Apple flaws put both Macs and PCs at risk

Serious flaws in Mac OS X and QuickTime software could put Macintosh and Windows systems at risk of cyberattack, Apple Computer has warned.

In a pair of security alerts released Thursday, Apple outlined 31 flaws that affect various versions of the operating system and a dozen vulnerabilities in its QuickTime media player software. Security experts have deemed the issues “critical,” but Apple does not provide a severity rating. Fixes are available.

The Mac OS X vulnerabilities lie in various components of the operating system and affect both the server and client versions, Apple said in an advisory. An attack could be launched using some of the bugs by creating a malformed file, or by building a malicious Web site and enticing someone to visit it, the company said.

“These flaws could be exploited by attackers to execute arbitrary commands, bypass security restrictions, disclose sensitive information or cause a denial of service,” the French Security Incident Response Team, a security-monitoring company, said in an advisory.

Full article: CNET News.com