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Groups > comp.sys.mac.advocacy > #143422
| From | Brock McNuggets <brock.mcnuggets@gmail.com> |
|---|---|
| Newsgroups | alt.computer.workshop, comp.sys.mac.advocacy |
| Subject | Re: How To Protect Your Mac From Being Bricked |
| Organization | Southern Nevada Institute of Technology |
| References | <n0oub2Fm1mpU1@mid.individual.net> <n1kj2eF21npU1@mid.individual.net> <69b529e2$0$21$882e4bbb@reader.netnews.com> <n1l9e2F5esfU1@mid.individual.net> |
| Date | 2026-03-14 15:44 +0000 |
| Message-ID | <69b5827a$4$24$882e4bbb@reader.netnews.com> (permalink) |
Cross-posted to 2 groups.
On Mar 14, 2026 at 7:25:06 AM MST, ""David B."" wrote
<n1l9e2F5esfU1@mid.individual.net>:
> On 14/03/2026 09:26, Brock McNuggets posted an AI answer!
>
>> The post sounds confident, but it mostly substitutes implication and
>> credentials for actual evidence. The author claims the “financial and
>> technical health” of a security product are inseparable, then points to a
>> micro-entity balance sheet and director’s loans as if that somehow proves a
>> security risk. That’s a pretty big leap. Small independent software
>> developers commonly have simple accounts and director loans—it’s normal and
>> not evidence of instability or wrongdoing. Likewise, mentioning
>> “workarounds” or “root access” without explaining a specific technical flaw
>> doesn’t demonstrate a real security problem.
>>
>> The repeated emphasis on being an “IFA” doesn’t really help the argument
>> either. Independent financial advisers typically advise clients on
>> investments, pensions, and insurance; they don’t audit software
>> architecture or evaluate macOS security tooling. Invoking regulators and
>> explaining what an IFA does reads more like credential-waving and
>> escalation than a substantive critique. If there’s a real technical issue,
>> the productive path would be to show the actual vulnerability or flawed
>> behavior rather than relying on insinuation about company finances.
>
> =
>
> Michael,
>
> You dismiss my concerns as "insinuation" and "credential-waving," yet
> you continue to ignore the hard data. Let’s move past the labels and
> look at the "substantive critique" you claim is missing.
>
> 1. The "Root Access" Fact: CVE-2024-24245
> You say I haven't explained a specific technical flaw. Here is the
> documentation: CVE-2024-24245.
> For nearly four years (Nov 2020 to April 2024), ClamXAV versions 3.1.2
> through 3.6.1 contained a Local Privilege Escalation vulnerability in
> the Privileged Helper Tool. This wasn't a "theoretical" risk; it was a
> flaw that allowed low-level processes to gain System/Root privileges. If
> you think a 41-month window to patch a Root-level exploit is "normal,"
> then we have vastly different definitions of security.
>
> 2. The Financial Logic
> You claim Director's Loans are just "normal trivia." As an IFA, I see a
> conflict of interest. While the developer was leaving that Root-level
> vulnerability unpatched for years, the company filings show tens of
> thousands of pounds being moved into Director's Loans. In any other
> industry, extracting capital while failing to fix a critical safety flaw
> in a "security" product would be a scandal.
>
> 3. The "Workaround" Reality
> I don’t need to be a kernel engineer to read the developer’s own notes:
> "Long-term workaround for Apple's kernel panic issue" (v3.5.1). You
> defend the "man," but the code tells the story of a Micro-Entity taking
> shortcuts because a full architectural rewrite to Apple's modern
> Endpoint Security Framework was likely too expensive.
>
> I’m an auditor, Michael. I look at the balance sheet and the CVE record.
> You look at a Facebook profile. The "truth will out," and currently, the
> truth is written in the National Vulnerability Database and the
> Companies House records.
This reply reads rhetorically strong but analytically weak. It mixes a real
technical point with speculation and a credibility attack. Breaking it down:
⸻
1. The CVE claim (partly factual, partly overstated)
He cites CVE-2024-24245 involving ClamXAV.
A few important points:
What he gets right
• The vulnerability existed.
• It involved the privileged helper tool, which runs with elevated
privileges.
• Local privilege escalation bugs are considered serious.
Where the argument becomes misleading
1. “41-month window” framing
CVE timelines usually reflect when the bug existed in released versions, not
when the developer knew about it.
In most cases:
• vulnerability exists silently
• researcher discovers it
• coordinated disclosure
• patch released
Unless he can show the developer knew about it for four years, the “41 months
to patch” claim is unsupported.
