System updates

The macOS system updates feature is an important component designed to protect users from malicious software. For maximum security, ESET recommends that you install these updates as soon as they become available. ESET Cyber Security notifies you about missing updates according to the level you specify. You can adjust the availability of update notifications in Setup > Enter application preferences (or press cmd+,) > Alerts and notifications > Setup by changing the Display Conditions options next to the Operating system updates. The following settings are available:

Show all updates - A notification is displayed any time a system update is missing.

Show only recommended - A notification is displayed about recommended updates only.

If you do not want to be notified about missing updates, deselect the check box next to Operating system updates.

The notification window provides an overview of the updates available for the macOS operating system and the applications updated through the macOS native tool - Software updates. You can click Install the missing update to run the update directly from the notification window or the Home section of ESET Cyber Security.

The notification window contains the application name, version, size, properties (flags). and additional information about available updates. The Flags column contains the following information:

[recommended] - The operating system manufacturer recommends that you install this update to increase the system security and stability.

[restart] - A computer restart is required after the installation.

[shutdown] - The computer must be shut down and then powered back on following the installation.

The notification window shows the updates retrieved by the command line tool called softwareupdate. Updates retrieved by this tool can vary from the updates displayed by the Software updates application. To install all available updates displayed in the Missing system updates window and also those not displayed by the Software updates application, you must use the softwareupdate command line tool. To learn more about this tool, read the softwareupdate manual by typing man softwareupdate into a Terminal window. This is recommended for advanced users only.