Apple patches critical security flaw with macOS Big Sur 11.5.1

Apple on Wednesday released macOS Big Sur 11.5, an update to the Mac operating system. The update includes a new Podcast Library tab in the Podcast app that displays the shows that you follow, fixes for play counts in the Music app, bug fixes, and more.

Updated 07/26/21: Apple has released macOS 11.5.1 that includes a security fix. The details on the fix are available in a support document.

Here are the release notes for macOS Big Sur 11.5:

macOS Big Sur 11.5 includes the following improvements for your Mac:

• Podcasts Library tab allows you to choose to see all shows or only followed shows

This release also fixes the following issues:

• Music may not update play count and last played date in your library

• Smart cards may not work when logging into Mac computers with the M1 chip

Apple also includes a number of security fixes, which you can learn more about on Apple’s support page. Specifically, 11.5.1 addresses a major flaw that Apple says has been exploited in the wild. It is reportedly related to the Pegasus spyware on iPhones:

IOMobileFrameBuffer

• Available for: macOS Big Sur
• Impact: An application may be able to execute arbitrary code with kernel privileges. Apple is aware of a report that this issue may have been actively exploited.
• Description: A memory corruption issue was addressed with improved memory handling.
• CVE-2021-30807: an anonymous researcher

The release comes a couple of days after Apple released iOS 14.7, watchOS 7.6, and tvOS 14.7.

How to install macOS Big Sur 11.5

Before you install the update, you should back up you Mac. This could come in handy in case you find that the update gives your Mac problems and you need to restore your data.

When you are ready to install the update, go to System Preferences and click on Software Update. The installation will take several minutes and requires your Mac to restart.