⬇ Download holy card: ·
Saint Rootpipe, the Root Smoker
Patron of hidden APIs, patches that only reach the newest version, and Macs that thought they were invulnerable.
Life
On 9 April 2015 Emil Kvarnhammar of TrueSec revealed Rootpipe, a hidden "backdoor" API in the OS X admin framework: any user could gain root privileges without a password. Apple fixed it in OS X 10.10.3, but only on Yosemite, leaving older versions without a cure. Shortly afterwards Patrick Wardle showed the fix could be bypassed, and another patch was needed.
Prayer
O Saint Rootpipe, who quietly smokes the pipe of privilege, let our hidden APIs not stay hidden from those who look. Amen.
How to celebrate
Celebrated by updating macOS and wondering, now and then, what service doors the house might have.
A hidden pipe still lets out smoke.