Apple has released a patch for OS X to fix a critical "goto fail" SSL flaw that attackers could use to eavesdrop on a target's communications, including everything from emails and address book appointments to FaceTime video chats and Find My Mac tracking information.

"The bug was caused by a line of C code that says 'goto fail,' which was a self-descriptive irony too amusing to ignore," said Paul Ducklin, head of technology for Sophos in the Asia Pacific region, in a blog post.

Apple's security update fixes that "SSL connection verification" flaw -- as the technology giant instead labeled it -- in OS X Mavericks 10.9 and 10.9.1, as well as a number of other security problems. Meanwhile, the company also issued security updates for OS X Lion v10.7.5, OS X Mountain Lion v10.8.5, and OS X Lion Server 10.7.5, although none of them are reportedly vulnerable to the goto-fail bug.

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