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”

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