One of the fixes in macOS 12.1, which Apple made available in mid December 2021, was for a security vulnerability that Microsoft highlighted to Apple. Apple was quick to fix the flaw, but Microsoft has now revealed information about the risk that those who haven’t yet updated their Macs to macOS 12.1 are undertaking.

The vulnerability that was identified by Microsoft’s 365 Defender Research Team is known as powerdir and leaves a ‘door’ open that could allow attackers to gain access to Mac users’ data.

According to a Microsoft blog post, powerdir could “allow an attacker to bypass the operating system’s Transparency, Consent, and Control (TCC) technology, thereby gaining unauthorized access to a user’s protected data.” An attacker could thus use a fake TCC database installed on the targeted Mac to bypass the usual privacy setting and install an app which could obtain information about the user.

The security vulnerability is listed as CVE-2021-30970 in the release notes for macOS 12.1. Apple credited Microsoft with the discovery of the vulnerability.

For more information read about the new features in macOS Monterey 12.1. We also have lots of information about security on macOS: