Apple has pushed out an update to the Snow Leopard version of the OS that adds new security guards against malware. It’s the first release in 10 months that improves this sort of hacker barrier.
If only the new iPad could be so lucky to be so well protected. We’ve been using the tablet since its release, but nary an update is to be downloaded to advance the device’s security.
The 10.6.4 version of Snow Leopard, which is a 17-minute download on a middle-fast DSL line, introduces new protection to prevent back door attacks on Macs through the iPhoto software that ships with every system. A new feature called XProtect gets an update that keeps hackers from installing malware by fooling users into thinking iPhoto is at work, when damage is being done.
An update of a Mac’s operating system for security reasons — that’s a good idea. But Apple doesn’t have a practice of identifying security holes they patch with a new release. And sometimes a new OS version will make software stop running on a Mac. This is why backups are a vital complement to any security updating.Apple has brought out four updates to the Snow Leopard version of its OS now, updates that cover just a nine-month period. Not every one had a security benefit. But the state of security is so tenuous now that your Adobe PDF software, browser, and OS should be considered at risk if you haven’t seen an update in 90 days.
Browsers and Adobe software are the chief targets for hackers, since they cover so many more victims than just Apple’s products. More than 360 million people are using Firefox as a browser, for example, on both PCs and Macs. Adobe’s Flash and Acrobat readers run on hundreds of millions of systems. Adobe just introduced a 9.3.3 version of Acrobat to improve security.
As diligent as Apple and Adobe might be (some say Apple’s sluggish at best about security plugs), the vendors can’t do a thing to help secure your business if you don’t install updates. The rule of thumb was once “don’t install if you don’t need” an update. But security issues are much more serious by now. You can balance the time spent downloading and upgrading, the checks of your applications afterward, against the dangers of running an unprotected system.
About 30 minutes of downloading and watching mysterious messages — things like “optimizing” or “unpacking packages” or “moving items into place” or “registering components” — plus a reboot, and my iMac was running 10.6.4. I did the usual first step after an upgrade — started all the apps that matter to my workplace.
The Apple apps don’t need checking — Apple’s done that in its own labs. But the likes of Adobe CS apps, QuickBooks 2010, Microsoft Office apps and even reliables like Eudora, an antique mail program. 10.6.4 updates Apple’s Mail, as it turns out — so my add on Mail Tags software needs to be updated.
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