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Apple Releases Mac OS X Patches
phoric writes "According to eWeek, Apple has released security patches to fix 16 'highly critical' holes, one-third of which deal with the open-source Apache web server. Several of the fixes address exploits such as the bypassing of security restrictions, spoofing, and potential DoS attacks."
Seems odd. Is anyone aware of any malware that takes advantage of the exploits?
Ignorance is curable, stupid is forever.
I've never used Software Update to apply 5.333 fixes before. This should be fun.
...how many of these holes had exploits in the wild?
0 / 16.
Every last one of them was -- and still is -- theoretical.
Do what you have to do in the name of "balanced reporting," though, eWeek.
p
In Korea, long hair is for old people!
Apple fixed a URL spoofing vulnerability in Safari with this release. (The URL shown in the status bar when you click on a link was not necessarily where you were going to be taken)
3 /274330 .aspx
Just today, a MSFT IE secutity tester posted an entry on the IE Blog that dismisses the vulnerabilty. He feels that allowing web sites to display arbitrary text on the status bar is a feature and that users need to learn that they can only trust the address bar URL field, and the lock icon in the status bar. IE users need to know that "the status bar text is not helpful in making trust decisions."
I'm amazed that is the mindset of an security tester and even more amazed that he feels comfortable posting that viewpoint publicly on the IE blog. No wonder they have so many security problems!
Here is the link to the blog:
http://blogs.msdn.com/ie/archive/2004/12/0
FWIW, it worked great on my G5. The rest of the guys in the DSLR MUG haven't had any problem either()
I, of course, cannot vouch for your sucess or failure, but no problems yet!
-Ryan
AUWYHSTOT (Acronyms are Useless When You Have to Spell Them Out Too)
...for releasing 10.2.8 client and server patches, too...from someone waiting for Tiger.
For more info on the update, here's the description from Software Update (click on the link at the bottom for the full Knowledge Base Article)
S Normalizer
Security Update 2004-12-02 delivers a number of security enhancements and is recommended for all Macintosh users. This update includes the following components:
Apache
AppKit
HIToolbox
Kerberos
Postfix
P
Safari
Terminal
For detailed information on this Update, please visit this website: http://www.info.apple.com/kbnum/n61798
infested with jello like fishes no melotron wishes
I read about this on MacSlash (I think that was yesterday) and I still don't see any updates in Software Update. Am I missing something here?
http://www.info.apple.com/kbnum/n61798
(Doh! I hit while correcting spelling in the subject.)
infested with jello like fishes no melotron wishes
Is it just me, or does this release make the whole OS seem snappier? Great jaerb, Apple! :)
Apple has not described these as "highly critical" to my knowledge.
That label has been applied by Secunia, the Danish security company that has, in the past, gotten press for indicating that Windows is secure and OS X isn't, no matter what tests might show.
The browser fixes are potentially significant, but the bulk of the others involve services that aren't even on by default, or things that most users wouldn't deal with.
Sky falling, next 10 miles.
Village idiot in some extremely smart villages.
From the article:
"Apple said the problem exists because its HFS+ file system handles file access in a case-sensitive way, while the Apache configuration blocks access in a case-sensitive way."
Shouldn't that be case insensitive?
- Zav - Imagine a Beowulf cluster of insensitive clods...
Always remember to repair permissions first via Disk Utility. And the hard drive, if you have time.
Choosing the lesser of two evils is a choice for evil.
According to the details on the update, Apple patched an internal system bug that stopped other locally running programs from intercepting data entered into a secure text field. You know, the kind that shows up as dots when you write in it. Nice to see Apple protecting users from phishing spyware before it even exists in OS X.
Apple has issued a security update for Mac OS X, which fixes various vulnerabilities.
S A11841
1) A vulnerability in the Apache "mod_digest_apple" authentication can be exploited by malicious people to conduct replay attacks.
2) Multiple vulnerabilities in Apache and mod_ssl can be exploited to inject potentially malicious characters into error logfiles, bypass certain security restrictions, gain escalated privileges, gain unauthorised access to other web sites, cause a DoS (Denial of Service), and potentially compromise a vulnerable system.
For more information:
SA8146
SA10789
SA11170
SA11534
SA12787
SA12898
3) A security issue in Apache results in access to ".DS_Store" files
and files starting with ".ht" not being fully blocked. The problem is that the Apache configuration blocks access in a case sensitive way, but the Apple HFS+ filesystem performs file access in a case insensitive way.
