Apple patches critical Safari holes

Four flaws addressed in latest update

Apple has patched four security vulnerabilities in Safari affecting the Mac OS X and Windows versions of the web browser.

The vulnerabilities range from cross-site scripting to remote code execution.

For Windows XP and Vista users, the update addresses four flaws. Two of the vulnerabilities, a memory overflow error in the browser itself and a buffer overflow in the JavaScript component, could be exploited by an attacker to remotely install and execute malware on a target system.

Another flaw in the browser could allow for a URL to be displayed without the page itself being loaded. Apple warned that this could be exploited by an attacker to spoof legitimate sites by displaying normal URLs with forged web pages.

The fourth vulnerability is a flaw in the browser's WebKit component. An attacker could use a malformed URL to exploit the vulnerability and perform a cross-site scripting attack.

Mac users will receive updates for just two of the four flaws. Apple patched the JavaScript remote code execution flaw as well as the cross-site scripting vulnerability in the OS X version of the Safari patch.

Users can download the Safari update through Apple's Software Update application or from the company's Safari download site.