Tech Weekly | 28 June - 4 July
- Jul 6, 2020
- 4 min read
Announcements & Releases
Apple Mac 'EvilQuest' ransomware
Various macOS applications that have been pirated and uploaded to torrent websites have been infected with the EvilQuest ransomware. It was first discovered on a Russian torrent forum inside a PKG installer file of the Little Snitch app. The postinstall script that finalises an app installation contains malware and is copied to a folder related to the application. Once copied, the file is named CrashReporter which deceives the malware in Activity Monitor as macOS has an internal Crash Reporter process that runs in the background.
Once the malware code is activated, it modifies the system and user files with unknown encryption. It causes the Mac to crash constantly, affects finder and corrupts the system's keychain. A message appears on the screen saying the user must pay $50 to recover the files or everything will be deleted after three days.
Apple has not patched this security flaw yet and there is no third-party way to remove the malware after it has encrypted files without formatting the entire disk.
Apple's ARM-based A12Z Mac Mini Benchmark tests
Following WWDC, Apple allowed developers to apply for a "Developer Transition Kit" to optimise their applications to run on both Intel and Apple Silicon chips. Amongst the terms were strict confidentiality clauses which forbid a developer from benchmark testing the Transition Kit, yet this has failed to deter some.
As the testing-standard software, Geekbench, has not been optimised for Apple Silicon, tests are being performed under Apple's Rosetta virtualisation technology, meaning the results can be underclocked by 25-40%. The transition kit results are below, compared against the entry-level 2020 MacBook Air and Microsoft's own ARM-chip in the Surface Pro X.
Mac Mini A12Z Transition Kit Single-core: 811 | 1,013 (+25%) | 1,135 (+40%) Multi-core: 2,781 | 3,476 (+25%) | 3,894 (+40%) MacBook Air (2020) entry-level Single-core: 1,005 Multi-core: 2,000 Surface Pro X (Microsoft ARM) Single-core: 726 Multi-core: 2,831
These results indicate that the consumer version of Apple Silicon is going to be extremely powerful. The A12Z is purely for application transition purposes and performance has been limited compared to the equivalent in the iPad Pro. With benchmark tests surpassing the MacBook Air performance, it is safe to say that Apple has something special in the works.
Apple 16" MacBook Pro AMD 5600M Boot Camp Drivers
Following the release in early June of the AMD Radeon Pro 5600M graphics for the 16-inch MacBook Pro, AMD has released Boot Camp drivers that provide full compatibility with Windows 10. This is likely the last 16" MacBook Pro that will support Boot Camp, following the announcement by Apple that Boot Camp will not be supported on future ARM-based Macs.
Spotify Premium Duo
Spotify has launched a new subscription tier aimed at couples or two people living in the same household. Premium Duo, priced at $16/month offers a $2/month discount over the Premium Family plan and is more convenient and affordable if only two people are living together. Although it seems like a small saving, over the year it is equivalent to 2-months free, which is a big deal.
Duo offers the same premium perks as all other subscription tiers – no ads, on-demand listening, download tracks for offline listening, and upload your own music – but also comes with a "Duo Mix" playlist that includes songs both users listen to.
Software Updates
Samsung Galaxy S20 & Note 10/10+ July 2020 Security Patch
Samsung has begun rolling out the July 2020 Security Patch and camera improvement updates across the Galaxy S20 and Note 10 models. The update is ~400MB and will improve the high-magnification zoom photos and video stabilisation, provide the ability to use bluetooth microphones when recording in Samsung's voice recording app, in addition to security patches. The firmware versions are available below, but should be noted that only Exynos and 4G variants of the Note 10 have received the the update, there is no word on the Snapdragon or 5G models.
Galaxy S20: G97xFXXS7CTF3 Galaxy Note 10: N970FXXS5CTFA Galaxy Note 10+: N975FXXS5CTFA
LG Smart TV – Dolby Atmos Support for AirPlay 2 & Apple TV app
Following confirmation in February that Dolby Atmos support for AirPlay 2 and the Apple TV app would be available later this year for compatible LG Smart TVs, the day has finally arrive. Support has been rolled out via a software update, however the compatible models are unknown. Generally, it will apply to 2019 and 2020 models only. In order to support Dolby Atmos, a compatible soundbar is required as the TV speakers themselves do not support Atmos playback.
Beta Finds | iOS 14, iPadOS 14 and macOS Big Sur – Voice Memo Improvements
Within Apple's new software to be released in September, the stock voice memos app has had an update. It will include an 'Enhance Recording' feature that reduces background noise and room reverberation. Once a recording is started, an icon will appear that will allow you to toggle this feature on and off.
Alongside the Enhance Recording feature, voice memos will now include folders, smart folders and favourites to organise and access audio recordings easier.
Beta Finds | macOS Big Sur – 4K HDR & Dolby Vision in Safari 14
A behind-the-scenes announcement within Safari 14 was that it introduces HDR video support. Users with the beta of macOS Big Sur installed have taken to Twitter to announce that this feature is confirmed to be working with Netflix on Safari and allows video playback in 4K HDR and Dolby Vision for the first time. Although not a new feature on the Netflix side, as 4K has been offered since launch in Australia, this is the first time Mac users can take advantage of the higher quality resolution on Retina Display Macs as well as the Pro Display XDR. However, there is a massive BUT. 4K HDR is only available on 2018 or later Macs due to the hardware requirements. Therefore, 2017 and older models will still only be able to stream at 1080p regardless of whether macOS Big Sur installed.
On a side-note, as reported last week – tvOS 14 supports YouTube's VP9 codec allowing 4K video playback within the app – Safari 14 does not support this yet, meaning a maximum resolution of 1080p. Mac users who wish to take advantage of 4K video playback will need to continue to use Chrome. There is no word on whether VP9 codec will be added in future macOS 11.0 Betas.
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