12/31/2007, 11:00am, EST
Monday, December 31st
Mac OS X a growing target amongst hackers
Apple's Mac OS X operating system -- which the company advertises as more secure than Microsoft Windows -- is coming under increased scrutiny by security specialists and underground crackers as the platform increases in market share. After repeatedly posting record quarters and announcing a growth rate well ahead of the personal computer industry in general, Apple is fast appearing on the radar of more and more hackers across the globe. Infoworld reports that "The days when you can assume that Apple's products are exempt from harm are over."
While attacks against Mac OS X and other devices like the iPhone are still rare, IDC analyst Chris Christiansen is warning Mac users of the growing threat.
"Most Mac users take security too lightly. In fact, most are quite proud of the fact that they don't run any security at all," Christiansen said. "That's an open door; at some point it will be exploited."
In 2006 the National Institute of Standards and Testing counted 106 'vulnerabilities' in Mac OS X, with 78 vulnerabilities appearing during the first six months of 2007. Those numbers compare to Microsoft's Windows XP, which had 55 vulnerabilities in 2006 and just 19 in the first six months of 2007. The recently-released Windows Vista, meanwhile, braved 19 vulnerabilities in 2007.
"Apple has better commercials, but the Mac is no harder to break into than a Windows PC," said Gartner security analyst John Pescatore. The analyst added that most IT departments can automatically patch large numbers of PCs simultaneously, while Macs usually require updates one at a time, according to Infoworld.
Filed under: industry, security, Apple
Other story tags: Microsoft, Mac OS X, Windows, system, hackers
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I guess I should have gone VISTA. :-)
OH, wait, I have no Mac virus protecting and yet have gotten no viruses in the last 5 years. Maybe I am the only one.????
After all, with all these security company sales people telling me how vunerabal I am, I must be in danger, right???
Jesus, is this the kind of FUD we're going to have to put up with in 2008?
Drivers' lessons for the web anyone?
"but the Mac is no harder to break into than a Windows PC"
When there is proof of a successful attack it still would not justify a statement like this.
In other news: dark is, in fact, brighter than light, and down is higher than up.