OS X

The next Mac security update will patch a serious privilege-escalation DYLD bug in OS X

A “privilege escalation” bug plaguing Apple's OS X desktop operating system will be patched in the next security update that the company is working on as we speak, a company spokesperson said today.

The Guardian newspaper reported that a fix for the dangerous zero-day vulnerability, known as DYLD, will be patched before OS X El Capitan releases for public consumption this fall.

TaiG 1.1.0 for Mac released to jailbreak iOS 8.4

TaiG has released a new version of its Mac jailbreak tool for iOS 8.4. Version 1.1.0 of TaiG for Mac aims to fix an issue present for users of OS X 10.9. If you've experienced issues with jailbreaking your iPhone using the OS X version of TaiG, then it is recommended that you update to this latest version.

TaiG for Mac released to jailbreak iOS 8.4

Over a month after the original TaiG jailbreak for Windows surfaced, TaiG for Mac is now officially available for OS X users. TaiG for Mac will allow you to jailbreak iOS 8.4 on your Mac without having to resort to using a virtual machine.

If you've yet to jailbreak due to the lack of a proper TaiG tool for OS X, now is your time. You can find the download link for TaiG for Mac inside.

How to set up a new Mac from a Time Machine backup

One of the primary benefits of using Time Machine is that it allows you to restore your backup on a new Mac or a new macOS installation. This makes it so that you can essentially pick up where you left off from your old machine or old installation.

Fortunately, restoring Time Machine backups to a new Mac is extremely easy and straightforward. In this fifth tutorial in our Time Machine how-to series, we'll show you how easy it is.

Reeder 3 gets a public beta for Mac

Renowned RSS feed reading app, Reeder, is one of the best feed reading experiences on the Mac. And so I was quite happy when I learned that Reeder 3 was finally entering public beta.

Reeder 3 will be a free update for Reeder 2 for Mac users. It comes with brand new themes and an OS X Yosemite-centric modern UI, among many other additions. Check out the full change log and download link in this post.

How to create a partition on your Time Machine external hard drive

Time Machine is extremely easy to use, and its flexibility makes it a great solution for keeping your Mac backed up safely. But with external drives being as large as they are, you may wish to use some of the space on your Time Machine drive for basic file storage.

There are many ways to go about this, but one of the best ways is to simply create a separate partition on your external drive. By doing this, you have a dedicated partition for file storage, and a dedicated partition for your Time Machine backups.

Although it's possible to store files on your Time Machine partition, in my opinion, it's a better practice to keep them separated. In this fourth entry into our Time Machine tutorial series, I'll show you how simple it is to create a second partition on your Time Machine external drive.

OS X 10.10.5 beta now available to public beta testers

Apple is now testing the next major OS X Yosemite update with public beta testers, shortly after making OS X 10.10.5 beta 1 available to members of the Apple Beta Software Program. The software has the same build number of '14F6a' like the developer seed of OS X 10.10.5 which was released two days ago, implying identical code.

Apple seeds OS X 10.10.5 beta to developers

In addition to posting iOS 8.4.1 beta 1, Apple on Tuesday released the first beta of what would become the fifth major Yosemite software update. OS X 10.10.5 beta 1 is now available for download to members of the Apple Developer Program through Apple's portal for developers.

It's unclear what new features, if any, the pre-release OS X 10.10.5 software (build number 14F6a) may bring to Mac fans when it launches for public consumption.

How to view and restore specific files using Time Machine

Time Machine is very useful, because not only does it allow you to back up all of your user data, but it also allows you to selectively view and restore portions of that data, even down to individual files.

In this tutorial, the forth in our series about Time Machine, I'm going to show you to how to view and restore an individual file using a Time Machine backup.

A look at Apple’s new, more secure 2-factor authentication in iOS 9 and El Capitan

At WWDC, Apple has made a promise to step up security with native two-factor authentication in iOS 9 and OS X El Capitan. Before today, the feature was unavailable on iOS 9 betas prior to beta 3.

But with today's release of iOS 9 beta 3, the new system has made its debut, with some users offered the option to upgrade their Apple ID to use the new two-factor authentication.

Here's what you need to know about this new system, how it increases your security and how it's different from Apple's existing two-step verification process.

How to exclude files from Time Machine backups

In our third Time Machine tutorial for macOS, we'll show you how to exclude specific files or folders from being included in your Time Machine backup. You'll find that it's extremely easy to curate your Time Machine backups using its preferences.

The thing that I really like about Time Machine is that you can exclude not only individual files, but entire folders of files as well. Have a look at our easy to use tutorial to find out how you can exclude certain data from becoming a part of your backup.