The second beta version of macOS 11.2, which was released to developers yesterday, includes good news for those who care about security and privacy. Namely, Apple has removed the special whitelist for some of its own processes and programs, an exemption that meant traffic from these always went straight to the internet.
Back in November we reported on Patrick Wardle’s discovery of several problems related to the whitelist:
- Firewalls such as Little Snitch and Lulu cannot filter traffic from these protected Apple processes.
- Tripmode and other applications that restrict data usage when sharing mobile data from iPhone cannot stop multiple data-consuming Apple processes.
- Some VPNs can be bypassed by the Apple programs.
Patrick Wardle himself discovered the change in the new beta version, and reports that the firewall he himself is developing, Lulu, can now once again block all traffic.
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This article originally appeared on Macworld Sweden. Translation by David Price.