Security Update 2005-008 (#3): Keychain issues; Valid PICT, GIF images no longer displaying; more
Security Update 2005-008 (#3): Keychain issues; Valid PICT, GIF images no longer displaying; more
Keychain issues As reported last week, a number of users are having issues with the Mac OS X Keychain after applying Security Update 2005-008.
In most cases, users report that they are prompted for their keychain password after log-in subsequent to applying the update, only to have their valid entries rejected. In some cases, running Keychain First Aid (accessible through the application menu in Keychain Access --a program located in Applications/Utilities) provides relief from this issue, but in other users receive the message 'Verification terminated unexpectedly' when attempting repairs.
A tedious but usually successful workaround is to simply delete the current user Keychain be selecting "Delete keychain ()" from the File menu in Keychain Access. This will require you to re-establish any previously entered passwords, certificates and any other Keychain information, but should prevent the impenetrable password prompt at login.
Valid PICT, GIF images no longer displaying It appears that a security measure taken by Apple in this update has broken support for some images encoded in the PICT of GIF format.
In the release notes for Security Update 2005-008, Apple details the following modification:
"A corrupt GIF image could potentially create a buffer overflow in ImageIO (an operating system component for rendering images used by Safari and other applications), which could enable an attacker to execute arbitrary code. No known exploitations have occurred, and Security Update 2005-008 fixes the problem. A similar issue with PICT images is fixed in the operating system's QuickDraw component."
It appears that this intended fix results in the inability to display some valid, non-compromised PICTs and animated GIFs.
MacFixIt reader Jim Rea writes:
"We have encountered numerous valid PICT images that no longer display when this update is installed. These images were created with Adobe Photoshop and have worked fine for several years on numerous operating systems until Friday's update. The images in question are part of our Panorama database application but there is no reason to suspect that this is not a general bug.
Edwin Burmeister adds:
"Before Security Update 2005-008, animated gifs would work in Preview under OS 10.4.2. Now they do not. Apparently you now must use Quicktime to display an animated GIF."
Disappearing hard drive space -- swelling console logs Some users report recurrence of an issue where hard drive space on the startup volume disappears gradually after Security Update 2005-008. In most cases, this issue is caused by log files that swell to sometimes unwieldy sizes.
MacFixIt reader Kevin Lewis writes:
"I installed security update this morning - I didn't notice anything initially but saw later that I was gradually losing hard drive space - I should have 37 GB used with around 38 available as my backup on an external drive that is before the update shows - when I first noticed it I had 16 GB available - I called apple and was run thru various things to try to figure it out and after doing a find on size found that I had two console logs that were each in the 4 to 5 GB range."
The easiest method for dealing with this issue is to use the Console application located in the Applications/Utilities folder on a normal Mac OS X installation. Once you have launched this application, click the "Logs" button in the top navigation bar, and select the offending (swollen) log file. Choose "Delete" from the File menu.
Mac OS X log files are stored in the /var/log directory on a normal installation. This directory is invisible, however, so you will need to use Mac OS X's "Go to Folder" command (located in the "Go" menu in the Finder) in order to access it.
Once you're in this directory, look for any abnormally large files with the naming scheme "System.log.(a number).gz," i.e. "System.log.1.gz" and move them to the trash.
Some shareware utilities -- including Cocktail -- can also clear various log files.
After or before attempting any of the above procedures, try disconnecting any USB or FireWire devices and check for persistence of the log swelling.
Problems with Office 2004 SP2 Some users are reporting issues with the Office 2004 SP2 after applying Security Update 2005-008.
Gary Berkson writes:
"I, and many others, have been experiencing erratic problems with Office after having updated to SP2 and the latest Apple Security update. Amongst the problems are missing colored dots on project calendar events, Entourage not remembering which windows are open on re-launching.
If you are experiencing a similar issue, please let us know.
Previous coverage:
- Security Update 2005-008 (#2): Update recommendations; Problems with standalone download .dmg; more
- Apple releases Security Update 2005-008
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