The initial reviews were very favorable. Mac lovers--arguably the eclectic hippies of the computer revolution--finally have a chance to run programs previously unavailable, including proprietary business applications.
But users are now also able to bring all their favorite programs to the new MacTel platform. So it's time to be on the lookout for security stowaways--the viruses, worms and spyware that are coming along for the ride.
The Windows platform (along with Internet Explorer) is clearly the most targeted and exploited operating system on the planet--and it's now crashing the relatively virus-free Mac party. Even Apple takes its own jab at Windows security with this warning from its Web site: "Windows running on a Mac is like Windows running on a PC. That means it'll be subject to the same attacks that plague the Windows world. So be sure to keep it updated with the latest Microsoft Windows security fixes."
Here's the rub--Apple users run virtually no security software on their machines. Until recently, the platform was virtually virus-free, remaining unaffected by most major viruses. Reacting to the new virus infection potential, some industry watchdogs dismissed the threat. If you get a virus on your new Apple running Windows, their answer is to reboot on the Mac side.
And then what? Don't ever go back to Windows? Shutting down the computer doesn't stop the flow of oxygen to a virus or any other threat. Praying that someone hasn't figured out how to get a virus over the Windows/Mac bridge certainly isn't going to work; and who knows if you will even be able to reboot once the virus has infiltrated your system?
This isn't just another poke at Microsoft's often lackluster security. Arguably there's another side of the coin here. While Microsoft's vulnerabilities might let intruders into the castle, Apple is giving them the keys to the kingdom and rolling out the welcome mat.
Apple also happens to make the world's most popular music devices: iPods. Essentially large hard drives, they also have the potential to deliver all kinds of security threats into any environment, even Windows. Once a virus infiltrates the iPod, plug and play becomes plug and plague. Did anyone really believe the security nirvana for Apple would last? It's now more vulnerable than ever, and things can only get worse. As the Apple ecosystem of solutions continues to grow rapidly, so does the risk of malicious activity.
Consider the larger issue. Security spending is skyrocketing as IT finds itself forced to pay to protect an ever increasing number of areas. The entry points for potential security threats have multiplied. Attacks and threats can come from traditional sources and from a whole new generation of interconnected systems and devices, ranging from B2B partner networks to phones, handhelds and personal entertainment devices, including iPods and digital cameras. And as wireless propagates, expect the endpoint security threat to quickly move to ATMs, vehicles and virtually any "interconnected" device passing signals and data back and forth with other devices.
Like any software and device developer, Apple isn't immune to the viruses, spyware and more that make any computing environment--including the vaunted Mac--vulnerable. Mac lovers may celebrate the new MacTel platform, but will their enthusiasm wane if malware rears its ugly head?
Biography
Bob Johnson is president and CEO of SecureWave, a maker of endpoint security software. He can be reached at bjohnson@securewave.com.
See more CNET content tagged:
Apple Computer, Apple Boot Camp, threat, virus, security
So really, welcome to the club.
anytime soon" has recently become so obviously ridiculous that
not even the greatest imbeciles want to use that formula to grab
web hits.
Instead, they have now found a new variant of this formula
which is "Apple is going to be hit by viruses anytime soon". The
Windows crowd may be fooled by this, but just like before, most
people won't be fooled. Try to get your web traffic by reporting
some legitimate news instead.
SAN FRANCISCO, California (AP) -- Benjamin Daines was browsing the Web when he clicked on a series of links that promised pictures of an unreleased update to his computer's operating system.
Instead, a window opened on the screen and strange commands ran as if the machine was under the control of someone -- or something -- else.
Daines was the victim of a computer virus.
Such headaches are hardly unusual on PCs running Microsoft Corp.'s Windows operating system. Daines, however, was using a Mac -- an Apple Computer Inc. machine often touted as being immune to such risks.
He and at least one other person who clicked on the links were infected by what security experts call the first virus for Mac OS X, the operating system that has shipped with every Mac sold since 2001 and has survived virtually unscathed from the onslaught of malware unleashed on the Internet in recent years.
"It just shows people that no matter what kind of computer you use you are still open to some level of attack," said Daines, a 29-year-old British chemical engineer who once considered Macs invulnerable to such attacks.
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.
