later this fall, but there are always some features and changes worth discussing that get buried or lost in the shuffle. Here are a few deeper cuts we've played with so far.

Better screen sharing

The new Screen Sharing app, which is actually an app and not just a window you type an IP address into. Note the mix of Macs and PCs. (credit: Andrew Cunningham)

Apple first added basic screen sharing support to macOS back in 2007, with version 10.5 (Leopard). Screen sharing did use a dedicated app, but it was hidden in macOS' system folders rather than in the Applications or Utilities folders—it was really only intended to be launched indirectly, either using the Finder or the Connect to Server menu . If you did launch it directly, its interface was a simple "connect to" dialog where you could enter your desired hostname or IP address. Functional, but minimalist.

Screen Sharing in Sonoma revamps the app itself, as well as how the underlying technology works. You'll now find a Screen Sharing app in the Utilities folder (the same place as Terminal, Disk Utility, and others), signaling that Apple has made it a full-fledged app. The new Screen Sharing app looks a bit like a (very) light, feature-limited version of the Remote Desktop management software, with a list of all computers you've connected to in the past, the ability to see all computers on your local network with screen sharing enabled, and the option to create groups of computers so you can easily sort systems based on how you use them.

How can you argue against these numbers? (credit: 20th Century Fox / Aurich Lawson)

According to one measurement by one firm, Linux reached 3.07 percent market share of global desktop operating systems in June 2023. It's a notable first for the more than 30-year-old operating system, though other numbers in Statcounter's chart open it up to many more interpretations. It's either the year of the Linux desktop or a notable asterisk—your call.

As Statcounter explains , its numbers come from tracking code installed on more than 1.5 million websites across the globe, capturing roughly 5 billion page views per month. Statcounter says it does not collate, weigh, or otherwise adjust its data aside from correcting for bots and Google Chrome's prerendering. Laptops are included in "desktop" because there is no easy way to separate them. And they're subject to revision for up to 45 days after publication.

Five years ago , Linux made up 1.69 percent of Statcounter's June numbers. In the year between June 2022 and 2023, Linux unsteadily crept up from 2.42 to 3.07 percent, jumping past 3 percent for the first time between May and June. If you regard Chrome OS as a Linux system, you could add that 4.13 percent and get to 7.2 percent.

Enlarge / Mimestream's got a lot of direct Gmail integrations, but its own Profiles separation is quite useful. (credit: Mimestream)

When I searched for the best Mac email clients for Gmail/Google Apps users in September, I was surprised to find that there was an app built specifically for this purpose. You didn't need to customize it, change its settings, or bolt on a bunch of extensions to make it work and feel right; Mimestream was both deeply hooked into Gmail and very much a Mac app.

Mimestream spent more than three years in a free beta period, releasing more than 220 updates for 167,000 users and adding more than 100 features. Now that a 1.0 release is out—and the company has grown from a solo developer to a five-person team—there's a price for the product .

Mimestream is $30 per year if you buy during this launch period, then $50 per year after that (if you were a beta user, check your inbox for a bigger discount code). There's still a 14-day, no-credit-card-required trial period. Individual users can install it on up to five devices, and there's Family Sharing across iCloud accounts.

Enlarge / The backs of the iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Pro, and iPhone 14 Pro Max. (credit: Samuel Axon)

Apple has released bug fix and security updates for several of its operating systems, including iOS 16.4.1, iPadOS 16.4.1, and macOS Ventura 13.3.1.

The iOS and iPadOS updates don't add any new features. Their main purpose is to address two separate major security vulnerabilities, and the release notes include two big fixes.

Apple details the bug fixes as follows:

Enlarge (credit: Apple/Andrew Cunningham)

If you're using a Mac and want a refresher on the basics of Bitcoin, good news—blogger Andy Baio has discovered that "every modern copy of macOS" has included a copy of Satoshi Nakomoto's original Bitcoin white paper, hidden away in macOS system folders and accessible with an easy Terminal command.

Here's the command you can use to open it on your own Mac:

open /System/Library/Image\ Capture/Devices/VirtualScanner.app/Contents/Resources/simpledoc.pdf

Enlarge / The 2021, 24-inch iMac with Apple's M1. (credit: Samuel Axon)

Apple released new updates for most of its software platforms today, including macOS Ventura 13.3, iOS 16.4, iPadOS 16.4, tvOS 16.4, and watchOS 9.4.

These are all feature updates, meaning they actually add new functionality in addition to fixing bugs or addressing security vulnerabilities.

iOS and iPadOS 16.4 add a number of minor features. The headliner is (of course) 21 new emojis, like new heart colors, additional animals, and a shaking head. Beyond that, though, Apple says you'll see improved voice isolation on phone calls, support for notifications from web apps that have been added to your phone's home screen, new ways to weed out duplicates in your Photos library, and a number of bug fixes.