“Hackers are already working on viruses for Microsoft’s upcoming Vista platform,” Matt Whipp reports for PC Pro. “According to Finnish security experts F-Secure, an Austrian virus writer known as ‘Second Part to Hell’ – from the ‘Ready Rangers Liberation Front’ group – has published his efforts on writing virus code for Vista’s MSH (Microsoft Shell) command line interface, including five viruses… plans for MSH remain unclear. Wininsider reports that the shell might be dropped from the release of Vista, as there was as yet no product scheduled in which it was due to ship, but Microsoft declined to comment further… even if MSH is disabled or removed from Vista on the desktop, it might still make an appearance in server products such as Exchange Server 12. But even here systems such as mail and web servers would still be vulnerable, deployed at the network perimeter.”
Full article here.
“Most security experts had not expected to see a Windows Vista virus so soon, Mikko Hyppönen, chief research officer with Helsinki’s F-Secure Corp. said. ‘The only surprise here is that it came so early,’ he said. ‘It’s been eight days since the beta of the operating system was out.” Monad was released several days prior to the Windows Vista beta,'” Robert McMillan reports for IDG News Service.
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: According to Apple, there are “close to 16 million Mac OS X users” in the world and there are still zero (0) viruses. According to CNET, the Windows Vista Beta was released “to about 10,000 testers” last week. So much for the security via obscurity myth.
Related MacDailyNews articles:
Apple Mac users have no fear of viruses, worms due to use of superior technology – July 27, 2005
16-percent of computer users are unaffected by viruses, malware because they use Apple Macs – June 15, 2005
Microsoft Windows Sober.P worm shows ‘epidemic’ spread; Macintosh unaffected – May 03, 2005
Viruses don’t have to be a fact of life; there are no viruses on Apple’s Mac OS X – not a single one – April 21, 2005
Mossberg: ‘consider dumping Windows altogether and switching to Apple’s Macintosh’ – April 18, 2005
New ‘highly critical’ Office flaw embarrasses Microsoft – April 13, 2005
Apple touts Mac OS X security advantages over Windows – April 13, 2005
97,467 Microsoft Windows viruses vs. zero for Apple Mac’s OS X – April 05, 2005
Symantec details flaws in its antivirus software – March 30, 2005
Apple’s Mac OS X is virus-free – March 18, 2005
68,736 Microsoft Windows viruses vs. zero for Apple Mac’s OS X – March 12, 2005
Microsoft tries to turn its own security flaw into commercial gain – February 25, 2005
Cybersecurity advisor Clarke questions why anybody would buy from Microsoft – February 18, 2005
Microsoft’s Gates espouses homogenous operating system environments for better security – February 07, 2005
Windows’ mounting security problems make some consumers eager to purchase Macs – January 03, 2005
Windows Media songs and videos found to carry Windows malware payloads – December 30, 2004
Anzae/Inzae worm affects all Windows versions after 3.1; Macintosh unaffected – December 28, 2004
Unlike Windows users, Mac OS X users surf the Internet without a care in the world – December 28, 2004
Multiple unpatched Windows holes crop up; Windows systems compromised within minutes in experiment – December 24, 2004
Windows spyware mess is out of control, get a Mac and surf with impunity – December 21, 2004
New Microsoft Internet Explorer exploit spoofs Web sites on fully patched Windows XP systems – December 17, 2004
Microsoft may charge extra for Windows spyware protection software – December 16, 2004
Detroit Free Press: Windows malware problem getting worse, it’s time to get a Mac instead – December 16, 2004
Sick of spyware, adware headaches? Get a Mac and surf the Internet freely – December 13, 2004
Mossberg: Windows PCs plagued with problems, Apple’s Mac is ‘rock solid, elegant and affordable’ – December 09, 2004
Security expert: Don’t use Microsoft Windows, Office, Outlook, Internet Explorer – December 09, 2004
Security test: Windows XP system easily compromised while Apple’s Mac OS X stands safe and secure – November 30, 2004
Sick of spyware, adware infecting your PC? Don’t fret, just get a Mac – November 01, 2004
Microsoft: The safest way to run Windows is on your Mac – October 08, 2004
Spyware plagues Windows users while Mac users surf Net with impunity – November 01, 2004
Ballmer blames Windows users for not upgrading systems as Microsoft’s biggest security problem – October 22, 2004
Windows users line up to pay for spyware removal; Mac users surf Web with impunity – October 18, 2004
Microsoft: The safest way to run Windows is on your Mac – October 08, 2004
Windows users’ security woes spark interest in Apple’s secure Mac OS X – October 06, 2004
Windows desktop monopoly threatened by secure, safe Apple Mac OS X – October 04, 2004
Even Bill Gates can’t avoid Windows malware; Mac users surf the Web freely – October 03, 2004
Cyber-security adviser uses Apple Macintosh to avoid Windows’ security woes – September 27, 2004
Information Security Investigator says switch from Windows to Mac OS X for security – September 24, 2004
Mossberg: Apple iMac G5 ‘powerful, affordable, virus-free with better, more modern OS than Windows XP’ – September 23, 2004
