Apple introduced a security flaw in OS X 10.7.3, but a new software update being pushed out over Software Update fixes this flaw. The new OS X 10.7.4 update is available as a free update to all OS X Lion users.

Apple also shipped a new version of their web browser Safari that now checks your version of Flash and disables it if it isn’t running the latest version. They hope this will alleviate security holes that come from outdated Flash.

OX X 10.7.4 Update for FileVault Vulnerability

The flaw in OS X exposed a user’s password if you upgraded to Lion 10.7.3 but left the legacy version of FileVault turned on for compatibility reasons. FileVault encrypts your hard drive to keep prying eyes from seeing your sensitive data. Many users use FileFault to hide files they don’t want anyone to see when they access the system.

The current version of FileVault doesn’t suffer from this flaw, so the problem likely only affects a limited number of people who kept the old version active for compatibility with older software. FileVault 2 in Lion fixed this and added other creatures like full hard drive encryption, support for external drives, and performance enhancements.

The bug left a gaping hole in systems of the very few people who used the legacy version. Even if that’s not you, I suggest you get the update because you never know what else Apple includes in their security updates. They keep the full details secret to not tip-off would-be hackers.

You can either update via Software Update from the Apple menu on your system or you can download it from Apple directly. Read the full details quoted from the previous link below:

The OS X Lion v10.7.4 Update includes fixes that:

• Resolve an issue in which the “Reopen windows when logging back in” setting is always enabled.
• Improve compatibility with certain British third-party USB keyboards.
• Addresses permission issues that may be caused if you use the Get Info inspector function “Apply to enclosed items…” on your home directory. For more information, see this article.
• Improve Internet sharing of PPPoE connections.
• Improve using a proxy auto-configuration (PAC) file.
• Address an issue that may prevent files from being saved to an SMB server.
• Improve printing to an SMB print queue.
• Improve performance when connecting to a WebDAV server.
• Enable automatic login for NIS accounts.
• Include RAW image compatibility for additional digital cameras.
• Improve the reliability of binding and logging into Active Directory accounts.
• The OS X Lion v10.7.4 Update includes Safari 5.1.6, which contains stability improvements.

For information about the security content of this update, please visit: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1222.

Safari 5.1.7 Flash Security Fix

The Safari 5.1.7 update will check to see if you installed the latest version of Adobe Flash. If you’re running version 10.1.102.64 or older, then your system does not update itself properly, a feature added to the latest version of Flash for OS X. Out of date Flash often causes security problems on systems allowing nefarious people to access to your system. Thus, Safari will turn flash off so you don’t get infected with malware.

You might have to install the OS X 10.7.4 update mentioned above before you’ll see the new version of Safari in OS X Software Update. Update using Software Update from the Apple menu, restart your system and then run Software Update again. It should show up and you can download it. You can also get it directly from Apple. For future updates bookmark their download page, which always lists the new updates available for all of Apple’s software.

Apple Beefs Up Security in OS X and Safari with Updates is a post by Kevin Purcell from Notebooks.com.

Apple has pushed out a new version of Safari, with improvements to performance and stability.

Safari 5.1.4 specifically targets Javascript performance with this update.

Get the Safari 5.1.4 update through the OS X Software Update tool found under the Apple Menu in the upper left of your screen. If you run Windows or you prefer to manually update your Macs, you can download the update from Apple’s update site.

Read the full update information below:

Safari 5.1.4 contains improvements to performance, stability, compatibility, and security, including changes that:

• Improve JavaScript performance
• Improve responsiveness when typing into the search field after changing network configurations or with an intermittent network connection
• Address an issue that could cause webpages to flash white when switching between Safari windows
• Address issues that prevented printing U.S. Postal Service shipping labels and embedded PDFs
• Preserve links in PDFs saved from webpages
• Fix an issue that could make Flash content appear incomplete after using gesture zooming
• Fix an issue that could cause the screen to dim while watching HTML5 video
• Improve stability, compatibility and startup time when using extensions
• Allow cookies set during regular browsing to be available after using Private Browsing
• Fix an issue that could cause some data to be left behind after pressing the “Remove All Website Data” button

For detailed information on this update, please visit this site: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5142

For detailed information on the security content of this update, please visit this site: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1222

Safari 5.1.4 Update Brings Javascript and Performance Fixes is a post by Kevin Purcell from Notebooks.com.

