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Breach</title></head><body>
<div><font color="#000000"><b>Apple Says OS X Vulnerable to Security
Breach<br>
<br>
</b>SEATTLE (Reuters) - Apple Computer Inc., long considered to
be relatively immune to the security holes and viruses that plague
longtime rival Microsoft Corp.'s Windows, said on Friday a security
hole in its software leaves users' computers vulnerable to attack.<br>
<br>
Apple, warning of a rare security hole in the company's OS X operating
system for the second time this month, said in a release that a
"theoretical vulnerability" in an application used to get
help while browsing the Web could expose users to a malicious software
code.<br>
<br>
The specific nature of the security hole, such as whether it makes the
computer vulnerable to outsiders or allows virus-like code to enter
the operating system, was not made clear. Cupertino, California-based
Apple's officials declined to provide specific comment beyond the
release.<br>
<br>
Mac, and its legion of enthusiastic users, have long touted the
benefits of owning Apple's Macintosh personal computer, such as its
ease of use and immunity from the computer viruses that plague users
of PCs running Microsoft's Windows operating system.<br>
<br>
Apple urged users to go to its Web site
http://www.apple.com/support/downloads/ to download a free software
update.<br>
<br>
Microsoft, whose Windows market share of over 90 percent makes it an
attractive target for virus writers and attackers, has been plagued
with crippling security holes and malicious software exploiting
them.<br>
<br>
"While no operating system can be completely immune from all
security issues, Mac OS X's UNIX-based architecture has so far turned
out to be much better than most," said Philip Schiller, Apple's
senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing.<br>
<br>
Apple says that OS X, which is based on a software system called Unix
that is more than two decades old, is more robust because it is built
with better permissioning tools and also draws upon the expertise of
other software developers who write programs based on Unix.<br>
<br>
Steve Jobs, Apple's co-founder and chief executive, likes to take the
stage to tell loyal users of the company's "insanely great"
products with "the best operating system in the world" but
the message from company officials on Friday was markedly toned
down.</font><br>
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<div><font color="#000000">"Apple takes security very seriously
and works quickly to address potential threats as we learn of them-in
this case, before there was any actual risk to our customers,"
said Schiller.</font></div>
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