Apple has published a list of Macs that are not and will not be protected from ZombieLand-type attacks

16. 5. 2019

Apple warns in a new document that some older Mac models may be vulnerable to security flaws in Intel processors. At the same time, it is not possible to eliminate the risk because Intel has not released the necessary microcode updates for specific processors.

The warning came in the wake of message this week that Intel processors manufactured since 2011 suffer from a serious security flaw called ZombieLand. This also applies to all Macs equipped with processors from this period. So Apple immediately released a fix that is part of the new one macOS 10.14.5. However, this is only a basic patch, for complete security it is necessary to deactivate the Hyper-Threading function and some others, which can lead to a loss of up to 40% of performance. A basic repair is sufficient for regular users, full security is recommended for those who work with sensitive data, i.e., for example, government employees.

Although ZombieLand really only affects Macs manufactured since 2011, older models are vulnerable to errors of a similar nature and Apple is unable to protect these computers in any way. The reason is the absence of the necessary microcode update, which Intel, as a supplier, did not provide to its partners and, given the age of the processors, will not provide it anymore. Specifically, these are the following computers from Apple:

MacBook (13 inch, Late 2009)
MacBook (13 inch, Mid 2010)
MacBook Air (13 inch, Late 2010)
MacBook Air (11 inch, Late 2010)
MacBook Pro (17 inch, Mid 2010)
MacBook Pro (15 inch, Mid 2010)
MacBook Pro (13 inch, Mid 2010)
iMac (21,5 inch, Late 2009)
iMac (27 inch, Late 2009)
iMac (21,5 inch, Mid 2010)
iMac (27 inch, Mid 2010)
Mac mini (Mid 2010)
Mac Pro (Late 2010)

In all cases, these are Macs that are already on the list of discontinued and obsolete products. Apple therefore no longer offers service support for them and does not have the necessary parts for repair. However, it is still able to release security updates for compatible systems for them, but it must have patches available for specific components, which is not the case with older Intel processors.

Source: Apple Lossless Audio CODEC (ALAC),

Topics: MacBook Pro 17" (Mid 2009), Mac mini (Mid 2010), MacBook Pro 15" (Mid 2009), MacBook Pro (Late 2011), iMac (Late 2009), iMac (Mid 2010), Mac mini (Late 2009), MacBook (Late 2009), MacBook (Mid 2009), iMac 27

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