Turn the brightness all the way up. The screen is black, but the MacBook seems. Navigate the cursor to the top-left of the screen and click on the Apple logo. From the drop-down menu that appears you'll see an option to Lock Screen. Click this and your Mac will be secure until. No matter what model MacBook, MacBook Air, or MacBook Pro you own, even if you have a non-Apple laptop, this will lock it securely. It's got industrial strength 3M VHB adhesive and can withstand 100 pounds of force. Whereas Kensington locks use a MacBook’s own security slot, Computer Security Products’ Stop-Lock system requires attaching a security plate to the laptop’s lid. At $44, Stop-Lock is. Whereas Kensington locks use a MacBook’s own security slot, Computer Security Products’ Stop-Lock system requires attaching a security plate to the laptop’s lid. At $44, Stop-Lock is.
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A security engineer who goes by the name of fG!, specialized in Mac security and reverse engineering, has found a way to reset a Mac's firmware password without help from Apple's support team.
Apple allows iMac and MacBook users to set a password for their firmware so that no intruder can go in there and change core device settings.
Apple helps authorized users reset their firmware password
How To Lock Apple Macbook Airpods
Just like any password, users tend to forget it once in a while. In case this happens, users can call Apple Support, and during boot-up, they're guided through the process of pressing five keys simultaneously [SHIFT + CONTROL + OPTION + COMMAND + S] to make a long code appear on their screen.
Users give this code to Apple's staff, and they receive back an SCBO file, which they can then put on a USB flash drive they insert into their device, and they can thus remove the password.
This is all fine and dandy, but only if you can prove ownership of your device with the original sales receipt. If you can't, then you're left on your own.
Crooks are selling SCBO files online for $100
fG! says he discovered shady online services that were providing SCBO files, but for a fee of $100. Since trusting this kind of services and running mysterious code on his laptop did seem like a good idea, the researcher set out to find out how SCBO and Apple's EFI (Extensible Firmware Interface) worked, and if he could find a way to bypass this process.
You can read the step-by-step reverse engineering process on fG!'s personal blog, but the good news is that he managed to find a way to do it. Below are the researcher's findings: Adobe photo printing software, free download.
“ My work helped me determine that the EFI variable that contains the firmware password information is 'CBF2CC32.' ”
“ If you have a SPI flasher and want to remove an Apple EFI firmware password, what you need to do is to dump the flash contents, remove the 'CBF2CC32' variable (you just need to flip a single bit on its name for example), and reflash the modified firmware. Or just locate the variable and erase or modify it directly without reflashing the whole contents. ”
“ There is also another way to do this. The '3E6D568B' variable is special because if you remove it, the NVRAM will be reset to a default state where the firmware password is not set anymore. ”
Is Apple Support compromised?
Furthermore, the researchers also discovered that there was no way to generate an SBCO file without having access to Apple's private encryption keys.
The online services that were selling SBCO files were obviously fake, or downright illegal.
“ So what is happening with all those videos and people claiming they were able to buy SCBO files from websites? My bet is that these guys somehow are able to submit illegitimate requests to Apple’s support system and then sell the SCBO files they receive for some nice fat profit. These could be insiders working at Apple support centers or even Apple itself. Only Apple has a real chance to investigate and track the source of these files. 3d software mac os. ”
Remember that story from February? When the press discovered that hackers were offering Apple employees in Ireland thousands of euros for their enterprise passwords? We now may know why crooks are willing to pay so much for Apple employee credentials.Warning: If it ever gets to the point of having to reset your firmware password, please consult a specialist before attempting any of the advice described in this article.
Macbook How To Lock Screen
Control features on your Mac
By default, the top row of keys on your Apple keyboard control many different features on your Mac. For example, pressing the keys with speaker icons adjusts the volume.
If your Mac has a Touch Bar, learn about using function keys on MacBook Pro with Touch Bar.
Use standard function keys
Standard function keys work differently depending on the app and the keyboard shortcuts that you've set up. Some apps have their own keyboard shortcut preferences that you can customize.
To use the standard function keys, hold the Function (Fn)/Globe key when pressing a function key. For example, pressing both Fn and F12 (speaker icon) performs the action assigned to the F12 key instead of raising the volume of your speakers.
If your keyboard doesn’t have an Fn key, try pressing and holding the Control key when pressing a function key.
Change the default function key behavior
If you want to change the top row of keys to work as standard function keys without holding the Fn key, follow these steps:
- Choose Apple menu > System Preferences.
- Click Keyboard.
- Select 'Use F1, F2, etc. keys as standard function keys'.
If you don't see 'Use F1, F2, etc. keys as standard function keys'
If you don't see 'Use F1, F2, etc. keys as standard function keys', you might be using a keyboard not made by Apple. These keyboards might need a utility to change the keyboard functions. Check with your keyboard manufacturer for more information.
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Learn about using function keys on MacBook Pro with Touch Bar.