Apple releases macOS Sonoma 14.4 update with over 50 security fixes
Apple has released the macOS Sonoma 14.4 update. The software update includes a couple of new features, and over 50 fixes for security vulnerabilities.
What's new in the macOS Sonoma 14.4 update
Apple Podcasts now supports Episode text, aka transcript. These are automatically generated. Click on an episode and scroll down to the transcript section, and you will be able to read the text as you listen to an episode.
The text is searchable, so you can type a word or phrase to search for it. Use the Search icon in the top right corner or the Command + F shortcut to find the text in the transcript. Apple says that the episode text also supports accessibility features such as Text Size, Increase Contrast and VoiceOver. This feature is also available in iOS 17.4.
One major difference between the iOS and macOS version is that the desktop version of Apple Podcasts does not automatically follow the transcript as the episode is played. While the release notes says that text is clickable so you can use it to play the episode from a specific point, this is not working. The text is not clickable.
The update also changes Safari slightly. The Favorites Bar now has an option to show only icons for websites that you have bookmarked. In order to use the feature, right-click on one of the favorites and toggle the option that says "Show Title".
If you want this style to be the default option, right-click anywhere on the Favorites Bar, and select "Show Icons Only". This will hide the name of the websites from the bar. If you want to get the names to be displayed again, enable the option that says "Show Icons and Text". Alternatively, you may also choose the "Show Text Only" option, if you prefer to not see the favicons.
Apple has disabled the reactions for video calls, by default. The feature was previously enabled, and had caused the animations to be triggered at inappropriate moments. Want to know how to disable it manually, check out our previous article. macOS Sonoma 14.4 brings some new emojis to the keyboard including a new mushroom, phoenix, lime, broken chain and shaking heads, 18 people and body emoji facing the opposite direction.
Security fixes in macOS Sonoma 14.4 Update
macOS Sonoma 14.4 ships with over 50 security fixes for vulnerabilities that were reported by researchers. It includes patches for 2 security bugs that Apple says were actively exploited by attackers.
The first of the 2 issues is related to the Kernel, it is referenced as CVE-2024-23225. The 2nd issue, referred to as CVE-2024-23296, affects RTKIT. Both vulnerabilities allowed an attacker with arbitrary kernel read and write capability to bypass kernel memory protections. Apple says that the memory corruption issues were addressed with improved validation. These vulnerabilities also affected iPhones and iPads, and were patched in the iOS 17.4 and iPadOS 17.4 update that was released earlier this week.
Safari 17.4 comes with patches for 6 security issues. The Cupertino company has also released the macOS Ventura 13.6.5 update and macOS Monterey 12.7.4 update with various security fixes.
The build number of macOS Sonoma 14.4 is 23E214. It weighs about 3.55 GB to download.
Man I wish I wasn’t poor. It’s unfair just how much better Mac users have it.
The world revolves around those with money after all, I wish we stopped pretending otherwise.
Yep, the rich don’t like to concern themselves with doing any work, any fiddling, any tweaking. they expect things to “just work”. Thank God i’m not afflicted with that mindset!
“just how much better Mac users have it” – you didn’t notice that the highlight of this update is emojis? Something that shouldn’t even be baked into a real OS.
“One size fits all” almost always sucks, with just a handful of exceptions.
@bruh,
> “Yep, the rich don’t like to concern themselves with doing any work, any fiddling, any tweaking. they expect things to “just work”.”
I don’t think it has anything to do with wealthiness. Perhaps is it more driven by one’s very personality and, to add a touch of sociology, a mentality more characteristic of younger generations, especially teenagers who either dig into optimization and sometimes weird coding aimed also at cheating (cheat-sets) considered as fun…. either don’t care less of privacy (and sometimes even security) and just want it now and here, whatever the implications.
I’m not wealthy myself but at my age I have a quite wide spectrum of different social environments including the bubbles of rich, very rich built after many years of a wild life. The point is not them being lazy and expecting everything to be delivered to them effortlessly, the point is their eternal quest for the best ratio between what they invest, in time, in money, in efforts and the results. Gaining $1000 may be nice for us, but gaining $100,000 won’t be a thrill if it’s lower than, say, a 1% of their wealth. That’s the whole point : ratio, not raw.
You Said This John G.
An OS is not worst than other due its security updates and patches, it’s the worst itself because it’s a crap while you compare the things you can do in the way you like.
https://www.ghacks.net/2024/03/01/windows-11-new-features-roll-out-in-the-coming-2-months/
Apple releases macOS Sonoma 14.4 update with over 50 security fixes.
So Windows 11 in your brain seems to be worst and it has the same problem as Mac And Linux.
Malware, Spyware, Ransomware John G. ?? And Mac OS has 50 Security Fixes John G. ??
Where is your Hate for Mac OS because of Security Updates and Patches, so that makes it the Worst OS ??
You said that due to it’s security updates and patches that makes an OS the Worst, because of these problems and issues.
Are you this Delusional ??
