“Users of Apple Computer Inc.’s Macintosh computers have long enjoyed the technology equivalent of a safe neighborhood, where the viruses and security nuisances that bedevil far more common Windows PCs are practically nonexistent. Now, as the Mac is seeing some of its best sales in years, bad guys appear to be casing the joint,” Nick Wingfield reports for The Wall Street Journal. “The two worms were innocuous compared with the most invasive and destructive programs that plague Windows computers; security experts referred to them as ‘proof of concept’ programs. The worms didn’t appear to inflict any meaningful harm on Macs — they required users to go through several steps on their computers before being infected. Yet the appearance of the worms tripped alarm bells among some Mac users and security firms because they were part of a very small handful of malicious Mac programs, known in the tech world as “malware.” Security experts believe it is only a matter of time before more-virulent forms of malware for Macs appear.”
“Security researchers say they have recorded between 100,000 and 200,000 viruses — a term often used interchangeably with worms to describe malicious programs that spread by copying themselves — for Windows and previous Microsoft operating systems. For Mac OS X, the number can be counted on one hand,” Wingfield reports. “Apple of Cupertino, Calif., is becoming a higher-profile target, though. While Apple’s market share remains small, its Mac business was booming last year: The company sold 4.7 million Macs in calendar 2005, a 35% gain from the 3.5 million it sold in 2004 and far better than the 16% growth for the PC industry as a whole during the same period. Apple’s visibility as a company has never been higher, with the smashing success of its iPod music player, an iconic device that has introduced many Windows users to Apple technologies for the first time.”
“In response to the vulnerability identified last week, the company said in a statement, ‘Apple takes security very seriously. We’re working on a fix so that this doesn’t become something that could affect customers. Apple always advises Mac users to only accept files from vendors and Web sites that they know and trust.’ Many users of Apple products and some security experts also believe Macs are more resistant to malware attacks than Windows computers because of smart decisions Apple made in the design of OS X. Out of the box, Apple has set up Macs to make it hard for hackers to do damaging things like surreptitiously install harmful software programs than it has been in the past on Windows XP, the latest version of Microsoft’s operating system,” Wingfield reports.
Full article here.
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If you beleive in the Security Through Obscurity myth then the answer is yes. However we already know what the truth is.
The irony is people always say that the Mac isn’t targeted because of it’s small market share and the fact that virus writers want to do as much damage as possible, but the thing is it’s a behavior driven by ego, and there are more than plenty of people Im sure who hate the mac platform and its ‘smug’ users that they certainly would have assulated the platform in force by now if it was truly that easy.
Will they increase? Yes.
Will they reach crisis levels ala Winblows? Doubtful.
DUH! Do we need a new article on the same topic every week?
http://musobs.blogspot.com/
I rahter like the “big fat zero”. But still, they’ll be very hard put to find anyone who has actually HAD an OSX malware experience. Needle in a haystack springs to mind- or OSX virus in a WinBox world…
Quit advertising your bloody blog will ya G-Sussssssss!
Answer: maybe.
Problems will increase from 0 to .0000000001… after OS X has been out for ANOTHER 5 years… by which time Vista’s holes will be leaking for the world to see, and Leopard will be a tighter ship than ever!
You can have almost-perfect with Mac or badly-screwed-up with Windows. Enjoy your choice.
This recent spat of “security issues” Apple is dealing with is like having a drive-by nerf ball thrown at my front door. I heard a very faint “thud”, but nothing else really happened, and the “bad guys” are gone, thinking they’ve done something to hurt me.
Stoopid reporters on CNBC this morning telling people that the mac won’t make it into corporate IT now that it is vulnerable to viruses!!
GEEESH – they didn’t even sound like they knew what they were talkng about but the entire panel was aghast!!
arrrrrgh.
What is with this rediculous notion that a simple program I write in Xcode or any other programming language and send to someone saying lying that it’s something else (social engineering) is a virus. You are SUPPOSED to be able to write a program to do ANYTHING that a user CAN install. If a user allows a program to install it’s their own fault their machine gets mucked up. Not Apple’s, Microsoft’s or anyone elses but their own. The operating system did what it IS supposed to do. If my program deletes your home folder, and you install it, the OS is NOT at fault! WHY ISN’T THIS OBVIOUS FACT EVER REPORTED!!!!
Apple should sue CNBC for slandering their O/S!
Djenurm—rediculous. Is that a commie ridiculous?
“As Apple Mac grows in popularity, will security issues increase?”
Yes, by the end of the decade there will definitely be two more innocuous proof-of-concept worms for OS X.
“Rediculous”
Yes, ron. But not to be confused with the apple variety of red delicious.
Once upon a time it was that Mac’s crashed all the time, OSX shut that up. Then came Mac’s are slow, the Intel switch seems to nixed that one. Now of course it’s the next issue, Mac security flaws. On and on it shall forever go.
As long as the user who clicks on an icon knows that he is installing a program and he or she has to enter a password so that program can instal then it’s not the OS’s fault.
If you think you are about to play a MP3 or look at a picture or a movie and a program instals without permission then it is the OS’s fault.
Only since SP2 has XP not been at fault for the spread of Trojans.
Security Through Obscurity? Nah, because the Macintosh operating system before OS X came out had a few viruses. So for Mac OS X to have zero viruses after 5 years means that OS X is quite a bit safer than the classic Mac OS, while the install-base stayed the same or has even grown.
If people like you would keep your trap shut and stop talking this crap “bad guys appear to be casing the joint”. They would not even waste time on Mac OS. They would continue screwing up Windows that’s where they get all the attention.
All of you, write something good, not this crap.
DO YOU KNOW HOW.
Dont worry I’m still here. The rest are trolls.
The Real, the Original MacDude
I’m in firm agreement that “Leap-A” does not qualify as either a worm or a virus, no matter how loudly the barbers yell that we all need haircuts. However, trojans like Leap-A could become a vector for other malware, if new vulnerabilities are discovered.
See, the vast majority of OS X vulnerabilities that have been patched over the years are of the “privilege escalation” type. This just means that someone who already has access to your Mac could give himself root privileges and do all sorts of nasty things.
These types of vulnerabilities can’t be exploited remotely, so they’re useless to hackers, unless the hacker can get someone on the machine to do the exploit for him.
My worry is that a Leap-A type trojan could trick the user into running it, then take advantage of a privilege escalation vulnerability to root the machine without requiring a password. The good news is that there are only so many of these vulnerabilities, and Apple tends to nail them shut the instant they’re found.
Don’t feed it.
I still think the Software compaines (no names) pay the hackers, so that the anti-virus software companies can sell product. If no virus no anti-virus companies.
There probably will be viruses but i hardly think it will turn out as bad as the windows scene. Apple really needs to fix the account system though, if you are a single user then your daily account should not be one with adminrights.
I certainly hope the viruses doesn’t get as bad cause I’ve convinced quite a few people to get Apples partly to get away from the viruses.
No, I’m NOT (a troll). I’m real. I’m the one true light.
I’m the original Coke Classic to the troll’s New Coke.
I’m Esso to their Exxon.
I’m McDonald’s to their Burger Chef.
I’m . . . I’m . . .
Okay, I’m . . . pathetic.
The Real, the Original MacDude®
History tells us that when there were few numbers of computers there were still viruses (the first, if I recall, was used against an Apple).
It is total nonsense to suggest that greater numbers of computers are the cause of a virus. History again shows that the more vulnerabilities a systems has the more it will be attacked.
Apologists for M$ need to get off the bong.
Hahaha, you clones are funny.
The Real, the Original MacDude