Cameron Kaiser’s articles are always a right treat, and this one’s no different. It’s about running MkLinux on the Apple Workgroup Server, the regular Mac rebadged into a server product and predecessor to Apple’s first real server product, the Apple Network Server running AIX. The Workgroup Servers were originally marketed with Apple’s UNIX variant, A/UX, but with this operating system not surviving the transition to PowerPC processors, Apple started offering other options.
A/UX ultimately didn’t survive the 1994 68K transition to PowerPC, but in 1996 Apple publicly offered another option: run Linux, using the Mach microkernel. Although MkLinux emerged after the 9150’s discontinuation, it’s still just an overgrown NuBus Power Mac, so between more RAM, a beefier CPU upgrade and various video cards, by the end of this article we ought to have a configuration that gives us the best of two worlds — classic MacOS and MkLinux — in one server.
I never really stopped to think that MkLinux really was, but it’s a lot more interesting than just an early Linux port to PowerPC Macs. In fact, it ran the monolithic Linux kernel as a userspace process on top of the Mach microkernel, which made it a valuable testing ground for Apple’s later XNU efforts. It’s wild that Apple had an official, blessed Linux operating system as early as the mid ’90s, even if its performance was apparently not particularly great – due to the overhead of running it atop Mach – and Jobs canned it as soon as he came back to the company.
Apple has shipped a hefty round of July security patches, headlined by iOS/iPadOS 26.6, macOS Tahoe 26.6, and Safari 26.6, with dozens of vulnerabilities squashed across kernel, WebKit, media frameworks, and core apps. These updates are primarily about improving security rather than adding new features, and users should install them as soon as possible.
Updates for your particular device
The table below shows which updates are available and points you to the relevant security content for that subject.
iPhone 11 and later, iPad Pro 12.9-inch 3rd generation and later, iPad Pro 11-inch 1st generation and later, iPad Air 3rd generation and later, iPad 8th generation and later, and iPad mini 5th generation and later
For iOS and iPadOS users, here’s how to check if you’re using the latest software version:
Go to Settings > General > Software Update. You will see if there are updates available and be guided through installing them.
Turn on Automatic Updates if you haven’t already—you’ll find it on the same screen.
How to update macOS on any version
To update macOS on any supported Mac, use the Software Update feature, which Apple designed to work consistently across all recent versions. Here are the steps:
Click the Apple menu in the upper-left corner of your screen.
Choose System Settings (or System Preferences on older versions).
Select General in the sidebar, then click Software Update on the right. On older macOS, just look for Software Update directly.
Your Mac will check for updates automatically. If updates are available, click Update Now (or Upgrade Now for major new versions) and follow the on-screen instructions. Before you upgrade to macOS Tahoe 26, please read these instructions.
Enter your administrator password if prompted, then let your Mac finish the update (it might need to restart during this process).
Make sure your Mac stays plugged in and connected to the internet until the update is done.
How to update your Safari browser
Safari updates are included with macOS updates, so installing the latest version of macOS will also update Safari. To check manually:
Open the Apple menu > System Settings > General > Software Update.
If you see a Safari update listed separately, click Update Now to install it.
Restart your device when prompted.
If you’re on an older macOS version that’s still supported (like Sonoma or Sequoia), Apple may offer Safari updates independently through Software Update.
Technical details
Among the more interesting vulnerabilities patched in this update are CVE-2026-43818 in ImageIO, CVE-2026-43776 in AppleDouble, and CVE-2026-64763 to 64766 in SceneKit.
Although found in different applications, these vulnerabilities have one thing in common. Their descriptions say:
“Processing a maliciously crafted file may lead to unexpected app termination or arbitrary code execution.”
The identical “processing a maliciously crafted file may lead to unexpected app termination or arbitrary code execution” language is not a coincidence. It’s Apple’s standard impact boilerplate for file‑parsing bugs across multiple frameworks, including ImageIO, AppleDouble, and SceneKit. The similarities reflect shared exploitation patterns (untrusted file input hitting native parsers), while the differences lie in what each framework does and which file types/contexts are affected.
