Tom Ferris, a security research expert based in Mission Viejo, California, was the first to report on seven security vulnerabilities in Apple’s operating system. Ferris stated that hackers could exploit these dangerous vulnerabilities to execute malicious code on victims’ computers.
In response to Ferris’s findings, Bud Tribble, Apple’s Vice President of Software, stated: “We are actively working to address these vulnerabilities.” He also reassured users by saying: “I think it’s important to note that while there are potential risks, none of these vulnerabilities have been exploited yet, and no customers have been affected by them.”
Five of the vulnerabilities identified by Ferris relate to how the operating system handles image files (including BMP, TIFF, and GIF formats). Of the two remaining vulnerabilities, one pertains to how the operating system processes compressed .zip files. The final vulnerability is associated with Apple’s Safari browser.
Ferris also mentioned that Apple quietly fixed one of the vulnerabilities related to TIFF image file handling in update version 10.4.6. This is currently the only vulnerability that Apple has addressed.
Ferris is also known for discovering and reporting vulnerabilities in other Apple products, such as iTunes and QuickTime. Additionally, he is a security expert who has identified several serious flaws in Firefox, the second most widely used browser after Microsoft’s Internet Explorer.
