Apple released a new security update today, more info can be found here. It’s available for Mac OS X v10.5.8, Mac OS X Server v10.5.8, Mac OS X v10.6.4 and Mac OS X Server v10.6.4.

It blocks several security holes, and I recommend all Mac users keep up to date with ALL security updates. Use Software Update to download and install them, with a restart if necessary. This could prevent a malicious criminal from accessing your information and stealing your money, or your identity.

I don’t like to be alarmist, but it only makes sense to take advantage of Apple’s security updates. They haven’t caused any serious issues, and are worth the protection they provide.

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Recently, there’s been a lot of news of people finding fraudulent iTunes purchases on their credit card or PayPal bill. These purchases are part of international criminal enterprise based on users poor passwords.

You can protect yourself, but it requires solid and secure passwords and some common, or maybe uncommon sense. Your grandson’s name, your anniversary date, your dog’s name (yes, I used that about 15 years ago, for a minute) just won’t keep you safe.

The worst part is that a a lot of passwords are obtained by phishing scams. In other words, users are giving out their passwords through emails, websites offering great deals, buying unauthorized iTunes gift codes online, and the like.

So, how to protect yourself? First, be very careful indeed who you give your login and passwords to. Good practice is to give them ONLY to the company they are for… period.

Secondly, use more secure passwords. Yeah, I know, you can’t remember ‘em. Neither can I. I use a great application that keeps track of all my passwords, bank and credit card info, and other vital information. It’s called 1Password, and it can change your life.

If you’re interested, contact me if you have questions. I have no relation with 1Password or the authors, Agile Web Solutions. I just love the product, and so do my clients. I’d be happy to help you get set up. Oh, there’s an iPhone/iPad version, too. And browser plugins, so with the click of a button, you can access all those passwords, and you can have identity and other information automatically filled into web forms. I keep several identities, business, personal, just-looking-don’t-bother-me, and so forth.

Agile also makes Knox, a great way to keep data secure on your Mac, especially on a laptop that may be stolen. Check it out!

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I posted last week about the dangers inherent in the AutoFill exploit. It was something to be very concerned about, but it seems that Apple has addressed the vulnerability, both in Safari 5 and 4.

New updates to Safari 5 and 4 (Tiger) were released today, and according to security documentation accompanying the release, Safari 5.01 and 4.1.1 address the security flaw that allows a malicious site to grab information from the user’s Address Book, including name, company, city/state/country and their email address.

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Mid-2010 iMac

The new Mid-2010 iMacs are out, and they are pretty wonderful. the backlit displays are brilliantly sharp, and are powered by upgraded graphic cards. They have faster processors, too.

They also feature Hyper-Threading and in the case of the i5 abd 57 processor models, Turbo Boost.

The Intel Xeon processors support Hyper-Threading, which allows two threads to run simultaneously on each core. So, for example, a 12-core Mac Pro presents 24 virtual cores that are recognized by Mac OS X. Performance is enhanced because Hyper-Threading enables the processor to take better advantage of the execution resources available in each core.

Turbo Boost is a dynamic performance technology that automatically boosts the processor clock speed based on workload. If you’re using an application that doesn’t need every core, Turbo Boost increases the speed of the active ones, up to 3.33GHz on a 12-core Mac Pro, and up to 3.6GHz on a 6-core system.

The 21.5″ models come with 3.06GHz and 3.2GHz both with Intel Core i3 processors and supporting Hyper-Threading, and a 3.6GHz with Intel Core i5 supporting Hyper-Threading and Turbo Boost. Both have 4MB level 3 cache.

The 27″ models come with 3.2GHz Intel Core i3 process with Hyper-Threading, 3.6GHz Intel Core i5 with Hyper-Threading and Turbo Boost, with 4MB level 3 cache. Top of the line 27″ iMacs are available with the Quad-Core 2.8GHz Intel Core i5 or 2.93GHz Intel Core i7, both with 8MB level 3 cache and of course, supporting Hyper-Threading and Turbo Boost.

All models come with 4GB RAM, and support up to 16GB. Hard drives options are 500GB (21.5″ only) or 1TB (2TB optional) and an optional 256GB solid-state drive for the 27″ version.

CAUTION: I toured DriveSavers today, and much to my surprise, learned that solid-state drives are experiencing high failure rates and after 6 months or so are not nearly as fast as they are new. More on this in another post. If you have questions, contact me.

