Anyone Can Hack MacOS High Sierra Just by Typing "Root"
There are hackable security flaws in software. And then there are those that don't even require hacking at all—just a knock on the door, and asking to be let in. Apple's macOS High Sierra has the second kind.
On Tuesday, security researchers disclosed a bug that allows anyone a blindingly easy method of breaking that operating system's security protections. Anyone who hits a prompt in High Sierra asking for a username and password before logging into a machine with multiple users, they can simply type "root" as a username, leave the password field blank, click "unlock" twice, and immediately gain full access.
In other words, the bug allows any rogue user that gets the slightest foothold on a target computer to gain the deepest level of access to a computer, known as "root" privileges. Malware designed to exploit the trick could also fully install itself deep within the computer, no password required.
