Warning: Your Mac Is Not Safe Until OS X 10.9.2 Rolls Out

I’m no expert in software security, but reading about Apple’s “goto fail” issue that remains unpatched in OS X 10.9.1 really gets me thinking: these Cupertino folks couldn’t take the security of their desktop software more lightly.

For decades, Apple has been able to sing the virus-free tune, and it worked for the most part, but times change, and with an increase in adopters comes an increase in malware risk. It’s basic math, really, 2+2 stuff. So what’s going on?

Well, apparently Apple could be bothered to give Reuters a statement on Saturday, but its engineers could wait to put the finishing touches on OS X 10.9.2 and rush it out later the following week. Something tells me security isn’t top priority on Craig Federighi’s team.

And for those of you who are preparing to hop on the hate bandwagon to diss Tim Cook and his new world order, I’ll have you know security was even less of a priority at Apple when Steve Jobs was around.



The company is already getting a lot of bad press for this slip up, including some conspiracy stories tied to the NSA’s PRISM program so, yeah, they’d be smart to roll out that 10.9.2 update any minute now.

According to a report from Gizmodo, security specialists are actually refraining from discussing the vulnerability in detail to avoid giving cybercriminals more information that they can use to exploit the bug.

So what can you do to stay on the safe side? Well, I’m hearing that Avast! SecureLine VPN protects you from the SSL exploit.

According to the security company, “A major Apple security flaw allows cybercrooks and spies to grab personal information like email, credit card numbers, and other sensitive data.”

“Apple confirmed researchers’ findings that the same SSL/TSL security flaw fixed with the latest iOS 7.0.2 [sic] update is also present in notebook and desktop machines running OS X. Please apply the patches as advised in this post,” says avast!

The instruction set is not for the average user, so proceed at your own risk. For those of you who want to stay on the safe side without hacks, simply refraining from online transactions via Safari and iTunes should do the trick.

Also, stay off Wi-Fi networks that you can’t trust, and just avoid sending personal info over the web until Apple rights this wrong. Over and out.

This is a Personal Thoughts piece reflecting the author’s personal opinion on matters relating to Apple and / or the products associated with the Apple brand. This article should not be taken as the official stance of Softpedia on Apple-related matters.