“Microsoft has been waiting for security researchers to say that its Windows operating system has a lower total cost of ownership. One finally has, but that’s not good news,” Robert Lemos reports for CNET News. “On Friday, David Aitel, a noted security professional and managing director of vulnerability assessment firm Immunity, published a paper stating that ‘owning’ a computer–hacker-speak for compromising a system–is easier if the target computer runs Windows. While couched in puns and jokes, the paper takes a serious stance on the security of Windows compared with modern Linux, Aitel said. ‘We are having some fun with it, but the underlying data and conclusions are real,’ he said.”
Full article here.
Related MacDailyNews articles:
Defending Windows over Mac a sign of mental illness – December 20, 2003
Is Mac OS X really inherently more secure than Windows? – August 26, 2003
BusinessWeek’s Haddad gets it wrong; thinks low market share spares Macs from viruses – August 28, 2003
Shattering the Mac OS X ‘security through obscurity’ myth – August 28, 2003
Fortune columnist: ‘get a Mac’ to thwart viruses; right answer for the wrong reasons – September 02, 2003
New York Times: Mac OS X ‘much more secure than Windows XP’ – September 18, 2003
Columnist tries the ‘security through obscurity’ myth to defend Windows vs. Macs on virus front – October 1, 2003
Gates: Windows ‘by far the most secure’ system; tries to use ‘Mac OS X secure through obscurity’ myth – January 27, 2004
Mac OS X has no viruses; what’s wrong with Windows? – February 11, 2004
Spyware, adware plague Windows users online; Mac OS X users surf freely – April 19, 2004
Gartner: Worms jack up the total cost of Microsoft Windows – May 07, 2004
Apple exec: Mac OS X is ‘more secure than other platforms, certainly more secure than Microsoft Windows’ – June 14, 2004
Microsoft developing own antivirus software for leaky Windows – June 16, 2004
What’s the point of Anti-Virus for already-virus-free Mac OS X? – June 24, 2004
I’m waiting to see how long it takes for a vulnerability to be found in sp2, besides breaking software.
Weighty pronouncements of the painfully obvious.
DV
Watt you thinking? Windows designed by Soviet Computer commitee. All hackers sent to gulag. Watt security problems?
Is this April First already? It seems like just a few months ago. Apparently the Windows apologists (and satirists) are out and about this weekend.
Here’s a “research” paper from Immunity:
http://www.immunitysec.com/downloads/tc0.pdf
And a funnier follow on:
http://www.mac360.com/index.php/mac360/more/mac_os_x_called_toy_by_microsoft_apologist/
Cheers.
10th post
LOL Windows easier to “own” LOL
If MacOS X is regarded as a “toy OS”, then what does this make Windows? A “toy OS” in spe? A “toy OS” wanna be?
It’s quite ignorant to take a stance such as that. While it may be more appealing to kids to use (in the school environment), I think it’s far more productive to that child’s learning. The child can develop more artistic values while someone growing up on Windows (XP in particular) might end up being a tech-mechanic in no time. Personally I thought OS X look slick when I first saw it. I’ve added thems Shapeshifter, Dock hacks, screensavers as my desktop, personalized icons and applications. I wouldn’t want my computer any other way. I hop onto Windows and start to get bored.
Well, believe it or not, Windows IS easier to own: most Windows users I know have everything pirated, starting with the OS itself.
I find that an higher percentage of Windows users tend to steal the OS and have pirated tools and applications than OS X users.
Maybe it is because for a Mac user there is the reward of money well spent when buying software. With the crap there is around for Windows (and the OS itself) I would feel robbed of every dollar I happened to spend on sw titles.
They usually say “I can’t do that on the Mac” and feel dumb when I tell them that it is entirely possible instead but – really – we do not feel the urge to do it.
Oh, maybe it is also because the average Mac user earn more money?
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”raspberry” style=”border:0;” /> (j/k)
…and YES, I know the article mentions *owning* meaning *cracking* into, but that is like discovering hot water.
Think what would happen to the economy if Windows was suddenly and completely secure and was easy to setup and maintain. What if it just worked. Just maintaining Windows is a multi-billion dollar industry. Windows keeps a lot of people working and in that regard Windows is simply the best.
God bless you Bill!
…and watch the mindless stare of all windows owners as they read the article, not comprehending that there is a choice.
If MacOS X is regarded as a “toy OS”, then what does this make Windows? A “toy OS” in spe? A “toy OS” wanna be? – Stockholm Dude
In the spirit of the article, it is good to be a toy OS with very high total cost of 0wnership. Let the $cr1p7 k1dd135 “work” on Windows which is very efficient and let them 0wn those computers with low effort.
…and watch the mindless stare of all windows owners as they read the article, not comprehending that there is a choice. – G Spank
Probably they don’t even have a clue what “0wn” means and shout approval that their choice is being confirmed by the low cost study.
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