At every opportunity, Apple touts the security advantages of controlling both software and hardware: it's why the 'It just works' slogan has become synonymous with the company. Still, Apple now has to address an industry-wide issue that leaves a portion of Macs vulnerable to hacker attacks.
The Problem
The flaw, discovered by security researchers at Duo Labs, is in the EFI (Extensible Firmware Interface) firmware, which sits beneath the operating system. EFI is the BIOS replacement originally developed by Intel that aims to overcome the limitations of the PC BIOS. Due to the firmware's level of privileges, if a hacker can gain access to it then their attack cannot be detected. That changes with macOS 10.13 High Sierra, which contains a tool validating the authenticity of the firmware running on the Mac.
The rEFIt Project. REFIt is a boot menu and maintenance toolkit for EFI-based machines like the Intel Macs.You can use it to boot multiple operating systems easily, including triple. EFI Radeon RX 580 = AMD Sapphire PULSE Radeon RX 580 (8G GDDR5) GPU with MacVidCards' EFI modification EFI Radeon HD 7950 = Sapphire Radeon HD 7950 'Mac Edition' (3G GDDR5) GPU TEST MULE: 2010 Mac Pro tower with 3.33GHz 12-Core Xeon X5680 with 96GB of 1333MHz DDR3 ECC SDRAM running macOS Mojave (10.14.6). GPUs were installed in x16 slot one. Boot macOS, Windows, and Linux on Mac or PC with UEFI or BIOS firmware Brought to you. It is release version. added large resolution support inside boot file if legacy boot, and with extra CsmVideoDxe.efi in the case of UEFI boot. support for native resolution depends on monitor EDID - folders restructure Revision 905. Download the latest versions of free software, drivers, trial versions, installers and utilities for your EFI digital printers and productivity software.
Download CleanMyMac X from MacPaw's website and clean up to 500MB of junk data from your computer while enjoying all the features of the software without major limitations.
The vulnerability allowed the CIA, for example, to spy on targeted Mac users, as a so-called Vault 7 cache of secret CIA documents released by WikiLeaks show. The catch is that the flaw isn't new and seems to require physical access to the Mac in order to work.
What Does That Mean to Mac Users?
After analyzing 73,000 Macs currently in use, Duo Labs has discovered a discrepancy between the firmware versions they expected the machines to be running and the actual EFI version installed. That leaves a security hole in the system, because although users might have the latest OS version installed, if the EFI firmware is an older version, it lacks the latest fixes of known firmware issues.
Apple released EFI updates separately, but since 2015 the EFI update is bundled in the software update Apple has been pushing out to users. However, if you are running one of the 16 Mac models identified by Duo Labs, there is a chance that your system hasn't received any EFI update at all: iMac 7,1 to 10,1, MacBook 5,1 and 5,2, MacBook Air 2,1 and more.
How You Can Check the EFI Firmware Version
You can check what EFI version your system is running by clicking on the Apple menu and selecting About This Mac > System Report > Hardware. In the hardware overview section macOS displays the Model Identifier, the Boot ROM version and the SMC version number your Mac is running.
You can compare that to the firmware update number Apple lists in a support document dedicated to EFI and SMC updates for Intel-based Mac computers. Apple has stopped updating that page since September 2017.
How to Update the Firmware
If the firmware version displayed in the hardware overview is older than that listed for your Mac, then download the firmware and apply the update. Or update the operating system to at least macOS 10.12.6 Sierra, because this will include all the necessary security updates and the correct firmware.
It's important to identify your Mac model, because that's how to correctly determine which firmware you're on and how to install the necessary update. macOS won't let you install firmware that's not developed for the model you are trying to update.
How You Can Check the EFI Firmware Version
You can check what EFI version your system is running by clicking on the Apple menu and selecting About This Mac > System Report > Hardware. In the hardware overview section macOS displays the Model Identifier, the Boot ROM version and the SMC version number your Mac is running.
You can compare that to the firmware update number Apple lists in a support document dedicated to EFI and SMC updates for Intel-based Mac computers. Apple has stopped updating that page since September 2017.
How to Update the Firmware
If the firmware version displayed in the hardware overview is older than that listed for your Mac, then download the firmware and apply the update. Or update the operating system to at least macOS 10.12.6 Sierra, because this will include all the necessary security updates and the correct firmware.
It's important to identify your Mac model, because that's how to correctly determine which firmware you're on and how to install the necessary update. macOS won't let you install firmware that's not developed for the model you are trying to update.
The problem is that macOS won't alert users if an EFI update has failed to install on the hardware. Therefore it's important the user checks manually, since they won't be able to close the backdoor that hackers can access to eavesdrop or steal sensitive information, and neither can Mac optimization apps. While CleanMyMac, MacKeeper, CCleaner, OnyX and the like are highly capable apps for keeping your Mac clean, they cannot alert users about the EFI firmware vulnerability.
Unfortunately, the same goes for anti-malware apps such as MalwareBytes, due to the EFI's nature of operating beneath the operating system software. As a result we recommend spending a couple of seconds to ensure your Mac is secure by checking if it is running the latest firmware version and, if not, upgrading as soon as you can.
EFI vulnerability isn't just related to Apple. Duo Labs has said that it has chosen the Apple ecosystem as it offered the most consistent data when compared to Microsoft's Windows PCs running Intel chips. As demonstrated by hackers years ago, the EFI flaw has been present in Windows PCs, allowing hackers to exploit it and install ransomware.
Best Mac Optimization Software of 2020
| Rank | Company | Info | Visit |
| |||
| |||
|
Get the Best Deals on Mac Optimization Software
Stay up to date on the latest tech news and discounts on Mac optimization software with our monthly newsletter.
So: how important is that partition?
A EFI partition is created when a drive (HDD, SSD, or flash) is partitioned as GUID. The EFI partition holds information specific to that system's hardware and includes drivers for the boot up process ... so, yes, it's pretty important.
Assuming I need it, how do I get it back?
See if any of the following articles can help answer that question:
- EFI Files: The UEFI Boot Loader - Lifewire
- Fixing a Broken EFI Partition on Mac - OSXDaily
Efi Mac Os
Efi Mounter For Mac
I think you will find that using Recovery Mode to re-install macOS will be the easiest way to repair the corrupted/missing EFI partition in the long run.
Efi Update For Mac
- How to reinstall macOS - Apple Support
- Installing or reinstalling OS X in Recovery Mode - iDB
- Use the Recovery HD Volume to Reinstall or Troubleshoot OS X - Lifewire
