Apple swats 17 bugs on Safari

Security flaw

Apple has put out new versions of its Safari web browser for OS X to fix a number of vulnerabilities that could enable hackers to run malicious code on a Mac.

In a security advisory, Apple warned that 17 bugs affect Safari 8.0.4 for OS X 10.10 Yosemite, Safari 7.1.4 for OS X 10.9 Mavericks and Safari 6.2.4 for OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion.

The first patch fixes a number of memory corruption problems in WebKit that could lead to an unexpected application termination or arbitrary code execution. Apple said that these issues were addressed through improved memory handling.

The second vulnerability concerned a user interface inconsistency in Safari itself that could prevent users from discerning a phishing attack. An attacker could misrepresent the URL in the browser, folling the user into thinking a website was genuine. Apple said this was fixed by improving user interface consistency checks.

Users can download the latest Safari versions 8.0.4, 7.1.4 and 6.2.4 for free through Software Update.

Apple did not give any further detail on the bugs or whether they had been exploited by criminals.

"For the protection of our customers, Apple does not disclose, discuss, or confirm security issues until a full investigation has occurred and any necessary patches or releases are available," according to the website notice.

The patches comes days after Apple was forced to roll out a number of security updates.

Apple, as well as Microsoft and Google, have had to rush up fixes caused by the FREAK vulnerability, discovered in March.

The FREAK or Factoring Attack on RSA-EXPORT Keys flaw, is an SSL vulnerability that resulted from a ruling by the US government in the nineties that banned the export of strong encryption.

Rene Millman

Rene Millman is a freelance writer and broadcaster who covers cybersecurity, AI, IoT, and the cloud. He also works as a contributing analyst at GigaOm and has previously worked as an analyst for Gartner covering the infrastructure market. He has made numerous television appearances to give his views and expertise on technology trends and companies that affect and shape our lives. You can follow Rene Millman on Twitter.