Apple says most Mac users are
safe from a newly discovered security flaw, one that could — in theory —
allow hackers to take over an operating system.
Known as the “Shellshock” or “Bash” bug,
the latest vulnerability for the world’s computers involves the
execution of malicious code within a Bash shell, which is a command-line
shell used in many Linux and Unix operating systems, and by Apple’s Mac OS X operating system. Apple, however, says most people using its software have nothing to worry about.
“The vast majority of OS X users are not at risk to recently reported bash vulnerabilities,” Apple reportedly told iMore.
“Bash, a UNIX command shell and
language included in OS X, has a weakness that could allow unauthorized
users to remotely gain control of vulnerable systems,” Apple said. “With
OS X, systems are safe by default and not exposed to remote exploits of
bash unless users configure advanced UNIX services. We are working to
quickly provide a software update for our advanced UNIX users.”
The Bash glitch is reminiscent of
the Heartbleed security flaw that left information stored on data
servers potentially vulnerable to hackers. Heartbleed was first
identified in April, and an estimated 300,000 servers were still exposed two months later.
For now, it seems there’s nothing
ordinary computer users can do to protect against the new security
flaw, with the responsibility for patching the potential exploit resting
with those who manage Web systems.
“Anybody with systems using Bash
needs to deploy the patch immediately,” Tod Beardsley, an engineering
manager at security firm Rapid7 told CNET yesterday.
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