Apple is preparing iOS 11.2 for public release. With the deployment of iOS 11.2 beta 6 which internally labeled as the Release Version.
Apple Pay Cash is expected to be made available following iOS 11.2 public release.
macOS High Sierra “root” User is Enabled by Default with Blank Password
Apple will be issuing Software Update to disable “root” user which is inadvertently enabled by default with blank password in macOS High Sierra.
To disable “root” user, follow the instruction from Apple or the instruction below:
Disable the root user
Choose Apple menu () > System Preferences, then click Users & Groups (or Accounts).Click the Lock, then enter an administrator name and password.
Click Login Options.
Click Join (or Edit).
Click Open Directory Utility.
Click the Lock in the Directory Utility window, then enter an administrator name and password.
From the menu bar in Directory Utility: Choose Edit > Disable Root
In previous incarnations of macOS/OS X/Mac OS X, “root” user is disabled by default.
Note:
Anyone with physical access to your Mac potentially can reset your password.
Root Access Vulnerability in macOS High Sierra
As reported by Juli Clover for MacRumors and numerous other sites:
The bug, discovered by developer Lemi Ergin, lets anyone log into an admin account using the username “root” with no password. This works when attempting to access an administrator’s account on an unlocked Mac, and it also provides access at the login screen of a locked Mac.
We verified that on macOS High Sierra 10.13.1, “root” user is enabled by default with blank password. For comparison, OS X El Capitan has “root” user disabled by default.
UPDATE:
We verified that previous versions of macOS/OS X/Mac OS X have “root” user disabled by default.
This is similar to the enabled-by-default-with-blank-password “administrator” accounts in Windows XP.
By having “root” user disabled by default, potentially a remote attacker can compromise Macs running macOS High Sierra.
Having said all that, anyone with physical access and the right knowledge can reset local user password.
WordPress 4.9 “Tipton”
From WordPress.org:
Version 4.9 of WordPress, named “Tipton” in honor of jazz musician and band leader Billy Tipton, is available for download or update in your WordPress dashboard. New features in 4.9 will smooth your design workflow and keep you safe from coding errors.
I first thought: “Tipton, Glenn Tipton.”
By the way, when are they going to get to “Van Halen”?
If only I were the one in charge of naming WordPress…
Time to get your WordPress updated, again.
Master Of Puppets (Remastered) – Deluxe Box Set
I picked up Master Of Puppets (Remastered) – Deluxe Box Set that I pre-ordered from Amazon at one of Amazon pickup locations.
Master of Puppets (Remastered) hit the street on Friday, November 10, 2017 but the Deluxe Box Set was not delivered until Tuesday, November 14, 2017.
This limited edition deluxe box set contains a lot of things:
- Three vinyl records (with a MP3 Download Card)
- Ten CDs, two DVDs
- One cassette
- A hardcover book including never-before-seen photos
- A folder containing handwritten lyrics
- A set of six buttons, and
- A “Damage, Inc.” lithograph.
Wait a minute, a “cassette”?
What is it?
How do you even play this “cassette”?
Thankfully, Amazon includes AutoRip of the box set, including the cassette (tape). I didn’t even have to use the MP3 Download Card. The cassette contains fan recording from Solnahallen, Stockholm, Sweden – September 26th, 1986; it was Cliff Burton’s last show.
Eight songs off Master of Puppets, tracking in at 54 minutes and 46 seconds, reinvented heavy music in 1986.
On March 23, 2016, Master of Puppets was selected as one of 25 recordings that were added to the National Recording Registry; as it is deemed as “cultural, artistic and/or historical significance to American society.”
I would like to add that Master of Puppets is culturally, artistically and historically significant to the world.
Atomic Blonde
I have not watched Atomic Blonde, neither in the theater nor on Blu-ray. Since it is directed by one of the guy who made John Wick, a movie that I really like, I took a leap and ordered the movie.
I ordered a copy. The 4K Ultra HD and it comes with the Blu-ray and iTunes copy. It is also a Movies Anywhere eligible movie.
Re-Master of Puppets
Due on Friday, November 10, 2017
Master of Puppets is the third of Metallica Remastered series, following Kill ‘Em All and Ride The Lightning.
Currently Master of Puppets (Remastered Deluxe Boxset) is available for pre-order at Amazon for $137.49. It is also available for purchase directly from Metallica for $174.99 plus shipping & handling.
You can also watch Master Of Puppets (Live At The Roskilde Festival) video from the boxset.
I pre-ordered the Deluxe Boxset the day it was announced. Master of Puppets is definitely one of the best records ever made.