Apple fixes iTunes for Vista, patches QuickTime bugs

Computerworld - Several weeks after rival Microsoft Corp. rolled out Windows Vista to consumers, Apple Inc. has updated iTunes to run on the new operating system -- although "a few" problems still remain, Apple said yesterday.

The company also issued a security update for its QuickTime multimedia player software, patching eight vulnerabilities; According the Apple warning, all could be used to execute arbitrary code, a scenario most researchers equate with a critical threat.

More than a month ago, Apple warned Microsoft Corp.'s Vista users to stay away from iTunes -- the software for buying music tracks and loading tunes onto iPods -- until further notice.

However, iTunes 7.1 "addresses a number of compatibility issues with Windows Vista," said Apple. But the software still isn't quite right. "iTunes 7.1 is recommended for use with most editions of Windows Vista; however, Apple is actively working with Microsoft to resolve a few remaining known issues."

On Apple hardware, iTunes 7.1 has been updated to support the upcoming Apple TV hardware, due out later this month.

QuickTime's security fix, meanwhile, patched Mac and Windows versions of the player; all eight vulnerabilities affected the Windows edition, while seven involved the Mac version. All could be exploited with various malformed files, since the bugs are in how QuickTime parses files formats, including MIDI, PICT and QTIF.

Tagged as QuickTime 7.1.5, the update can be downloaded from Apple's support site. Mac OS X users can also retrieve the patches using the operating system's update feature, while Windows users can launch the Apple Software Update utility to snag the update.

The release was the second update to QuickTime this year, and the third overall for the Mac. In late January, Apple patched the player to fix a flaw disclosed by the Month of Apple Bugs project.

iTunes 7.1 can be downloaded from the Apple site.

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