Apple has released an upgrade for its GarageBand audio editing
application that includes a security patch not mentioned in the
update announcement.
According to Apple's
support web site, GarageBand 5.1 "addresses general
compatibility issues, improves overall stability, and fixes a
number of other minor issues".
But a
security
advisory reveals that the update includes a fix for a security
flaw in GarageBand that allows Safari browser users' web activity
to be tracked by third parties and advertisers.
The advisory says that when GarageBand is opened, Safari's
preferences are changed to always accept cookies. The default
preference is to accept cookies only for the sites being
visited.
Apple warns that the altered setting may allow third parties and
advertisers to track a user's web activity.
GarageBand 5.1 addresses the issue by not changing the
preference setting.
"Users who have run previous versions of GarageBand should
confirm that their Safari preferences are set as desired," said
Apple.