Apple This

Apple decided to unleash a whole host of Mac OS X upgrades on the Apple community on Wednesday. These updates included version 10.7.3 of Max OS X Lion and Lion Server, which also brings you a plethora of different system improvements and expanded language support. The updates also included Safari 5.1.3, a new version of Server Admin Tools, fixes for Apple Remote Desktop and security updates for Mac OS X Snow Leopard.

Updates to the newest operating system from the Cupertino, California company, Mac OS X 10.7 Lion, mainly consist of fixes to existing problems that offer more stability, compatibility and security. In addition to that, the update has a ton of new features like support for a lot of new languages, WiFi connectivity fixes and Windows file sharing compatibility.

Mac OS X Lion 10.7.3 can be downloaded through a Software Update or through Apple’s support page, which also offers Client and Client Combo versions that are 997.01 MB and 1.2GB respectively. For this to work, however, you have to be running Mac OS X Lion 10.7.2 or you won’t be able to update.

The Mac OS X Lion Server update, aside from bringing the updates to the Client Version, adds fixes and features to the server side of the OS. This includes things like file sharing and VPN server app improvements, enhancements to the web and Wiki server applications and updates to the profile manager. In addition to that, you will find some new components, different bug fixes and security upgrades.

A refresh of Apple’s Server Admin Tools was also released on Wednesday and adds supplementary applications for use with the Mac OS X server. There are also new versions of Podcast Composer, Server Admin, Server Monitor, System Image Utility, Workgroup Manager and Xgrid Admin, all of which require Mac OS X Lion or Lion Server.

Source: Apple Insider – Apple rolls out Mac OS X Lion, Snow Leopard updates

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Apple has just released a very massive security update for Mac OS X as well as a new version of the company’s operating system. However, according to multiple sources, installing the patches may cause your computer to crash and become unbootable.

This new update, known as the Mac OS X Security Update 2011-006, addresses over 70 vulnerabilities found in core components as well as third-party products bundled by default with the operating system. A majority of these flaws have the highest severity rating assigned to them and could result in arbitrary code execution via a remote attack vector.

Two security issues were patched in the Mac OS X kernel with one being patched in CoreStorage, two more in CoreMedia and others in CoreProcesses, CoreFoundation, CFNetwork and the application firewall. Apple is also playing catch-up in terms of security with this update with multiple third-party software packages providing important functionality like Apache HTTPD, BIND, PHP, Tomcat, Mailman, Python and libpng.

One of Apple’s central applications, QuickTime, was also updated with this release, addressing eleven separate vulnerabilities. However, some of these vulnerabilities only affect OS X Snow Leopard. However, even with all the benefits that come with the new update, Apple users should be very cautious about installing it as doing so could result in some more serious problems.

According to a Twitter post by security researcher Dragos Ruiu, “Apple OS X Security Update makes macbook kernel panic at boot.” Ruiu later confirmed that other users have experienced the same problem , more specifically on systems with Lion/Snow Leopard dual-boot configurations. Ruiu added, “If you have two or more os partition on mbp (MacBook Pro) it breaks.”

In addition to Ruiu, Senior Technology Consultant Graham Cluley from Sophos, a Mac OS antivirus provider, reported installation problems with the newly released iOS 5 mobile OS. Cluley was unable to confirm boot issues for Mac OS X but did advise users to postpone updating if they believe that they may be infected.

Source: Computer World – Mac OS X security update causes crashes, say experts

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Many of you remember when malware, known as BlackHole or MusMinim, was discovered by security company Sophos for Mac OS X. If you don’t remember, BlackHole is a backdoor server program Remote Access Tool (RAT) that runs on an infected system and allows a remote user(s) to interact with the system.

The user can then issue shutdown commands, display screen messages, open URLs or request usernames and passwords. In simpler terms, this is similar to a remote desktop utility that is not distributed for productive purposes.

Unlike more recent attempts at getting malware on Mac OS X that attempt to keep hidden and steal a user’s information automatically, BlackHole isn’t very discreet and requires a remote user to actively interact with the system.

That is why many security experts classify it more as a prank or “annoyware” as opposed to malware. Despite that, though, it can still be used for the purpose of stealing information and was not developed as a legitimate piece of software, which technically classifies it as malware.

It does appear as if the developer of BlackHole is refining the malware as Sopho has just released new definitions on a third variant of the malware. When new malware is discovered, definitions of it are usually labeled alphabetically in order to differentiate its variants.

