Snynet Solution Logo
MON - SUN: 10 AM - 6 PM
+60 11 5624 8319

Blog

You can now run macOS for M1 on Intel - if you want

Image Description

BlackBerry Cylance has managed to successfully emulate the Apple M1 silicon using the open source QEMU hardware virtualizer.

The Apple M1 is the company’s first indigenously-designed Arm-based systems-on-a-chip (SoC), which includes both a CPU and the GPU.

And while QEMU could already simulate both the 32-bit and 64-bit Arm processors, thanks to Blackberry it is now even possible to emulate the M1 SoC on top of regular x86 machines.

Although anyone can follow the detailed step-by-step instructions published by Cylance, the process is designed particularly for security researchers and pen-testers.

“Pen-testers and researchers can use the virtualized environment of a stripped-down MacOS kernel for debugging and vulnerability discovery, and this illustrates the extent to which one can use emulation to manipulate and control the kernel to their desired ends, whether it be to find a critical bug or to patch an area of the kernel,” explains BlackBerry in a post detailing the instructions.

Cross-platform emulation

Emulating alien hardware has long been a favorite with developers and testers to experiment with multiple hardware without incurring the cost of physically procuring the hardware.

With its ability to simulate several platforms, QEMU is the popular option for doing cross-platform emulation. No surprise then that BlackBerry has leveraged it to help emulate the M1 SoC.

Note however that BlackBerry’s instructions to get a stripped down M1 macOS kernel to boot under QEMU is fairly involved. 

Also, don’t expect to boot into a graphical desktop when you’re done. Following the procedure you’ll be dropped to a shell, which is the ideal environment for security researchers to find bugs and discover vulnerabilities.

Via The Register

Date

20 May 2021

Sources

Share

Other Blog

  • Google is creating new synergies between Workspace apps

    Google is on a mission to improve the interoperability of its Workspace apps and services.

    Read More

  • What Apple's 'One more thing' launch event means for Black Friday

    The Apple event on November 10 is its third in as many months. Here's how it could change Black Friday.

    Read More

  • Middle East witnesses higher cost per data breach than global average

    IBM Security report shows breaches cost companies $188 per lost or stolen record on average in Saudi Arabia and UAE

    Read More

  • Whitepaper: How to catch up with your sales targets when you're falling behind

    Turn missed sales targets into revenue innovation with our whitepaper.

    Read More

Find Out More About Us

Want to hire best people for your project? Look no further you came to the right place!

Contact Us