Apple Fixes Critical Vulnerabilities in OS X

Apple has released a security update for OS X that fixes 13 vulnerabilities. Eight bugs, some of which are in open source applications, have been labeled critical by Apple and need to be patched “as soon as possible.”

The patches from the Security Update 2010-005 fix bugs in some system components of OS X, including the Apple Type Services and the CFNetwork module, and in several open source packages, such as PHP, Samba, and ClamAV.

According to Apple, a total of thirteen bugs will be fixed, eight of which have been classified as critical. The vulnerabilities could be exploited through PDF exploits and manipulated PNG images, among other things. This would give attackers the opportunity to undetected take control of OS X systems. Apple therefore advises its users to install the security updates as soon as possible.

Speaking to Australia’s Zdnet, Paul Ducklin, security researcher at Sophos, said that Apple’s updates demonstrate Mac users should also be wary: “The fact that Apple regularly updates its operating systems shows that its OSs do not have the ‘magic layer of security’ that many Apple users seem to assume. Although the risk of contamination is small, the chance is always there.”