Security woes continue to plague Apple Mac OS computers

IF you use an Apple computer, your computer has a serious security flaw and Apple isn’t saying when it will be fixed.

A SERIOUS security flaw patched for iPads and iPhones last week continues to affect Mac OS computers, with no comment on when we’ll see a solution.

Apple last week released a minor point upgrade to the iOS operating system, bringing it to iOS 7.0.6.

The key feature of that upgrade was to resolve an issue in the way that iOS devices talked to secure servers.

An error in the underlying code made it feasible for rogue elements on public networks to imitate supposedly secure sites and capture personal or banking information by appearing to be the legitimate article.

As such, if you have an iOS device and you use public networks, such as those found in libraries or coffee shops, it would be extremely wise to apply the upgrade immediately.

There’s no indication that serious security breaches have occurred, but now that the error is common knowledge, it’s fair to assume that exploits will be brewing.

The error also affects Apple’s Mac OS computer line, but here matters are murkier. Apple is known to be working on a fix, but quite when it will be rolled out to end users remains a mystery.

An Apple Australia spokesman officially had “no comment” when asked by News Corp Australia about an upcoming fix, although website AppleInsider suggests that it may wait until the next point release of OS X, the timing for which remains unknown. Until such time as a fix is available, Mac OS users are advised to limit secure sessions on public networks.

Security technologist Runa Sandvisk has created the website “Has GoTo Fail Been Fixed Yet?”. Click on it now and you’ll get “No” in big letters, plus an explanation of the problem.