Apple says Mac users targeted in zero-day cyber attacks: Here's how to stay safe

macOS vulnerability: Apple has released a security update for all its Macs to fix two zero-day vulnerabilities, which it says have been exploited in the wild by malicious hackers. 
The company, in its official advisory, wrote that it has released macOS Sequoia 15.11 security update for its Macs and MacBooks. This update fixes two criticial vulnerabilities with the ID -- CVE-2024-44308 and CVE-2024-44309 -- that were identified by members of Google's Threat Analysis Group. These vulnerabilities affect the company's Intel-based Macs and have been actively exploited by hackers.

"Apple is aware of a report that this issue may have been actively exploited on Intel-based Mac systems," the company wrote in its advisory.

Why should Mac users care about Apple's advisory?

As mentioned before, the update includes fixes to two bugs. The first bug affects the JavaScriptCore component of the macOS and it can be used by hackers to execute an arbitrary code simply by user processing a maliciously crafted web content.

The second bug affects the WebKit component of the macOS and it can be used by hackers to lead a cross site scripting attack. For the unversed, a cross site scripting attack is a cyber attack wherein cyber criminals can run a malicious piece of code on a user's device when they visit a genuine website. This attack can be used by hackers to take a user's identity and perform actions on their behalf, access cookies, session tokens, and other sensitive data, and rewrite HTML content on a web page.

How can Mac users safeguard themselves?

Users can safeguard themselves by downloading the most recent security update released on their Macs by Apple. Here is a step-by-step guide for downloading the update:

Step 1: From the Apple Menu on the top of the scree, select System Settings.

Step 2: Click the General Settings option in the sidebar that opens.

Step 3: Click the Software Update option on the right.

Step 4: Click on the Update Now option.

Step 5: Before installation begins, users may be asked to enter their administrator password. Enter the password to continue with the process.