[opendtv] Security threats rising for Apple Macs, report shows
- From: "Manfredi, Albert E" <albert.e.manfredi@xxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 8 May 2006 10:38:06 -0400
Some years ago, back when it was primarily Unix vs. VAX VMS machines in
networks, the Unix nets were the target of hackers far more than the
VAXen. It wasn't that the DECnet machines were inherently more secure,
as some liked to believe, it was simply that the Unix machines were more
prevalent and therefore a more fun target for hackers.
The same is true for PCs vs Macs. I think the key phrase in the piece is
"previously unknown vulnerabilities." As opposed to "previously
nonexistent."
Bert
-----------------------------
Security threats rising for Apple Macs, report shows
Antone Gonsalves
(05/04/2006 7:36 PM EDT)
URL: http://www.eetimes.com/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=3D187200589
The number of security flaws reported on the Mac OS has risen three
times as fast as on Windows, a clear indication that Apple Computer Inc.
products are increasingly in the crosshairs of malware authors, a
security firm said Thursday.
From 2003 to 2005, the number of vulnerabilities discovered on the Mac
OS platform has soared 228 percent to 143 from 45, McAfee Inc. said in a
report entitled "The New Apple of Malware's Eye: Is Mac OS X The Next
Windows?" Microsoft Corp.'s Windows platform, on the other hand, saw an
increase of 73 percent.
For years, Apple computers have had too small a market share to attract
the interest of virus writers and hackers, but with Mac sales rising and
the iPod accounting for two thirds of the portable media player market,
"security researchers and hackers will increasingly point their digital
lock picks toward the Mac OS and other Apple products," the report said.
McAfee believes Apple is in the early stages of malware evolution, where
viruses are written and spread as proofs-of-concept to demonstrate that
the applications work and to bring notoriety to the creators.
Nevertheless, the release this year of the first malware attacking the
Mac OS X platform -- OSX/Leap -- and malicious code exploiting
previously unknown vulnerabilities shows that virus writers are taking
the Mac OS more seriously, McAfee said.
Apple addressed the security flaws in March with a patch fixing 20
vulnerabilities. The Cupertino, Calif., computer maker recently released
a second set of patches correcting 15 more security flaws.=20
Apple's introduction this year of Intel Macs is expected to "usher a
whole new era for Macintosh malware," McAfee said, since the machines
are capable of running Mac OS X and Windows.
The security firm also warned that Apple security threats go beyond the
Mac. Four vulnerabilities, for example, were discovered last year in
iTunes, Apple's popular software for downloading and managing digital
music. In February of this year, Slurp became the first iPod-transported
malware.
None of the recent attacks on Apple products spread widely, but the easy
availability of malicious source code on the Internet, and the
opportunity to make money, means hackers are sure to launch more
malware, the firm said. As a result, Mac users would be wise to rethink
their "safe harbor logic."
"While the threats targeting the Mac operating system are low in volume,
the use of Apple products does not provide an invisibility cloak from
malware," Stuart McClure, senior vice president of global threats at
McAfee, said in an email. "Users need to be more vigilant about security
as adoption rates soar and attacks on Apple operating systems increase."
All material on this site Copyright 2006 CMP Media LLC. All rights
reserved.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
You can UNSUBSCRIBE from the OpenDTV list in two ways:
- Using the UNSUBSCRIBE command in your user configuration settings at
FreeLists.org
- By sending a message to: opendtv-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with the word
unsubscribe in the subject line.
Other related posts:
