The New York Times’ David Pogue has recanted his recent propagation of the “security through obscurity” myth, writing today, “That, as it turns out, is a myth, no matter who repeats it… Mac OS X and Linux [are] much more secure than Windows XP. For example:”
– “Windows comes with five of its ports open; Mac OS X comes with all of them shut and locked… These ports are precisely what permitted viruses like Blaster to infiltrate millions of PCs. Microsoft says that it won’t have an opportunity to close these ports until the next version of Windows, which is a couple of years away.”
– “When a program tries to install itself in Mac OS X… a dialog box interrupts your work and asks you permission for that installation — in fact, requires your account password. Windows XP goes ahead and installs it, potentially without your awareness.”
– “Administrator accounts in Windows (and therefore viruses that exploit it) have access to all areas of the operating system. In Mac OS X, even an administrator can’t touch the files that drive the operating system itself. A Mac OS X virus (if there were such a thing) could theoretically wipe out all of your files, but wouldn’t be able to access anyone else’s stuff — and couldn’t touch the operating system itself.”
– “No Macintosh e-mail program automatically runs scripts that come attached to incoming messages, as Microsoft Outlook does.”
Pogue writes, “…the conclusion is clear: Linux and Mac OS X aren’t just more secure because fewer people use them. They’re also much harder to crack right out of the box.” Pogue also covers Windows virus programs and other reasons why Mac OS X is simply more secure than Windows. Full article here.
AMEN.
Nice to see he retained some of what myself and many others must have sent him.
Nice to see he retained some of what myself and many others must have sent him.
Ha ha! you dont now who his David Pogue do you?
Good one!! More and more Windows users must read this.
ajar: I am on his mailing list.
pinch me. Why are people suddenly acting as if they have a brain? and have choice? Did the MS serum run out of stock? Feels too good to be true. Cheers.
I think I’m dreaming. Mainstream media finally got a brain.
People are starting to wonder how windows will bite them. For many of them the cost of switching … new software, finding support, new hardware … is too high.
Home users will still buy machines that they have software and think they have support (a kid or friend) for…
If Apple could help out these people – or if Mac users could – it could mean a lot
Hmmm, maybe the greatest Reality Distortion Field wasn�t the one from Steve Jobs after all !!
Anyway I do feel the Microsoft RDF is losing its power ! al least over the media (still not over some government agencies…Homeland SECURITY anyone?)
Its a Great time to be a Mac User!
Life has always been like a circle. Macs had the years back then when they ignited the pc revolution.. msft took over for a while (i don’t know for how much longer, we’ll see) .. and now mac users are on the way to the top again..
Truthfully people not re-buy their software when they get a Mac. They can keep their PC, buying just the most important apps as needed until they phase out the PC eventually, if ever.
Cindy is very right. I had convinced 11 colleagues and friends to switch so far with exactly one last argument: be there for support.
You know what Apple should do to get more switchers? Offer a trade-in promotion, trade in your Windows PC and get a discount on a new Mac. Similar to what they are doing getting Adobe Premeire users to trade-in to Final Cut Pro or Express.
This would take more PCs out of circulation while getting more Macs out there.
Not sure how the logistics of this would work or how much it would cost Apple, but just an idea.
What do you think?
Dustin, actually in Japan they DO have this kind of promotion, for those of you able to … read… Japanese take a look at this: http://www.apple.co.jp/promo/kaitori/index.html
There isn’t much discount, you get only 10,000 yen, something like $120, but yes, it’s there.
Yes! Finally, a well-informed report on this topic. The Woz can put this in his pipe and smoke it, even though we all love the Woz of course.
“In Mac OS X, even an administrator can�t touch the files that drive the operating system itself. A Mac OS X virus (if there were such a thing) could theoretically wipe out all of your files, but wouldn�t be able to access anyone else�s stuff — and couldn�t touch the operating system itself.”
Not necessarily. A couple of workarounds:
1. Admin has access to /Library, where lots of drivers and other cool things are installed. For example, you could modify the StuffIt components so that as soon as you download a StuffIt file, bad things happen.
2. Admin has access to /Applications, giving the ability to modify applications. Infect Mail so that, after two days, every user who launches Mail loses their files.
That said, the exceptionally difficult part is getting the Macintosh to run the code to make those modifications.
