- Related Stories
-
Mac hacked through QuickTime flaw
April 24, 2007 -
MacBook hacked in contest at security event
April 20, 2007 -
Offering a bounty for security bugs
July 24, 2005
The media player vulnerability lies in QuickTime for Java, Apple said in a security alert. The hole could be exploited through a rigged Web site and let an attacker commandeer computers running both Mac OS X and Windows, the Mac maker said.
"By enticing a user to visit a Web page containing a maliciously crafted Java applet, an attacker can trigger the issue, which may lead to arbitrary code execution," Apple said. Only computers running an unfixed version of QuickTime would be at risk.
Security monitoring company Secunia deems the flaw "highly critical," one notch below its most serious rating. The update, QuickTime 7.1.6, repairs the problem by performing additional checking. Apple credits bug hunter Dino Dai Zovi and the TippingPoint Zero Day Initiative for reporting the issue.
Apple's fix comes just over a week after the vulnerability was used to grab a $10,000 prize and a MacBook Pro in a
Security researcher Shane Macaulay worked with Dai Zovi to break into the Mac and took home the computer. Dai Zovi subsequently submitted the bug to TippingPoint, which sweetened the competition by offering a $10,000 bounty through its Zero Day Initiative program.
Apple on Tuesday also put out an updated version of a security update originally released last month. Version 1.1 of the 2007-004 patch repairs a couple of problems with the original fix, which may cause wireless connections to drop and allow limited FTP users access beyond their privileges on an Apple FTPServer, Apple said in another alert.
Apple's security updates are available through the Software Update application in its operating system and QuickTime software and from the Apple Web site.
See more CNET content tagged:
Apple QuickTime, TippingPoint Technologies, Apple Computer, Apple MacBook Pro, Apple MacBook
wouldn't have been useful for very long.
More proof that Apple cares more about their customers.
But I'll agree that Apple and Microsoft need to start taking a leaf from the open-source Unix and Linux worlds.
A contest to hack a Mac.
1st day.. no winners. They make it easier...
Next day.. the only way to "hack" the Mac is to use an obscure
flaw in an application.. for both windows and Macs...
The Mac OS is still virgin... even after a $10,000 open contest..
To rub it in your face more.. Apple fixed this before it was
exploited..
what are you are going to say about Mac OS security now..
biaaaaches...
Does Apple care more about its users? Are Apple developers more talented than MS developers? Is Apple software easier to fix than Windows software?
We can argue for days about the answers to questions like this but no answer will expose the real reason. It is actually pretty simple IMO.
Any developer worth thier salt should be able to fix a security hole that is pointed out to them fairly quickly regardless of what company they work for. So we can agree that the patch deployment time is not affected to a great extent by the developement of a fix.
Most of the time spent in patching software is testing the patch. Microsoft clearly has a dis-advantage here because of the sheer number of deployments and configurations that must be considered. If you use Big-O notation as an anology, testing Mac software is O(N) while Windows is O(e^N). This is not an excuse for MS patch times, it is a reality of being widely deployed. Put another way, if Apple botches the Quicktime fix, it will affect many less users than if Microsoft botches an Office fix.
So you could interpret the time Microsoft spends testing patches as showing even more concern for thier customers than Apple by performing the due diligence of ensuring that the fix does not adversely affect a large number of customers rather than rushing it out just to look good in the media.
Apple's choice is the better way to go. Both choices end up with
multipurpose computers, but Macs have fewer unnecessary
variations, more compatibility, and much better security.
on for several months.
The difference is, most people don't pay any attention to the MS ads.
interface.
Which is ironic, because I don't think that code has been
updated since security was invented.
At least Apple responded to their developers: the developers
ignored it so so did they!
QuickTime: great APIs, but just didn't mix with Java.
your big, fat mouth is. You haven't paid for any OS X hack, have
you?
And paying Zovi to make the laughable comment that Vista is safer
than OS X doesn't count.
- DON'T INSTALL
- by Travis Ernst May 2, 2007 7:22 AM PDT
- Those of you looking at this prior to installing the update, don't
- Like this Reply to this comment
-
(22 Comments)touch it. There have been a number of us with problems since
upgrading. This is one of the rare times I wish I was like
windblows and could "'deinstall" it and go back to the prior
version.
I use a video in device (cableTV box, USB IN) and it no longer lets
the video stream live. Even recording can be iffy. Others have
reported video editing problems.
As long as your system is secure and not threatened, hold out
until you NEED to fix the problem, or if you had operating
problems with QT then upgrade. Otherwise, WAIT!!!