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Microsoft manager lectures Apple on security
Thursday, March 23, 2006 - 12:48 AM EDT

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

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Mar 23, 06 - 02:15 am Comment from: Teflon

Hey, cut him some slack. He is just hoping for a new job opportunity at Apple. Afterall, Microshit aint doing too good right now.

Mar 23, 06 - 02:16 am Comment from: fuzzmanmatt

I think the dude is fishing for a job...

Mar 23, 06 - 02:27 am Comment from: Q-bert

Sorry you don't get into Apple by critizing them publically. You go pitch yourself to human resources.

Apple has had some problems with security, if the increase of market share does come with more malware and exploits, perhaps it would be good for Apple to take some advice.

Mar 23, 06 - 02:39 am Comment from: moiety5

Roughly translated, "Please hire me, if there's anything I know as a Microsoft employee its viruses. . ."

Mar 23, 06 - 02:41 am Comment from: XiMac

"cajones?" ah, no .... "cojones!!!" (bollocks!!!)

Mar 23, 06 - 02:51 am Comment from: Loooong wait for ShortHorn

Look who is Oinking???

Mar 23, 06 - 02:52 am Comment from: Loooong wait for ShortHorn

Those who teach, look at them self. As if they have a better security system. Cough cough bfshit bfshit....

Mar 23, 06 - 02:56 am Comment from: tommy V

Q-Bert, what problems with security?

I keep hearing this but I haven't seen anything that wasn't quickly addressed or completely blown out of proportion.

One so-called virus was simply a program that you had to give administrative permission to twice before it did anything and I couldn't believe the press that thing got.

I am definitely not a apple-can-do-no-wrong kind of guy, but I have friends whose Windows systems were simply inoperable because of all the virus that somehow snuck through their defenses.

I would honestly like to know what security issues Mac OS X has encountered because I don't know of any that could be called serious or even "problems".

Mar 23, 06 - 02:56 am Comment from: Loooong wait for ShortHorn

Look at them self before they preach....


As if they have a better security system


Cough cough bfshit bfshit.....n..bfshit bfshit. Excuse me, where is my cough syrup?

Mar 23, 06 - 03:03 am Comment from: ted markstein

Let's see if I got this straight.. Apple is at fault because it doesn't advise people of problems that don't exist. Microsoft advises people of problems it creates and of solutions to the problems it creates which create further problems that they... etc etc etc. And thereby Microsoft sets the industry standard for doing the right thing and being good guys?


Do these turkeys have to go to stupid school or were they just born that way.

Mar 23, 06 - 03:08 am Comment from: DBS

Why would anyone listen to a person in charge of the most insecure OS on earth?

Is like a coach from a loosing team advsing a winner how to win

Weird that MDN even bothers to print it

Mar 23, 06 - 03:10 am Comment from: Scarbro

Sounds like Stephen is looking for a job.

Mar 23, 06 - 04:01 am Comment from: John

Looks like MDN is fishing for hits again...

Mar 23, 06 - 04:13 am Comment from: macaholic

for the love of God!! it's losing, not loosing. Loosing is "to set free, or let loose" losing is " to fail, to be beaten etc.

Mar 23, 06 - 04:14 am Comment from: mike

Looks like MDN is fishing for hits again...

--

HOW DARE THEY POST NEWS STORIES!

Mar 23, 06 - 04:28 am Comment from: \ln

fuzzmanmatt, Scarbro,

I'd agree. And who'd blame him eh.

Mar 23, 06 - 05:18 am Comment from: spyinthesky

I am afraid that when you are dominant you rewrite history to suit yourself and disillusioned enough to even believe it. From that arrogance comes the capacity to lecture others. As in politics, from there on do self obsessed dictators emerge, and unquestioning yes men follow in their wake.

Mar 23, 06 - 05:55 am Comment from: matt

where´s the problem

takes one to know one, i say:

If anyone at all has a fair share of expertise in what damage bad security ( and bad communcation of said security holes) can do, it is Microsoft.

