“Security and quality assurance experts reacted negatively to Apple Computer’s efforts Tuesday to blame manufacturing problems that resulted in iPod MP3 players shipping with a virus that affects Microsoft’s Windows operating system,” Paul F. Roberts reports for InfoWorld. “Security professionals, including Microsoft’s own product release virus scanning chief, called Apple’s efforts to deflect blame onto Microsoft misleading and said the batch of factory-infected iPods reveals a troubling lack of thoroughness in the company’s manufacturing process.”
Roberts reports, “On Monday, Apple released a statement on its Web site noting that a ‘small number of video iPods shipped with a Windows virus,’ which the company identified as RavMonE.exe. The number of affected iPods is small — less than 1 percent of all Video iPods available for purchase after Sept. 12, 2006, the company said in its statement, adding ‘as you might imagine, we are upset at Windows for not being more hardy against such viruses, and even more upset with ourselves for not catching it.'”
Roberts reports, “That statement drew criticism from security experts, including Jonathan Poon, the man in charge of scanning Microsoft products for viruses before they ship. ‘It’s not a matter of which platform the virus originated [on]. The fact that it’s found on the portable player means that there’s an issue with how the quality checks, specifically the content check, was done,’ Poon wrote in a blog entry.”
Roberts reports, “James ‘Randy’ Abrams, who held Poon’s job for more than a decade at Microsoft and is now director of technical education at ESET, agreed. ‘The Apple iPod incident was not about Microsoft having a hardy operating system, it was all about security and process,’ Abrams told InfoWorld in an e-mail message.”
Roberts reports, “Greg Joswiak, vice president of iPod product marketing at Apple declined to comment in detail about the iPod infections, but did acknowledge that around 25 systems were infected by a Windows system that was used during manufacturing to test compatibility with the devices. The RavMonE virus did not spread to the system through a network connection, but was installed by a peripheral device, he said.”
“Joswiak declined to speculate on whether the worm was intentionally introduced, or whether it was spread from an iPod to the machine,” Roberts reports. “He did, however, defend the company’s manufacturing and quality control procedures. ‘It was an exception to our process,’ he said. ‘We believe we have a good process and we’re going forward.’ Joswiak also stood by the company’s statement regarding Windows. ‘Isn’t that true?’ he responded when asked about the company’s statement about Windows not being robust in the face of viruses. ‘We tried to be open and explain what’s going on. We’re not trying to dismiss our role.'”
Full article here.
Apple stated that they were “even more upset” with themselves for not eradicating the Windows virus before it shipped on a small batch of iPods than they were with Windows for “not being more hardy against such viruses.” Apple clearly took the bulk of the blame and Windows’ astoundingly galling porosity certainly deserves its fair share of the blame. Yes, it should have been scanned perfectly, but let’s face facts, when even Bill Gates can’t manage to avoid Windows malware and Steve Ballmer spends two days unsuccessfully trying to clean Windows PC malware, something’s rotten in Redmond. Of course, Microsoft lackeys can’t handle the truth. Tough.
Related article:
Apple shipped Windows virus on small number of 5G video-capable iPods – October 17, 2006
i hope we have made this crystal clear, they can’t handle the truth!
http://simplythebest.net/sounds/WAV/sound_effects_WAV/sound_effect_WAV_files/baby_cry.wav
Best line ever:
Security professionals, including Microsoft’s own product release virus scanning chief, called Apple’s efforts to deflect blame onto Microsoft misleading and said the batch of factory-infected iPods reveals a troubling lack of thoroughness in the company’s manufacturing process.”
If that isn’t a whole ball of irony I don’t know what is.
Microsoft is upset. Boo f**king hoo.
You can’t handle the truth!!!
Microsoft — SFTU!
The FIRST TIME you can release an OS or piece of software the can’t be hit by a virus for a DAY – then and only then can you complain about someone else blaming YOU for virus trouble.
So I’ll say it again. Microsoft STFU!
MDN Take: Right on.
It’s incredible how websites (and people) are so quick to jump on the fact that Apple mentioned the truth about Windows without recognizing that Apple was “even more upset” with itself (actually, the subcontractors!).
Anything to generate a controversy and traffic. So shallow!
Found in a folded note tucked into M$’s desk:
Check one and return:
____ I am known to be be infected with cooties, so leave me alone
____ I am known to be infected with cooties, and don’t remind me
—- Secunia, McAfee, and Symantec already have cooties, and they like the itch
Microsoft should fix their OS in the first place.
I really hope this creates a trend for businesses to outright blame Microsoft for all the down times that will hit them due to that OS.
It’s time to change the perception that Windows is normal computing and therefore you can’t do anything about it.
Think different indeed.
