Mac OS X Leopard Gets Forty One New Spots

EddieC 0 308 Views

Mac OS X is safer today than it was Tuesday, thanks to Apple. The company on Wednesday posted , containing forty one performance and security fixes for the enhanced Active Directory, AirPort, iChat, Mail, Time Machine and several other components of the company’s operating system. It also fixes a flaw in iCal that would leave machines vulnerable to remote code execution and potential hacking or theft of data.

The update, for Mac OS X 10.4.11 and Mac Server OS X 10.4.11, brings Leopard users to version 10.5.3, and is strongly recommended for anyone using prior versions. Mac OS X 10.5.3 also was released this week and contains the update. The patch also fixes application-terminating bugs in AFP Server, AppKit, Apple Pixlet Video, ATS, CoreFoundation, CoreGraphics, the Flash Player Plug-in and Help Viewer. Seven fixes affect the Flash Player alone, which was vulnerable to malicious code hidden inside Trojan content. Another seven repair Apple’s implementation of the Apache Web server, which was until now susceptible to certain attacks, including those from cross-site scripting.

Some of the other more severe security-breach fixes were in Apple’s Mail e-mail client and iCal scheduler. Mail had previously allowed one user to manipulate files and conduct other activities using someone else’s access privileges, and to remotely expose passwords when using single sign-on, expose Wiki Server user names and enable various other forms of remote attack. The iCal issue involves unexpected application termination, but only affects systems running Mac OS X 10.5. Details about other security-related fixes are available at Apple’s Security Update 2008-003 page; there’s a separate page for .

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noted Apple pushed a major Leopard update. Practical, hands‑on guidance that follows helps systems stay recoverable and avoids common pitfalls when applying point releases.

Always take a full backup first (Time Machine or a bootable clone). Point releases can change many system files; a tested backup avoids data loss and makes rollback straightforward. Apple’s Time Machine documentation covers setup and restore workflows. (support.apple.com)

Confirm the current OS/build before touching anything and choose the right installer. Quick checks:

sw_vers -productVersion
sw_vers -buildVersion

Standard installs arrive automatically via Software Update; for machines that are several updates behind or that run third‑party kernel extensions, the standalone “combo” installer is safer because it replaces system files rather than patching only differences. The combo vs. delta distinction and installer behaviour are described in contemporary coverage. For scripted or remote installs the built‑in softwareupdate tool can list and apply packages:

sudo softwareupdate -l
sudo softwareupdate -i -a

Use the combo installer when recovering a troubled system or when Software Update fails. (macworld.com)

If an install fails or the system behaves oddly afterward, boot to Safe Mode (hold Shift on startup) to isolate third‑party extensions, run Disk Utility First Aid / Repair Permissions for Leopard-era systems, and review /var/log/install.log for errors. For downloaded standalone installers, verify integrity with a checksum before running:

shasum -a 256 /path/to/installer.dmg

Apple’s security notes explain how updates are signed and where to find product‑security verification details; when managing multiple machines, test the update on a non‑critical system first and stage deployment. (support.apple.com)

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