Apple has doled out its latest security update to the Mac OS X operating system, this time plugging up 13 holes in the software that could be exploited by hackers.
The 13 vulnerabilities include problems with some of the operating system’s core components like CFNetwork and Apple Type Services. Six of them have been deemed as the highest threat possible, meaning they are exploitable to the point where a hacker could use them to run unauthorized software on someone else’s Mac remotely.
Unlike Microsoft, Apple does not issue scheduled updates to its operating system. Instead, it puts them up on an as needed basis. So far this year, Apple has posted security updates to Mac OS X five times.
Although often touted as one of the safest platforms on the market, security research firm Secunia reported earlier this year that Apple’s products, in raw numbers, account for more vulnerabilities than any single other company. Most of them, however, are not very dangerous threats.
Microsoft’s Windows platforms have a much higher level of big security threats, and due to the vastly greater proportion of Windows users, Windows hacks still account for around 90% of all vulnerabilities in the cyber world.
The Mac OS X update will be chugging its way through the platform’s automatic downloading system. Users can also get it manually from Apple.com.
