The latest version of Thunderbird features several important security updates.

Six of the eight security patches are rated by Mozilla as critical. You can see the full list of them on the Mozilla site.

The update also promises improved “product stability”.

You can update your version by clicking on Help > Check for updates… in Thunderbird’s menubar or get it from the Thunderbird download page .thunderbird, security update, 1.5.0.2, stability, email, Mozilla, vulnerability

Apple has released a security update that patches the recently discovered vulnerabilities in Mail.app, Safari and elsewhere.

The release notes describe how Mail will be fixed:

In Mac OS X v10.4 Tiger, when an email attachment is double-clicked in Mail, Download Validation is used to warn the user if the file type is not “safe”. Certain techniques can be used to disguise the file’s type so that Download Validation is bypassed. This update addresses the issue by presenting Download Validation with the entire file, providing more information for Download Validation to detect unknown or unsafe file types in attachments.

Various Safari vulnerabilities are also remedied by this update, which is available in Software Update now.security update, mail.app, apple mail, safari, scripts, vulnerability, patch

The recent security flaws in Mac OS X have produced a range of responses. But in a lengthy article, IT columnist and Unix administrator John Welch sets a new high point.

It’s not enough to be (extra) careful about opening attachments in emails that you are unsure about. More drastic action is required:

If you are using Apple’s Mail, I’d consider switching to another mail program, at least temporarily. The problem with Mail is that it allows you to open a file with a single click, and there’s no warning from the application to give you a second chance to cancel that action. Neither Thunderbird nor Microsoft Entourage allow for this, so you might want to think about switching until Apple fixes that.

Oddly, later in the article he suggests: “Just take the common-sense steps that we all should be taking anyway, and you’ll be fine.”Mac osx, security, vulnerability, mail.app, apple mail, thunderbird, entourage, attachments, scripts