Just because it is MS giving advice, I wouldn´t outright ignore it.

Mar 23, 06 - 05:57 am Comment from: DBS

macaholic

Thank you for your concern.
I have a loose keyboard

Mar 23, 06 - 06:04 am Comment from: MacDude

If he's after the job... then he has just made quite sure he'll never get it.

More evidence of Microsoft the Arrogant, who can't see further than their own bank account...

Mar 23, 06 - 06:05 am Comment from: Glass houses

He must live in a glass house lined with stones on the outside.

Mar 23, 06 - 06:18 am Comment from: Jimyoin

Spyinthesky, that is the most intelligent comment I ever read on MDN.

Mar 23, 06 - 06:37 am Comment from: Q-Bert

Q-Bert, what problems with security?

I keep hearing this but I haven't seen anything that wasn't quickly addressed or completely blown out of proportion.


That's the problem this guy is talking about, Apple doesn't communicate the level of the threat to consumers, what they need to do etc., etc. before a patch is ready.

Apple's policy is to say nothing until a patch is ready, not even updating people''s computers to turn off "safe files" and isolating Ternimal.

Folks are left to scrounging websites and posts by people for sometimes innacurrate information or just plain propoganda for all these exploits.

Apple has not have the level of security problems or the experience like Microsoft has had. That's why this guy wants to bring his experience in these things to Apple and probably get paid well for it.

Apple has had a bad track record of exploits with Mac OS X, perhaps shoddy programming, perhaps just dumb behavior, or perhaps it's true that with increased market share comes more attacks.

Mac OS X is no longer a 100% solid OS and we were living in a dream world that it was. We can't be fooling ourselves anymore.

One or two mistakes is fine, but there has been a rash of exploits with Mac OS X.

The trust in the competance of Apple to produce a secure OS has been shattered completely.

http://secunia.com/product/96/

We are all feeling for the underdog, our favorite platform, our quirky little company. But they have failed miserably and now experienced people at Microsoft see a opportunity to bring what knowledge they know to a company who has no experience dealing with these things.

Mar 23, 06 - 06:44 am Comment from: Q-bert

Here, read this article, it's dead on.

http://www.it-observer.com/articles/1084/mac_viruses_hens_tooth_malware/

Mar 23, 06 - 06:50 am Comment from: manly

Picture of the Playstation 3!!

http://news.com.com//i/ne/p/2006/PS3sside_550x442.jpg

Mar 23, 06 - 07:08 am Comment from: hagar57

Those who can't do it, write about it.

Mar 23, 06 - 07:23 am Comment from: gypsy

hes got to be kidding, right?

a microworm flunkie lecturing apple on security and "getting out ahead of them"?

when was the last time ms got out ahead of anything?

he (the asshole) should be taking care of his own house before criticizing someone elses.

Mar 23, 06 - 07:26 am Comment from: maczealot

If providing “advice” means offering some specific, meaningful, useful, and practical guidance for developing more secure code, fine and thank you. Toulouse apparently thinks that openly manifesting an illusion of caring by acknowledging design errors in security is equivalent to security itself. What a maroon.

Toulouse considers handling security issues to be more public relations instead of cultivating an environment for active development of more secure code. I don’t want an ineffectual company that makes apologies, I want a responsible and proactive company that designs better software.

Mar 23, 06 - 07:26 am Comment from: Petey

ROFL!!!

I think Microsoft should concentrate on trying to repair the fcuk ups in the security in their own OS before preaching to other companies that have a far better security record about security.

This guy is AN ASSHOLE THAT KNOWS FCUK ALL ABOUT ANYTHING.

Mar 23, 06 - 07:40 am Comment from: haha

Would Luxus hire a Ford engineer? Didn't think so.

"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"

MS, practice what you preach.

Mar 23, 06 - 07:56 am Comment from: Macaday

Q-Bert wrote: "The trust in the competance of Apple to produce a secure OS has been shattered completely."

