Apple released fixes for at least 41 security issues on Wednesday, including vulnerabilities in the kernel, networking components and Safari Web browser.

The update, released a day after Microsoft's regularly scheduled patches, closes holes in Mac OS X 10.3 Panther (corrected) and Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger. The vulnerabilities do not affect Apple's latest operating system, 10.5 Leopard, according to Apple's advisory.

Among the most serious issues are remotely exploitable flaws in Mac OS X's core Web services, the Safari Web browser, the operating system's handling of IPv6 packets, and the Adobe Flash player installed by default. In addition, a number of kernel flaws could be exploited locally to escalate the privilege of the user.

Earlier this month, Apple released updates for its QuickTime media player and for its mobile phone, the iPhone. The updates followed a warning at the end of October by security firms that a malicious program had targeted the Mac OS X. While the Trojan horse program did not exploit any significant flaws and was considered a low threat, it did signal the possible beginning of professional cybercriminals targeting Mac users.

Apple also released on Wednesday an update to its beta version of Safari for the Windows operating system that fixes 10 flaws and a number of updates for its server software and applications. The software can be downloaded from Apple's Web site or through the Software Update service available on the Mac OS X.

CORRECTION: The original article mislabeled Apple's Mac OS X 10.3. The correct name for version 10.3 is "Panther."

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