The Office of Technology Services (OTS) recently identified a highly critical vulnerability for Macintosh OS X computers.
Any version of Macintosh OS X running Internet Explorer, Safari or other Web browsers can be used to exploit a vulnerability in Apple’s Help application, in which a malicious script can be run to erase the contents of a user’s hard drive. This means that by simply surfing to a Web site that contains this malicious script, users possibly could have their hard drive erased.
Because a fix is not yet available from Apple, OTS suggests installing a freeware application called “Don’t Go There, GURLfriend!” to repair this vulnerability. It can be downloaded at {http://homepage.mac.com/olliewagner/dgtgf.dmg}.
Once the Disk Image file (.dmg) has been downloaded, double-click the file, if necessary, to mount it on the desktop. Once it is mounted, launch the application and select the Patch button. You should receive a message stating the process was successful. A Test button is also available to verify the patching was successful.
More information about the vulnerability can be found at {http://secunia.com/advisories/11622/}.
If you have questions, please contact the OTS Help Center, x4-5151 or {helpcenter@towson.edu}.