Graphics processors for the 21.5″ iMacs are ATI Radeon HD 4670 with 256MB of GDDR3 memory or ATI Radeon HD 5670 with 512MB. The 27″ with the 13 or 15 processors use the ATI Radeon HD 5670 with 512MB while the Quad-Core i7 uses the ATI Radeon HD 5750 with 1GB of GDDR5 memory, making it a serious tool for designers, photographers, etc.

Details on the new iMacs can be found on Apple’s page.

Mid-2010 Mac Pro

Lots of improvements on the Mac Pro, but since it’s a more specialized machine, I’ll let the tech details go for the most part. You can find ‘em here, but I will say that the graphic capabilities are amazing, the processors are very fast, the architecture has been upgraded and memory is supported up to 32GB on dual-processor systems. This is an amazing machine!

Magic Trackpad

The new Magic Trackpad gives desktop users the Multi-Touch features that only newer MacBook Pro owners have had to date. Replacing the mouse, the Magic Trackpad is like the MBP in everything but size… it’s 80% bigger. The entire surface is a clickable button, and it’s the same design as the Wireless Keyboard, same angle, heights, etc. It’s Bluetooth, like the Wireless Keyboard.

You can even buy an Apple Battery Charger with 6 high-performance AA NiMH batteries to keep your keyboard and trackpad charged up, without wasting energy or fouling the environment by throwing away regular batteries. At $29, it’s not a bad del, since it draws much less electricity than the average charger.

Bigger Picture, anyone?

Oh, and there’s a new 27″ LED Cinema Display, too. With built-in iSight camera and mike, 178° viewing angle, and a cable that combines the MagSafe connector, USB and of course the Mini DisplayPort connectors. The 27″ Cinema Display has 3 USB 2.0 ports to add to your choices, and a 49 watt speaker system.

It also features an ambient light sensor, so if you’re working in a bright room, you’ll have perfect brightness. When the sun goes down, you’ll still have perfect brightness. Great feature, in my opinion.

The LED Cinema Display also is adjustable from -5 to 25 degrees via a smooth-motion hinge.

If this doesn’t whet your appetite for Mac hardware… nothing will.

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An update to Mac OS X 10.6.4 was released this morning, with additions specific for the new iMacs… oh, you didn’t know about the new iMacs? Read the next post! Unless you have one of the new model iMacs, you won’t need this update.

The new update addresses graphic anomalies occurring in the new iMacs with the current version of 10.6.4. It also fixes compatibility issues with reading SDXC memory cards.

A new driver for the Magic Trackpad (read the next post) was released as well, and is required for the new device. It also enables iertial scrolling and 3-finger dragging gestures on the newest MacBook and MacBook Pro lines. Download it here.

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“Hole 196″ was recently discovered at AirTight Networks, and endangers the strongest form of Wi-Fi encryption and authentication standard currently available.

The name refers to the page of the IEEE802.11 Standard (Revision, 2007) where the vulnerability is found.

It makes it possible for someone to decrypt private data and inject malicious “traffic” into the network, according to the AirTight Networks researcher who discovered the flaw, Md Sohail Ahmad, technology manager. He will reportedly demo Hole 196 at two conferences in Los Vegas next week.

Ahmad was able to use open sourse software and an off-the-shelf client card to spoof the network, pretending to be the gateway for transmitting traffic. From there, using Hole 196 “the malicious insider could drop traffic, drop a [denial-of-service] attack, or snoop”.

Can we fix it? No, says Kaustubh Phanse, Airtight’s wireless architect. “There’s nothing in the standard to upgrade to, in order to patch or fix the hole.” He describes the flaw as a “zero-day vulnerability that creates a window of opportunity” for exploitation.

What does that mean for you and me? That we can’t depend on our password for security over our wireless networks!

If you do financial business over the Internet, my recommendation is to use a wired connection, rather than wireless.

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This page really spells it out, but the upshot is that Samsung is taking a gamble, contacting anyone who vents their frustration about the iPhone 4 with an offer for a free Samsung Galaxy s smartphone (big screen, Android 2.1 OS) to replace the iPhone 4. Since Apple will give a full refund for iPhone 4 purchasers who return within 30 days, Samsung hopes to make hay our of all the noise about “antenna gate” reception issues, etc.

