iOS 8.4, Mac OS X Updates Plug Vulnerabilities
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Apple pushed iOS 8.4 and Mac OS X 10.10.4 to owners of its smartphones, tablets, and computers this week. The main purpose behind the updated operating system is to install Apple's new streaming music service,called Apple Music.
Apple also took the opportunity to clear up some security bugs.
Apple revealed Apple Music during its annual Worldwide Developers Conference in June. It allows Apple device owners to stream an unlimited amount of music to their iPhone, iPad, iPod, or Mac. Apple Music includes hundreds of curated channels, a social networking component for interacting with artists, and the Beats 1 global radio station. The curated channels are free of ads. Beats 1 is live and managed by actual deejays, but first-day listeners said there are some advertisements.
Apple completely redesigned the iOS music application to accommodate Apple Music. It has a new icon, and is organized in a manner that places a preference for Apple Music over music owned by the device holder. iTunes on Apple's Mac computers also saw a modest update.
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The service is free to try for three months, after which it will cost $10 per month for individuals and $15 per month for families (up to six users). Those prices are in line with those charged by other streaming music services, such as Spotify.
Music isn't all Apple had in mind with iOS 8.4 and OS X 10.10.4. The company also patched several dozen security holes.
The most significant patch is found in iOS 8.4 and pertains to the iMessage issue discovered earlier this year. The bug crashed the Apple messaging application such that it could no longer be reopened. The bug took the form of a text message with a specific string of Unicode characters. If opened, the iMessage app and even the iPhone itself could be compromised.
That's far from all. Apple made numerous patches to Safari and its WebKit core, WiFi connectivity, telephony, the kernel, email, and the app store.
Yosemite earned its own set of security patches. Some of the fixes target the Admin Framework, Apache, Bluetooth, EFI, kernel, email, QuickTime, and Spotlight.
Both iOS 8.4 and OS X 10.01.4 are free to install and recommended for all users -- if not for Apple Music, than for the security patches. IT departments should review the security updates from Apple and deploy them as soon as feasible.