Weekly News Summary for Admins — 2020-07-17

No summer break yet for MacAdmins. As expected, the updates for macOS Catalina 10.15.6 and iOS 13.6 and siblings were published.

As a big reprieve for MacAdmins, the functionality of softwareupdate --ignore has been re-instated for system software updates, but only when the Mac is supervised (i.e. enrolled in MDM with Automated Deployment or user-approved MDM). This allows MacAdmins to block major updates from being installed or even notified about. This is likely a direct result of all the feedback MacAdmins have passed on to Apple.

However, this reprieve is only temporary because it is not implemented in the macOS Big Sur beta. So, keep providing feedback through all your channels to Apple, that macOS requires a managed means to block software updates for longer than 90 days, preferable indefinitely.

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News and Opinion

macOS 11 Big Sur and iOS 14

macOS Catalina 10.15 and iOS 13 Updates

MacAdmins on Twitter

  • Rosyna Keller: “Please, please don’t normalize right-clicking on your app to get it to run. This is a tactic malware uses to get past Gatekeeper. Screenshot from actual malware. Even after Flash died at the end of this year, this type of social engineering will continue. I hope Adobe runs PSAs.” (Image, thread)

Bugs and Security

Support and HowTos

Scripting and Automation

Apple Documentation

To Listen

Just for Fun

Support

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Published by

ab

Mac Admin, Consultant, and Author