Security blogger that some popular Mac applications--the Web browser Opera and Amazon's Kindle among them--are taking a long time to be updated in the Mac App Store. In many cases, Apple's insistence on testing every release of every piece of software in h the App Store may be a good thing when it comes to security.

But when something slips through the cracks--as did with a recent version of Opera--users who purchased Opera via the Mac App Store are still waiting for the update to fix the security hole. Those who downloaded the browser independently of the Mac App Store have likely downloaded the update that fixes the issue. But because Apple insists that versions of software submitted to the Mac App Store remove all forms of auto-update and leave the distribution of software updates to Apple, that's not an option.

Until Apple gets in gear and starts pushing security updates out the door of the Mac App Store more quickly, you may want to go with standalone download versions of important applications like Web browsers, even if it means you have to go the trouble of initially dragging and dropping the app to your Applications folder yourself.

3. Invest in Anti-malware Software (If You Must)

I almost hate to include this item on the list, because I said before and I really mean that this isn't the time to panic. Yet, running blindly to a security software vendor, credit card in hand, certainly sounds like panicking.