A major reason why many Windows users complain about their computer is because of viruses, spyware, adware, and other security vulnerabilities. Some recent switchers, including myself, have switched not only for the beautiful Apple style, but to forget viruses, and having to run SpyBot on your PC every day.
An article from Security Focus explains how that Mac OS X is no longer safe and secure as many think it is. They believe that some hackers are starting to concentrate more on the Mac OS, since Mac OS is UNIX-based, and many hackers are familiar or use UNIX OS. A security report from the SANS Institute shows the top 20 most vulnerable flaws in Internet, Networking, and OS areas.
SANS reports that the Safari browser has many flaws that can be exploited and can be hackable. Security Focus points out that Mac OS X has flaws, but they have not been taken advantage of yet.
If you look at the list of the vulnerabilities, Microsoft has the top 5, in being Internet Explorer (Oh, what a surprise), 3 major flaws and weaknesses in Windows, and vulnerabilities in Office and Outlook. What shocked me is Mozilla and Firefox were also on the list.
I believe that Apple should be prepared for future threats, and I believe that Apple won’t ever let that happen. Mac OS X is really a totally new operating system, and Apple needs to do some more homework and start thinking about protecting their OS. I think that over time, Apple will continue to patch flaws and vulnerabilities and try to perfect the Mac OS. I do not think it is ever possible to perfect any piece of software, but Apple will take close watch and fix flaws, because that is one big reason why people are switching to Macs.
Will we start to see antivirus programs for OS X when more people switch? I sure hope not. I would not mind if the program was transparent, like I didn’t even know it was there. I seriously think that more and more hackers and spyware companies will start targeting Mac OS X, but I believe that Apple will not let Mac OS X got to rot like Windows.
So, do we really want people to switch to Mac? Of course we do, but as more people switch, it will attract more hackers to the Mac platform.
One Response
Andy Merrett says:
We already have antivirus software for the Mac. There are some Mac viruses but they’re very few, and there are enough security measures built in to diminish the power of many of them.
The fact is, Unix-based OSs are just inherently more secure than Windows. I’ve read countless articles describing why Windows was so badly designed, even at its foundations, that viruses can run rampant. Things like blurring the edges between adminisrator and user rights, permissions being non-existent or badly configured, etc. – things that just don’t happen on Mac OS X or any other Unix flavour.
Sure, no OS is bulletproof. Users must be vigilant, regardless. There’s no room for complacency. Generally, I know that if I practice good Internet and file security, put myself behind one or more firewalls (I do), etc. then I will be generally safe – but I am not foolish enough to just say “I’m on a Mac, I’m immune to attack”.
November 30th, 2005 at 5:35 am
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