Apple Losing Some of its Shine
It's been somewhat interesting when I talk with customers and people that I know and they tell me that the Mac has better security than Windows. First thing I have to ask is what version of Windows and MacOS are they talking about? Usually they sit down and compare OS X (either Tiger or Leopard) to Windows XP. They don't even consider Vista in the mix...which is somewhat frustrating but nevertheless, let's continue. They tell me how Apple has so many fewer security bugs (or bugs in general) because Apple rarely ever releases patches (unlike Microsoft where we release patches once a month) and the fact that Apple's MacOS is "immune" to malware.
Yesterday SC Magazine published an interesting article titled "Mac attacks on rise" that describes how malware writers are now finding it worth their while to develop malware for the Mac platform. The level of the problem is certainly nowhere near it is with the Windows world but it's getting to the point now that Mac users are being cautioned not to be complacent about security. For example, the OSX/Hovdy-A trojan is a particular pernicious little guy that can do things like steal passwords, disable the firewall on the Mac and disable security settings. As the Mac population grows (Apple announced recently that it has had its best quarter in its 31-year history selling 2.5 million computers) more and more malware writers and attackers are going to be looking at the Mac as the platform of opportunity.