We all know there is nothing like 100% security but this statement is complete and utter b*ll*cks!! I and every other Mac user is no more threatened today than yesterday or any day before that.

Any evidence to show that a genuine user has been compromised? ...NO...I thought not.

Back into your win-swamp Q-Bert, you're clearly no Mac user.

Mar 23, 06 - 08:23 am Comment from: Petey

Has this dickhead EVER used a mac?

Obviously not.

Ive been using OS X since version 10.0 and not once have I had ANY security issue or compromise.

btw - I have my own business running 50 macs.

Mar 23, 06 - 08:24 am Comment from: Nickbob

Q-Bert, that article is more dead than on. FUD. The Leap A 'exploit' has been out since Febuary 16, and since then how machines have been infected? That's correct, none. Will Leap B, C or D do better? Perhaps, but for 5 years plus OSX is unblemished. There are VISTA virii in the wild and it's been out how long? Yes, minus 10 months. Do we need to be alert? Sure. But there has been NO rash of exploits, that's a plain lie. a " a bad track record of exploits "? Again, a lie. "No longer a 100% solid OS" Zero exploits on how many running machines? That's 100% until it's not. "The trust in the competance of Apple to produce a secure OS has been shattered completely." FUD, plain and simple. "Apple's policy is to say nothing until a patch is ready, not even updating people''s computers to turn off "safe files" and isolating Ternimal." Apple's policy is to have a Security Update ready within a week or two. Compare and contrast with the ahem, 'experienced' M$'s approach of doing patches on a "as they're ready and a little later" approach.
So far our best defense against malware is just knowing not to type our password unless we're installing software by choice. That may change someday, but the sky is not falling today.

Mar 23, 06 - 08:36 am Comment from: G5mac

Yeah, I'd hire the security chief from MS... so he could FAIL miserably once again!! NOT....

Mar 23, 06 - 08:54 am Comment from: Billy Bob

They need to make Toulouse take a drug test.

Mar 23, 06 - 09:23 am Comment from: Dakroland

Q-bert, the article you linked to is more of a scathing retort to Mac users than pointing out anything concrete about compromised Mac security. There is a difference between a vulnerability and an exploit. Yes, the Mac OS has had many vulnerabilities revealed and patched over the last few years. But none of those have been successfully exploited. That's the key word here, "Successfully". Yes, there have been "proof-of-concepts" discussed and more than a couple "Sky-is-falling" press releases from Anti-virus companies (which leads one to doubt the urgency of the reports, seeing who is the source) but even with Leap.A, there have been NO verifiable exploited Macs. Period. I haven't seen in any reports on any news site anywhere of a single Mac that was affected. That's a HUGE positive on the side of the Mac.

As for trust in Apple's security, I have little worry in that regard. I am certain from the array of released updates and security fixes that Apple is very concerned with maintaining the Mac OS's track record of security. They know it's not invulnerable and it *IS* likely that someday someone will come up with an exploit for an undiscovered vulnerability, but until that day happens, I won't worry too much about it. I have enough things in my life to keep me occupied and worried without adding a "might be, could be" to the list. It's just not worth the stress.

Mar 23, 06 - 09:24 am Comment from: M.X.N.T.4.1

Whilst it's true that Apples response to security issues could possibly be better, faster, whatever. To have Microsoft, or at least 1 Microsoft employee say that Apple should be more like them is a joke.
Admittedly Microsoft, due to their larger customer base are going to have to devote more resources to security issues - even security issues of comparable importance to those Apple have had, and yes Apple will have to ramp up their responses as they grow in size but Microsoft have to respond like they do, in such a public way because their massive security issues cause millions/billions of dollars of problems.
So far, all the Apple "problems" have caused me to do is stop running my day to day account as admin - something I really should have done anyway, but even though I hadn't it didn't cause me any problems.

