On 27/09/2005, at 6:47 PM, Rick Armstrong wrote:
Dear Mac Users,
I have a frustrating debate with a collegue who swears that a PC
can do
anything that a Mac can do but cheaper and faster. Could someone
give me a
short reply (PC owners can't understand anything more then a
paragraph). I
am in the graphics industry and use all Adobe software and QuarkXPress
software. I have no ambition to compare a Mac with a PC and the
mention of
processing speed not clock speed doesn't get through. I am starting
to doubt
the power of Macs now. From a Mac user forever.
Hi Rick,
Don't go beating your head against a brick wall, and that's what it
feels like trying to convince a PC user that Macs are better.
--------------------------
Malware and Security - Platform Comparison
Many commentators recommend diversity of platforms (to avoid mono-
culture
vulnerability) and greater usage of the "safest and most secure 24/7
operating systems" available - BSD unix and Mac OS X:
http://www.mi2g.com/cgi/mi2g/frameset.php?pageid=http%3A//
www.mi2g.com/cgi/m
i2g/press/190204_2.php
Mac OS X for example is affected by zero instances of spyware, adware,
viruses, worms etc (see stats below)
Quite a number of high profile security firms are moving to Mac OS X to
avoid the security problems of Windows:
Interpact Inc:
http://securityawareness.blogspot.com/2005/05/mad-as-hell-i-switching-
to-mac
_25.html
Symantec Security Focus:
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/04/21/apples_big_virus/
Malware Statistics:
Microsoft Windows:
Viruses and Worms = 140,000 (Symantec Security Focus)
Spyware and Adware programs = 78,000 (www.pestpatrol.com)
Burrowers = 40 (www.pestpatrol.com)
80% of PCs infected with spyware (webroot.com)
Last year (2004) alone:
- 500 new Trojans (www.pestpatrol.com)
- 500 new keyloggers (www.pestpatrol.com)
- 1,287 new adware apps (www.pestpatrol.com)
- 17,500 new viruses and worms (symantec.com)
Mac OS X:
Viruses and Worms = 0
Spyware programs = 0
Adware = 0
Keyloggers = 0
Burrowers = 0
Trojans = 3 (symantec.com)
Last year (2004):
- 1 Rootkit (symantec.com)
Kelly Martin, the content editor for Symantec's publication
SecurityFocus
says: "There are no viruses on OS X -- not a single one... Just as
Windows
users have become accustomed to 140,000 viruses, Apple users have become
accustomed to none."
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/04/21/apples_big_virus/
The theory of "Security through Obscurity" (that there are not enough
Macs
to be a target for hackers) fails to explain the fact that the number
1 web
server, Apache, with almost 70% marketshare has far fewer attacks
(including
viruses and worms) than Microsoft's IIS which has captured only 21%
of the
market (Netcraft.com). This theory also does not explain why the many
flavours of Linux collectively suffer from many instances of malware
themselves despite having as small a marketshare as OS X.
Note that Trojans can't spread by themselves - they are bits of code
that
pretend to be something innocuous and need to be downloaded and
opened by an
authorised user. In the case of the three targeting Mac OS X, two are
harmless while the third deletes a user's home directory if run by that
user.
Note also the Rootkit discovered on a couple of OS X machines is a
set of
scripts that requires root access to be turned on (turned off by
default on
all Macs). The hacker then also needs to know the root password and the
malware has no mechanism of spreading and infecting other computers by
itself.
37 vulnerabilities discovered last year in Mac OS X (mostly in open
source
components) were promptly patched by Apple and no attacks using any
of these
now closed vulnerabilities have been recorded. Security firm Mi2g
states:
"Mac OS X and BSD Unix are the "world's safest and most secure 24/7
online
computing environments."
http://www.mi2g.com/cgi/mi2g/frameset.php?pageid=http%3A//
www.mi2g.com/cgi/m
i2g/press/190204_2.php
The old classic Mac OS suffered a number of viruses (mostly MS Word
macros),
but Mac OS X is still untouched.
However, no software can be perfect and it would be foolish to say there
won't eventually appear some malware targeting the 15 million+ OS X
users
out there - however, due to the BSD unix security infrastructure
built into
Mac OS X, it is virtually impossible to see how the security
situation on
Mac OS X could ever approach the Windows nightmare:
http://www.cio-today.com/story.xhtml?story_id=12100002EAEW
Cheers,
Ronni
When Microsoft asks you, "Where do you want to go today?" Tell them,
"Apple!"
