Apple’s Boot Camp feature is the easiest way to use a Mac to run both MacOS and Microsoft Windows. Boot Camp typically supports the latest version of Windows, although it can take Apple some time to enable the utility to install Windows updates.
Such was the case with Windows 10 Creators Update, which was released on April 11 to Windows users. Boot Camp supported the update, but with a caveat: Users could not clean install Creators Update, but rather needed to first install Anniversary Update via a USB flash drive and then run the update process from there.
Apple has now made the process much easier with the latest version of MacOS, Sierra 10.12.5. As Apple points out in its update notice, support has been added for media-free installation of Windows 10 Creators Update using Boot Camp.
Additional updates include the following fixes and enhancements, as listed on Apple’s update page:
- Fixes an issue where audio may stutter when played through USB headphones.
- Enhances compatibility of the Mac App Store with future software updates.
- Adds support for more digital camera RAW formats.
- Resolves an issue, affecting some enterprise and education customers, that may cause the system date to be set to the year 2040.
- Prevents a potential kernel panic when starting up from a NetInstall image. This fix is available when starting up from a NetInstall image created from the macOS 10.12.5 installer.
In addition, Apple issued a number of security updates in MacOS Sierra 10.12.5, along with updates for El Capitan and Yosemite. Highlights include:
- A fix for a flaw that allowed malicious networks with 801.1X authentication to capture network credentials.
- A fix for a bug in the accessibility framework that could allow an application to gain system privileges.
- A fix for an error in the HFS that allowed applications to read restricted memory.
The list of security fixes is fairly extensive, and so if there’s a particular vulnerability that you’re worried about then be sure to check the list. Given that MacOS has been the target of a number of recent exploits, applying this security update as soon as possible is an important step in keeping your Mac safe and secure. Follow the instructions here to update to MacOS Sierra 10.12.5.