In Daines' infection, a bug in the virus' code prevented it from doing much damage. Still, several of his operating system files were deleted, several new files were created and several applications, including a program for recording audio, were crippled.
Behind the scenes, the virus also managed to hijack his instant messaging program, so the rogue file was blasted to 10 people on his buddy list.
"A lot of Mac users are in denial and have blinders on that say, `Nothing is ever going to get to us,' " said Neil Fryer, a computer security consultant who works for an international financial institution in Britain. "I can't say I agree with them."
Fryer, also a Mac user, said he has begun taking additional precautions over the past year to make sure he doesn't fall victim to an attack. He spends more time than in the past scrutinizing his security logs for signs of intruders, and he uses a firewall and additional security applications, just as he would with a Windows-based machine.
is in the "protection" business. Why, here is a whole new
market.
Indeed
windows partition may get affected, but with proper precautions
one can prevent disaster. The partition can always be deleted
and reinstalled. Although this may not be convenient, that's the
price you pay for using Windows. The majority of people that
will probably use Bootcamp will be one that just needs to run a
couple of apps not available on a Mac anyway. Otherwise they
would just buy a PC. Apples days of being virus free are gone
but it's not due to Bootcamp but rather because Apple's
popularity is growing and you can bet that they realize it and will
make Mac OS X more Secure.
infected than Windows running on generic PC hardware, but this
has few or no ramifications for the OS X "host" installation. As
things stand today (as I understand BootCamp), the OS X
partition is pretty well isolated from the Windows partition.
Nobody who installs Windows will want it to become infected, so
the logical conclusion is that dual boot users will want to acquire
malware protection software along with the already-pricey
Windows license they'll be needing. This is news?
I happen to have XP running within OS X using Parallels'
virtualization software. I was sufficiently paranoid to install a
free trial copy of somebody's protection software, but the
potential damage without it is limited to my Windows volume;
Windows' access to the rest of my Mac's hard drive is quite
constrained.
"Say good-bye to Apple security"? I don't think so, and I'm
horrified that the CEO of a security company would leap to such
a lame conclusion, and that CNet would sensationalize it with
the headline.
concerned about the vulnurabilities of Boot Camp-equipped
Macs? At a guess, I'd say he is more concerned about his
bottom line as people get a clue and switch to Macs. It's true
that few Mac users have security software or even run a firewall
on their Macs. Back when Macs ran Mac OS8 and OS9, I used
Norton AV, but I concluded it was unnecessary for OSX, and
haven't needed anthing similar since. However, just because I'm
running w/o protection on a Mac doesn't mean I'd ever consider
installing and running Windows (via Boot Camp or Parallels)
without taking security precautions. It's the difference between
not locking your door in a small town in Iowa where you know all
your neighbors and have few visitors, and having to install and
use deadbolts, chains, cameras, etc. in a grafittied-up house in
urban Detroit (to pick on my wife's home city) between the drug
dealer and the liquor store. Both actions make sense in their
context. So stop trying to frighten me as a Mac user into buying
security software I (still) don't need. I'm not impressed by all the
FUD about POTENTIAL malware. Show me some real threats,
that can spread among Macs in the wild, and I'd have to send
some business Mr. Johnson's way, but until then, I'm happy to
have at least one dependable, secure and trusted computer at
my side--my Mac (NOT running Windows)! As for Boot
Camp...well, new neighbors are always welcome. Meet you on
the front porch. Plenty of Kool-Ade to go around, too;-)
partition will stay alive when shut down and somehow jump
from that partition to the Mac one is absurd. Even if you could
write an executable from the Windows side to the unmounted
partition the barriers to that type of exploit are slightly larger
than any that they are taking advantage of today, plus add the
familiar Windoid refrain, the Mac communtiy is so small why
would anyone bother? Since Bill and Co.'s ineptitude has
conditioned you fear an inevitable and unstoppable monster
under every bed, ghost in every attic or thief behind every door,
maybe praying is the best solution for you. First, only a tiny
percentage of Mac users will use Boot Camp, virtualization or
any other multi-platform solution (remember, unlike you we're
extremely happy with our primary platform choice, plus you
won't see many mac users dollars enriching old Bill for a copy of
his junky OS) so it will be mostly Windows users with their new
Macs, tech types and tinkerers, and second, most Mac users are
generally more saavy computer users (they learn to live outside
the Start menu from day one) and WILL have virus protection on
their machines when and if it is ever warranted. If I'm not
mistaken Symantec started as a Mac software company and I had
it on my machine. I have a feeling I understand the root of your
trepidation, as this plays out it could become increasingly
apparent that perhaps the cult mentality trumps the lemming
mentality at the end of the day.
