Atom is Out in Apple's Snow Leopard Security Patch

[Michael Essany]

Several weeks ago, we revisited the complaint from many Snow Leopard users that their files would be deleted from the home directory after logging into a guest account. At the time, Apple said it was looking into the matter and would have a proposed fix in the near future.

Tonight, the future has arrived, as Apple has unveiled its latest Snow Leopard update - a security patch that aims to fix a plethora of issues while simultaneously enhancing the general performance of the operating system.

According to InformationWeek, the Mac OS X 10.6.2 update addresses many of the security vulnerabilities that occur in open source components of Mac OS X, like Apache or Subversion.

The 10.6.2 update resolves a bug that could lead to the deletion of files in a user's home directory following a Guest account login. It also repairs an unexpected logout issue, a problem with Spotlight search that prevented Exchange contacts from being seen, and numerous other stability and usability issues, as explained on Apple's Web site.

As already widely reported, the update disables support for X.509 certificates with MD2 encryption "for uses other than trusted root certificates." InformationWeek explains that this move was prompted by a weakness in the MD2 hash algorithm.

According to the Apple update summary, the update also targets login bypass vulnerability:

"If an account on the system has no password, such as the Guest account, a user may log in to any account without supplying a password. This update addresses the issue through improved access checks."

The 473-megabyte update, however, does NOT run on the Intel Atom processor, a further sign that Apple is serious about
cracking down on those dreaded "Hackintoshes" or netbooks utilizing the infamous Atom chip to illegally run OS X.

The update, which addresses some forty security vulnerabilities, is now available for download from Apple's website or via Apple's Software Update preference panel.

Image via Apple

[Kirk7741]

awwwwww. Poor atom. why is atom ALWAYS excluded? Yes yes, apple is trying to crack down on the hackintoshes but they are really loosing a chance to make some serious money!!!!! seems like apple is really good at that........

on an unrelated note: First. awesome. (yes this sort of an achievement for me)

[KoNeko]

I guess I'm glad I picked the 12" PowerBook G4 when given the choice between that and Hackintosh Netbook somewhere around the same price.

...I guess either way I would have been stuck on something outdated though. Oh well, at least my PowerBook is sexy, harhar

[Kruejl]

Glad I have a MBP.

[Cer0]

They are not missing out on a chance to make serious money at all by blocking other hardware. They make their money on hardware sales; they are a hardware company. They don't have to spend as much on service because they know the hardware they put into the machines works with the OS because the OS was built for the hardware they chose to put in the machines. Not the hybrid of many different parts you can buy from many differnt companies.

[steverae]

They are not missing out on a chance to make serious money at all by blocking other hardware. They make their money on hardware sales; they are a hardware company. They don't have to spend as much on service because they know the hardware they put into the machines works with the OS because the OS was built for the hardware they chose to put in the machines. Not the hybrid of many different parts you can buy from many differnt companies.

This, is a very good point and whilst on this subject, this would also explain the fact that SL is way faster than windows on similar apec hardward as MacOSX is not bogged down wih MB's of drivers and other features which never get used... Believe, i work wih windows based systems all day every day and it's a joy to come home and use something that is so polished mainly because of the comments above. Good point.

[astalavistadear]

Snow leopard might be the ultimate os but still has a way to go

[TooSlo]

Wait.... illegal to run OSX on a hackintosh?

Good lord I lose more and more respect for Apple each and every day.

[mikerlx]

I miss my powerbook 17" it ran like a champ on 10.5.8 now I have Air on 10.6.1

[rhekt]

This won't stop anyone from being able to put OSX on a netbook.

JUST BUY A MAC!!!!!!

its like buying the ford escort and then going on the internet to find a reseller of a porche 911 engine so that your piece of junk will run like a race horse.

BUY A MAC!!!

[SoBeMe86]

That was the poorest analogy I have ever heard. There are reason people put OSX on a non-Mac system. Performance, mobility, because they can, and so on so forth. If you want to make a comparison to cars, you should at least know what your talking about. People do motor swaps all the time and they do so for very much the same reasons. I can tell you though, that a flat 6 rear-engine motor will not work in a car that is front wheel drive.

[hancoma]

I just installed this new update....after it rebooted....it set my clock back to the year 2000, lost the wireless network password, and then asked for new programs to accept incoming connections to access the internet.

System seems a bit slower when connecting, but this may be due to traffic on the site I visited.
Anyone else install this and having similar issues?

[tarekkkkk]

JUST BUY A MAC!!!!!!

its like buying the ford escort and then going on the internet to find a reseller of a porche 911 engine so that your piece of junk will run like a race horse.

BUY A MAC!!!

sorry for this response:

u need 10000000000 years to know whats hackintosh vs mac
plus speak something right if u can
NOOB

[TooSlo]

JUST BUY A MAC!!!!!!

its like buying the ford escort and then going on the internet to find a reseller of a porche 911 engine so that your piece of junk will run like a race horse.

BUY A MAC!!!

While some of us can see that you are a proponent for the idea of only taking what uncle Steve tells you that you can doesn't mean that everyone else is willing to do the same.

With the hardware change that made all of this possible, Apple has been fighting an uphill battle to maintain a steel grip over what people can and can't do with the OS they have produced.

I personally find most Mac users to be pretentious assholes in the area that I live. I wouldn't be caught dead carrying any type of Mac laptop around because of the negative stereotype, as well as I'd much rather pay a reasonable price for my hardware. It's well known that Apple overcharges for their hardware and then fights tooth and nail just to prevent people from using software designed for Intel processors.

If they didn't see this coming from a mile away when they courted Intel, then I don't know what to say. To act as though they should have a totalitarian grip over an end user is rubbish.

That being said. I adore my netbook. I would much rather have a 9-11" netbook over a slightly larger Mac. Considering I'm paying a fraction of the cost, the scales are heavily tipped in the favor of a non-Mac alternative.

[hancoma]

I just installed this new update....after it rebooted....it set my clock back to the year 2000, lost the wireless network password, and then asked for new programs to accept incoming connections to access the internet.

System seems a bit slower when connecting, but this may be due to traffic on the site I visited.
Anyone else install this and having similar issues?

So much for discussing the update, any issues or responses to valid questions, as once again we spiral towards the useless flame war... disappointing to say the least.

[MikePA]

This, is a very good point and whilst on this subject, this would also explain the fact that SL is way faster than windows on similar apec hardward as MacOSX is not bogged down wih MB's of drivers and other features which never get used... Believe, i work wih windows based systems all day every day and it's a joy to come home and use something that is so polished mainly because of the comments above. Good point.

'Whilst' you're at it, install Windows7 which is just as 'polished' as OSX. I know, I run both on a dual boot Dell 10v. 'MB's of drivers and other features which never get used...' sitting on your hard drive, just like the printer files and additional languages in OSX, don't bog anything down.