21 Aug 2026

416: All Summer Long

Summer of Security updates, more beta releases

Security updates for iOS, macOS, and visionOS, with more in beta. Also 27 beta 5 and beta 6 releases,.

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All Summer Long

The fifth and sixth betas for the 27 platforms came out with just a week between them. It has actually been quite common for Apple to switch to weekly beta release some time in August, so this is progressing normally.

There is a notion that now is too late for providing feedback to Apple, since the chance is low for a fix or change to be included in the .0 release in September. While it is true that the likelihood is greatest early in the beta phase, getting something fixed or adjusted now is not impossible, when Apple deems it important enough. Also, there will be later updates, the .1 update usually arrives about six weeks after the .0 in late October or early November and the .2 release in December. These updates will have improvements for your feedback, but only if you tell Apple about your problems.

So, keep testing those betas and creating the feedback. Also, document issues you might find. If Apple doesn't fix and we can’t solve them, we can at least document them and warn users when 27.0 inevitably drops in September.

📰 News and Opinion

Punk Shows to Patch Management: Richard Glaser's Mac Admin Career

Kitty Shephard, Workbrew Blog:

Before Richard Glaser was a Solutions Architect, he was a math major working the library's computer lab by day, and living a whole other life by night: playing guitar in punk and alternative bands,

More Than a Conference: 2026 Mac Admins India Connect's Second Year

Kartikeyan Marappan, Jamf Tech Thoughts:

What began as an idea has now become India’s largest community-driven conference dedicated to Apple IT professionals.

Decades After HyperCard, AI Is Democratizing Development Again

Adam Engst, TidBITs:

Here’s where I’m coming from, where I’ve seen the personal programming world evolve, and where I see AI development taking us with the kinds of apps and systems we use on our Apple devices today.

Agent assisted coding satisfies the need to build very customized workflows for your personal needs. As Adam recounts in this article, there have been several solutions in this regard over the past few decades, some of which were quite successful, but all seem to have fallen by the wayside for some reason or other.

I don’t want to dismiss the desire to build your own custom solutions and workflows, but I feel sad that the “magic wand” here is based on something so riddled with ethical, economical and social concerns. What could we have had, if Apple continued to improve Hypercard or AppleScript over the last two or three decades? What could be, if Apple or another company had invested a fraction of the investment of AI development into personal, simple automation?

⚙️ Apple Updates

macOS Tahoe 26.6.2 (25G83): What's new, Security, IPSW, PKG installer
iOS and iPadOS 26.6.1: About (iOS), About (iPadOS, Security
iOS and iPadOS 18.7.10: Security
visionOS 26.6.3: About, Security “coming soon”
Safari 26.6.1: Security
GarageBand: Mac 10.4.15, iOS 2.3.19

Support

About Apple threat notifications and protecting against mercenary spyware

Apple has released a security update to macOS Tahoe 26.6.2

Howard Oakley:

Apple has just released a security update to macOS Tahoe, bringing it to version 26.6.2. There don’t appear to any matching security updates to Sequoia or Sonoma, though.

Apple fixes another image-processing flaw that could allow code execution

Pieter Arntz, Malwarebytes:

Apple has released security updates for more than two dozen security vulnerabilities across iPhone, iPad, and macOS Tahoe,including yetanother image parsing vulnerability that could compromise your device.

Apple beta testing and device management services: the perfect match

MIke Boylan, Iru Blog:

Every fall, Apple’s newest operating systems arrive everywhere at once. That’s great for users, but it puts IT teams on the clock: they need to validate the release, find blockers, prepare their support teams, and decide when the business is ready to move.

🔐 Security and Privacy

Apple Threat Notification: What to Do If You're Targeted

Elad Shapira, Jamf Blog:

Apple's Threat Notifications signal mercenary spyware targeting; learn verification steps, response actions, and layered mobile security defenses for high-risk users.

How a single PostScript file leaks your Mac's memory

Csaba Fitzl, Iru Blog:

The vulnerability is in the Spotlight PostScript plugin.

AmnesiaStealer: macOS Infostealer That Hijacks Browsers

Thijs Xhaflaire, Jamf Threat Labs:

Jamf Threat Labs discovers and investigates AmnesiaStealer, a multi-stage Rust-based macOS infostealer spread through a counterfeit GitHub download page that captures the login password, reaches for macOS bypasses Apple has already patched, and can hand the operator live, hidden control of the victim's Chromium browser to steal authenticated sessions.

🔨 Support and Tutorials

Dock Management on macOS: From User Templates to Swift Tools

Marriott Library - Apple Infrastructure:

For MacAdmins, the Dock has always been a deceptively small thing with a big operational footprint. It is the first place many users look for the tools they need, and it is one of the first places they notice when a Mac does not feel ready for work.

Build and validate configuration profiles with AI instead of a GUI

Kitzy, Fleet Blog:

the picker constrains you to settings that exist, with values the platform accepts, and that constraint is the real value of the tool.

Admin-eers, standby... 3, 2, 1... ACTIVATE: Stacking DDM predicates to lean out Jamf Blueprints

Philip Ross:

Activation Predicates are a powerful way of controlling which devices in your fleet are applied with which controls, without having to create and maintain endless blueprints and scoping groups.

Apple Software Updates Need a Blueprint Before the MDM Commands Fade

Jon Brown:

Apple is not eliminating remotely managed software updates. It is changing how we manage them. The replacement is Declarative Device Management

🤖 Scripting and Automation

Uninstalling Adobe on macOS: A Character-Building Exercise

Marriott Library - Apple Infrastructure:

Historically, Adobe has not always aligned cleanly with Apple’s preferred installation and removal workflows, so MacAdmins have often had to adapt their processes around Adobe’s packaging, licensing, and uninstall behavior.

Part 2: The Character-Building Exercise Gets Specific

Reporting on Jamf Pro API Role permissions

Rich Trouton:

It later occurred to me that a more comprehensive report which includes the permissions assigned to the roles may be wanted

Validating FileVault recovery keys using a plist file to provide recovery key information on macOS Tahoe

Rich Trouton:

it was asked if it was possible to validate a FileVault personal recovery key (PRK) without having to interactively enter it.

Some Notes about Jamf Pro Inventory Data Sync Applications

macnotes:

if a device is added or deleted while you’re fetching pages, rows can shift across the offset boundary, potentially causing a record to be skipped entirely or to show up twice across two different page requests.

♻️ Updates and Releases

📺 Watch

Beyond WWDC: What the 2026 macOS beta cycle looks like in the field

David Starr, Tom Bridge, Workbrew Webinars:

a practical conversation on the 2026 macOS beta cycle: what’s actually working, what’s still rough, and what IT teams should be paying attention to as the fall release gets closer.

🎧 Listen

Using Claude for IT Fixes: Printer Pools, Chrome Log Sleuthing, UniFi IoT Wi‑Fi, and iPhone Protection Tips

Command Control Power:

The hosts discuss confusion caused by Microsoft’s email warning that Publisher will end in October 2026 and urging users to convert files to PDF.

Agentic networking actions

Apple @ Work:

Shirish Nimgaonkar from eBlissAI joins the show to talk about AI’s future in enterprise around endpoint management, agentic solutions, and more.

300 devices later - thoughts on ChromeOS vs macOS