![]() 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. ![]() 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.Īpple released EFI updates separately, but since 2015 the EFI update is bundled in the software update Apple has been pushing out to users. What Does That Mean to Mac Users?Īfter 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. The catch is that the flaw isn't new and seems to require physical access to the Mac in order to work. 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. That changes with macOS 10.13 High Sierra, which contains a tool validating the authenticity of the firmware running on the Mac. Due to the firmware's level of privileges, if a hacker can gain access to it then their attack cannot be detected. EFI is the BIOS replacement originally developed by Intel that aims to overcome the limitations of the PC BIOS. The flaw, discovered by security researchers at Duo Labs, is in the EFI (Extensible Firmware Interface) firmware, which sits beneath the operating system. Still, Apple now has to address an industry-wide issue that leaves a portion of Macs vulnerable to hacker attacks. Equally, there would be a lot more noise if this was a very widespread issue, so all we can say for now is that it appears to be a serious problem affecting a limited number of Macs, with no obvious pattern emerging as yet.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. It’s clear from the number of reports that this is affecting a number of machines. They directly programmed EFI with special tool, and it works now. ![]() I went to official local service and they said that “it’s just too old…” So I get to unofficial service but with normal guys, and they tested all the hardware and it works great, but didn’t wake up with this motherboard. The Extensible Firmware Interface (EFI) was designed by Intel to replace the Open Firmware used on PowerPC Macs. Some of those reporting the issue are on a beta, while others are on the official release.Ī number of posts point to corruption of the EFI firmware as the likely cause. Everything points to be a BIOS-EFI firmware corruption by the Catalina installer. No keys are recognized by the device and 5 minutes after turning it on the flashing question mark folder. It happened to my 2014 MacBook Air and I have two other friends with MacBook Pro 2015 that have the same issue. I can’t imagine that, after all, the iMac has been running smoothly since 2014. After the Genius, like me, had done all the shortcuts, he said it might be the logic board. This is a serious problem that Apple need to address. No combination of boot up keystrokes work. I am now left with a laptop that flashes the “?folder” icon after a couple of minutes. I followed the update instructions from “Settings - software update” as one would normally do. My computer was perfectly fine until I attempted to install Catalina. ![]() He said it was a hardware problem not caused by the update. I had a call with Apple support last night. It seems the update must have corrupted the firmware on the logic board since it no longer recognizes key combos. All I get is the “folder?” logo or nothing at all if I try “option” or “command R” on boot up. There are multiple threads on Apple’s support forums (below), with most reports appearing similar in nature. There are forum reports of the update to macOS Catalina resulting in some Macs becoming non-responsive, with some indication that an update to the EFI firmware may be responsible… ![]()
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