14 DAY TRIAL // Apple has just released Safari Technology Preview version, and while the change log is huge and includes tons of fixes and improvements, the most important addition is the patching of Meltdown and Spectre vulnerabilities.
Users running Safari are exposed to JavaScript-based attacks aimed at the two vulnerabilities, and after the tech company fixed the bugs in macOS and iOS with updates shipped last week, it now patches the Technology Preview version that’s specifically aimed at developers.
One important note concerns the way macOS users are exposed to Meltdown and Spectre vulnerabilities. While Apple confirmed shortly after the security flaws went public that macOS, iOS, and tvOS were secure thanks to patches introduced in the previous versions, Safari did require certain tweaks to block attacks.
“Apple has already released mitigations in iOS 11.2, macOS 10.13.2, and tvOS 11.2 to help defend against Meltdown. Apple Watch is not affected by Meltdown. In the coming days we plan to release mitigations in Safari to help defend against Spectre,” Apple said in the original advisory following the disclosure of the two hardware bugs.
macOS and iOS updates
In the meantime, Apple has also released macOS and iOS security updates to patch Safari and introduce further mitigations, and everyone should install them as soon as possible.
What Apple hasn’t detailed, however, is the performance impact of these patches. Microsoft has already confirmed that the older the Windows device gets, the bigger the slowdown users could experience, but Apple provided no documentation in this regard.
Cupertino did say that a somewhat slight performance decrease could take place, but added that it’s unlikely to be noticeable by users.
You can download Safari Technology Preview version 47 from Softpedia right now to get the Meltdown and Spectre patches, and make sure you also update macOS and iOS to the latest versions to block any potential exploits that might be developed against Apple users.