Apple recently released software updates to iOS, Mac OS 10.7 and higher, as well as for Safari & QuickTime for Windows. These updates address a vulnerability found in Apple’s implementation of SSL (secure sockets layer), a protocol computers use extensively for secure communications online. While we are not aware of any specific information breaches at Middlebury College, and the steps necessary for someone to compromise these secure communications are far from trivial, we should all apply these important security patches to our Apple hardware and Windows computers running Apple software to mitigate these risks. Please check your Apple software for available updates (especially iOS, Mac OS, Safari, and QuickTime updates). Run your updates now and check again after the installation as some may have prerequisites. For more information, links to specific updates for the SSL vulnerability and others are available at http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1222.