I’m sick of the media choosing to say “less than 1%” over “less than 25” when talking about how many iPods were affected.
Apple should have never said “less than 1%” in their document to begin with.
When you are talking millions of units, “1%” means a lot and saying “less than 1%” still implies a far greater number than “less than 25”.
The media loves it because they can have a shocker teaser promo to keep people glued to the news until the segment comes up in the last 30 seconds of the broadcast.
If mafia$oft would bite the bullet, and create an OS based on Unix, instead of staying with DOS, maybe they could get a real handle on the Swiss-cheese mess known as ‘Doze ..
Sure, it would piss off some people cuz their 3.1 apps wouldnt work anymore, but wouldnt the end result be better security ?
On second thought, maybe not..
We are, of course, talking about MS, arent we ?
They would probably find a way to screw that up, too !
mdn mw = “Group” … as in… Do the folks in Redmond need a group-hug now ?
“”Security and quality assurance experts reacted negatively…”
Err the emperor’s minions don’t take kindly to being reminded that they never saw the nakedness.
Maybe, the *kissers liked it that way, or it just made their life easier—same thing.
If these guys were smart, they would be running VMWare, and testing in a virtual Windows environment. There is no need to test in the wild.
Let me get this straight…Microsoft is mad at Apple for partially blaming them for having a POS OS that can pass on a virus that came from a machine using Microsoft’s OS that only affects other Microsoft OS’s? Awww…poor Microsoft. Sounds like someone needs a hanky. I think this is just about the karma that Microsoft deserves and I think it will only get worse. My friends at school are amazed at the things my mac can do that I take for granted everyday. Microsoft is on the way down and so are all the box assemblers. Educating the public is the key here. People are just so ignorant when it comes to computers–still! The FUD needs to stop and fast. You IT guys out there and you Windows fanboys: you arent doing your friends justice by telling them to get a Windows machine. Noobs need the protection of OS X. Windows is for uber geeks who like to walk the tightwire and hope not to fall.
I agree that Microsoft is using this to try to deflect the fact that their products ship riddled with viruses and/or bugs, but this should never happen. The subcontractor’s Quality Control team should be fired, and they should disinfect the entire Windows network. Then install VMWare on those machines, and test in a virtual environment. There is no reason to test in the wild these days.
I’m sorry, I know it’s childish, but I can’t take seriously anything coming from a guy named “Poon”
Im sorry mac guys but it was wrong for apple to pull microsoft down with it. Microsoft did not create the virus or put it on the ipods and APPLES bad for not making sure there own manufactures use apples if like they said its MS fault for the os failure. I think its pretty bad that you buy a product that can potentially infect your existing software whether you use XP or OSX or anything else. The numbers of infected is low but still its a bad deal. This isnt something you can blame on ms.
Having in recent weeks had to cleanse a colleague’s Windows laptop of 12 pieces of malware, I have no sympathy for Windows. For a “software powerhouse”, Microsoft is remarkably thin-skinned.
Despite their power and success, I detect a corporate insecurity probably deriving from a sense of technical inferiority. Recall how they’ve reacted whenever that inferiority reared its head: Stac, DR-DOS, Macintosh, Palm, Java, Citrix, Netscape, OS X, iPod… They’ve hidden that insecurity behind bluster, installed base, and money. But that game has turned.
Anyone still using windows at this point deserves what they get.
Sorry for the double post. The server refreshed and my comment was not there, and I tried FLock and Firefox. Oh well, the second one was better.
MDNWord: hair
As in,
Ballmer has no hair.
Joe
Granted, Apple had a “slip-up” in the manufacturing process, but
dont you think MS should share some of the blame for allowing their coveted OS to be so vunerable in the first place ?
Its only gonna get worse for them from this point foreward !
With Vista (Longhorn).. you can put lipstick on a pig ..(etc.)
So its MapQuest’s fault I got robbed because they gave you directions to my house;
It doesnt have anything to do with the fact my front door is off of the hinges with a blinking sign on my front lawn with step by step instructions on how to locate my jewelry box in my bedroom.
MICROSOFT IS DYING – NYAS NYA NYA N NYANYA!!!!
Aw c’mon guys – wouldn’t you be upset about a lot of stuff if your last name was Poon? Poon! Bwahahahaha!!!!!
the batch of factory-infected iPods reveals a troubling lack of thoroughness
“A troubling lack of thoroughness”?? From MICROSOFT?!? OMFG. Forget irony, this is sheer hypocrisy.
The point stands, MS: If your software wasn’t such a collection of shit there wouldn’t be so much malware. Apple shouldn’t HAVE to exercise such careful thoroughness for problems caused by MS’s own products.
Enough said.