Security conference CanSecWest's 'Pwn2Own' contest, held this week in Vancouver, BC, once again featured security analyst Charlie Miller wasting no time in taking remote control of a fully patched Macbook Air. Miller took control of the Macbook Air by exploiting an as-yet unpublished vulnerability in Safari, giving the hacker complete control of Mac.
Apple today announced upgrades across their desktop product line. The updated iMac, Mac Pro and Mac mini have improved graphics, faster processors and memory and no price increases. In fact, the 24" iMac is now starting at $1,499 - the former price of the high-spec'd 20" iMac. The new Mac Pro is packing Quad-core Intel Xeon "Nehalem" processors and a redesigned interior space for easier expansion. The Mac mini now has the nVidia GeForce 9400M graphics processor, faster processors and more memory; it also uses about 45% less power.
Microsoft has disclosed a serious vulnerability in Excel. If exploited, the vulnerability could allow malicious software to be run with the privileges of the current user. Products affected by this vulnerability include Microsoft Office 2000, Microsoft Office 2002, Microsoft Office 2003, Microsoft Office 2007, Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac, and Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac.
Apple today has released the first public beta of Safari 4. Touted as the worlds fastest browser, the software has several features that improve browsing speed as well as a whole new way of visually previewing favorite sites.
A critical vulnerability, which is being actively exploited, has been discovered in Adobe's Acrobat products. Adobe Acrobat 7 Professional, Adobe Acrobat 7.x, Adobe Acrobat 8 Professional, Adobe Acrobat 8.x, Adobe Acrobat 9.x, Adobe Reader 7.x, Adobe Reader 8.x and Adobe Reader 9.x are all affected by a vulnerability that can be exploited to infect affected systems with malicious software.
QuickTime 7.6 has been released, and addresses seven critical vulnerabilities in the software. The update is intended for Mac OS X v10.4.9 through v10.4.11, Mac OS X v10.5 or later, and Windows Vista, XP SP2 and SP3. Installation is highly recommended.
Apple's first fiscal quarter has ended, and the company has posted a record revenue of $10.17 billion and a record net quarterly profit of $1.61 billion dollars.
The final keynote address to the attendees of MacWorld was given by Apple VP Phil Schiller this morning, and included updated iLife '09 & iWork '09 suites, and a boxed set that includes both, as well as Mac OS X 10.5 "Leopard". Also announced today was the long-awaited update to the 17" MacBook Pro. The new laptop, the final one to be updated to the 'aluminum brick' manufacturing process, is said to have improved battery life, powerful graphics capabilities and environmentally-safe components.
Mac OS X is designed to give you a safe and secure computing environment, often by the use of passwords. One of the best things you can do to keep your information and computer secure is to use good, hard-to-guess passwords.
