Apple fixes dozens of holes with OS X security update
Apple released a Mac OS X security update on Thursday that contains fixes for more than two dozen vulnerabilities, including one in Safari RSS that could lead to arbitrary code execution and one in Remote Apple Events that could disclose sensitive information.
Also fixed are a vulnerability in AFP Server that could trigger a denial of service and vulnerabilities in Apple Pixlet Video, ClamAV, CoreText, Python, SMB, and X11 that could lead to arbitrary code execution. Another fix closes a hole in Printing that could allow a local user to get system privileges and one in DS Tools that could expose passwords to other local users.
Security Update 2009-001 can be obtained from the Software Update pane in System Preferences or Apple's Software Downloads Web site.
Apple also on Thursday released Safari 3.2.2 for Windows, which fixes a vulnerability that could allow execution of arbitrary JavaScript in the local security zone. That update is also on Apple's download site.
Elinor Mills covers Internet security and privacy. She joined CNET News in 2005 after working as a foreign correspondent for Reuters in Portugal and writing for The Industry Standard, the IDG News Service, and the Associated Press. E-mail Elinor. 
Wow. Just.... wow. How very very sad.
A security update - imagine, an OS has holes?
Wow.
Yep, let the fanboyz come in and ruin yet another page.
The Mac has "security though obscurity", but Apple programmers really are security incompetents.
http://philosecurity.org/2009/01/12/interview-with-an-adware-author
Any OEM that takes responsiibility for their product in such a manner has my approval.
Maybe someone should calculate, for each MacOS vulnerability and each PC vuln, how many computers (by percentage out there) were infected / compromised using that vuln before it was announced, and how many after. Use the data from any reputable security firm.
Just a table something like:
Vuln Platform % Compromised before patch % Compromised after patch
1 PC 10 30
2 PC 20 40
3 MacOS 0 0
4 MacOS 2 3
etc....
I think this might give some idea what's going on in real life.
Read the OP again. His numbers were percentages of those who use the OS. I'll dumb it down for you if you need to.
1 PC 10% 30%
2 PC 20% 40%
3 MacOS 0% 0%
4 MacOS 2% 3%
As in, for every 100 people using an OS, that many peoples computers were effected.
http://philosecurity.org/2009/01/12/interview-with-an-adware-author
When does Apple patch security holes? When does Windows patch security holes? When does Linux patch security holes?
You'll have a ready answer for only one of those three questions and that is one of the many reasons Windows is so insecure. Linux patches holes as they are found. Apple does roughly the same thing. Windows patches on Patch Tuesday.
We're not talking about the FUD called "security through obscurity", we're talking about a better security model and a better idea of how to patch any potential security holes.
Before linking an article, just look up security threats and potential security threats, notice how severe those threats are to each system and realize that it doesn't matter what gets said by some lowlife. Windows is just insecure. it's working on getting better, but it's still just insecure.
Not sure why you felt the need to "dumb it down" considering I didn't dispute the numbers. If adding the % sign makes you feel more intelligent then by all means use it in every post. I was simply pointing out that this would be a viable comparison if Macs had a similar market share to what it is being compared against. My bet is that when Apples market share doubles we will see vulnerabilities increase by a factor much larger.
Go run your processor hogging anti-virus programs, Windows users.
On topic: Apple releases security updates once in a while, whats so new?
it's a fact that in all these years there has yet to be a massive outbreak of viruses/spyware etc
but for Windows users it's a daily affair
just recently there was a Article about how some 9 million Pcs were affected by some Worm
I switched 6-7 month back and ever since then
I've been running my macbook without n e form of protection
and guess wat no Viruses or spyware watsoever !
But on my Desktop PC I use more than 3 different Anti-spyware programs but it still manages to pick them up on a regular basis
and requires constant scans and updates to keep it up and running without problems not to mention anti-virus too
Macs r just safer, less burdening on the user and fun to use
it doesn't matter why or how but it's a fact
I know friends who use Vista, they've seen viruses and malware and I've read plenty of articles about malware threats for Vista. Windows Updates don't do any good until Patch Tuesday, that's the problem. I update my computer daily while still working because it doesn't make me restart unless there's an update to the kernel itself. Even then, I get the choice of when I restart without having that annoying popup window every 5 minutes reminding me.
Yes, Vista is more secure than XP, that part I'll agree with. Vista is far from being as secure as either OS X or Linux.
As for your number for Windows users, let's see how high that number is by letting the users choose what OS to install rather than forcing Windows onto so many machines. It's increasingly difficult to even buy a used computer without Windows installed. Let's change that and see what happens.
Relax. Your daughter's computer is just fine and does not have any virus :-)
Cookie "Spyware" is a nice little term invented by security companies to scare people to either buy their anti-virus software or install their toolbar, ad-ons, etc. These cookie "spyware" really don't harm your computer. They don't run any code or steal any information on your computer. The only potential thing they do is to help site track the web site that you just visited, but that's just how the web and browsers works. Everything web site (Google, Apple, Microsoft) will track you through cookies.
Oh by the way, the cookie "Spyware" "infects" Mac and Linux equally well because they are just part of standard behavior on browsers. IE and Firefox have the same policy for cookie, while Safari chose to disable third party cookies by default. These are just browser policies, not some security holes.
So in conclusion, you have no common sense when it comes to browsing the web, and most malicious developers don't see the benefit of targeting Mac OS.
you've spammed that link in every comment on this page. Do we need to run an antivirus to get rid of you?
Windows Pcs r being affected on a daily basis
but Mac and Linux users r unaffected !
so that by itself proves that windows is not secure
and why even bring marketshare into the picture, who cares ?
But by blaming the user for MSoft's problem is a new low from win fanboys !
we r paying good money to MS so they better learn to get things right !
Sure with a bit of common sense you can prevent spyware and viruses
but it requires Time ,effort and patience !
Why must I subject myself through all that trouble when there r better Alternatives ?
crapple at its best
Apple does have security holes, just like every other software producer(!!)...
Microsoft has 'patch Tuesday' which everyone in Microsoft land seems to just love... and Apple closes security holes and it gets kicked??? Anyone care to explain how that works??
But Apple practices due diligence in maintaining its OS and that's somehow BAD? Get your head out of your backside, MS fanboys. I'll throw in the free point that anyone counting vulnerabilites as an indication of the security of the respective OSes is a simpleton, as any simple search will overwhelmingly show that the ONLY OS routinely in the news as a threat to users data and productivity is Microsoft's Windows.
And the market share rhetoric? Time to give it a rest. Given that Mac OS 9 had viruses, and it's installed base wasn't very large in the 90s, your market share numerology is invalidated. The simple fact us that the Mac OS is better built from the ground up than Windows. If the numbers are even remotely true, and Windows 94% or whatever market share nets it over 250000 variants of malware and what have you, then by ANY kind of math Mac OS X's 6 to 8 % should have netted itself at the very *least* a few dozen viruses or significant threats. 15000 threats at worst if the market share calculations mean anything.
But despite the Windows Weenies best efforts to pretend otherwise, the reality continues to be this: zero viruses and less than a handfull of trojans (which you have install yourself!) for Mac OS X. None of the carping about Apple and dopey vulnerability counts has changed that fact. Deal with it and move on.
- by AppleSuxLeo February 15, 2009 10:58 PM PST
- QuickTime...er QuickSand , is proof Apple has incompetent programmers.
- Like this Reply to this comment
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