Affiliate Disclosure
If you buy through our links, we may get a commission. Read our ethics policy.

Apple issues security update for 802.11n AirPort Extreme Base Station

Apple on Monday released AirPort Extreme Base Station with 802.11n Firmware 7.1, which includes general fixes, compatibility updates, and security improvements for the recently introduced AirPort Extreme Base Station with 802.11n.

The first security hole addressed by the 4.6MB patch involves the router's default acceptance of incoming IPv6 connections, which could expose servers and other services connected to the Base Station to an attack by those using the newer Internet protocol.

Apple's fix is to change the standard policy, which automatically blocks inbound IPv6 traffic from all computers but those on the local network.

Less glaring but still important was a correction in the station's approach to USB hard drives shared through the AirPort Disk feature. Computers with access to the local network could previously view the names of files in password-protected volumes without first entering said password, potentially exposing any sensitive information that the file name might hold.

An extra layer of validation now prevents this from happening, authenticating a user before they can see the data in a secured volume. None of the files' contents were accessible before the update, Apple said.

The Mac maker recommends that all owners of the 802.11n device first install AirPort Base Station Update 2007-001 before attempting to update to the latest firmware.