Even though this malware is in no way as volatile as the MacDefender malware and its variants, it does show that even seemingly old malware can be tweaked at any time. Despite the development, there really is nothing new and it presents a very low risk to Mac users.

If you do happen to come across this malware on your Mac, it is advisable that you remove it as soon as possible, if only to be better safe than sorry.

Source: CNET – Sophos tackles new BlackHole RAT malware variant for OS X

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Apple issued a security update on Friday for the Mac OS X 10.7 Lion and Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard operating systems. This update, according to Apple, was designed to address a security issue that was related to fraudulent online certificates.

Known as Security Update 2011-005, this update is now available to download through a software update or as a 15.59MB download for Mac OS X 10.7 Lion. Only an 869KB download is required for users downloading the update for Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard. As far as Apple is concerned, the update is strongly recommended for any and all Mac users.

The Security Update 2011-005 addresses an issue that could potentially allow a computer hacker with a privileged network position to intercept the credentials of other users or even steal sensitive data and information like user IDs, passwords or other, more personal information.

Apple sent out the update in response to fraudulent certificates that were issued by multiple certificate authorities operated by DigiNotar. More on that story can be found here. Apple’s update does, however, remove DigiNotar from the list of trusted root certificates and also from the list of Extended Validation (EV) certificate authorities.

In addition to all of that, the security update also configures the default system trust settings so that DigiNotar’s certificates, including all of those that were issued by other authorities, are not viewed as trusted.

Another update was also sent out by Apple on Thursday for Lexmark printers. This update, known as Lexmark 2.6 Printer Driver, includes the latest Lexmark printing and scanning software required for both Mac OS X 10.7 Lion and Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard. The 133.99MB update for that can also be downloaded directly from Apple as well.

Source: Apple Insider – Apple releases Mac OS X Security Update 2011-005 to stop certificate fraud

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Not long after its release, Apple has already issued the first maintenance update to OS X Lion. The update, known as OS X Lion 10.7.1, is available now via Software Update and Apple’s download pages though you should be prompted by your Apple computer to update the next time you turn it on.

According to Apple, “The 10.7.1 update is recommended for all users running OS X Lion and includes general operating system fixes that enhance the stability and compatibility of your Mac.” Fixes to OS X Lion found in 10.7.1 include:

• Addresses an issue that may cause the system to become unresponsive when playing a video in Safari.
• Resolves an issue that may cause system audio to stop working when using HDMI or optical audio ouput.
• Improves the reliability of WiFi connections.
• Resolves an issue that prevents transfer of your data, settings and compatible applications to a new Mac running OS X Lion.

All the information on the OS X Lion update 10.7.1 can be found on the website http://support.apple.com/vb/HT4764 so you should head on over there if you have any questions or you want more information about the update itself.

In addition to that, Apple has also released a separate version of 10.7.1 that is specific to the most recent MacBook Air and Mac Mini. This update included the same features as the original 10.7.1 update but also adds specific fixes only designed for these devices. These new fixes include:

• Resolves an issue where MacBook Air may boot up when MagSafe Adapter is attached.
• Resolves an issue causing intermittent display flickering on MacBook Air.
• Resolves an issue that causes the SD card slot in Mac Mini to run at reduced speed with SD and SDHC media.

To top it all off, Apple has also released a separate OS X Lion Update 10.7.1 (Server) update for any system with Lion Server components installed. This fix improves the reliability of the Apple File Service. In addition to that, a unique OS X Lion 10.7.1 Update for Mac Mini 2011 (Server) update, including all of the OS X Lion 10.7.1, Lion Server and specific Mac Mini changes has also been released.

Source: Mac Rumors – Apple Releases OS X 10.7.1 with Fixes for Video in Safari, Audio Out, Wi-Fi and more

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In its first day of public availability, Apple’s new operating system Mac OS X Lion was downloaded over one million times from Apple’s Mac App Store.

Apple boasted in a statement about the initial success of Lion with wording that hinted that the operating system had brought in nearly $30 million. According to Apple’s statement, “In just one day, over one million users bought and downloaded Mac OS X Lion.” Mac OS X Lion is currently priced at $29.99.

However, the words “bought and downloaded” could be interpreted in a different way. Due to the fact that Mac owners are able to download multiple copies of Lion for the price of one, it is possible that the revenues of the first day were much less than the predicted $30 million that Apple teased. Apple did say that Lion was selling “faster than any other OS release in history.”

