Reminds me of this perspective I saw on SiliconValley.com today: "Please update your virus definitions. Your current definitions detect 1 virus. Norton 70321h detects and removes 2. It's only a matter of time before Mac OS X begins to fall prey to malware with increasing frequency. This according to the astonishingly self-serving Symantec Internet Security Threat Report, a document that says far more about the looming vulnerabilities in Symantec's business model than it does about those in Apple's operating system. Clearly, Microsoft's recent foray into Windows AntiSpyware and malware realms has so unsettled the company that it felt compelled to pre-announce the market for Norton Internet Security 3.0 and its other largely unnecessary Mac products. Get a load of this: "Generally speaking, the Macintosh operating system has been relatively immune to malicious activity, particularly compared to other operating systems like Linux and Microsoft. With the introduction and popularity of Mac OS X, however, Apple has become a target for new attacks and vulnerabilities. Mac OS X has begun to not only capture the attention of users but of vulnerability researchers as well. Symantec believes that as the popularity of Apple's new platform continues to grow, so too will the number of attacks directed at it." Well yes, of course. Generally speaking, as an operating system's market share grows, it garners a bit more attention from malware authors. Any underwit can see that. But let's be honest, it's going to be years before OS X can reach the standard set by Windows in this category. There have been 37 vulnerabilities in Mac OS X in the past year, all of which were quickly and efficiently patched (none were exploited because OS X requires a root password before it will install new software). Compare that to the 17,500 Windows-based viruses and threats that made it into the wild last year and it puts Symantec's call to the barricades in perspective."
j. On Mar 22, 2005, at 5:15 PM, macgroup-digest wrote: > Date: Tue, 22 Mar 2005 13:25:46 -0800 > From: "Rex Baldazo" <Rex.Baldazo at cnet.com> > Subject: MacGroup: OS X to be an increasing target for hackers > > Symantec says that with OS X rising in popularity, it has started > coming > into the crosshairs of computer virus writers: > > http://news.com.com/2100-7349_3-5630481.html > > Of course you gotta take it with a grain of salt, since Symantec has a > vested interest in convincing you to buy their Mac anti-virus product. > > - --- Rex. > -- Jonathan Fletcher jfletch at newmediaconstco.com NewMedia Construction Co. MacTown Softworks | The next meeting of the Louisville Computer Society will | be March 22. The LCS Web page is <http://www.kymac.org>. | List posting address: <mailto:macgroup at erdos.math.louisville.edu> | List Web page: <http://erdos.math.louisville.edu/macgroup>
