Zoom has released a patch for a vulnerability on macOS that could allow hackers to take control of a user’s operating system (via MacRumors). In an update to its security bulletin, Zoom acknowledged the issue (CVE-2022-28756) and said that version 5.11.5 of the app on Mac includes a fix that you can (and should) download now.
The vulnerability was first discovered by Patrick Wardle, a security researcher and founder of the Objective-See Foundation, a nonprofit that creates open-source macOS security tools , and demonstrated the vulnerability at the Def Con hacking conference last week. My colleague Corin Faife attended the event and reported on Wardle’s findings.
As Corin explained, the vulnerability targets the Zoom installer, which requires special user rights to run. Using this tool, Wardle discovered that hackers could essentially “trick” Zoom into installing malicious programs by putting Zoom’s cryptographic signature on the package. From here, the attacker can further access the user’s system, allowing them to modify, delete or add files on the device.
Reverse the patch and we see the Zoom installer Call lchown now to update the permissions update .pkg, preventing malicious subversion pic.twitter.com/00xjqKQsXs
— patrick wardle (@patrickwardle) August 14, 2022
” Mahalos pinned for (incredibly) fast zooming!” Wardle said in response to Zoom’s update. “Reverse the patch and we see that the Zoom installer now calls lchown to update permissions to update the .pkg, preventing malicious subversion.”
You can install the 5.11.5 update on Zoom by first opening the app on your Mac and clicking zoom.us
(this may vary depending on your country) from the menu bar at the top of the screen. Then, select Check for Updates , if available, a zoom band will be displayed There is a window with the latest app version, and details on what has changed. From here, select Update to start the download.
