Ahead of the arrival of macOS Sonoma later this fall, Apple released macOS Ventura 13.5 for all users with bug fixes and nearly 30 security patches. According to Apple’s release notes, the update includes small bug fixes and performance optimizations. More importantly for most users, nearly 30 security updates fix multiple vulnerabilities covering Safari, Shortcuts, FindMy, and various system resources.
macOS Ventura 13.5: new features and fixes
The macOS Ventura 13.5 update does not include any known new features. Apple’s release notes simply state that the update “provides important security fixes and is recommended for all users.” The update includes several high-risk security fixes that could lead to arbitrary code execution, as well as fixes for system applications, including:
find my
- Impact: An app may be able to read sensitive location information
- Description: A logic issue has been resolved with improved restrictions.
- CVE-2023-32416: Wojciech Regula from SecuRing (wojciechregula.blog)
Shortcuts
- Impact: A shortcut may be able to change sensitive settings of the Shortcuts app
- Description: An access issue has been resolved with improved access restrictions.
- CVE-2023-32442: an anonymous researcher
Additionally, the update fixes a flaw with its M1 and M2 chips:
Apple Neural Engine
- Impact: An application may be able to execute arbitrary code with kernel privileges
- Description: The issue was addressed through improved memory management.
- CVE-2023-38580: Mohamed GHANNAM (@_simo36)
Apple also released updates to macOS Monterey (12.6.8) and Big Sur (11.7.9) that fix many of the same vulnerabilities.
macOS Ventura 13.5: how to install the update
To install the latest update on your Mac, go to System Settings, then click Software Update, then Download and Install. Then follow the prompts and restart your Mac. This should take around 15 minutes.
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