As far as early release bugs go for a new operating system, this is pretty worrying.
A bug in the current version of macOS Ventura is breaking third-party security tools that protect users from malware. Apple has stated a fix is on the way, but here’s how to find out if you’re affected and “unbreak” what Apple has broken.
The bug centers around granting software Full Fisk Access, which is granted to antiviral or anti malware software upon installation. Without Full Disk Access, real-time protection and other features simply can’t run.
macOS Ventura has apparently introduced a bug that revokes Full Disk Access for this kind of software. Thomas Reed, director of Mac and mobile platforms at Malwarebytes, says the realization hit just as the company was releasing a beta to extend Ventura compatibility.
Per Reed:
“We were getting bug reports from customers that something was wrong, and we were like, ‘crap, we just released a flawed beta.’ We even pulled our beta out of circulation temporarily. But then we started seeing reports about other products, too, after people upgraded to Ventura, so we were like, ‘uh oh, this is bad.'”
The issue seems to have resulted from Apple working on fixing an issue reported by security researcher Csaba Fitzel found that allowed attackers to disable tools like Malwarebytes. Fitzel told Wired that he and Apple worked on several potential fixes for the issue, but he was able to bypass all of them. Finally, he says, Apple opted to redesign the entire concept of how Full Disk Access worked.
Unfortunately, the fix has caused other issues to surface after the initial macOS Ventura public release.
Here are the steps to take to fix it:
- Go to System Settings > Privacy & Security.
- Click Full Disk Access.
- Click once on Malwarebytes Protection or your affected security tool to select it.
- Click the minus button (–) at the bottom of the list to remove the tool.
- Open Malwarebytes or your affected security tool and try enabling real-time protection.
The app should guide you through the process of giving it Full Disk Access.
Go back to System Settings > Privacy & Security > Full Disk Access. Your security software should have been added back to the list, so turn on Full Disk Access.
If you’ve seen this issue on your end, please let us know about your experience in the comments.
Via The Mac Observer and Wired