ImageIO is the system framework responsible for reading and displaying image formats such as JPEG, PNG, TIFF, RAW, GIF, and other formats. It’s used throughout iOS and macOS by apps including Photos, Safari, Messages, Mail, and Preview.
SceneKit is a 3D graphics and scene graph framework used for rendering models, animations, and complex 3D scenes in apps and games on Apple platforms. It parses scene description files and 3D assets and turns them into renderable content.
AppleDouble is something macOS uses behind the scenes to keep extra file information like icons and other Finder details in cases where your files live on certain types of disks or servers. When Apple mentions “AppleDouble” in security notes, it’s talking about the code that reads and writes that hidden metadata, particularly when files are stored on network drives or shared with non‑Apple systems.
Apple’s advisories reuse a standard warning for any memory‑corruption bug in a file parser: the best‑case outcome is just a crash, the worst case is someone running their malicious code on your device. ImageIO, AppleDouble, and SceneKit all sit in that same danger zone. Although the file types are different, they all present the same underlying risk.
Until you’ve installed this update, it’s an even worse idea than usual to open unsolicited messages and emails with images in them.
Scammers know more about you than you think.
Malwarebytes Mobile Security protects you from phishing, scam texts, malicious sites, and more. With real-time AI-powered Scam Guard built right in.
Millions of drivers with a dealer-installed KARR Security System are being urged to update their KARR alarm using an iPhone or Android device after researchers uncovered a Bluetooth vulnerability that could allow nearby attackers to unlock or immobilize affected vehicles. The flaw impacts more than 2.2 million vehicles equipped with the aftermarket security system, but it does not affect factory-installed vehicle software, Apple CarPlay or Apple's iPhone platform.
KARR Security System Vulnerability Affects Dealer-installed Hardware
The KARR Security System is installed by dealerships to secure vehicles on their lots. In many cases, the hardware remains connected even after buyers decline the paid KARR alarm service. Because it is third-party equipment, automakers cannot deliver fixes through their standard software update process.Researchers from the University of California, San Diego found that attackers within Bluetooth range could lock or unlock vehicles, disable alarms, activate horns, flash lights, or prevent parked vehicles from starting. However, they confirmed the flaw cannot remotely start a vehicle or control it while driving.
iPhone App Update Fixes KARR Alarm Flaw
Acrisure Protection Group, which sells the KARR Security System, released a firmware update on July 20 after researchers privately disclosed the issue in January 2025. Owners using the KARR Security app on an iPhone should receive an update notification. Others must download the app, connect it to the KARR alarm, then navigate to "Customer Service" and "Firmware Update."The patch was released before presentations scheduled for DEF CON on August 9 in Las Vegas and the USENIX Security Symposium on August 12 in Baltimore.
Hidden KARR Security System Complicates Updates
Researchers estimate at least half of affected owners never requested the KARR Security System. Dealerships often left deactivated hardware installed, yet researchers found these units continued broadcasting Bluetooth signals while vehicles were running and for up to 10 minutes after being switched off.Owners can identify the system by checking for a KARR or "SWDS" sticker on the driver's window or a blinking button beneath the dashboard. Most affected vehicles were purchased from Honda, Toyota, Mazda, Ford and Jeep dealerships in Southern California between 2017 and July 21, although impacted vehicles were also identified elsewhere.
Shared Bluetooth Key Exposes KARR Alarm Devices
Researchers discovered a universal authentication key embedded in the official smartphone app while reverse engineering Bluetooth communications. Using a proof-of-concept Android app, they unlocked vehicles, disabled KARR alarm functions, and triggered horns and lights.Although the flaw alone cannot steal a vehicle, researchers said it could provide quiet access before a commercially available locksmith tool creates a working key. Acrisure described the attack as "highly complex" and said the real-world risk is low. Neither UC San Diego nor Wired found evidence of criminals exploiting the vulnerability.
