Transmission 4.1.4 fixes download regressions, macOS security flaw

The open-source BitTorrent client Transmission has shipped version 4.1.4, a maintenance release that fixes a potential remote code execution vulnerability in its macOS client. The update also resolves download reliability issues including a regression from version 4.1.0 that mishandled zero-byte files, improves GTK and Qt client interoperability, and corrects speed-limit overrides and RPC hardening.

What 4.1.4 changes for Linux and macOS users

• Download reliability: Fixes regression from 4.1.0 where zero-byte files in torrents could cause lost download progress; also resolves rare webseed completion failures
• Cross-client handoff: GTK and Qt clients now properly share sessions—launching one while the other runs automatically routes new torrent requests to the existing instance instead of causing conflicts
• Speed limits: Per-torrent overrides of session upload/download speed limits now function correctly
• RPC hardening: torrent-add RPC method now rejects malformed requests
• macOS security: Patches local-privilege-escalation path to RCE that required write access to user preferences; minimum macOS version raised to macOS 12
• Linux desktop fixes: GTK torrent lists auto-update on folder rename or magnet metadata arrival; single-file torrent folder-opening works correctly; missing application icon issue resolved; Qt client CPU usage reduced

Why it matters

The fix for zero-byte file handling restores reliability for users who upgraded to 4.1.x and experienced silent data loss on affected torrents. The GTK/Qt interoperability improvement benefits Linux users who switch between desktop environments or maintain multiple client installations.