Apple pushed out some minor updates this week for the Safari Browser, Keynote (the company’s presentation application) and the iCloud Control Panel for Windows. The updates don’t add any new functionality to the supplications, but they do fix a few minor bugs.

The update to Safari includes the following:

• Addresses issues that cause hangs and excessive memory usage
• Addresses issues that could cause webpages to flash white
• Allows PDFs to be displayed within web content

The update brings the version number of Safari to 5.1.2 and contains 40.2MB of data.

The update to Keynote fixes a problem caused by using rather large Keynote presentations while working in OS X Lion and brings Keynote’s version number to 5.1.1 with the 35.2 MB update.

You can get these updates through the Software Update item on the Apple menu in OS X. The Keynote update will show up on the Mac App Store if that’s where you bought your copy of Keynote. You can also get the update via Apple’s website (Keynote update, Safari Update).

The Windows iCloud Control Panel also got an update. The update brings compatibility with the above Safari update if you are running Windows. It requires Vista or higher and brings the version number to 1.0.1 in a 40.03MB update.

Apple Pushes Minor Updates to Safari, Keynote & Windows iCloud is a post by Kevin Purcell from Notebooks.com.

Apple issued an update to iTunes bringing the release version number to 10.2.2. This update is not a major one. It has some minor bug fixes relating to syncing, iTunes store previews and stability. iTunes updates often come around the same time as an iOS release. The latest version of iOS 4.3.2 was recently released. One might guess that the iOS update was an anti-jailbreaking release since the previous version of iOS has already been jailbroken.

Here is the list of what Apple is saying is in this latest iTunes release.

iTunes 10.2.2 provides a number of important bug fixes, including:

• Addresses an issue where iTunes may become unresponsive when syncing an iPad.

• Resolves an issue which may cause syncing photos with iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch to take longer than necessary.

• Fixes a problem where video previews on the iTunes Store may skip while playing.

• Addresses other issues that improve stability and performance.

As always, to get the update on a Mac, go to the Apple menu and select the software update item. In Windows use the Help menu in iTunes where you will find the update menu item. The details about the security updates in this release are at the Apple website. Apple doesn’t say much about security fixes in order to protect those who do not update in a timely fashion.

If you haven’t already, be sure to get the latest updates for Safari (on both Windows and Mac) as well as the update for OS X which is a security update. We recommend getting all security updates on both Windows and Mac as soon as you can. Once the manufacturers release these updates nefarious people may try to exploit systems that don’t apply the patches in order to gain control of your system or do harm to your system. You un-patched system could be used to do harm to others through the Internet without you knowing it.

Apple Updates iTunes to 10.2.2 with Minor Bug Fixes is a post by Kevin Purcell from Notebooks.com.

Apple has issued two new updates for OS X users. These two updates include a security focused update for OS X and a collection of security updates to the Safari browser, bumping Safari up to version 5.0.5. These updates come along with a new update to iOS 4.3.2, which was pushed out earlier today.

Apple doesn’t provide much information about these security updates, but you can see what information is available by visiting the Apple support page. Safari 5.0.5 brings a collection of security updates as well, and is a recommended update for all Safari users, both on Mac OS X Snow Leopard and Windows.

To update, you can click on the Apple in your upper left corner and choose “Software Update…”. From there, the software update tool will walk you through the process. Youc an also download the Safari update direct from Apple if you want. Windows users will need to manually update Safari unless they have the Software updater already running on their system.

Apple Issues OS X Security Update and Safari Update is a post by Josh Smith from Notebooks.com.

Apple is adding a Do-Not-Track feature to the company’s Safari browser, which will be updated this summer when the next version of Apple’s Mac OS X software is expected to debut. The Do-Not-Track feature is a tool that allows consumers to opt out of having their information shared with advertisers who use it to serve up more relevant ads.

The Wall Street Journal Reports,

The tool is included within the latest test release of Lion, a version of Apple’s Mac OS X operating system that is currently available only to developers. The final version of the operating system is scheduled to be released to the public this summer. Mentions of the do-not-track feature in Apple’s Safari browser began to appear recently in online discussion forums and on Twitter.