Cheers?
reasons:
1) No direct threat to hardware - Windows on a Mac is isolated
in a file-based volume that has no direct access to the
underlying operating system or any of its crucial files. Whereas
on a PC, a virus can effectively disable a computer completely,
the Mac version merely disables windows itself, leaving the
computer untouched. Even the Windows volume can still be
browsed in Mac OS, so any important documents remain
perfectly safe and available to the user.
2) Instant back-ups - Because the Windows volume is saved on a
disk image, all you need to do is copy the disk image to another
location. You can set up a script to do it automatically every day.
If you get a virus, no problem! Just replace the Windows image
with yesterday's backup, and you're fine. Try doing something
like that on a PC. Impossible for most users.
Although tempting, I do not wish to suggest that Johnson's
article was motivated by his desire to sell enterprise security
software, so I'll just say that I was surprised by his highly
problematic article.
Running Windows XP on the hardware turns the Mac into a very good looking PC, but I can't see how that makes the MacOS any less secure. The only way I can see this encouraging Mac based viruses is if it makes the Mac more popular and thus becoming more common, like what has happened with FireFox.
Very poor article in my opinion.
as well, since they are most likely not using the XP-side for email
and web browsing.
security software firm casting FUD (Fear, Uncertainty, Doubt) into a
virtually virus free environment, Mac OS X. Do you think he might
have other motives? Like to sell more of his copmpany's software?!?
Sort of like having the Oil Industry being in charge of Alternative
Fuels or the Tabbaco Industry telling 13 year olds, 'Don't use our
products'. Yeah, right.
his sleeve. I'd expect no less from a Fuller Brush man to tell me
that I need brushes for my bathroom and kitchen and garage,
etc.
This is the principle of the instrument in action. That is...give a
child a hammer and everything he encounters requires
hammering.
Oh, and it's nonsense that most Mac users don't have security
software. We already have our Firewalls up and running, we have
three or four virus software packages available to us, and if
iPods are just hard drives, then how does that make them any
different than any USB or Firewire drive, or CF an SD cards. Are
our cameras going to share viruses too? (I know...Shut up, don't
give him any ideas!) Oh, I get it. iPods are high visibility targets -
for Security experts to whip up another round of profit-
increasing fears.
Spare us the hair-on-fire hysterics. (Not to mention self-
interest.) We know running Windows is dangerous. Most of us
won't - without the right protection.
How about good-bye to Chicken Littles? That would be an
advancement.
sensationalist nonsense by a Windows software provider
completely out of his element trying to appear reputable and
push his product.
Unfortunately, the points he makes don't even make sense. Why
would a Mac running windows ruin the security of Apple? A Mac
running Windows will, at the least, be at least as secure and
stable as any PC running Windows. What's the difference?
Sorry, this isn't a new market you can try to tap, sir. No one will
blame Apple when Windows predictably fails as it would on any
other computer. To make that connection is to publicly
advertise that you bludgeon your cranium with rocks before
undergoing any sort of thought process or decision making.
Oh no! Viruses for the iPod that will end the world! FUD, FUD,
FUD. These articles don't make me want to click on the ads here
or buy your software. They make you lose credibility.
Please don't forcibly bring your Windows security personality
into a zone where it isn't justified or welcome. Maybe FUD
works well with the Windows crowd -- and maybe you get some
sales that way -- but Mac users don't respond well to that kind
of drastic appeal.
Win respect with unique opinions, a solid product, or a lasting
contribution. Don't try to win respect on predictions of the sky
falling by calling wolf.
