Security documentation left online, updates gone

Dec 4, 2014 12:44 GMT  ·  By

Earlier today we reported that Safari 8.0.1, Safari 7.1.1, and Safari 6.2.1 had been released to the masses with the mission to patch security flaws, as well as to deliver some specific improvements to Yosemite customers. However, the Safari updates are nowhere in sight.

The usual support document that accompanies such updates is also nowhere to be found. Only the advisory detailing the security issues is still present online.

Hackers now know where to look

Apple is known to do this every once in a while, and the company rarely ever offers an explanation as to why it did it. Chances are the new Safari was buggy or that Apple is having server-side problems. Another theory is that the company’s engineers accidentally slipped a beta online. The three Safari versions were known to be only in testing until yesterday evening.

What you can be sure of is that these updates will again make their way onto your Macs shortly. Apple clearly intends to address some issue with these releases, and the fact that the company has already published specific vulnerabilities in the Safari browsers currently used by everyone out there is reason enough to speed up the rollout.

Hackers now know exactly where to target their attacks, should they want to exploit Safari on someone’s machine. The good news is that the vulnerabilities described in KB article HT6596 don’t seem to be all that serious.

Ongoing server / cloud issues

Whenever you hear the term “cloud” in IT, all you need to really think of is “server.” That’s basically what the cloud is. Just a big pile of servers storing data on them, including downloadable packages like Safari.

The teams that are handling Apple’s online services and essentially everything cloud-related are said to be struggling internally. According to reports, issues with services like iCloud Photos have been delayed purely because of political conflicts between the teams working on them. Tim Cook has a responsibility to get everyone to kiss and make up so that Apple can move past these hurdles, but so far he hasn’t worked much magic.

Apple has had content distribution network (CDN) issues for as long as we can remember. That’s also something worth considering. Often are the times Apple will release a piece of software alongside outdated documentation, solely because those recyclable documents haven’t been fed the new info. We sincerely hope the company mends all this in due time. Meanwhile, don’t shop too much online using your outdated Safari browser, and hold on tight for when the updates return.

Mac App Store and Safari (5 Images)

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