“Why do I insist on using a Mac as my primary work machine? More specifically, why an Intel Core2-based MacBook Pro? It’s probably not the reason that you think,” Chief reports for ITtoolbox Blogs.
Chief reports, “Security professionals need not hide behind the argument that avoiding Microsoft Products is the end-all solution to a secure computing environment. Security Professionals have much better reasons, and those were amplified when I talked to other folks at CEIC 2007 over the last few days. I was astounded at the number of Mac laptops that were present. It was easily twice the number from last year.”
Read the reasons in the full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “G” for the heads up.]
Mac’s are more secure. Period!
Truth is coming out. MacBook Pro rocks the world.
I’ve experienced his #12 before. It’s funny as heck to see folks ooh and aah over your MacBook or MacBook Pro.
“Whether this is because OS X is so secure, or because the miscreants want to capitalize on market share to make their bucks”
Someone explain to me how people writing viruses make money from doing it. I understand people that send scam emails and phishing emails, but thats human engineering, not software engieneering.
Explain how a virus writer makes money from going after Widnows vs macOSX.
Someone? Anyone?
My 24″ iMac gets all the attention, even though my MBP is setting next to it. My boss is always shuffeling people in an out bragging about his IT staff. If he only knew…
@macromancer
Here is how:
Rogue dialler Trojans, which change victim’s net settings to dial expensive premium rate accounts
Keylogging Trojans in phishing scams can make a lot of money.
Spam: 40 per cent of spam comes from infected computers. People are willing to pay to have their messages sent in mass spam mailings
So, there are a few incentives to write viruses. It’s also for the argument that Macs small market share is a reason why it’s not a target.
@Macromancer
He never mentioned viruses in the paragraph you’re quoting. In fact the article doesn’t mention the word virus at all.
He did however, mention malware and keyloggers fall into that category and keylogging has been a pretty lucrative business.
Yawn.
Damn these Slow News Days®
> …because the miscreants want to capitalize on market share to make their bucks
It’s not market share that the “miscreants” capiltalize on. It’s ease of access and exploitation. Even if Mac OS X market share was equal to Windows market share, the hackers would still focus on creating malware for Windows. Why? Because it’s relatively easy to create malware for Windows that does something worth exploiting, and can self-propagate over the ‘net. As the recent security contest showed, it is very difficult to create malware for Mac OS X, and even if you do so, it is not self-propagating and require action on the part of the user (such going to a web site with malicious code or running a program disguished as something else). And at most, the hacker might gain user account level access (not Root), which does not turn a Mac into a spambot.
So the bottom line is that Windows is easy, Mac OS X is hard. Windows exploits (of which there are many) are lucrative, Mac OS X exploits (of which there are very few) are not worth the effort. As long as Windows is there, being a big fat sitting duck, Mac OS X will be secure. And it’s not because of “market share.”
ken1w says:
“As long as Windows is there, being a big fat sitting duck, Mac OS X will be secure.”
I didn’t think that the Mac’s security was dependant on the existence of Windows. So, it IS market share according to you.
yihaaaaaa!!!!
This is a great article with a lot of details. Many of the arguments given are valid for non security reasons also — such as the lower temperatures on the lap.
That is one site with some serious discussions, well worth revisiting from time to time.
When you work at Symantec and you are busy developing revenue generating Windoze viruses, it really embarassing to get bit by your own bug.
Just my $0.02
Let’s face it, if Windows 95/98 was as secure back in the 90’s as Mac OS X is now, the ‘malware problem’ would never have even started.
Being attacked by malware is not inevitable with a secure OS.
> So, it IS market share according to you.
Obviously, you didn’t read my post. Hackers target Windows, NOT because it’s got a large market share; hackers target Windows because it’s easy to exploit and they can actually do useful things with the exploits. Mac OS X is hard to exploit and even if successful, what hackers gain access to is not worth the effort. Therefore, as long as Windows is around being the “low hanging fruit,” Mac OS X will be (even more) secure. Even if Mac OS X market share was equal to Windows market share, hackers would go after Windows.
Look at it this way. If a thief knows there’s $1000 in a padlocked gym locker and another $1000 in a bank safe deposit box, which one is the thief going to go after first?
@ Ken1w
Ditto.
It’s not market share, it what is easy.
Thiefs are lazy, why do you think they are Thiefs? You’d never catch one of them working a 9 to 5 job.
Another example greatly simplified for the slow learners out there:
A- Walk 10 steps over to a table to get 10 million dollars.
or
B- Run 1 mile, climb a 10 foot wall and then swim across a river to get 10 million dollars.
What are most people going to pick?
So lets apply this to a hacker.
A day in the life of a hacker:
Hmmmm, today I’ll write a virus to infect OS X. Those damm Mac users are so smug, I just want to put a lit cigaret in their eye. Well I digress….. Lets get started.
1am….OK looks like no one else has done this.
3am….Wow this might take longer than I thought.
6am….What the f#ck!! Root isn’t enabled by default! I’m getting a headache.
9am….Must get sleep……this has to work….
12pm…..OK I gotta get in a better mental state…
12:10pm…. Yeah that’s the ticket! I can think more clearly now.
3pm…. Where the hell is that bag of Doritos?!
5:37pm….This is too much work. Back to Windows.
5:39pm….. Ahhh, another Windows virus, the day wasn’t completely wasted.
6pm…..Zzzzzzzzzzz
” usually have to remind the folks in the room to watch the slides and NOT my remote control. (true story)”
Because the “Security Professional” is being asked “is that the remote control that I use to turn off the home alarm system you’re selling me?”. “Do you have an example of the kind of keypads you install?”
….our security people ran a flea comb through Vista and say it’s covered with fleas …they rubbed some Genuine Advantage on the cpu and hard drive …it didn’t work. They’re looking for an alternative OS …hhmmm, what could that possibly be..
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