It is also impossible to determine how well Lion is doing compared to the last Apple OS, Snow Leopard, due to the fact that Apple never released early sales figures for that operating system. In September of 2009, it was estimated that Snow Leopard sold twice as many copies in its first two weeks than its predecessor, Leopard, and nearly quadrupled the number sold by Tiger. However, Snow Leopard did cost $100 less than both systems.

In October of 2007, Apple claimed that it had sold or delivered 2 million copies of Leopard in its first four days, however, that number included copies installed on new Macs sold during that time period. Apple plans on selling Lion on a USB drive for $69 next month. In addition to that, Apple also sells Lion Server for $49.99 as an add-on/upgrade to Lion.

By late Thursday, Lion had collected more than 9,500 customer ratings and boasted a collective score of 4.5 out of 5 stars. If you haven’t already upgraded to Lion, the OS can be downloaded from the Mac App Store and installed on most Macs running Snow Leopard 10.6.6 and later.

Source: Computer World – Apple touts 1M Lion downloads on Day 1

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Here’s something interesting. Even though it has yet to be released, Apple is recommending that users of the newly released Final Cut Pro X, Motion 5 and Compressor 4 update their systems to Mac OS X 10.6.8. So how am I supposed to upgrade to something that doesn’t technically exist yet?

In a recent support document released by Apple after the new Pro apps became available, Apple briefly mentioned that “Updating to Mac OS X v10.6.8 or later is strongly recommended when using Final Cut Pro X, Motion 5 or Compressor 4.” Update to Mac OS X v10.6.8 or later!? How can I go to a later version if the earlier one isn’t even available? Has Apple somehow discovered the secret to time travel or something?

This recommendation seems to indicate that the update to Mac OS X should be available very soon. In addition to OS X 10.6.8, Apple is also working on the initial public version of Mac OS X 10.7 Lion scheduled to become available next month. Apple seems to have high hopes for this as Apple has delayed the release of its new notebooks to wait for OS X 10.7.

Mac OS X 10.7 Lion will be available for a nominal $30 fee via the Mac App Store but the new 10.6.8 update for Mac OS X Snow Leopard will be a free update available via Software Update for all existing Snow Leopard users.

Apple is also reminding people that the new Pro Apps run Software Update in order to download and install the new QuickTime codecs for Pro Apps. This includes Apple Intermediate Codec, Apple PreRes, AVC-Intra, DVCPRO HD, HDV, XDCAM HD / EX / HD422, MPEG IMX and Uncompressed 4:2:2.

Source: Apple Insider – Apple recommends yet unreleased OS X 10.6.8 for Final Cut Pro X users

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Apple is holding back its latest refresh of its Mac notebook, citing that it is waiting on the new version of its operating system to be released in July before letting the new notebook loose on the public.

This bit of tasty information came from sources quoted by AppleInsider who said that the new MacBook Air models, which will be featuring Intel Sandy Bridge processors as well as the Thunderbolt expansion port, have been ready for quite some time but Apple does not want to release them with the old Mac OS X 10.6 operating system released back in 2009.

The MacRumors.com Buyer’s Guide, which tracks all the intervals by which Apple refreshes its hardware, is in support of this decision. The Buyer’s Guide shows that all the portable Mac products are reaching the end of their typical sales cycle. That is all products aside from the MacBook Pro which was updated earlier this year.

Mac OS X 10.7 Lion is supposed to debut in July and is far more than your traditional operating system. It connects users to the iCloud, the new storage service from Apple. iCloud represents a big new direction for Apple, who sees it as a way of bringing together all the different desktop and mobile platforms.

Apple overcame the issue of hardware releases not syncing up with OS X release dates by bundling CPU Drop-in discs with the new Macs. The computers came with an older version of the OS preinstalled, while the disc contained the new OS and allowed you to manually upgrade your device.

However, Mac OS X 10.7 Lion will only be available for download through the Mac App Store which is installed on all Macs running the current Mac OS release. OS X Lion will not be available on  a DVD in any way which will make it unavailable through traditional retail chains.

It should, theoretically, still be possible for Apple to bundle a voucher code that would permit users to upgrade for free through the App Store. However, Apple is traditionally against registration keys like the ones found on Windows computers.

OS X retail releases have never used them and retail releases for the iWork productivity suite has dropped the need for registration keys completely. The Mac App Store also prevents the need to register your software by using digital rights management to tie the software to your computer.

So, if you are looking forward to the latest installment to either Mac OS X Lion, the new Mac notebook or both, you are going to have to wait a little while longer. But, hey, think of it this way, at least you get them both at the same time.

Source: PC World – Apple Delays MacBook Update, Waits for Lion

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