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TidBITS Watchlist: Notable Software Updates for 27 June 2011

Security Update 2011-004 (Leopard/Leopard Server) — While Mac OS X 10.6.8 resolves numerous security vulnerabilities for Snow Leopard users, those still using Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard should download and install Security Update 2011-004. The most important fix is to AirPort, and it prevents an attacker on the same Wi-Fi network from causing your Mac to reboot. Other affected aspects of Mac OS X include ColorSync, CoreGraphics, ImageIO, MySQL, patch, Samba, servermgrd, and Subversion. Separate standalone updates are available for Leopard and Leopard Server, though it’s still easiest to let Software Update do its thing. (Free; 256.4 MB, 499.8 MB)

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ClamXav 2.2 — Mark Allan has released version 2.2 of the malware-protection ClamXav app based on the open source ClamAV antivirus engine. According to the release notes, ClamXav 2.2 introduces support for OS X Lion and fixes miscellaneous unspecified bugs. The underlying ClamAV virus-detection engine has also been upgraded to version 0.97.1, and the author has added a direct link to the software’s online documentation, along with adding Command-click on Ignore Warning as a better way to dismiss multiple warnings. ClamXav is free, though
donations are requested. (Free, 13 MB)

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1Password 3.6 — AgileBits has introduced 1Password 3.6, a significant update to its password- and identity-management software. According to the company’s blog post, this update adds a few important features — notably, support for the just-released Firefox 5 and the upcoming OS X Lion and Safari 5.1. 1Password is now also compatible with the site-specific browser Fluid, a program that lets users create instances of the browser to use with specific Web-based apps like Gmail.
Alas, some functionality is also going the way of the dodo, as AgileBits has dropped support for Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard and PowerPC-based Macs in this release. Full release notes are also available. ($39.99 new, free update, 17.2 MB)

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Flash Player 10.3.181.26 — Adobe recently added automatic update notifications to Flash Player, via a System Preferences pane, and it’s none too soon, since the critical vulnerability fixed by Flash Player 10.3.181.26 is, according to the non-profit group Shadowserver, being exploited in the wild on a fairly large scale. In other words, you really want to update to the latest Flash Player right away, and use the automatic update notification to stay up to date. If you’re using a PowerPC-based Mac that can’t run the
latest Intel-only Flash Player version, it’s probably best to rely on ClickToFlash and load Flash elements only on select sites that you absolutely trust.

If you’re using a version of Flash prior to 10.3.181.14, when automatic notifications were first added, you can determine what version of Flash Player you do have by visiting the Adobe Flash Player page. Then download the latest version from the Adobe Flash Player Download page. (Free, 6.08 MB)

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PDFpen and PDFpenPro 5.4 — Only a month after the last update, Smile has released new versions of PDFpen and PDFpenPro, their PDF manipulation software. Version 5.4 adds the capability to extract and edit files from PDF portfolios (collections of PDF files bundled together), fixes post-OCR selection in certain situations, and provides other minor fixes and changes. Also notable in PDFpenPro only is the significantly improved interface for creating tables of contents (what Acrobat calls bookmarks; the navigational aids that appear in Preview’s sidebar). New commands enable
the creation of “child” and “aunt” entries, and keyboard shortcuts help users make entries much more quickly. ($59.95/$99.95 new, free update, 41.2 MB)

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Microsoft Office 2011 14.1.2, 2008 12.3.0, and 2004 11.6.4 — New from Microsoft are updates to the last three versions of its flagship Office for Mac suite. According to the company, the three releases, labeled 14.1.2 for Office 2011, 12.3.0 for Office 2008, and 11.6.4 for Office 2004, are
all aimed at security, addressing eight important vulnerabilities focused on specially crafted Excel files that an attacker could use to overwrite the contents of a computer’s memory with malicious code. Office for Mac 2011 14.1.2 also fixes several bugs in Outlook and Word. (Free updates; 109 MB, 333 MB, 13 MB)

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Acrobat Pro 10.1, 9.4.5, and 8.3 — Adobe has released a trio of updates for Acrobat Pro, its PDF creation and manipulation software. The three updates, designed for versions 8, 9, and 10 of the app, bring security improvements, bug fixes, and a few feature improvements — see Adobe’s release notes for details. Acrobat X Pro 10.1 has feature improvements surrounding security, browser support, digital signatures, and Flash. For owners of Acrobat Pro 9, the 9.4.5 update is limited to security and stability enhancements, as is version 8.3 for users of the software’s previous incarnation. ($449 new; free updates; 134 MB, 91.7 MB, 29.81 MB)

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Evernote 2.2.1Evernote has introduced version 2.2.1 of its eponymous note-taking software. Despite the minor version bump, the update has several major changes, starting with the capability to create links to any note that can be shared with others or embedded in other notes. A new “snippet view,” combined with improved history navigation features, gives users a better at-a-glance overview of their note taking. And finally, the latest release of Evernote comes with better integration with
VoiceOver and several bug fixes. (Free from Evernote’s site or the Mac App Store, 19.2 MB)

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Audio Hijack Pro 2.9.12 — Rogue Amoeba has released Audio Hijack Pro 2.9.12, a fairly significant update to the audio recording program. According to the release notes, the new version no longer requires relaunching Safari in 32-bit mode to capture audio as long as Instant On is installed, can capture audio from Google Chrome and Firefox with no additional setup, and can record to the WAV audio format. A number of minor bugs have also been fixed, and preliminary support for Mac OS X 10.7 Lion has been added; currently the app requires Mac OS X
10.6.0 or later. ($32 new, free update, 6.2 MB)

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