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http://www.insanely-great.com/news.php?id=1201
Mac OS "Least Prone to Attack"
By Remy Davison, Insanely Great Mac
October 31st 2002
OS X thrashes Linux, Windows in the security stakes.
Government departments, armed services, business, take note: a report by technology
risk management company mi2g Ltd., which will be released today, says the Mac OS is
the platform least vulnerable to hackers.
mi2g's report states that of over 1,100 software vulnerabilities indenfied for the
period Jan-Oct 2002, "fewer than 25 were attributable to the Macintosh operating
system".
Perfoming equally well were other Unix variants: Compaq's Tru64 and SCO Unix.
Microsoft's Windows trailed the field with over 500 vulnerabilities. 200
vulnerabilities were identified in Linux systems.
Exceptionally few attacks were mounted against Macintosh hardware, with 31 attacks
recorded (0.5% of all digital attacks).
Analysis: It's no secret that Macs are generally secure servers - and OS 9 is even
more secure than X, which is why Macs were chosen as internet servers from the web's
introduction to the mass market in the early 1990s. Compared to Windows, relatively
few Unix viruses exist, while the vulnerability of Windows is legendary. Apple has
also been praised in the IT community for leaving remote access to Macs switched off
in OS X by default.
A very small number of Macs targeted, sure; but OS X is just another *nix after all.
And Linux didn't fare nearly as well.
It's yet another reason why XServe is doing well and should do better. Apple Canada:
take note (and junk that Windows 2000 server you're using).
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