Along with yesterday’s Mac OS X 10.6.8 update, Apple also released Security Update 2011-004, which brings some of the same patches to Mac OS X 10.5 (“Leopard”), as well as fixing some Leopard-specific security bugs.
Per Macworld, the update patched 28 bugs in systems ranging from AirPort to MobileMe, QuickTime, and subversion. While many of the bugs fixed in Leopard have been addressed in previous updates to Snow Leopard, a handful affect both versions of the OS; Apple’s Knowledge Base document also addresses some Snow Leopard-specific bugs patched in Mac OS X 10.6.8.
The one thing Leopard doesn’t benefit from is Snow Leopard’s malware detection system, which was updated in 10.6.8 to catch more versions of the Mac Defender Trojan horse. Leopard users will instead have to rely on a combination of third-party antivirus software and common sense to defend themselves from the malware.
Security Update 2011-004 is recommended for all users of Mac OS X 10.5, and requires Mac OS X 10.5.8 or later to install and run. For users of the OS’s client version, a 256.4MB download is available via Software Update or the support section of Apple’s web site; Leopard Server users can download a 499.8MB update via Software Update or Apple’s site.
If you’ve tried the security update and have any feedback about it, let us know.