USA Today: people are switching from Windows to Mac because of security issues – September 21, 2004
Windows besieged by hackers; number of Windows viruses soars by more than 400% – September 20, 2004
USA Today columinst angry about Windows viruses, adware, spyware – September 15, 2004
University of Chicago recommends all students patch Windows at least once a day – September 14, 2004
Windows XP worm speaks to users as it deletes their files; Macintosh unaffected – September 13, 2004
Security is top priority in Apple’s Mac OS X – September 12, 2004
Millions of Windows PC’s hijacked by hackers, turned into zombies; Macintosh unaffected – September 08, 2004
Mossberg: Dump your Windows machine and get an Apple Macintosh to free yourself of spyware – August 25, 2004
Tired of patching patches to patch Windows patches? Writer suggests getting a Mac – August 03, 2004
Windows ‘Scob’ virus designed to steal financial data, passwords; Macintosh unaffected – June 26, 2004
Gartner: Worms jack up the total cost of Microsoft Windows – May 07, 2004
Spyware, adware plague Windows users online; Mac OS X users surf freely – April 19, 2004
SmartMoney: Long-suffering Windows users can only dare to dream of Mac’s ease-of-use – February 12, 2004
Mac OS X has no viruses; what’s wrong with Windows? – February 11, 2004
Gates: Windows ‘by far the most secure’ system; tries to use ‘Mac OS X secure through obscurity’ myth – January 27, 2004
Columnist tries the ‘security through obscurity’ myth to defend Windows vs. Macs on virus front – October 1, 2003
New York Times: Mac OS X ‘much more secure than Windows XP’ – September 18, 2003
Wall Street Journal’s Mossberg on making the switch from Windows to Mac – September 18, 2003
Fortune columnist: ‘get a Mac’ to thwart viruses; right answer for the wrong reasons – September 02, 2003
Shattering the Mac OS X ‘security through obscurity’ myth – August 28, 2003
Is Mac OS X really inherently more secure than Windows? – August 26, 2003
Chicago Sun-Times columnist: Windows ‘many holes in its security’ but ‘none of my Macs have ever been affected – August 26, 2003
Sick of worms and viruses? ‘Move to Mac OS X’ suggests Chicago Tribune columnist – August 25, 2003
Virus and worm problems not just due to market share; Windows inherently insecure vs. Mac OS X – August 24, 2003
Windows Vista = Dead On Arrival
I love it – viruses for vaporware!
Why did it take so long?
Wow…that didn’t take long…
<u>Viruses</u> <u>I</u>nfections <u>S</u>pyware <u>T</u>rojans <u>A</u>dware
One confirmed, 4 to go…
This is too funny. I bet the virus writers will be more timely than MS! Vista will have more virses on the day it debuts than OS X will have in its 5-6 years on the market.
This doesn’t argue against security through obscurity. These people know that there will be a great many copies of Vista sold and they’re gearing up. In a few months there will be more copies of Vista out there than there are Mac users.
Umm, try one year BEFORE it’s on the market!
Wow. So if you’re Microsoft, do you just give up? I guess not, because the lemmings still buy it.
While the MDN take is funny, it’s also a sad, and (hopefully) deliberate misstatement. theloniousMac points out, at least partly correctly, that in a year there will be many more copies of Windows Vista than there are of OSX.
However, this is still a clear portrayal of the security level of Windows. It is inherently a flawed system, and even if they start over they won’t be able to catch up with the benefits of a UNIX core anytime soon.
Please append the MDN take to acknowledge that the statement is misleading. It is more relevant to point out how quickly Windows was hacked again, than to try and argue the security through obscurity myth. (I’m really beginning to lose my faith in MDN….)
mw: under, as in “don’t you understand?”
All right, so really, what’s the big deal with viruses? I’ve got an XP machine for work–I’m on the internet constantly, with just an Airport Extreme between the machine and the world. I’ve got Norton installed, I’ve got Microsoft’s free adware installed. I’ve got both of those things plus the software updater scheduled to check for updates every day.
I have not gotten a single virus, nor a single piece of adware.
Not to defend M$ all that strongly, but really, it doesn’t seem all that hard to keep yourself protected on a PC.
“Wininsider reports that the shell might be dropped from the release of Vista”
Unlikely; MS is incapable of dropping anything from any of their products. Besides, if Vista is built in the MS tradition, dropping the shell will break all rest of the OS (a fitting payback from the days of tangling Explorer into the OS).
MS has no choice but to ship the OS as-is. Let the infections begin.
“Most security experts had not expected to see a Windows Vista virus so soon”
Experts = naive fools. Is anyone really surprised? FWIW I think it’s both hilarious and tragic that viruses are in the waiting for a vaporware OS. “Trustworthy Computing”? Trust only that MS’s approach to security is a joke.
hairbo,
I’m on the internet regularly with Mac OS X and nothing extra installed, only the built-in firewall turned on. I also have not gotten a single virus, nor a single piece of adware.
