MacOS Upgrades and Malware What you need to know about MacOS Big Sur and Silver Sparrow Malware

March 2, 2021

MacOS “Big Sur” Issues

Recently, Apple released their latest macOS upgrade “Big Sur”. Aside from the latest and greatest software upgrades and enhancements Big Sur has to offer, there is hidden issue IS&T would like to make all Chapman Apple users aware of. Before running the Big Sur upgrade install, it is vital that you check you available disk space. The reason being is that insufficient disk space (Less than 50 GB) has been known to cause the upgrade to stall and corrupt your hard drive. In most cases where the Big Sur upgrade stalls the hard drive will need to be erased and re-imaged. Any files (documents, photos, videos, etc.) that were not backed up on a back-up drive or cloud storage, prior to the upgrade, will be lost. Before upgrading your macOS to Big Sur, please make sure that you are using the available cloud storage services (OneDrive,Google Drive, Dropbox, etc) or an external backup drive to save your information from potentially being lost. It is also important to note that both macOS 10.14 Mojave and 10.15 Catalina are still fully support. So there is no rush to upgrade to Big Sur at this time.

If you have any questions regarding Big Sur, please contact the Service Desk at Servicedesk@chapman.edu.

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Silver Sparrow Malware for Mac

IS&T would also like to make all Chapman Apple users aware of a new malware for macOS computers called Silver Sparrow. Cybersecurity firms around the nation have recently uncovered the Silver Sparrow malware, which had already made it’s home in 30,000 Mac computers. The good news is that this new malware was dormant when it was discovered and any potential damage that could have been caused has been blocked. However, the ultimate goal of this new Silver Sparrow malware is still a big mystery.

What does this mean for Chapman University? IS&T is happy to report that after completing a thorough scan of all Chapman-owned Mac computers, we did not find any that would be vulnerable to Silver Sparrow at this time. However, it is important to remain vigilant when opening unknown/unfamiliar links and websites. We ask that everyone continuous to exercise extreme caution when working online.

For more information about cybersecurity at Chapman University as well as tips and tricks for safe online practices, please visit Chapman.edu/security.