Apple Updates Mac OS X

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Apple has released the latest update to Snow Leopard, which resolves a variety of software problems, plugs security holes, and improves reliability in running some third-party applications, such as Microsoft Exchange servers.

Apple released Mac OS X 10.6.5 Wednesday. The company is expected to release on Friday iOS 4.2, which is an upgrade to the operating system in the iPhone and the iPad.

The latest version of Mac OS X can be downloaded and installed by choosing "software update" in the Apple dropdown menu on the Mac. Apple advises customers not to interrupt the installation process once started and to back up the system before installation.

The update addresses a variety of problems related to Apple software and third-party applications. The upgrade also brings improvements in performance and reliability to some software, including Exchange servers and Active Directory.

Apple software fixes in Version 10.6.5 include iPhoto, Aperture, iCal, Logic Studio, and Safari. The update also resolves problems with Apple's Airport Extreme and Magic Trackpad, as well as with third-party graphics applications and games.

For people using an early 2009 Mac Pro RAID card, the update adds the ability to put the system to sleep through the Apple menu.

The security fixes within the latest Snow Leopard upgrade come as the Mac is under increasing attack from malware, albeit far less of a target than Microsoft Windows. Among the latest security risks was a Trojan horse discovered in the wild late last month by SecureMac.

Disguised as a video on social networking sites, such as Facebook, the Trojan initially runs a Java applet, which downloads files that can bypass passwords to provide access to files by an outside system. The malware, trojan.osx.boonana.a, affects Snow Leopard and other versions of Mac OS X.