Apple Mac OS X Update Plugs 18 Security Vulnerabilities

Apple has pushed out an upgrade for Mac OS X that plugs 18 security holes, among them a series of critical bugs tied to the handling of various image formats.

The update, which brings the OS to version 10.5.8, fixes a number of issues related to ImageIO’s handling of OpenEXR images, EXIF metadata and PNGimages. Apple also patched a stack buffer overflow that exists in the way Image RAW handles Canon RAW images.

All totaled, there were six vulnerabilities affecting the different image file formats. According to Apple’s advisory, all of which can be exploited by getting users to view malicious images.

The update also addresses two issues affecting Apple’s Safari browser. The first is a flaw in the CFNetwork that could allow a malicious Website to control the displayed Website URL in a certificate warning.

“When Safari reaches a Website via a 302 redirection and a certificate warning is displayed, the warning will contain the original Website URL instead of the current Website URL,” according to Apple. “This may allow a maliciously crafted Website that is reached via an open redirector on a user-trusted Website to control the displayed Website URL in a certificate warning.”

In addition, the update extends the system’s list of content types that will be flagged as potentially unsafe under certain circumstances, for example, if they are downloaded from a Web page. While these content types are not automatically launched, if manually opened they could lead to the execution of a malicious JavaScript payload, Apple warned.

Apple also pushed out Safari 4.0.2 Aug. 5 as well.