Privacy Concerns and Recommended Action
Researchers also warned that Bluetooth signals from the KARR Security System could reveal vehicle locations. Using the WiGLE wireless database, they estimated at least 2.2 million Bluetooth-enabled systems had been deployed and detected 97 KARR-equipped vehicles during a 20-minute drive near the UC San Diego campus.Drivers should confirm whether their vehicle contains a KARR Security System, install the latest firmware using the iPhone or Android app, and contact their dealership or KARR support if they cannot complete the update.
Artificial intelligence platforms may be just as susceptible to social engineering as human beings, but they are proving remarkably good at finding security vulnerabilities in human-made computer code. That reality is on full display this month with some of the more widely-used software makers — including Apple, Google, Microsoft, Mozilla and Oracle — fixing near record volumes of security bugs, and/or quickening the tempo of their patch releases.
As it does on the second Tuesday of every month, Microsoft today released software updates to address at least 118 security vulnerabilities in its various Windows operating systems and other products. Remarkably, this is the first Patch Tuesday in nearly two years that Microsoft is not shipping any fixes to deal with emergency zero-day flaws that are already being exploited. Nor have any of the flaws fixed today been previously disclosed (potentially giving attackers a heads up in how to exploit the weakness).
Sixteen of the vulnerabilities earned Microsoft’s most-dire “critical” label, meaning malware or miscreants could abuse these bugs to seize remote control over a vulnerable Windows device with little or no help from the user. Rapid7 has done much of the heavy lifting in identifying some of the more concerning critical weaknesses this month, including:
CVE-2026-41089: A critical stack-based buffer overflow in Windows Netlogon that offers an attacker SYSTEM privileges on the domain controller. No privileges or user interaction are required, and attack complexity is low. Patches are available for all versions of Windows Server from 2012 onwards.
CVE-2026-41096: A critical RCE in the Windows DNS client implementation worthy of attention despite Microsoft assessing exploitation as less likely.
CVE-2026-41103: A critical elevation of privilege vulnerability that allows an unauthorized attacker to impersonate an existing user by presenting forged credentials, thus bypassing Entra ID. Microsoft expects that exploitation is more likely.
May’s Patch Tuesday is a welcome respite from April, which saw Microsoft fix a near-record 167 security flaws. Microsoft was among a few dozen tech giants given access to a “Project Glasswing,” a much-hyped AI capability developed by Anthropic that appears quite effective at unearthing security vulnerabilities in code.
Apple, another early participant in Project Glasswing, typically fixes an average of 20 vulnerabilities each time it ships a security update for iOS devices, said Chris Goettl, vice president of product management at Ivanti. On May 11, Apple shipped updates to address at least 52 vulnerabilities and backported the changes all the way to iPhone 6s and iOS 15.
Last month, Mozilla released Firefox 150, which resolved a whopping 271 vulnerabilities that were reportedly discovered during the Glasswing evaluation.
“Since Firefox 150.0.0 released, they have been on a more aggressive weekly cadence for security updates including the release of Firefox 150.0.3 on May Patch Tuesday resolving between three to five CVEs in each release,” Goettl said.
The software giant Oracle likewise recently increased its patch pace in response to their work with Glasswing. In its most recent quarterly patch update, Oracle addressed at least 450 flaws, including more than 300 fixes for remotely exploitable, unauthenticated flaws. But at the end of April, Oracle announced it was switching to a monthly update cycle for critical security issues.
On May 8, Google started rolling out updates to its Chrome browser that fixed an astonishing 127 security flaws (up from just 30 the previous month). Chrome automagically downloads available security updates, but installing them requires fully restarting the browser.
If you encounter any weirdness applying the updates from Microsoft or any other vendor mentioned here, feel free to sound off in the comments below. Meantime, if you haven’t backed up your data and/or drive lately, doing that before updating is generally sound advice. For a more granular look at the Microsoft updates released today, checkout this inventory by the SANS Internet Storm Center.
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