“No Macintosh e-mail program automatically runs scripts that come attached to incoming messages, as Microsoft Outlook does.”
I’m just curious–does Microsoft Outlook for Mac (Mac OS 9) run scripts at all?
Peter, you incidentally addressed one main reason why virii and worms are so successful in Windows.
“the exceptionally difficult part is getting the Macintosh to run the code to make those modifications”
Not only, AND do that *without* asking the user for permission. Windows accepts registry changes and spyware/virus/adware installation and replication even if it was asked by IE. No user involvment, all accesses granted. The dumbest character ot all in a WIntel machine is not the user (who might be so simpleton as to double-click furiously every attachment s/he gets), the dumbest of all is the Windows itself.
But Peter, if you have access to a machine, there is no security. And you can’t get Admin account unless you have access to it.
BTW, the readers’ comments on David’s article are great to read.
Gates understands the situation very well. How else could he ALWAYS be saying the exact opposite to truth?
If Gates says Linux and Mac OSX are vulnerable, then they both can relax in the certain knowledge that they are essentially, invulnerable. Microsoft is no doubt doing everything they can to develop viruses for both these operating systems and if they or their partners had had any success doing so the viruses would be out there. Duplicitous behavior is, after all vintage Microsoft, in fact it’s ALL they know. To the best of my knowledge OSX has NEVER had a virus and has been around for years. Linux smaller market share hasn’t been so invulnerable but their virus count is tiny compared to the 1970’s era sieve that Microsoft calls Windows.
In Gates defense, he is in a very difficult position. Microsoft has an operating system that is absolutely obsolete and if they change it to something modern, useable and secure they will be just like all the other UNIX based operating systems and be unable to use their proprietary software monopoly to extort huge piles of cash from users. They also would have NO unique (proprietary) application base and therefor would be bankrupt in a matter of months. They simply have, NO LEGITIMATE options to maintain their monopoly. Even Microsoft knows their loosing customers so to address this, they will make another lame proprietary attempt to close some holes with Longhorn at the users expense of course by increasing Microsoft’s virtual access to everything on your computer. Nothing will be allowed to run without their blessing. Experts feel Longhorn may be USABLE by 2010 if it stays on schedule. Are we prepared for five more years in this hell we live in? Longhorn will of course will set up yet another round of forced upgrades to all applications and the money taps are once again wide open and flowing mountains of cash. History repeats and we all swallow the Microsoft LIE whole, one more time. If they were capable of anything superior to absolute crapware we would have seen it LONG ago. Look at Apple they made the operating system transition flawlessly by all accounts, in just a few years, this simply is outside Microsoft’s capability. In order to keep all current customers all software transitions must take decades or they risk loosing a customer to something that already works, not some fictional future date when all will, miraculously be wonderful and work too, this time, really.
Continues on next post
Currently Windows has nearly a virtual lock on viruses that cost us each the purchase cost of our computer each year and thats just down time. Add to that the virtual certainty that we will each loose all our data each year on average and have to reinstall everything once twice or more each year. One begins to question the sanity of using anything Microsoft. NO other operating system endures this sort of perpetual rape of the customer base, so why do we continually put up with it? Is the certainty of being screwed by Microsoft better than, the uncertainty of changing to something that actually works, is secure and respects people’s privacy? It seems insane doesn’t it? Microsoft spends BILLIONS of our extorted money each year on FUD to keep us in mortal fear of this change. Microsoft’s life literally depends on our stupidity, vulnerability and fear! Fortunately for humanity the shift from blind stupidity has started, so wake up a brother or two if you’ve come to your senses and if not, open your mind and realize that the years of FUD are simply lies to keep us a captive SLAVES to Microsoft!
Okay, ik ga ze plaatsen op m’n web-log.
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Good rant clue giver.
I think M$’s faulty software costs us ALL one way or another due to the capitalist society we inhabit, so it doesn’t matter if you’re a Mac or Linux user or not, you’ll still pay for it one way or another. Businesses will always pass on the costs to their consumers.
M$ always drag their past with them, as they did with DOS in the early days of Windows (hehe, until about 2002).
People are sheep.
Baaaa.
[hope I didn’t get any New Zealanders horny with the baaaa remark]
Maybe Microsoft should start from scratch – using BSD as a basis for their next OS?
(instead of ripping off just the tcp stack guys, rip the whole lot off… why should we expect anything better from you?)