Patch/Configuration Management, Vulnerability Management

Apple releases OS update for security improvements

Apple released OS X 10.10.5 on Thursday morning to fix bugs and to improve security and performance. 

A patch for the DYLD_PRINT_TO_FILE privilege escalation vulnerability repairs a bug that enabled attackers to gain root privileges, with which they could then inject rootkits and other malware onto victim computers. As an exploit in the wild was discovered earlier this month, Mac users running Yosemite are advised to install the update immediately. Security problems in Apache, Bluetooth, CloudKit, the OS kernel and other apps and services are also fortified.

Other updates improve compatibility with email servers when using Mail, fix an issue in Photos that prevents importing videos from GoPro cameras, and fixes a bug in QuickTime Player that hindered playback of Windows Media files.

This release is probably one of the last updates to OS X Yosemite as the OS will be succeeded by OS X 10.11 El Capitan in the fall.

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