I just read a report that shows that iPhone 3GS returns are higher by percentage than iPhone 4 returns… According to Steve Jobs:

According to Jobs, only 0.55 percent of all iPhone customers have called the company’s AppleCare service with an antenna issue. (The company did not provide figures on the percentage of iPhone customers who sought out help from the Genius Bar service at Apple’s retail outlets.) Jobs also noted that the AT&T’s return rate for the iPhone 4 was 1.7 percent, compared to 6 percent for the iPhone 3GS during the same period a year ago. Jobs did concede that AT&T’s figures indicate the iPhone 4 drops more calls per 100 calls than the iPhone 3GS does, but he noted that the 3GS drops fewer than 1 call per 100.

Will Samsung make out or bust with their bold move? Time will tell, but I suspect they’ll pick up some whiners and some with bad luck. Most iPhone users love their phones, though. I certainly am not willing to give mine up!

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Apple is working to fix a security flaw in Safari that could allow a web site to grab names, email addresses and other info from visitors, no matter if the visitor volunteers the the info or not.

The AutoFill feature in Safari is very convenient, and is turned on by default, but has recently been exploited in a “lab setting”. Autofill works by filling in fields based on the letter or letters typed into the field. For example, If I type “C” into a name field, AutoFill will fill in Charles, or Charles Lindauer depending on the context. This information is pulled from the Address Book application data. Other browsers autofill from info previously entered on web forms.

There’s no evidence that this flaw has been used to steal information, but it’s not terribly difficult to do, and the flaw has been around for a while.

I opened Safari preferences, chose AutoFill and unclicked the boxes. Now I have to fill in forms the hard way, but my personal information is safer.

Apple will, hopefully, have a solution for this flaw released soon. I’ll post any updates as they are released.

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Apple unleashed it’s free iPhone 4 Case Program for all iPhone owners who purchase an iPhone 4 prior to September 30, 2010. This fulfils a promise made by Steve Jobs last week.

To take advantage, download an app and select either an Apple Bumper Case, or one of the third-party cases offered, at no charge. The app checks the serial number and International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) to verify that you’re using an iPhone 4 and your eligibility for a free case. This is a lot simpler than going to the Apple Store, online or brick-and-morter. In fact, as far as I know, going to the local Apple Store won’t get you a free case at all.

Search in the iTunes Store, or go to this page for info and to download the app.

What do I get?

As of today, the cases offered are the black Apple Bumper case, the Incase Snap Case for iPhone 4 (Smoke and Clear), the Belkin Shield Micra for iPhone 4 (Clear), the Griffin Motif iPhone 4 (Diamonds/Smoke), the Griffin Reveal Etch iPhone 4 (Black/Black Graphite), the Speck Fitted Case iPHone 4 (Black Tartan) and the Spec PkxelSkin HD 4 (Black). Average cost of these cases is $20-30+.

If you don’t like any of the cases offered, you may have an option. Apple states that it’s case selection is subject to change at any time. You may find something you like better on another occasion, but there’ll be no warning, and no guarantee it’ll be something you like better. Plan to wait 3-5 weeks shipping time or more for your case.

If you’ve purchased a Bumper Case already, as I have, you should get an email from Apple with a link to determine the status of your refund. Apple started automatically issuing refunds yesterday, and mine already went through.

Sample Email:

Dear iPhone 4 owner,

Apple recently announced that iPhone 4 customers who purchased an iPhone 4 Bumper are eligible for a full refund.

As of today, we have automatically processed your refund. If you would like to check the status of your refund, click here.

Thank you for choosing Apple.

Sincerely,
Apple Retail Store Support

What if you bought your Bumper from AT&T?

You still get your refund, but have to fill out the rebate coupon PDF form to claim it.

If you bought a 3rd party case, you’re out of luck.

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iTunes 9.2.1 was released yesterday to improve security and fix bugs.

Some of the changes:

• Disables older versions of some incompatible third-party plug-ins
• Addresses minor issues with dragging and dropping items
• Addresses a performance issue when first syncing to some devices with iTunes 9.2
• Addresses an issue upgrading to iOS 4 on an iPhone or iPod touch with encrypted back-ups
• Addresses other issues that improve stability and performance

In addition, there are new features and improvements, including iPhone 4 sync improvements, the ability to organize and sync PDF documents as books and read with iBooks 1.1 on the iPad or any iPhone/Touch with iOS 4 and more.

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