Will Apple issue any more Mountain Lion security updates?

Graham Cluley
Graham Cluley
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Mountain LionYesterday, I explained why I wasn’t rushing to install Mavericks, the latest incarnation of OS X, onto my Macs.

But technology journalist Larry Seltzer has raised an interesting question which might make me change my mind.

Are there going to be any more security updates for Mac OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion?

Historically, Apple has issued security updates not just for the current version of Mac OS X (which is now Mavericks) but also the previous (Mountain Lion), and sometimes even the one before that!

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But with Mavericks offered as a free update, will Apple feel any duty to issue security updates for the earlier version of the operating system?

Right now, the signs aren’t looking good. No security updates are showing up in Software Update, or on Apple’s website, for those sticking for a while with Mountain Lion – and Apple hasn’t (at the time of writing) responded to Larry’s requests for confirmation one way or another.

The issue is made more serious, because Apple *has* released lengthy details of the security vulnerabilities that Mavericks fixes.

Lets hope that Apple doesn’t let its Mountain Lion customers down and *does* release a security update soon for those who are holding off upgrading to the new version.

If it doesn’t, well, I might have to re-evaluate my decision and take the plunge after all…

Hat-tip: ZDNet.


Graham Cluley is an award-winning keynote speaker who has given presentations around the world about cybersecurity, hackers, and online privacy. A veteran of the computer security industry since the early 1990s, he wrote the first ever version of Dr Solomon's Anti-Virus Toolkit for Windows, makes regular media appearances, and is the co-host of the popular "Smashing Security" podcast. Follow him on Twitter, Mastodon, Threads, Bluesky, or drop him an email.

2 comments on “Will Apple issue any more Mountain Lion security updates?”

  1. Thin

    Potentially stupid question, but do these Mac Operating Systems not have end of life dates for security updates? If not (as seems from a quick google) how is anyone supposed to plan lifecycle or know how to react in these situations…

    I doubt they'll let this go as far as that delayed java vuln update a few years back, but if these vulns are present in the current version it seems something of a foot in ass moment :|

    1. Eric Pellegrini · in reply to Thin

      Not a stupid question. I was a postdoc at an ivy league
      institution and was given a Mac Pro for scientific research. I was
      kind of a grumpy user (really wanted a Linux machine) and through
      my pestering we discovered by accident that Apple hadn't
      announced the end of service for Leopard, but it hadn't
      received any updates in half a year. The department had adopted
      Macs faster then they could realize there was no notification of
      end-of-life support, and the University required systems to be
      maintained creating something of a $#it storm. Also if Apple had
      charged for an arguably required update 14months after releasing an
      OS would the media throw a fit? So why are they praising apple for
      not charging?!?

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