


Mac App Store updates are scrutinized by Apple themselves. This is another great reason to back up your system regularly. It's a rare occurrence, and it's even rarer for it to happen twice, but it's never impossible. The main problem is that there's no way of knowing if the app you're about to update has been compromised until it's too late. Related: Do I Need Antivirus on My Mac? Here's the Answer Transmission acted quickly on both occasions, but blindly trusting the installer had consequences for more than a handful of users. The primary method for spreading the included malware was by including it in a software update. The app was hit again with yet more malware in August of the same year. In March 2016, Mac torrent client Transmission became infected with malware well, ransomware to be precise. You might even need to reinstall the operating system via the recovery partition, and you'll lose anything you haven't backed up in doing so. If something goes wrong, you might wake up to a black screen and an unresponsive Mac. Note: If you don't regularly back up your Mac, with Time Machine or otherwise, it is risky to automatically install beta operating system updates.

As such, you might want to avoid using beta software on a Mac you depend on for work, study, or other important daily tasks. Developer Beta: What's the Difference?Īpple's public betas are far more stable than the early versions they seed to developers, but beta software is still unfinished. Sign in with your Apple ID, download the public beta access utility to enroll your Mac, then check the Software Update section in System Preferences. You can opt in to the program on Apple's Beta Software Program website. Apple's public beta program has been running for a few years now, allowing users to test software updates before they're ready for a full public release.
