01-14-2013, 12:43 AM
from Dec 2011:
http://nakedsecurity.sophos.com/2011/12/...p-to-date/
When you download an application via Safari or an attachment in Mail and then try to open it, Apple checks the file against its "safe downloads list" (sometimes called "XProtect.plist" after its file name) to ensure it doesn't contain any known Mac malware.
Mac OS X is supposed to check for updates to this malware definitions list daily, but you can force an update using one of the following techniques.
The first method is to click on the Apple menu and select "System Preferences..." and then from the main window click on Security, then click on the General tab, and then uncheck and re-check the box next to "Automatically update safe downloads list" (note that you may need to click on the lock and type an administrator password first). If you don't see this checkbox, you should make sure you're running either Lion (v10.7 or later) or the latest version of Snow Leopard (v10.6.8).
***
Snow Leopard users that installed Apple’s Security Update 2011-003 can get daily safe file updates Safari uses to help make sure malware doesn’t find its way onto their Macs. Apple doesn’t, however, offer an easy way to tell when your definitions list was last updated, or what list version number is installed, so The Mac Observer whipped up Safe Download Version to handle that task for you.
http://nakedsecurity.sophos.com/2011/12/...p-to-date/
When you download an application via Safari or an attachment in Mail and then try to open it, Apple checks the file against its "safe downloads list" (sometimes called "XProtect.plist" after its file name) to ensure it doesn't contain any known Mac malware.
Mac OS X is supposed to check for updates to this malware definitions list daily, but you can force an update using one of the following techniques.
The first method is to click on the Apple menu and select "System Preferences..." and then from the main window click on Security, then click on the General tab, and then uncheck and re-check the box next to "Automatically update safe downloads list" (note that you may need to click on the lock and type an administrator password first). If you don't see this checkbox, you should make sure you're running either Lion (v10.7 or later) or the latest version of Snow Leopard (v10.6.8).
***
Snow Leopard users that installed Apple’s Security Update 2011-003 can get daily safe file updates Safari uses to help make sure malware doesn’t find its way onto their Macs. Apple doesn’t, however, offer an easy way to tell when your definitions list was last updated, or what list version number is installed, so The Mac Observer whipped up Safe Download Version to handle that task for you.