4) A security issue in Apache makes it possible to bypass the normal Apache file handlers and retrieve file data and resource fork content via HTTP. The problem is that the Apple HFS+ filesystem permits files to have multiple data streams.
5) Multiple vulnerabilities in Apache2 can be exploited by malicious people to cause a DoS or potentially compromise a system, or by malicious, local users to gain escalated privileges.
For more information:
SA12434
SA12540
6) A security issue in Appkit causes secure text fields to not enable secure input correctly in some circumstances. This allows other applications in the same window session to read the entered characters.
7) Multiple vulnerabilities in Appkit can potentially be exploited by malicious people to compromise a user's system or cause a DoS (Denial of Service).
For more information:
SA12818
8) A vulnerability in Cyrus IMAP when using Kerberos authentication can be exploited by malicious, authenticated users to access other mailboxes on the system.
9) A security issue in HIToolbox can be exploited by malicious users to quit applications in kiosk mode via a certain key combination.
10) Multiple vulnerabilities have been reported in Kerberos, where the most serious potentially can be exploited by malicious people to compromise a vulnerable system.
For more information:
SA12408
11) A vulnerability in Postfix when using CRAM-MD5 can be exploited by malicious users to send mails without being properly authenticated. The problem is that the credentials used to successfully authenticate a user can be re-used for a small time period, which can be exploited via replay attacks.
12) A vulnerability in PSNormalizer can potentially be exploited by malicious people to compromise a user's system. The vulnerability is caused due to a boundary error when converting PostScript to PDF.
13) A vulnerability in QuickTime Streaming Server can be exploited by malicious people to cause a DoS via a specially crafted DESCRIBE request.
14) A weakness in Safari can be exploited by malicious people to trick users into visiting a malicious web site by obfuscating URLs.
For more information:
SA13047
15) A vulnerability in Safari can be exploited by malicious web sites to spoof dialog boxes.
For more information:
SA12892
16) A weakness in Terminal may result in the "Secure Keyboard Entry" menu setting erroneously looking like it is active when it's not.
Online & Feelin' Fine
OK. This update b0rked my PowerBook up really well. Afteer an update and Repair Permissions (Always a good idea), I restarted the PB. After a seemingly normal reboot, it halted at Logon Window staring... And did not go any further.
/etc directory (type cd /etc and hit enter for those who seldom wander into Terminal)
/etc/ttys.applesaved /etc/ttys' and hit enter. Type in your admin password, hit enter. Reboot the machine, rejoice as you now get in.
On Apple Discussions, arguably the best official tech solution pages from any major computer company, a possible solution has been posted.
If the problems appear, reboot into single-user mode. Go to the
There you will find a screwed up file, 'ttys' and a backup of the same file called 'ttys.applesaved'. Overwrite the borken file by typing 'sudp cp
I was less fortunate, as the machine was the only ne at home so I never ot to read the advice. I did archive and reinstall, it worked surprisingly well. I have done this under Windows, and lost all settings ang programs. When the 10.3 system was in, even my desktop icons were right where I left them. I did another updated and it worked swell!
I updated to the new security update and now WindowShade is not working. I was just wondering if anyone eles was having this issue and if they knew what to do about it i did a reinstall but that didn't work.
Two of the vulnerabilities reported attempt to modify the
configuration file used by Apache 1.3.Those MacOS X users (like me) who manually reconfigure their Apache configuration should note that the update (sensibly) will not modify a customised httpd.conf. If you fit into this category you should read the advice posted by Apple on how to manually update your httpd.conf to ensure your Apache is not serving up content which should not be available.
Oops... my mistake: Two of the vulnerabilities reported attempt to modify the...
What I meant to say was: The fixes for two of the vulnerabilities reported attempt to modify the...
My apologies...
I'm not sure what the circumstances are that prevent modification. I assume it would have something to do with whether or not you'd manually modified the specific section that contained the vulnerability.
Don't blame me; I'm never given mod points.
It looks like most of the Apache problems stem from Apple's own HFS+ filesystem and its lack of case-sensitive filenaming. HFS+ needs to be retired. I mean, what kind of *nix uses a default filesystem that is *not* case-sensitive? There's a myriad of worthy file systems out there (UFS being my personal favorite.) Before you Mac people flame me, I must point out that I am writing this on my iBook, which I treasure dearly.