A new security flaw in macOS High Sierra has been found to give unauthorised access to your Mac. Even if other people do not know your password, they can penetrate your computer as "root" user.
Mac computers running on High Sierra are the latest subject of potential exploitation as a brand-new vulnerability has been discovered on the ground. Twitter user Lemi Orhan Ergin first discovered the said flaw and shared it publicly on the microblogging site for public awareness.
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However, this also means hackers with malicious intent can penetrate Mac computers while Apple is still trying to look into the matter. Hence, it is highly recommended for device owners to secure their machines from people who they think may have ulterior motive to access one's computer.
Apple has said in a statement that they "are working on a software update to address this issue." The tech giant recommends creating a root password to avoid unwarranted entry to a device.
"Setting a root password prevents unauthorized access to your Mac. To enable the Root User and set a password, please follow the instructions here: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204012. If a Root User is already enabled, to ensure a blank password is not set, please follow the instructions from the 'Change the root password' section."
Root account's default password is just blank, so it makes very easy for hackers to infiltrate a device without the owner noticing it. Note that physical access is not necessary to attack the device as there are remote software programs that allow screen sharing.
In the meantime, OS versions lower than High Sierra are not affected by the said bug. However, it is important to be more cautious of the possible security threats.