I don’t really care about how much fixes and patches a security update will solve or not, I meant precisely that I dislike W11 because it’s very difficult to make a lot of productive and repetitive work. I spent nearly all whole day clicking the mouse in W11 while in W10 it’s easier to do the same things. Same easy with Ubuntu and same easy with MacOS. Just what I meant, I don’t want to spent useless time. Why to be worried about one hundred patches that are fixed when you can’t work with some comfort by your side, despite the fixes themselves? Just a simple example, yesterday I needed to classify more than two hundred photos of flowers and plants, resulting that the total clicks per photo with W11 would be easily at least four, plus two seconds of two submenus that makes four seconds extra per photo, while with W10 the total clicks needed are only two with no submenus at all, at least five seconds less per photo. Do you think this could be serious? This is just an easy example, more unproductive actions are needed by W11 by the way, however the clicks and the submenus are one of the most stupid things of W11 ever.
Do you know what a Contradiction is John G. ??
A combination of statements, ideas, or features of a situation that are opposed to one another.
You Said This John G…
An OS is not worst than other due its security updates and patches, it’s the worst itself because it’s a crap while you compare the things you can do in the way you like.
https://www.ghacks.net/2024/03/01/windows-11-new-features-roll-out-in-the-coming-2-months/
John G. Now saying this…
I don’t really care about how much fixes and patches a security update will solve or not.
Other than your personal opinion here.
John G. you can have your right to your own personal opinion here, that’s not the problem here.
Still to this date, you have NO Facts, of how Windows 11 is the Worst OS Ever ??
John G. Said…
I meant precisely that I dislike W11 because it’s very difficult to make a lot of productive and repetitive work.
I spent nearly all whole day clicking the mouse in W11 while in W10 it’s easier to do the same things.
Just a simple example, yesterday I needed to classify more than two hundred photos of flowers and plants, resulting that the total clicks per photo with W11 would be easily at least four, plus two seconds of two sub menus that makes four seconds extra per photo, while with W10 the total clicks needed are only two with no sub menus at all, at least five seconds less per photo.
What you’re telling the world you Hate Windows 11, because of the Learning Curve and it’s not like Windows 10. And you have NO Clue how to use it correctly,
This is why you call Windows 11 the Worst OS Ever ??
Because you have NO Clue how to use it correctly ??
They say ignorance is bliss but, I find yours rather disturbing John G.
@Lockbit3.0, and just a final thought: learning curves are just a bull**** if the development team is unable to make an easy OS. However you may be right, and so I will give Microsoft a good idea for W12, yes, the next upcoming flamboyant W12 will have this: you will need to click 50 times in the icon to open a program, and then you must jump three times with only one leg and the eyes closed, just to be able to print, and then you will pray one hundred times until the computer will be shut off. Don’t be worried, it’s just a learning curve! :D
@Lockbit, I consider that you are thinking too much about my opinion instead writing yours. Don’t be shy, please just notice that your pretended controversy is just a matter of fact about two same realities: a) an OS can be perfect and you can dislike it, and b) an OS can be a shame and you can hate it too much indeed. It’s the same, furthermore I don’t really care at all, because tomorrow will be another day, and I don’t know what could be happen. Just relax and enjoy the journey, it’s only a ride!
Just a simple example, yesterday I needed to classify more than two hundred photos of flowers and plants, resulting that the total clicks per photo with W11 would be easily at least four, plus two seconds of two sub menus that makes four seconds extra per photo, while with W10 the total clicks needed are only two with no sub menus at all, at least five seconds less per photo.
The problem with people like yourself John G. you can NOT, and will NOT learn to admit when you are wrong.
Lockbit3.0, and just a final thought: learning curves are just a bull****
Just admit you’re wrong, it’s a learning curve for yourself.
How long did it take you to learn Linux John G. You had a Learning Curve to learn how to use the product in the right way. Right?
Yes, you do care John G. !!
Furthermore I don’t really care at all, because tomorrow will be another day, and I don’t know what could be happen. Just relax and enjoy the journey, it’s only a ride.
Be sure to come back again, and share with us the world how much you don’t care.
Keep relying to yourself.
When in reality you really do care.
Keep talking, someday you’ll say something intelligent!
@Lockbit30, do you know the correct way to quote someone else’s text, by the way? That’s also a learning curve! :3
@Lockbit3.0, just relax yourself a little. Anyway I don’t care for sure nothing about W11, and the most probably is that Microsoft W11’s development team doesn’t care neither at all! Enjoy the ride, it’s not short if you walk slow. Just click twice and learn curves, learning curves are so fascinating for you, don’t they? ;D
What point are you trying to make, when you reply to yourself?
Care to explain?
Apple is real slow getting fixes push out for security issues. Always been disappointed with how Apple even attempts to automatically push updates. Same happens with their other products like iPhones and iPads.
Thank you again Ashwin. I have to backup and update.
Thanks @Ashwin for this always good articles about the MacOS world! :]