WiFi Finder
Locate wireless services by a specific address, city, state, country, airport, or zip code.
Apple Posts QuickTime Security Fix
Robert McMillan, IDG News Service
Apple has released an update to its QuickTime media player, fixing a number of critical security bugs in the software.
The QuickTime 7.3 update, released Monday, fixes seven bugs in the software. Six of the flaws could allow an attacker to run unauthorized software on a victim's PC. To do this, the attacker would first need to trick the victim into viewing a maliciously crafted movie or image file, Apple said.
The seventh flaw lies in QuickTime for Java, and it could be used to gain access to sensitive information or to run Java applets with elevated privileges, Apple said. The QuickTime patches issued Monday are for the latest versions of the Mac OS X operating system as well as Windows Vista and XP.
None of the bugs had been previously disclosed to the public, said Andrew Storms, director of security operations with nCircle Network Security, via instant message.
In the past year, QuickTime has been closely scrutinized by security researchers, and this latest update was Apple's fifth QuickTime security fix for the year. The previous update, QuickTime 7.2, released in July, featured eight bug-fixes.
Apple credited outside researchers from companies like Adobe, Verisign and 3Com for reporting the bugs it patched Monday.
"QuickTime seems to have become a new flavor of the month for researchers," Storms said. "I think part of the reason for the attention is that its cross platform. Many of the attacks will work on both Windows and Mac, and with Apple's market share in the PC market growing, there won't be any let-down to the attention that the hackers are giving Apple."
With HP wireless printers, you could have printed this from any room in the house. Live wirelessly. Print wirelessly.
Laptop Showcase
Turn Data into Dollars
Tags at a Glance
Related Security Articles
- When the Watchdog Is the Underdog In data security, many of the toughest challenges have nothing to do with the bad guys.
- Data Mining for Terrorists Is Futile Report, commissioned in part by the DHS, also warns of potential privacy problems.
- Security Software Performs Poorly in Exploit Test Security software suites are doing a poor job of detecting when a PC's software is under attack, according to Danish vendor Secunia.
- What's the Best Way to Backup What I Need to Backup? David Edelbaum wants to know the best techniques and programs for backing up his PC.
- Six Essential Apple iPhone Security Tips Security is a tech manager's top concern when it comes to mobile devices--here's how to use them to your advantage with minimal risk.
Best Prices on Security Software
Norton Internet Security 2009Price: $25.49
Norton Internet Security 2008Price: $13.98
Internet Security 2008 - 3-User (Full Product, PC)Price: $11.49
Norton 360 2.0 ( PC)Price: $44.99
Kaspersky Internet Security 2009Price: $25.95
Internet Security Suite 2008 - 3-UserPrice: $14.95
-
CDW Security Center Is your data protected? Visit the CDW Security Center Learn where you may be vulnerable and how to address those risks.
-
Asus Laptop Showcase Ultra-fashionable thin and light notebooks with SmartLogon Face Recognition. Find out more...
-
HP Ink Center Bring improved color and brilliance to your printed material. Visit the Resource Center for more info...
PC World's Marketplace
PC World's Free Whitepapers
"Apple Posts QuickTime Security Fix" Comments