Subject: [UPDATE 3] October 2022 ePatching for macOS – Begins 10/25/2022
UPDATE 3: Please distribute this information to your macOS Monterey end users.
To complete patching on macOS Monterey, user interaction is required. If no action is taken, updates will be enforced at the installation deadline: Monday, November 14th at 6PM EST.
Users will be notified that updates are available with a popup like this:
Users should go to System Preferences and then Software Updates, then install updates:
Users may see additional updates in the above example, or after completing the OS update (ie Safari, etc):
UPDATE 2:
The issue, outlined in update 1, is specific to the macOS Monterey Operating System only. The production patch schedule will resume for macOS Big Sur starting today:
Production Patching Schedule (macOS Big Sur):
- Begins: Tuesday, November 1, 2022
- Allowed Deferral Limit: 5 days from first notification
UPDATE 1:
During Fast Ring testing, it was discovered that the macOS Ventura OS Upgrade was being offered in the recommended patch list. Due to this issue, the Production Ring was not initiated. The ePatching team is working to resolve the issue and will communicate again when the macOS patch cycle resumes.
Sites may still manually initiate patch updates for the currently supported OS’s: MacOS Manual Security Update – USGS Technical Support Teams.
(Original Memo Below)
WHEN IT WILL HAPPEN:
Fast Ring Testing Schedule:
Begins: Tuesday, October 25, 2022
Allowed Deferral Limit: 3 days from first notification
Please send Fast Ring feedback using the Service Desk Form
Production Patching Schedule:
Begins: Friday, October 28, 2022
Allowed Deferral Limit: 5 days from first notification
WHAT WILL HAPPEN: ePatching Update Cycle for MacOS
Updates Included with this Patch Cycle:
· macOS Monterey 12.6.1
· macOS Big Sur 11.7.1
· Safari 16.1
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:
Going forward, the deployment schedule for macOS patches will be tied to Apple’s patch release dates and will no longer be tied to Microsoft’s patch Tuesday. If Apple publishes new update content prior to the completion of the current patch cycle, open actions will be cancelled, and planning will begin to launch a new Update Cycle for MacOS.
The update task will pop up a message notifying you if recommended updates need to install. The message will calculate the deferral deadline date and time as shown. The system will install any required updates automatically after the deadline is reached and will force a restart if needed.
To review the content of Apple security patches, please visit Apple KB HT20122.
Products and versions are located on the TST ePatching page. An archive of previous notifications can be found here.
Additional information regarding vulnerability management actions can be found below.
Important Reminders –
- Please ensure that 10% of Mac devices are included in Fast Ring. For sites with less than 10 but more than 1 Mac, at least one should be added to Fast Ring. Fast Ring Enrollment for Mac OS Systems – USGS Technical Support Teams
- As a reminder, it is best practice to keep the computer connected to a power source at the time update installation begins. Once installation begins, there may be multiple restarts performed to complete the process.
WHAT YOU NEED TO DO:
Local system administrators are responsible for testing the required patches and reporting any issues to the ePatching team.
Specific instructions regarding MECM, BigFix, and JAMF patching can be found on the TST website at: https://tst.usgs.gov/security/epatching/