Mar 23, 06 - 09:57 am Comment from: Ogre Magus

Guys, you don't get the obvioius between the lines message. This guy is telling Apple "Make me an offer." grin

Mar 23, 06 - 10:18 am Comment from: deedubya

Why wouldn't he want the job at Apple, Since there
have been no virus's or worm's sucessfully
launched , and I'm not counting that feeding frenzy over some suposedly dangerous worms that were out last month.
Why don't I count them? Did anyone report serious meltdowns from them? Were there worldwide problems in our small market of mac users? No.

Isolated incidents and proof of concepts. Mac is still very secure, but that frenzy in the media was blown out of proportion.

Yea, security at Apple would be a cake walk for Stephen Toulouse

Mar 23, 06 - 10:25 am Comment from: Rick

¡Qué huevotes de este tipo!

http://huevocartoon.com/home_contry.asp

Those are cojones!

Mar 23, 06 - 10:31 am Comment from: m

Real explanation for Vista/Longhorn delay: MS is busy entering these Mac security contests. hard at work trying to make a virus their next Mac application. Its been said before they should have a point person for security, but its funny hearing it from MS.

PS: MDN, "cojones"= slang for testicles. "cajones"= drawer or cabinet type thing.

Mar 23, 06 - 10:34 am Comment from: john

LOL What a Joke! Get a clue Microsoft! The challenge has already been won by OSX by a million miles even before it started. LOL

Mar 23, 06 - 10:36 am Comment from: Not surprised

This wonderful guy is doing everything he can to discourage people from buying a Mac b/c he knows MS is going to get its ass handed to them this year.

As for the communication issue on security threats, I like the way Apple does it. They don't go making the whole world panic by stating there is a security issue. They fix it (and a few others) and send it out. Also, they don't make me have to run 37 updates w/ a restart after every one.

Apple needs a security czar about as much as a dump truck needs to drive through a nitroglycerin plant.

MDN word == times as in "The times they are a changin"

Mar 23, 06 - 10:38 am Comment from: mike k.

we need a term for when someone tries to criticize OS X by linking to Secunia, thereby instantly shattering his/her own credibility, invalidating all future arguments, and providing good chuckles to all.

Today's winner at "how to lose an argument before you even begin" was Q-Bert. Way to go chief!

Check out Q-Bert, he just Secunia'd himself.

Mar 23, 06 - 10:47 am Comment from: ron

Toulouse--This guy's mouth is too loose. Of course, it could be that the MS virus thingies are like lice, and he needs to de-louse the OS.

Mar 23, 06 - 10:49 am Comment from: Sink-in Fast

Yes let me think about this for a moment.

Microsoft, the company with an operating system with so many security holes, that it wants to begin selling users a Microsoft security suite to protect it. Hmmm, if you can't secure your OS, why would I think you could create a security suite that would work any better? I can hear Steve Balmer now... "Please purchase our poorly secured product, and then pay extra for what will surely be another poorly designed and secured product". If anyone needs to get their security act together, it's the one with thousands of worms, viruses, mallware, trojans, spyware, and countless other security problems. hmmm

Mar 23, 06 - 11:08 am Comment from: Schmluss

More of the Redmond Mac OS X talking points. Keep tearing down OS X flaws to make Windows seem not so bad. Isn't it Vista that has been delayed to "upgrade security"? Why would you have to delay an XP update for another 6 months for a security update? Keep it up with the smoke and mirrors MS! Ballmer's a frickin' genious!

Mar 23, 06 - 11:29 am Comment from: imax

Nothing like a great big crap first thing in the morning.

Mar 23, 06 - 11:39 am Comment from: Ampar

In other news:
1. Kia and Hyundai are going to lecture Volvo on auto safety.
2. Afghanistan will lecture the rest of the world on religious tolerance.
3. Rob Glaser will lecture Bart Conner on how to be slim and fit.
4. The U.S. Congress will lecture American consumers on irresponsible spending habits.
5. William Hung will lecture the remaining American Idol contestants on proper vocal techniques.


MW: future, as in, I believe that children ate our future. Treat them well and let them gorge their way.

Mar 23, 06 - 11:41 am Comment from: Ampar

Crap. That'll teach me to read the MDN take first next time.

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