Apple has released its fifth Mac OS X security update of 2007 to patch a number of potential vulnerabilities. Security Update 2007-005 makes changes to CoreGraphics, iChat, VPN, BIND, crontabs, PPP, and other components, in most cases correcting problems that require either local user access or access to the Mac via a local network

Steve Jobs has done it again, posting an open letter on the Apple Web site. The previous "Thoughts on Music" letter generated much discussion and coverage of Apple (see "Steve Jobs Blasts DRM," 2007-02-12), and foreshadowed the Apple/EMI deal to drop DRM that followed shortly afterwards (which we covered in "Apple and EMI Offer DRM-Free Music via iTunes," 2007-04-02)

Responding to a security flaw discovered two weeks ago (see "Money Meets Mouth on Mac Exploits," 2007-04-23), Apple has released QuickTime 7.1.6 for Mac (43.6 MB) and Windows (19.1 MB), available as stand-alone downloads or via Software Update

Congratulations to Michael Weyman of sympatico.ca and Stuart Munro of assumption.edu, whose entries were chosen randomly in last week's DealBITS drawing and who received a copy of Open Door Networks' DoorStop X Security Suite, worth $79

Apple has released Battery Update 1.2 for MacBook and MacBook Pro models, and batteries for them, sold between February 2006 and April 2007. The update fixes some unspecified performance issues

Two hackers were able to meet a challenge at CanSecWest by gaining access to one of two fully patched MacBook Pros (one 15-inch, one 17-inch). The computers were updated with the latest security release from Apple (Security Update 2007-004, released 2007-04-19)

Apple has released Security Update 2007-004, which fixes a wide variety of obscure security holes and includes new versions of several open source components of Mac OS X, including fetchmail and ftpd

Despite the CanSecWest exploit (see "Money Meets Mouth on Mac Exploits," 2007-04-23), Macs have proven remarkably secure in comparison with the myriad problems that afflict Windows