Will Apple mirror MS's early arrogance?

[HomeLAN]

Apple's iconic status, growing market share and adoption of the same microprocessors used in machines running Windows are making Macs a bigger target, some experts warn.

Apple's most recent wake-up call came last week, as a Southern California researcher reported seven new vulnerabilities. Tom Ferris said malicious Web sites can exploit the holes without a user's knowledge, potentially allowing a criminal to execute code remotely and gain access to passwords and other sensitive information.

Ferris said he warned Apple of the vulnerabilities in January and February and that the company has yet to patch the holes, prompting him to compare the Cupertino-based computer maker to Microsoft three years ago, when the world's largest software company was criticized for being slow to respond to weaknesses in its products.

"They didn't know how to deal with security, and I think Apple is in the same situation now," said Ferris, himself a Mac user.

Apple officials point to the company's virtually untarnished security track record and disputed claims that Mac OS X is more susceptible to attack now than in the past.

Apple plans to patch the holes reported by Ferris in the next automatic update of Mac OS X, and there have been no reports of them being exploited, spokeswoman Natalie Kerris said. She disagreed that the vulnerabilities make it possible for a criminal to run code on a targeted machine.

http://edition.cnn.com/2006/TECH/04/30/apple.security.ap/index.html

Fix it quietly, while loudly stating that it's not a huge issue.

Sound familiar?

 

[Professur]

I still can't believe they'd pass up IBM's processors for Intel.

 

[Inkara1]

Meanwhile, the TV ads tout that Macs don't get viruses.

 

[HomeLAN]

The silence from the mac-heads is deafening.

 

[MrBishop]

Meanwhile, the TV ads tout that Macs don't get viruses.

They don't get viruses because they don't get targeted, not because they've got a waterproof OS.

Not as many people can program in MAClingo and of those, most don't have a hard-on for the idea of hurting Apple.

*All this'll change when MACs adopt the XP OS

 

[MrBishop]

The silence from the mac-heads is deafening.

Not a lot of us on here Give it time.

 

[Professur]

Bish, still nothing on the OS front for the G3?

 

[BeardofPants]

They don't get viruses because they don't get targeted, not because they've got a waterproof OS.

Yep.

 

[HomeLAN]

That's changing, though, and Apple's response is "It ain't a big problem!"

With that attitude, it soon will be. Microsoft can tell 'em how that works.

 

[Leslie]

A couple of nights ago I had a nightmare - My computer had a virus.

Way too weird.