Microsoft program manager Stephen Toulouse, in a series of entries on his personal blog, has challenged Apple to hire a security czar and revamp the way information is disseminated when Mac OS X security updates are released.
“Look, the only way you can tackle security issues is by getting out ahead of them and clearly communicating to your users the threat, and the clear guidance on how to be safe,” Toulouse said. “Here’s the reality, for the next couple of years the Mac OS will experience increasing security threats and mark my words, the company will have to seek outside expertise in the form of a head of security communications in the next 12 months,” Toulouse added. The program manager said Apple needs a person “steeped in security issues, true technical analysis, [someone who] can lead a good security team to get good guidance out there,” according to a report from eWeek.com.
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: What’s next, Donald Trump advising Patrick Dempsey on hair styling? Rob Glaser lecturing Jack LaLanne on physical fitness? William Hung as Pavarotti’s voice coach? The size of Microsoft’s cojones sometimes defy description.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Jim” for the heads up.]
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Related articles:
BusinessWeek: Apple should hire security czar to combat uninformed media FUD – March 09, 2006
Spate of recent Mac security stories signal that Microsoft, others getting nervous – March 06, 2006
Wired News: ‘Mac attack a load of crap’ – February 22, 2006
Ars Technica: Fears over new Mac OS X ‘Leap-A’ trojan pointless – February 20, 2006
Mafiasoft: Microsoft to charge $50 per year for security service to protect Windows – February 07, 2006
Khutspe maybe.
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Cojones&defid=593322
And the No.1 reason why Vista has been delayed yet again:
All their betas crapped out on malware.
They would never hire him, Apple already has enough Steve’s.
An ounce of Macintosh prevention is worth a ton of Windows cure.
Hey, Qbert! Do your homework before giving your gripes here! Take a look at their views of XP products:
http://secunia.com/product/16/
http://secunia.com/product/22/
Both have a staggering 21% of vulnerabilities UNPATCHED! WTF!
Look at Apple’s. 0% of vulnerabilities unpatched. Tell me now, who’s on their game?
Sheesh.
Steve is bucking for a raise or a carreer change. Obviously, his current job is being a PM for Vista. He is trying to move over to the department OS X misinformation before the axe falls in his current department.
Great comments Steve. Don’t forget to wear your rain proof coat in the unemployment line…Seattle weather can be really nasty. Oh yeah, and the next time you claim to be the leading OS maker in the world…try actually delivering your product instead knocking the other guy’s.
It is not that OS X in breakable. It is that opposed to MS products, it takes intelligence and hard work to break into OS X. So if you write malware for money, at Network Associates or Symantec for instance, you are going to put your efforts to work on the easiest target. You are not going to waste company resources on hard to hit targets. The day Windoze becomes as difficult a target as OS X…then yes we will see the proliferation of lots of Mac malware.
This guy forgets that Apple has a modern day OS designed with security in mind from the ground up and from day one, unlike his patched up last years swiss cheese OS.
Sure some security issues will pop up occasionally, but does Apple need a czar?? I don’t think so.
Yet another advantage to a complete hardware/software solution. Alienware may make Dells dull boxes look cooler,
but they will still rely completely on an old, patched up OS into 2007 and beyond.
Hi, I’m OJ Simpson, and when I’m not playing golf, I will be writing my new blog. Its about domestic violence, self control issues and fine cutlery. I got the idea after reading about the Microsoft guy giving Apple some tips on security.
Q’bert: you’re as bad as Toulouse. No critical thinking going on with you guys (SOS). I don’t know why you’re that way but his problem is that he’s steeped in the big bureaucracy ways of MS and most big businesses.
Bureaucrats by trade make their living by pushing paper (memos, reports, etc), communicating (we will continue having meetings until we figure out why we’re so unproductive) and setting policies (muliple redundancies and quality gates – anyone read minisoft’s blog from the other day?)… This is in large part, according to many who work there, the reason that MS is such dire straights right now. Policies are to managers what a lamp post is to a drunk. It robs people of the need and ability to think for themselve’s. This guy is not a leader and certainly no one that Apple needs in it’s organization. If Apple wants one specific person for that job it will probably take away from the pirate attitude that has typically held sway over Apple and other software companies, at least during successful periods.
don’t worry ampar, you still had a few good ones in there.
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this whole MS preaching to apple thing is a joke. i laughed at it.
Thanks, matt! The one from O. J. was pretty funny too.
It’s comforting to know that arrogance has no upper limit.
Microsoft’s OS department is still trying to hide behind an SEP field (Someone Else’s Problem), Apple is not.
Security is not an “add-on” to the OS that a third party (or separate department) should sell. It’s the sole responsibility of the OS team.
Expertise in creating and managing security issues from the outside is irrelevent when the problems are tackled at the source.
Sorry Steph. but Apple ha little use for your “talents”. Their OS team is adressing the issues it is responsible for.
Wait…..Microsoft and security used in the SAME sentence????
ROTFLMAO!!! WTF!
I can’t stand it! My stomach hurts from laughing so hard!
Pass the eggs!