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macOS 13.1 Ventura cleared for general use on December 20, 2022

On October 24, 2022, Apple released its newest version of the Macintosh operating system, macOS 13 Ventura. This release includes a series of refinements to the macOS interface, an upgraded Mail app, and the replacement of System Preferences with System Settings. The initial version of Ventura also shipped with a substantial defect related to full disk access that seriously affected the functionality of various security-related software such as CrowdStrike, along with some other utility applications. A recent update to version 13.1 addressed this disk access bug.

Accordingly, macOS Ventura version 13.1 and above only is now cleared for general use by University constituents. This clearance gives Penn’s early macOS 13 adopters a path to more complete security and backup functionality and will support users with new systems that ship with macOS 13 pre-installed.

ISC recommends that those with niche needs of untested apps or features continue to exercise caution in updating their macOS devices to Ventura. In particular, if full disk access is not enabled for security software such as CrowdStrike, it may not be able to quarantine malicious files, or terminate suspicious processes. Users of high-end audio, video, and 3D applications should also verify compatibility with their application vendors before upgrading.
For more detail, see this page.