safari

To tackle the recent Flashback malware for OS X, Apple issued an update for Java that closes the exploited vulnerability in its runtime. Apple also issued a couple of additional tools and tweaks to tackle other potential problems in Java. The first of these is Apple's updated "MRT" (malware removal tool) utility that will scan for and remove the malware from affected systems. The second is a change to how OS X handles Java, in which the system will now keep the Java plug-in disabled until it is needed.

The idea here is to only allow the … Read more

MacFixIt Answers is a feature in which we answer questions e-mailed in by our readers.

This week people wrote in with questions on external hard drives appearing as read-only, Apple's USB modem not working after upgrading to OS X Lion, whether triple-booting OS X and Windows will work properly, and Safari's menu bar disappearing after zooming the window. We welcome alternative approaches and views from readers, so if you have any suggestions, post them in the comments!

Question: External hard drive appearing as read-only MacFixIt reader Orlando asks:

When multitasking in OS X it is not uncommon to have a Web browser open, such as Safari or Firefox, and have multiple tabs open in multiple windows. Sometimes this results in clutter that is quickly managed by pressing Command-W multiple times to rapidly close the tabs, which can lead to the inadvertent closing of needed windows.

While you can use the browser's history menu to quickly open recently visited pages, in some instances the page that was closed had been open for a while, and as such be harder to find or even remember what it was.

If … Read more

Following closely after the release of Safari 5.1.4, Apple today released version 5.1.5 of its Web browser to address difficulties a number of users have had opening the program in 32-bit mode.

Apple's latest hardware and software support has been for 64-bit code, but in order to support older plug-ins and for other compatibility reasons Apple includes a 32-bit binary for its Safari Web browser. To load the software in 32-bit mode, you just need to get information on the application in the Finder and check the "Open in 32-bit" box.

Apparently a … Read more

iOS 5 users, beware a security flaw in Safari that can be used to trick you into visiting potentially malicious Web sites.

Discovered earlier this month by Germany security firm MajorSecurity, the vulnerability could allow cybercriminals to spoof the URL displayed in the browser, trapping users at the wrong sites.

"The weakness is caused due to an error within the handling of URLs when using javascript's window.open() method," explained David Vieira-Kurz of MajorSecurity. "This can be exploited to potentially trick users into supplying sensitive information to a malicious Web site, because information displayed in the … Read more

Google has found itself in the middle of another privacy probe.

The Web giant is under investigation by U.S. and European regulators for bypassing user privacy settings in Apple's Safari Web browser, according to a report in The Wall Street Journal. In a practice it has since ceased, Google used special code to get around Safari's privacy controls in order to track users on computers and mobile devices.

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission is reportedly looking into whether the Google's action violated a 2011 settlement agreement between the agency and the company over privacy concerns … Read more

Like most software updates, the latest Safari update (version 5.1.4) causes changes to the system's configuration that will undoubtedly result in problems for some people's setups. Typically, even if no outstanding issues crop up in the software after an update, some people may find certain Web sites will not work or load correctly, and plug-ins might show odd behavior when displaying content.

If you have updated Safari on your Mac and are experiencing problems after updating, then here are some things to try that may fix them.

Apple has released version 5.1.4 of its Safari Web browser, which addresses a number of bugs in the browser in OS X Lion, Snow Leopard, and Windows. The update should be available via Apple's Software Update utility, but can also be downloaded from the Safari Web site.

The update will be between 36MB and 48MB in size depending on the platform you are using, and will require the latest versions of either OS X Snow Leopard or Lion to install; the Windows versions require Windows XP SP2 or later.

The Danish IT security firm Secunia has released an advisory today regarding two unpatched vulnerabilities in Apple's Safari 5 Web browser. These vulnerabilities are so far are not known to be actively exploited; however, if done, they could allow an attacker to run malicious software and conduct spoofing attacks on those using the browser.

The first vulnerability is in Safari's plug-in handling system, where in some instances when interacting with the plug-in (such as by accessing its settings or contextual menus), if you navigate to a new page, the plug-in may be unloaded in a way that allows … Read more