Apple week is releasing its first automated security patch for OS X customers, requiring users to download a small package and follow the steps outlined by the installation wizard without rebooting.
The issue was disclosed by Homeland Security and Carnegie Mellon University's Software Engineering Institute in security bulletins. The bugs affect the Network Time Protocol (NTP) component, which handles time-related issues that are critical for clock synchronization.
Apple was just one of the system software makers affected by the bug. The vulnerability is critical, hence the company's decision to expedite the update of the operating system code.
According to the documentation provided by the Cupertino company, the OS X NTP security update , which addresses a critical security vulnerability that provides the Network Time Protocol service for OS X, is recommended for all users.
The patch addresses the vulnerability in three separate versions of Mac OS—Yosemite, Mavericks, and Mountain Lion—and is offered as three different installations, each designed to work on one version of the OS, but unable to run on the others.
After installing the update (i.e. downloading and installing the OS X NTP update), users will again need to check the ntpd version they are using. On Mountain Lion users should see ntp-77.1.1, on Mavericks it should be ntp-88.1.1, and finally on Yosemite it should be ntp-92.5.1, after the update.
Unlike previous security updates from the company, this time the computer will not require a restart.
