Apple released an update to its Mac OS X Leopard operating system yesterday, version 10.5.8. With Snow Leopard’s (10.6) availability just about a month away, this seems to be a relatively minor update intended to address a few compatibility and reliability issues along with a number of security flaws.

Weighing in anywhere from 165MB for regular updaters to 759MB if you’ve fallen a little behind, the update is said to fix issues when trying to connect a Mac to an AirPort network, as well as an issue in which certain resolutions might not appear in the Display System Preferences, and improves overall Bluetooth reliability with external devices. It also upgrades Apple’s Safari browser to version 4.0.2, brings additional RAW image support for third-party cameras, and increases compatibility for external USB drives.

On the security front, Mac OS X 10.5.8 fixes 18 vulnerabilities in total, including half a dozen that could let hackers hijack machines by duping users into viewing malicious image files on the web. As usual, it is available via Apple's Software Update feature or support downloads its page in both incremental and combo packages.