Kaspersky CTO: Apple should open up iOS within a year to remain competitive

“Apple cannot continue to lock down its iOS platform and restrict the types of software developed for it, says security firm Kaspersky’s CTO Nikolay Grebennikov,” Stuart Sumner reports for Computing.

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Sumner reports, “He said: ‘Apple simply can’t continue with its current closed approach, and in my opinion, to remain competitive it should be looking to open up its platform within a year. The Android platform, which is growing its market share, is much more open than the Apple iOS and it’s easier to create new applications for Android, including security software,’ said Grebennikov.”

Read more in the full article here.

MacDailyNews Take: Kaspersky’s CTO Nikolay Grebennikov. Taking disingenuousness to the next level. Why didn’t he just come right out and say, “We wish Apple would make its platform insecure like Google, so that we can sell ‘security’ to hundreds of millions of iOS users?”

Related articles:
Google forced to pull several malware-infested apps from Android market – June 8, 2011
99.7% of Android settlers warned to avoid public WiFi networks over data breach threat – May 18, 2011
99% of Android phones leak secret account credentials, other sensitive data – May 17, 2011
Android malware sees explosive growth; even faster than with PCs – April 27, 2011

59 Comments

  1. MDN’s take pretty much says it all. All of the security companies remind me of a good old-fashioned organized crime protection racket. “It’d be a shame if you failed to pay us and something…unfortunate… happened to your computer.”

      1. Kaspersky is actually spot on.
        He just left out the words “for us” from the beginning of the sentence:
        ” to remain competitive it should be looking to open up its platform within a year.”

  2. Funny, I was in Dixons today and next to the iPad 2 on display there was a group of about 10 Android Tablets. Next to them, a little display showing all the anti virus and firewall software available for the Droid tabs.

    Pathetic really.

  3. In all fairness MDN, that was a pretty easy nail for you to hit.

    Personally I like the fact that iOS is more protected than OS X from “do more harm than good” anti-virus apps.

    The opening up is really only an issue if apps that we want are only available on other platforms. As “open” as Android is, they just recently got Netflix… kind of… some of them anyway…

    PS: I can’t believe Kaspersky for the Mac is $40 a year.

  4. Spot on with the MDN take.
    iOS would be a target in a NY minute if Apple opened it up. 200 million users with a very nice $ profile.
    Tell them to concentrate on improving their security app.
    Intego’s is much better.

  5. Back in the day when I was in school, we learned about a technique when building a logical argument that involved what was known as “an appeal to authority” in which you drew upon either the opinion or statement by an authority figure to bolster your argument; many people use this technique, especially in advertising (9 out of 10 dentists agree/disagree), without realizing it. The problem I have with so many of these people is, that they have to actually be a recognized and acknowledged as an authority for their opinion to carry any weight or influence. Any guesses as to how much influence Kaspersky carries with this crowd?

    1. With the crowd here or the infosec industry?

      They are well respected in the security industry. At least their threat analysts are.

      Im not sure the CTO is a security guy however

  6. This dude is absolutely nuts talking about iOS remaining competitive. iOS is pulling in profits that would make every company in the world envious. The rest of the mobile industry will continue to copy everything Apple does. I hope Apple never opens up iOS even if iOS does suffer from shrinking market share as long as sales continue to grow. Screw Kaspersky and Android.

    On another topic, I used to use Kaspersky AV on my BootCamp Windows XP partition. Man, that thing sucked. It was forever downloading AV updates. Fortunately, I didn’t pay for it since I had some pirated serials, but it wasn’t even worth the trouble to have for free. I finally dumped it for the free Microsoft Security Essentials AV software and that’s much less intrusive to use.

  7. Yes. To remain competitive.

    Windows is kicking Apples’ a s s.
    Windows is sooo far ahead with the number of viruses it has that Apple will never be able to catch up.

    So, to get more viruses, Apple will have to open up.

