OS X 10.7.4 and Safari 5.1.7 Released – Blancer.com Tutorials and projects

In another routine update, Apple has pushed out new versions of both OS X Lion and Safari, bringing them up to versions 10.7.4 and 5.1.7 respectively. However, those who were expecting some new nifty features are likely to be a tad disappointed, as it seems that these two updates are simply routine ones, aimed at patching up bugs and fixing security holes.

Apple released OS X 10.7.4 last night via Software Update or via manual download from their website.

OS X 10.7.4 fixes the FileVault bug that was discovered at the start of this week, a serious bug for anyone who has upgraded to Lion from Snow Leopard and has FileVault switched on. The bug meant that user details (such as login names and passwords) were stored in a plain text file which was able to be accessed by booting the computer up into firewire disk mode. The bug was first noted on Apple’s support forums back in February (interestingly, just after 10.7.3 was released) and has been patched up with this update. Anyone who uses Lion on a new Mac is (as always has been) unaffected by this problem.

The update also addressed a few other niggling issues, such as the constantly-checked “Reopen windows when logging back in”, compatibility with certain British third-party keyboards and RAW support for additional digital cameras (specifically the Canon EOS 5D Mark III).

Safari 5.1.7 was also released last night as a seperate update (Safari 5.1.6 came bundled in with 10.7.4) and can be installed after upgrading to 10.7.4. The new version disables any out-of-date Flash plugins to help keep your Mac secure and improves responsiveness when your system is running low on memory. Apple have also fixed the bug whereby webpages would lock up after using pinch-to-zoom – a comforting thought for most of us.

To grab both these updates (which are highly recommended), head over to Software Update on your Mac where they should be waiting for you. If you prefer to download them straight from the web, then we’ve included the links here for you.