It is expected that the new Do-Not-Track feature will make its way to Safari on earlier version s of OS X and likely show up on the Windows version of Safari in order to offer a similar experience across platforms.

The Do-Not-Track feature is also found in Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox, but the remaining hurdles is industry adoption by advertisers. The addition of these features is in part to avoid legislation , but so far the advertising industry hasn’t come to an agreement on how to make use of the Do-Not-Track features.

The Do-Not-Track term may be a bit frightening to normal users, who likely don’t want their online activities tracked, but in reality the biggest thing it will affect is the quality of ads you see. With the tracking technology currently in place, advertising networks can send you ads that should be at least interesting or on target when you visit a website.

For example, if you visit a iPhone case website and then go browsing to other websites, you may see advertisements relating to that company, possibly including coupons designed to get you to come back and purchase.

Sure, the tracking can be abused, by individuals or companies, but I would prefer that we leave the law out of our browsers. Hopefully the advertisers can come to an agreement and this issue can be handled by cooperation instead of legislation.

Vi MacRumors

Safari Browser the Latest to Get Do Not Track Feature, Coming in OS X Lion is a post by Josh Smith from Notebooks.com.

New versions of the popular Google Chrome browser will take additional steps to prevent users from the dark side of the Internet by blocking, or warning users of, malicious windows installer files. Most often, these types of websites promise free screensavers or tools, but only deliver a headache in the form of viruses and other nasty programs.

When users try to download a file that Google knows to be suspicious, the warning above will be displayed. The warning is slightly different from the standard Chrome warning when you download a program from the internet, but we think it could be a bit more in your face as users have been trained to just click save or Yes too often.

The new feature has been rolled out to the development build of Chrome for testing, but is expected to arrive in the next stable release of Chrome that will be pushed out to Chrome users.

Once the new protections are built into Chrome, we’d suggest switching your parents and other users that need a little help keeping malware and viruses off their computer, or as the we like to say – “Meet your dad’s new browser”.

The new system will make use of the existing Safe Browsing API which currently protects users of Chrome, Firefox and Safari when they try to visit a website suspected of containing malware. The new extension of the Safe Browsing API takes things further, looking for files that appear to be legit, but actually compromise security.

These websites have not been blocked in the past because they weren’t trying to automatically download malicious files, but rather depending on users to willingly download the software. The software can display spam, launch popups, perform click fraud and steal passwords and other personal information.

While other browsers use the Safe Browsing API, it’s not clear if, or when, Firefox and Safari might add this new feature to protect users from themselves.

Chrome will Block Malicious Windows Installers – Your Dad’s New Browser is a post by Josh Smith from Notebooks.com.

Apple has a new update for their Safari browser. Primarily it is a security update with a lot of other minor issues mostly related to web page display and stability. Here are the bullet points from the update notice in OS X’s Software Update tool. This is found under the Apple menu in the upper left corner. Users should go get it in order to preserve online security, especially since would-be hackers know about the issue.

• Improved stability for webpages with multiple instances of plug-in content
• Improved compatibility with webpages with image reflections and transition effects
• A fix for an issue that could cause some webpages to print with incorrect layouts
• A fix for an issue that could cause content to display incorrectly on webpages with plug-ins
• A fix for an issue that could cause a Screen Saver to appear while video is playing in Safari
• Improved compatibility with VoiceOver on webpages with text input areas and lists with selectable items
• Improved stability when using VoiceOver

You will notice that none of the above say anything about security. That is because Apple will not reveal what holes they are patching. But hackers can still figure it out by looking at the code that is changed. So get it now.

For Windows users of Safari you will have to update by gong to the Apple Safari page.

This was a busy day of updates for Apple with a very minor iTunes bug fix in preparation for the big iOS 4.3 update which dropped two days ahead of the announced March 11 date. The iPad 2 is coming Friday at 5 PM rounding out a busy week for Apple.

Apple Updates Safari Security With a Slew of Minor Fixes is a post by Kevin Purcell from Notebooks.com.

If you visit a lot of websites in your favorite web browser and re-visit these sites over time, a small snippet of information is retained by your web browser, basically a memory of the last time you visited the site.

In this article I will show you how to clear your browser history in five of the most popular web browsers.

Internet Explorer 8 and 9

Click Start, type: internet options.

