Support ended at UCSF since November 30, 2021

What is Happening?

macOS Mojave 10.14.x approached its end-of-life (EOL) and is no longer supported by Apple.  Security updates and maintenance from Apple discontinued as well.  UCSF IT Field Services ended support of macOS Mojave 10.14.x since November 30, 2021.  All versions of macOS older than 10.14.x also do not meet UCSF's minimum security standards.

IT Field Services stopped offering macOS Mojave 10.14.x as a re-imaging option to all Macs without an approved security exception.  By policy, all computers used at UCSF must run vendor-supported versions of operating systems to avoid security risks.

We will block Macs running macOS Mojave 10.14.x or older from the UCSF network at a later date.  Once a date is set, an announcement will be sent to the UCSF Community well in advance.  This proposed blockage is necessary because newly discovered vulnerabilities to security and information privacy in the operating system are no longer corrected by Apple with their periodic security updates for discontinued versions of macOS.

What do I need to do?

If your Mac is running macOS Mojave 10.14.x or any older versions, we suggest upgrading it to macOS Monterey (recommended) or macOS Big Sur (acceptable alternative).  Afterwards, all computers without the required security exception must be running vendor-supported operating system versions to satisfy UCSF minimum security standards.

To ensure our ability to continue to support your computer with application software upgrades after November 30, 2021, please consider one of the following options to upgrade macOS a newer version for continued support.

• If you have an ITFS-supported computer still running macOS Mojave or older, please open a IT ticket to request to upgrade your macOS: https://ucsf.service-now.com/ess/get_it_help.do.
  • For "Type of Help", select the option Computer, Software, Mobile Devices and Printers
• If you have a computer that is not supported by or subscribed with ITFS, or unsure, please consult one of the following options:
  • If your computer is running UCSF IT Security Suite, please visit this web page for special instructions to follow before upgrading macOS: https://wiki.library.ucsf.edu/x/nSnPHQ (MyAccess login required)
  • To request technical assistant on ensuring your macOS upgrade is successful, you may open an IT ticket on our website at https://ucsf.service-now.com/ess/get_it_help.do.
    • For "Type of Help", select the option Computer, Software, Mobile Devices and Printers
  • For urgent requests, you may call our IT Service Desk at (415) 514-4100 to request technical assistance.
• Please note that ITFS may charge an hourly rate to assist users that are not subscribed to ITFS support.

What other impacts do I need to be aware of besides security risk?

UCSF IT cannot assist with future upgrades to application software if your macOS version isn't current, such as Microsoft Office and various productivity applications, when their respective vendors no longer maintain official compatibility of their software products with older OS versions.  Additionally, OS versions that reached end of life are no longer maintained by their manufacturers, such as end of enhancements and security updates, which will render them no longer meeting UCSF's minimum security standards.

Please also be aware that macOS Mojave is the final version that can run older 32-bit applications as described on Apple's website at https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT208436.  macOS Catalina and newer requires applications to be developed for 64-bit processors and will require all older 32-bit applications to be upgraded separately to run on newer versions of macOS.

Older 32-bit applications for Macs are listed in this website at https://roaringapps.com/collections/list-of-32-bit-macos-apps. Note: RoaringApps is not affiliated with UCSF.

Expect macOS Catalina support to end in late 2022

With Apple's recent release of macOS Monterey 12, macOS Catalina 10.15.x is now the third oldest macOS version and will cease to be supported next year.  When this occurs, ITFS will stop providing standard software support for all computers running macOS Catalina on November 30, 2022.

_{Updated: 3/7/2022 to reflect current support of macOS Monterey and republished to help remind our UCSF community about this.  (This news article was originally published on 9/29/2021)}