The fact daily updates are necessary are testament to Window’s insecurity. Name one other consumer product where people have to be so vigilant in order to keep things safe and secure. Even highly theft-prone cars don’t need such regular updates! It’s amazing that such user-intensive care is OK with Windows, but would be absolutely unacceptable anywhere else.
Quote:
(I’m really beginning to lose my faith in MDN….)
MDN has always been very biased with little attempt to be fair to windows. I lost my faith in their objectivity almost as soon as I started checking the site regularly. They are a great source for news but the “MDN take” and the opinions are often naive to point of being useless.
This story about Vista being infected is bad enough. I don’t see why MDN has to make it seem even worse. This is not the first time I’ve seen MDN make vaguely truthful or completely misleading statements or titles in the interest of pumping up OS X and deflating MS. I think its sad because OS X naturally beats MS in most things and their constant bias degrades that point more than it helps it.
MDN, please let OS X and the news stories speak for themselves. Add commentary and backstory but only if it is true and fair.
Looks like Bill just got a swift kick in the monads!
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”cheese” style=”border:0;” />
I use Win2000 Service pack 4 at work. I don’t get viruses or adware either. Mainly, this is because I am behind a corporate firewall and I run two adware prevention programs, as well as MacAfee anti-virus software.
So what’s the problem with that? I perform data analysis on about 2 million records per day using an MSIE client application. Each and every time I access a record my virus software has to scan it. This adds a couple milliseconds to each operation, which adds up to an hour or so of wasted time every day. Why does it have to be this way? Because not only is Windows basically insecure at the user level, but due to its administrative design flaws my IT department can’t figure out how to disable it solely on the internal network when using MSIE. Windows is crap.
Jay —
You’re missing the point. It’s so much fun to bash M$ and all their woes! MDN is also entertainment so not everything should be taken too seriously.
I’m savoring every blunder M$ makes and enjoying watching their slow demise! Die M$, die!!!
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”vampire” style=”border:0;” />
“Hackers are already working on viruses for Microsoft’s upcoming Vista platform,…”
No surprise here.
“theloniousMac points out, at least partly correctly, that in a year there will be many more copies of Windows Vista than there are of OSX.”
Step,
This may not necessarily be true. Many, many corporations haven’t even upgraded from Windows2000 to WindowsXP, because they finally got it working well enough that they saw no reason to switch. Case in point: Zeke, who just posted
“I use Win2000 Service pack 4 at work.”
[Zeke, I’d be grateful if you could give us some insight as to why your workplace hasn’t upgraded to WinXP]
Corporations in particular will take a wait-and-see attitude, especially if they have concerns that their entire IT infrastructure might grind to a halt due to the new OS breaking existing applications. And Microsoft will have a hard time convincing them that Vista is so much better than their current systems that they will feel compelled to switch, particularly with announced features being shed like dandruff in order to get the OS out the door.
Ever watch documentaries of penguins about to go out to sea? Hundreds and hundreds will gather at the edge of the Antarctic ice pack, but no matter how hungry they are, they will not enter the water voluntarily for fear of leopard seals, fierce predators with a taste for penguins. They actually start pushing and jostling those in front until some poor unfortunates fall in. If they bob to the surface pissed but unharmed, the others will follow.
The point is that, for penguins on the ice pack, being the first to dive in could be fatal. The risks associated with untried technology could be just as fatal to companies, and they will hang back and let others test the waters first.
well… the wittiest thing said by a Windows users was..
‘hyuk hyuk.. there are already more Vista users than OS X users..’
I guess it’s not quite accurate..
That is quite sad.
Wow, I wonder how Bill took this news? If they keep dropping vulnerable features, by the time they release Vista they will only have a calculator left.
Viridian wrote:
“The point is that, for penguins on the ice pack, being the first to dive in could be fatal. The risks associated with untried technology could be just as fatal to companies, and they will hang back and let others test the waters first.”
reminds me of this quote:
“When skating on thin ice, allow others to take the lead. There is no disgrace in learning from others, particularly when doing so avoids putting yourself in jeopardy.”
“Hackers are already working on viruses for Microsoft’s upcoming Vista platform,” Matt Whipp reports for PC Pro.
heres another quote:
“Everything is proceeding as I have foreseen….”
-Darth Sidious
Actually, I wonder if someone will invent an OS X virus and partly “blame” doing so on MDN’s malicious “suffer Microsoft Windows” stance on security (in much the same way a kid taunting another kid with “You can’t hurt me, you can’t hurt me” chants is asking to be smashed in the face…)
Step,
You are misleading in “That in a year there will be many more copies of Windows Vista than there are of OSX.” as you state. MS does not even plan on having Vista released to the public “in a year”. Please post a retraction for your misleading comments.
The Dude abides.
Soon there will be more Vista viruses than Mac users. Ha!
Put that one in your pipe and smoke it.