Old 'Popcorn Time' App Left Hundreds of Thousands of Macs at Risk

If you installed Popcorn Time on a Mac years ago, part of the app may still be running, and it may have left your Mac open to attack. Security firm Eye Research has detailed how Time4Popcorn – an unofficial version of the once-popular movie streaming app – left behind a small update checker that scanned for updates every time the Mac started, even for people who hadn't opened the app in years. The checker basically trusted whatever it downloaded, and gave it full permission to change anything on the Mac. What's worse is that Time4Popcorn's developers long abandoned the project, so the website addresses the helper contacted were expiring. That meant anyone who took over one of the addresses could use it to install harmful software on affected machines. Fortunately, Eye Research says it found no evidence that criminals had done so. Eye Research said it took control of an abandoned address used by the update checker, and it estimates that 250,000 to 350,000 Macs were affected. With no developer left to issue a fix, the researchers had to use the checker itself to disable it on more than a million Macs and Windows PCs. It then handed the addresses to the Shadowserver Foundation, a nonprofit cybersecurity group. Even so, this fix doesn't address other vulnerabilities in Time4Popcorn, and some updated addresses remain outside the researchers' control. For that reason, if you're still running that version, the researchers' advice is simple: uninstall it. Time4Popcorn was one of several unofficial versions of Popcorn Time, and it was actually distributed under the Popcorn Time name, so users may not know whether the copy they installed is the affected one. For all the details, check out the Eye Research report. Popular StoriesApple Responds to iPhone Duo Display Cracking ReportsMonday October 26, 2026 10:20 am PDT by Juli CloverShortly after the iPhone Duo launched, a few users reported hinge issues that were causing cracks in the inner display. Apple has now responded to the reports in a statement to MacRumors, saying a small number of units are affected. The response to iPhone Duo from early users has been incredibly positive, and we are seeing exciting things from developers who are rapidly updating their apps...Apple Announces New iPad Mini With 8.5-Inch OLED Display, A20 Pro Chip, and MoreApple today announced a new iPad mini with a larger 8.5-inch OLED display, a nano-texture display option, a thinner and lighter design, an A20 Pro chip, a new Acoustic Display audio system that eliminates speaker holes, IP67-rated water and dust resistance, a landscape front camera, Apple's N1 chip with Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6 support, and more. Altogether, Apple says this amounts to the iPad...Apple Announces OLED MacBook Pro With Touch DisplayWednesday October 28, 2026 10:11 am PDT by Juli CloverApple today announced a new high-end MacBook Pro, which is available in 14-inch and 16-inch sizes. The new device has a PROLED XDR display that supports touch gestures, and a glowing rear Apple logo. Pricing on the MacBook Pro starts at $2,899 for the 14-inch model and $3,399 for the 16-inch model. Apple says the MacBook Pro has the "world's best display in a pro laptop." The PROLED...