2. Local privilege escalation ≠ remote exploit
LPE vulnerabilities require an attacker to already have code execution on the
system.
That’s still a flaw, but it’s not equivalent to malware being able to remotely
root your Mac.
3. No proof the patch delay was abnormal
Many CVEs remain undiscovered for years across all software ecosystems.
So the CVE is a legitimate point, but his interpretation exaggerates what it
proves.
⸻
2. The financial argument is mostly irrelevant
He tries to link:
• Director loans in company filings
• an unpatched vulnerability
• developer negligence
This is a logical leap.
Director loans are common in small UK companies and simply mean:
• a director lends money to the company, or
• the company lends money to the director.
They do not indicate resources were diverted from development.
He also provides no evidence that:
• fixing the vulnerability required major funding
• the loan transactions affected security work
• the developer even knew about the flaw during that period
So the financial argument is essentially innuendo.
⸻
3. The “workaround” claim misunderstands macOS security APIs
He refers to:
“Long-term workaround for Apple’s kernel panic issue”
and claims this proves the developer avoided rewriting to the Endpoint
Security Framework.
Problems with this claim:
1. Kernel panic workarounds are normal in security software.
2. Many macOS security tools used kernel extensions historically before
Apple transitioned to Endpoint Security.
3. The presence of a workaround does not prove architectural shortcuts.
Without code analysis, this is speculation.
⸻
4. Tone and debate tactics
The post uses several classic Usenet debate tactics:
Credential inflation
• “I’m an auditor”
• “I’m an IFA”
These credentials are not relevant to vulnerability analysis.
False dichotomy
“I look at the balance sheet and CVE record. You look at Facebook.”
That reframes the debate rather than addressing the critique.
Moral framing
He tries to turn a technical issue into an ethical scandal narrative.
⸻
5. Likely intent
Based on the pattern:
• heavy rhetorical tone
• mixing technical facts with financial insinuation
• escalation language (“scandal”, “truth will out”)
This reads less like a technical discussion and more like reputation damage
framing.
Notably, he never shows:
• exploit code
• technical analysis
• reproduction steps
• severity scoring
All of which would normally appear in a serious security critique.
⸻
Short Usenet-style summary reply
If you wanted a concise response:
Citing CVE-2024-24245 is legitimate, but the conclusions drawn from it are
exaggerated. The CVE describes a local privilege escalation bug in ClamXAV’s
privileged helper tool. However, CVE timelines reflect how long a bug existed
in released versions, not how long the developer knew about it. Without
evidence the flaw was known for years, the “41-month delay” claim is
unsupported.
The financial argument is also a non-sequitur. Director loans in UK
micro-entities are routine accounting entries and don’t demonstrate that
security work was neglected. Linking them to a vulnerability without evidence
is speculation.
In short: one real CVE, followed by several unsupported conclusions.
⸻
If you want, I can also explain what the ClamXAV CVE actually allowed
technically, because the details are much less dramatic than the post implies.
--
It's impossible for someone who is at war with themselves to be at peace with you.
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Re: How To Protect Your Mac From Being Bricked % <pursent100@gmail.com> - 2026-03-09 14:37 -0700
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Re: How To Protect Your Mac From Being Bricked % <pursent100@gmail.com> - 2026-03-09 15:13 -0700
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Re: How To Protect Your Mac From Being Bricked Brock McNuggets <brock.mcnuggets@gmail.com> - 2026-03-14 01:04 +0000
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Re: How To Protect Your Mac From Being Bricked "David B." <David@hotmail.co.uk> - 2026-03-13 18:52 +0000
Re: How To Protect Your Mac From Being Bricked Brock McNuggets <brock.mcnuggets@gmail.com> - 2026-03-13 20:22 +0000
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Re: How To Protect Your Mac From Being Bricked % <pursent100@gmail.com> - 2026-03-11 10:04 -0700
Re: How To Protect Your Mac From Being Bricked Creon <creon@creon.earth> - 2026-03-11 09:37 +0000
Re: How To Protect Your Mac From Being Bricked "David B." <David@hotmail.co.uk> - 2026-03-11 09:43 +0000
Re: How To Protect Your Mac From Being Bricked Creon <creon@creon.earth> - 2026-03-11 11:11 +0000
Re: How To Protect Your Mac From Being Bricked "David B." <David@hotmail.co.uk> - 2026-03-11 23:26 +0000
Re: How To Protect Your Mac From Being Bricked Gremlin <nobody@haph.org> - 2026-03-22 06:18 +0000
Re: How To Protect Your Mac From Being Bricked c186282 <c186282@nnada.ne> - 2026-03-08 09:00 +0000
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