Mac OS X 10.6.8 Released

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Apple has released the Mac OS X 10.6.8 Update. The 1.09 Gb Snow Leopard combo patch is expected to be the final Mac OS X Snow Leopard update. Mac OS X 10.7 Lion is slated to ship some time in July.

10.6.8 addresses a number of issues, including:

  • Enhancements to the Mac App Store for a smoother transition OS X Lion.
  • Improved support for IPv6 protocols.
  • Identifies and remove known variants of the Mac Defender malware.
  • Resolves an issue that may cause Preview to unexpectedly quit.
  • Improves VPN reliability.

A corresponding update was also issued for Mac OS X 10.6.8 Snow Leopard Server which includes many server-specific improvements.

Free Advice: For Mac OS updates this large, you encounter a lot less problems if you DO NOT use Apple’s Software Update feature and instead manually download and install the stand-alone combo updater.

Apple bumps Time Capsule to 3 Tb

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Apple Time CapsuleApple today began shipping updates to its Time Capsule, wireless router/backup line. Previously available in one and two terabyte models, the updated line Time Capsule is available in two models, a 2 Tb model for $299.00 and a 3 Tb model for $499.00.

Time Capsule automatically and wirelessly backs up everything on one or more Macs running Mac OSX 10.5 Leopard and above using the Mac OS’ Time Machine feature. Measuring 7.7×7.7×1.4 inches, the units combine an 802.11n Airport Extreme base station with a server-grade hard drive in one small package.

Time Capsule is a full-featured Wi-Fi base station with the latest 802.11n technology – delivering up to five times the performance and twice the range of 802.11g.

Overall Time Capsule features include:

  • Dual-band antennas for 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz frequencies
  • Three (3) One-Gigabit LAN ports
  • Gigabit Ethernet WAN port
  • USB 2.0 port for a printer or hard drive
  • Wi-Fi Protected Access™ (WPA/WPA2)
  • Wireless security (WEP) configurable for 40-bit and 128-bit encryption
  • Built-in NAT firewall supporting NAT-PMP for features like Back to My Mac.
  • Full VPN Passthrough (IPSec, PPTP, and L2TP), DNS Proxy, DHCP, PPPoE, SNMP, and IPv6 compatibility

Windows PCs can also access the Time Capsule for wireless network/internet access as well as access to any printer or external hard drive attached to the unit’s USB port. However, there is no Apple Time Machine backup software for Windows.

You can get complete Apple Time Capsule tech specs from the company’s product page.

Abobe Flash Player 10.3 Updated

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Adobe Flash Player Plug-InAdobe has released an update to its Flash Player 10.3 browser plug-in for Mac OS X, Windows, and Linux operating systems. Version 10.3.181.26 is primarily a security patch, plugging a number of potential vulnerabilities.

Version 10.3 was released last month an includes a number of backend developer-oriented improvements such as better hardware acceleration support, media measurement, and acoustic echo cancellation features.

Adobe Flash Plug-In 10.3

Click for larger image

For the end user, the most visible change is now you will see a “Flash Player” System Preference panel which will allow you to directly control privacy settings. This was possible before, but now it’s much more accessible.

The System Pref also includes automatically checking for updates (installation must still performed manually, however).

Note: If you are not sure which version of the Flash plug-in you are using, go to the Adobe Flash Player Version Check webpage.

Getting Ready for Lion – Checklist

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Apple Mac OS X 10.7 LionWe’re about a month (or less) away from the release of Apple’s newest operating system: Mac OS X 10.7 Lion – the most significant change in the way you work with your Mac in years.

Lion is the result of lessons Apple learned in developing its iOS for the iPhone and iPad as well as built on the strength of prior Mac OSes. But before you rush to download, make absolutely sure you are ready:

System RequirementsCan your computer handle it?

Mac OS X 10.7 Lion will require a Mac with at least an Intel Core 2 Duo processor and 2Gb of RAM (memory – and please don’t confuse memory with hard disk space – and frankly, 4Gb+ of RAM would be better). Pretty much any new Mac computer purchased after 2007 will do it. Speaking of hard disk space you’ll need about 4Gb free on your hard drive as well.

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What you need to know about Mac malware

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It seems the honeymoon is over for Mac users on the malware front. While it has always been possible to do nasty things to Macs via malicious software, up until the past few days, it’s been pretty much a “proof of concept” thing.

Now we have the MacDefender (aka MacSecurity, MacProtector) scam. While not maybe a widespread issue to date, it does signal that Mac malware has left the lab and is now in the wild. There is no need to panic. We’re still far better off than our Windows cousins. According to computer security expert Charlie Miller in a recent cnet report:

There are about 10 pieces of malware that have been written for the Mac, while Microsoft says that one in 14 downloads (on PCs) is malicious.

Still, we should be aware that our days of innocence are over, and we need to begin thinking more seriously about keeping our Macs secure.

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