Apple issues first automatic bug update for Macs

This is the first time automatic updates have been sent to Mac computers around the world

Apple has sent out its first automatic security update for Mac computers as researchers warn about new bugs.

Previously Apple has released security patches through its regular software update system which requires user approval.

The latest bugs were so severe it felt it needed to get customers protected immediately, the firm said.

"The update is seamless. It doesn't even require a restart," Apple spokesman Bill Evans told Reuters.

The Mac bugs were mentioned in security bulletins issued last week by the Department of Homeland Security and the Carnegie Mellon University Software Engineering Institute.

It identified dozens of technology companies, including Apple, whose products might be vulnerable.

The vulnerability targets a component of its OS X operating system called the network time protocol (NTP) which is used for synchronising clocks on computer systems.

The protocol is a global method of synchronising time over a network and has previously been exploited by hackers.

Microsoft has been offering automatic updates for security flaws for some time.

Apple developed technology for automatically pushing out security updates two years ago but has never previously used it.

The firm said that it did not know of any cases where hackers had exploited the bug.