We are nearing the solstice and we all know what that means. The release of updates for the Apple platform systems in the second week of December has been quite reliable over the past few years and this year is no exception. macOS 14.2, iOS 17.2 and all their siblings were released this week.

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We also got the first betas for macOS 14.3, iOS 17.3 and siblings with some interesting new security features.
The year is winding down. we are all busy with holiday events, getting presents, and finishing all those things that really cannot or shouldn’t wait until the new year. There will be one more issue of MacAdmins.news next week and then we will be on vacation for two weeks and return on January 12.
If you would rather get the weekly newsletter by email, you can subscribe to MacAdmins.news here!! (Same content, delivered to your Inbox once a week.)
⚙️Apple Platform Updates
macOS
- macOS Sonoma 14.2 (23C64): What’s new, Developer Release Notes, Security, Enterprise
- macOS Ventura 13.6.3 (22G436): Security
- macOS Monterey 12.7.1 (21G1974): Security
- Safari 17.2: WebKit Features, Developer Release Notes, Security
- Xcode 15.1: Mac App Store, Developer Downloads, Developer Release Notes
iOS and iPadOS
- iOS 17.2: About, Enterprise
- iPadOS 17.2: About, Enterprise
- iOS and iPadOS 17.2: Security
- iOS and iPadOS 16.7.3: Security
Other Platforms
- watchOS 10.2: About, Developer Release Notes, Security
- tvOS 17.2: About, Developer Release Notes, Security
- HomePod Software 17.2: About
Guides
- Apple Platform Deployment: Welcome, What’s new, Document revision history
Community
- Apple has released Sonoma 14.2, and security updates for Ventura and Monterey – Howard Oakley
- macOS Sonoma 14.2 Update (23C64) What’s New? – Mr. Macintosh
- What has changed in macOS Sonoma 14.2? – Howard Oakley
🦣Social Media
- Craig Hockenberry: “Don’t use Screen Sharing in macOS Sonoma 14.2. It shares random windows in other Spaces with whoever is on the other end of the line. If you think your desktop is completely empty, it isn’t.” (Not sure which apps use ShareKit and might be affected by this, but it is probably wise to be a bit careful here.)
🔐Security and Privacy
- Intercepting macOS Applications – Emanuele Micheletti
- Apple to introduce new feature that makes life harder for iPhone thieves – Pieter Arntz, Malwarebytes
- Apple to Introduce Stolen Device Protection in the Upcoming iOS 17.3 – Adam Engst, TidBITS
🔨Support and HowTos
- How you can now verify iMessage contacts – Howard Oakley
- macOS onboarding Jamf Pro 11.1 – Rob Potvin
- Where have the network tools gone? – Howard Oakley
- How many NTP time servers does macOS support? One – Rich Trouton
- How to Send Jamf Notifications to Slack – HCS Technology Group
- Key to Successful MDM Migration: Enlisting Users – Kandji Blog
- Vanta mass deployment – Kyle Ericson
- Selecting Multiple Tabs in Safari – Michael Tsai
🤖Scripting and Automation
♻️Updates and Releases
🎧To Listen
- 10th Anniversary conference – MacDevOpsYVR
- BEST Of CCP 330: “A Cautionary Tale” With Richard Wingfield Of Envision Design – Command-Control-Power
- Patreon Show 545: The President Recommends Not Having 30,000 Emails In Your Inbox – Command-Control-Power
- Fake Lockdown mode – Apple @ Work Podcast, 9to5Mac
- An update from Microsoft Ignite 2023 – Jamf After Dark
- Scott Reed & Joel Rennich on JumpCloud Go – Mac Admins Podcast