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macOS High Sierra Logs Encryption Passwords in Plaintext for APFS External Drives (bleepingcomputer.com)

Posted by msmash on from the security-woes dept.

Catalin Cimpanu, writing for BleepingComputer: macOS High Sierra users are once again impacted by a major APFS bug after two other major vulnerabilities affected Apple's new filesystem format in the last five months. This time around, according to a report from Mac forensics expert Sarah Edwards, recent versions of macOS High Sierra are logging encryption passwords for APFS-formatted external drives in plaintext, and storing this information in non-volatile (on-disk) log files.

The issue, if exploited, could allow an attacker easy access to the encryption password of encrypted APFS external volumes, such as USB thumb drives, portable hard drives, and other external storage mediums. This bug goes against all well-established Apple development and security rules, according to which apps and utilities should use the Keychain app to store valuable information, and should definitely avoid storing passwords in cleartext. Video 1, and 2.

10 of 62 comments (clear)

  1. How to update? by twistedcubic · · Score: 2

    Will a security update shred the logs? I wonder how they're going to fix this.

    1. Re:How to update? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

      It was already fixed in 10.13.2 released December 2017. The person that reported the problem was using the original High Sierra release 10.13.0. She had other people tell her it was fixed in 10.13.2 and 10.13.3.

      Shit for brains runs deep here at Slashdot.

  2. Does this seem only to me or... by SurenEnfiajyan · · Score: 2

    Apple is really having the most childish bugs in the last few years?

    1. Re:Does this seem only to me or... by AHuxley · · Score: 2

      They should have used BeOS.

      --
      Domestic spying is now "Benign Information Gathering"
  3. High Sierra - It just doesn't work by sandbagger · · Score: 3, Insightful

    And where is my new Mac Pro tower?

    --
    ---- The above post was generated by the Turing Institute. Maybe.
    1. Re:High Sierra - It just doesn't work by Bing+Tsher+E · · Score: 2

      My Quadra 650 is the desktop version, but you can stand it on end and pretend it's the minitower version.

  4. It's LINUX's fault. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    Apple copied stupid command line Linux and that's why they have all of these bugs! If they copied Windows instead, at least we'd be able to play games!

    1. Re:It's LINUX's fault. by SurenEnfiajyan · · Score: 2

      a descent gaming OS.

      Oh, sorry, I meant decent.

  5. Apple, please hire me by Snotnose · · Score: 4, Funny

    I'm a drunk that's been fired a few times for sexual harassment and spent time in jail for corporate espionage. But I promise you I won't write your supra sekrit keyz to a log file in plaintext.

    FFS.

  6. It's a feature by viperidaenz · · Score: 2

    Incase you forget your password, you can find it again so you don't lose your encrypted data!