  8. Sure, nothing like opening up/licensing your OS, and then having multiple device manufacturers screw up how well it works by adding buttons, slide-out keyboards, SD card slots, etc. (not to mention weight and thickness).

    If I wanted an Android phone, I would have bought one.

  9. Here’s headline for Kers Pesky:

    Apple: Kaspersky should stop selling fear and use its programming skills to build something more usefull or risk going out of business within a year.

    1. Actually, who do you think hires all the hackers that write viruses? How do you think a hacker applies for a job ? When you haven’t the resources to create the next big app because you’re too hopped up on energy drinks playing video games 18/7 and you’re about to be kicked out of
      your mom’s basement what are your
      options?

      1. In reality a hacker isnt always a criminal or out doing damage. Most of the time its someone who is brilliant and bored. People who accel at this stuff usually get marked as troublemakers or labelled as dumb by the public school systems as kids because they don’t conform and “think different”

  10. Let’s think through what he’s saying.

    Android is easy to write security software for.

    iOS is not so easy to write security software for.

    However iOs is already secure and doesn’t need any security software. Everybody wins except for the parasites who make a living from selling security software.

  11. .

    Keep it closed until it gets hit a couple of times through zeroday vulnerabilities and then bring in 5 anti-malware companies to work with Apple engineers and approve the 5 AV companies/programs to be certified to run in the closed iOS. All others AV companies, sorry you were not chosen.

    Problem solved.

    .

  12. I just tried to visit this guys site… Firefox reported a security risk if visited… Ha ha, dumb CTO guy is soon to be out of business, hence his attack on what works as opposed to his business model that is shrinking due to M$’s falling market share.

  13. MDN’s take was exactly what I was thinking! I can’t imagine kaspersky (is this guy/company Russian or what?!) knowing anything about how Apple should remain competitive! I’m sure Steve Jobs would love to hire him! 😉

  14. Kaspersky is a constant source of idiotic mandates about the Mac. Thoroughly ignorable.

    Oh right Kaspersky. Open up iOS so it’s a malware magnet cesspool like Android. And you call yourselves a security company. I predict plentiful laughter at you in your future. 😛

  15. FTA: “‘The Android platform, which is growing its market share, is much more open than the Apple iOS and it’s easier to create new applications for Android, including security software,’ said Grebennikov.”

    Not to mention being easier to create new malware, such as viruses, Trojans, etc.

    1. There are now over 100 Trojan horse malware for Android that Google know of and have pulled from their own store. Which of course stops no one from picking up the malware elsewhere.

      How many malware does iOS have available? Z E R O, as long as you haven’t jailbroken it. Thank you Apple! I like that!

      So hmm. 100 malware, lame OS you can’t upgrade. Or 0 malware, mature killer OS you can upgrade. What should I choose… No don’t tell me… Let me think about this… My brain is overheating… This is tough… I choose…

      Oh yeah, Kaspersky? HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

  16. Within a year? I thought 2015 was the drop-dead year for all things Apple! Oh, now I see . . . if iOS is not opened within a year, the security firms will not have enough time to create the security Apple will need when 2015 arrives. Yeah, makes sense ….

  17. I agree. If Apple opened it’s OS to 3rd parties, it would indeed make them competitive against Androids and Windows Phone 7 or whatever it’s called, but it would also make 3rd parties competitive against Apple hardware sales, so this WILL NEVER HAPPEN.

  18. MDN said it for me…
    but who is this jaghole? How about you worry about the open windows platform that is crippled by the WEB. let alone real computing tasks professionals need.

    He just knows that windows and android phone OS competitors are all DOA to the iPad. So the only growing operating system left to try to capitalize on is iOS.

  19. lmao. Talk about being afraid of the ipad hurting their business. Pretending to care about Apple, when they only care about themselves.

    This is like the coach of a team asking his opponents to not try too hard in case they hurt themselves.

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