Hit Enter on your keyboard.

Under Browsing history, click Delete.

(Windows XP users, click Start > Control Panel > Internet Options or click Start, right click Internet Options > click Properties).

Google Chrome

Press Control + H on your keyboard or Click the Customize and control Google Chrome wrench located at the extreme right hand top of the window.

Click History.

Click Edit Items…

Click Clear all browsing data…

Mozilla Firefox

Click Tools > click Clear Recent History or press CTRL + Shift + Del.

Click the Details button then check the following: Browsing & Download History, Cookies, Cache. Firefox gives you the option of selectively removing certain information and retaining other parts.

Click in the Time range to clear: list box and select Everything.

Click Clear Now.

Opera

Click the Opera Menu, then click History.

Select the name, (you can make non-adjacent selections), then click Delete on the toolbar.

Apple Safari

Click History menu, the click Clear History.

How to Clear Your Web Browser History (Internet Explorer, Chrome, Firefox, Safari and Opera) is a post by Andre from Notebooks.com.

Now that iOS 4.2 is finally being pushed out to users, there might be some questions about all the new features included. We’ve put together a series of posts about each of the major new features. The links to those articles are below. But there are also some other, less significant new features and we list them after the big ones. Click the links to get some helpful information about to use the new features in iOS 4.2 on the iPad.

Major New Features

Multitasking – you can now run multiple apps at once without shutting them down.

Folders – organize your apps into folders so you will have fewer screens of apps and you can more easily find all your apps from a similar category.

AirPrint – print from your iPad to your printer so long as it is connected to a Mac, an AirPort Express Base Station or it is a supported AirPrinter printer

AirPlay – stream content from your iPad to an new Apple TV, AirPlay compatible speakers or stereos or speakers connected to an AirPort Base Station.

Find My iPad – if you lose your iPad or think it is stolen, this previously paid service is now free and can help you locate the iPad (or iPhone/iPod Touch) on a map, make it sound an tone, display a message, set a passcode lock, or wipe it remotely. (You have to set this up before you lose your iPad so do it now.)

Game Center – connect with other iOS gamers so you can brag about your scores, compare to their’s and find opponents for a head-to-head match up.

The video below demos most of these major new features:

Minor New Features

While the above new features got all the headlines, here are a few that might make iOS 4.2 a worthwhile upgrade.

iTunes TV show rentals – users can now rent content for watching on the iPad. Maybe you are in a hotel on business and the current TV offerings are not to your liking. You want to catch up on 24, so you fire up iTunes and find the next episode you’re ready to watch and you can now rent it for only $.99 instead of having to pay full price. Now you can with iOS 4.2.

Unified InBox and Threaded Messaging – Instead of having to switch from one account to another, now you can view all the messages from your varied email accounts in one unified inbox. Also all of your conversations will be organized into threads. So instead of seeing five emails between you and your boss, you will see one item. Tap it and it displays all five. Finally you can open attachments from email in other supported applications using the share button.

Find Text on Web Pages – If you searched for a word in Google and then found a link to a page containing that word, it may be hard to find the word. Now, just like the PC version of Safari, there is a find word feature. Type the word into the search box in the upper right corner. At the bottom you will see a separator with the label “On This Page (xx matches).” Tap the word under the separator and it will highlight that word on the page.

Notes with Fonts - Now the Notes app will let you change the font of your note. To do so go into Settings and choose Notes from the list on the left. You will see three font choices – Chalkboard (the default), Helvetica, and Marker Felt. Pick the one you want and exit Settings. Next time you go into Notes it will display notes in that font.

Reply to Calendar Invites – Now, if your friend sends you an invitation to an event using their Yahoo, Google or Microsoft Exchange calendar, you can reply from within the Calendar App itself.

New Languages Supported – There are “over 50 languages and dialects, with more than 30 new international keyboards and dictionaries for iPad” according to the Apple site.

Accessibility Enhancements – “Control VoiceOver using a wireless keyboard. Output in braille to over 30 supported 
wireless Bluetooth refreshable braille displays in more than 25 languages.” (from Apple)

Enhanced Enterprise Support – There are stronger security measures as well as things to help businesses manage all of their iOS devices.

iOS 4.2 New Features Roundup for the iPad is a post by Kevin Purcell from Notebooks.com.