“On August 13 at 3:04 AM, a Windows server that I’ve been running for all of two weeks–it just replaced an Xserve G5–was attacked by a new strain of malware,” Tom Yager writes for InfoWorld.

“The attack I encountered occasioned a re-examination of a common question: Is Windows more vulnerable to malware than OS X? I’ve encountered no clearer or more definitive proof point than this attack,” Yager writes.

“I’ve been giving it great deal of thought, and I came up with a reasons pointing to the likelihood that Windows is at greater risk of catastrophic attacks. It’s not easy reading, but it was either this dense packing or a book-length blog post,” Yager writes.

In his full article, Yager gives two extensive bullet point lists that explain why Microsoft’s Windows is inherently more vulnerable to severe malware than Apple’s Mac OS X. One example: “Access to the massive, arcane, nearly unstructured, non-human-readable Windows Registry, which was to be obsolete by now, remains the only resource a Windows attacker needs to analyze and control a Windows system.”

After his bullet point lists, Yager asks, “So, after all this, do I have enough to judge Windows inherently more vulnerable to severe malware than OS X? I do.”

Yager reports, “I’ve been writing about these shortcomings for years, and it always traces back to Microsoft’s untenable policy of maintaining gaps in Windows security to avoid competing with 3rd party vendors and certified partners. Apple’s taking a different approach: What users need is in the box: Anti-virus, anti-spam, encryption, image backup and restore, offsite safe storage through .Mac, and launchd. Pretty soon any debate with Microsoft over security can be ended in one round when Apple stands up, says ‘launchd,’ and sits back down.”

Full article here.

[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader "Kevin" for the heads up.]

MacDailyNews Note: The Registry remains in Microsoft’s forever upcoming Windows Vista. Obviously, as we all know, but some still try to propagate, ignorantly or otherwise: “Security via Obscurity” is a myth, as anyone who reads Yager’s article will be able to easily understand. One question stands out: knowing what he knows, why the hell did Yager choose to replace his Apple Xserve G5 with a Windows server? Is he a masochist or was it just a test?

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