Will Apple face new challenges with security? Sure. Some will be
serious. But since when is it somehow novel to report that
things aren't perfect?
even a Mac can't save Windows from it's security woes. There
are disclaimers on Apple's website warning users of the risks of
running Windows. However, with Boot Camp OSX and Windows
DO NOT share a common file structure, so even though the
Windows partition will likely become infected, the OSX partition
will remain secure because of OSX's inherent security
advantages.. Here are just a few of them:
Reasons why OSX is safer than Windows:
A common notion is that Mac OS X and Linux are virus-free
because they offer virus writers a much smaller ?audience? than
Windows. That, as it turns out, is a myth, no matter who repeats
it. There?s a much bigger reason virus writers don?t like Mac OS
X and Linux.
Unix [which underlies Mac OS X] and Linux ARE more secure,
because they have been developed, open-source style, by
people who know exactly what they are doing. Unix and Linux
have had at least 10 years of battling hackers to better
themselves. This leads to an extremely secure environment.
Here are some simple design decisions that make Mac OS X and
Linux much more secure than Windows XP. For example:
* Windows comes with five of its ports open; Mac OS X comes
with all of them shut and locked. (Ports are back-door channels
to the Internet: one for instant-messaging, one for Windows XP?s
remote-control feature, and so on.) These ports are precisely
what permitted viruses like Blaster to infiltrate millions of PC?s.
Microsoft says that it won?t have an opportunity to close these
ports until the next version of Windows, and who knows when
that's coming.
* When a program tries to install itself in Mac OS X or Linux, a
dialog box interrupts your work and asks you permission for
that installation -- in fact, requires your account password.
Windows XP goes ahead and installs it, potentially without your
awareness.
* Administrator accounts in Windows (and therefore viruses that
exploit it) have access to all areas of the operating system. In
Mac OS X, even an administrator can?t touch the files that drive
the operating system itself. A Mac OS X virus (if there were such
a thing) could theoretically wipe out all of your files, but
wouldn?t be able to access anyone else?s stuff -- and couldn?t
touch the operating system itself.
* No Macintosh e-mail program automatically runs scripts that
come attached to incoming messages, as Microsoft Outlook
does.
Linux and Mac OS X aren?t just more secure because fewer
people use them. They?re also much harder to crack right out of
the box.
There are fundamental differences as to why OSX is inherently
more secure by design than Windows. OSX is not impervious to
attacks, but it is significantly safer than Windows. Considering
the authors job title, it would be hard to believe that his
"perspective" isn't tainted by an alterior motive or agenda.
now. This CEO is a brilliant strategist. Who needs a marketing
budget when you can get CNET, and no doubt other "news"
outlets, to give you full page advertising like this for free,
without the requirement that it be labeled as such.
payed for the priviledge to give their "expert" opinion.
For example, Mr. Johnson states:
"Shutting down the computer doesn't stop the flow of oxygen to a virus or any other threat."
The facts are:
#1: All Malware is shut down cold by shutting off the hardware.
Granted, it doesn't remove the infection, but it doesn't spread or make anything worse. This buys you time.
#2: All Malware is also shut down cold by not allowing the OS or Application that had infected from running (hardware now hot).
This second point is precisely the "how and why" any infected PC can be disinfected: one shuts down, then performs a 'clean' reboot from a copy of the OS from a different source (such as a CD). From there, you either clean out the infection, or wipe the PC's hardware completely and re-install everything from scratch.
If these facts were not true, then the only recourse for any infected PC would be to literally send it to the crusher.
The fact that Mr. Johnson got such a basic fact so very wrong illustrates his bias and underlying message of his Infomercial.
It is doubly disappointing that CNET allowed it to be perpetuated.
-hh
The only reason to use a PC is playing games, or running a cash
drawer, robot, etc... OFF-NET.
That won't stop morons, who know nothing of Macs, or history
of computing for that matter, writing articles of doom and
gloom.
The good news is that it really is easy to learn. It's more a
matter of unlearning the stupid stuff you have to do to use
windows.
And now with Boot Camp that's not even a good reason anymore. Still play your games and then boot up to do the rest in a more stable environment, OSX.
needed to run Microsoft software, and thank god i don't, I'd still
buy a cheap used Wintel box to run it on. No way that Microsoft is
going on my Mac. The article is pure FUD.
endpoint security software."
What a joke! Good chuckle, CNET!
JPL
new ad campaign...
Boot Camp is still a beta program. We don't know what's going
to be added to the final product before the Leopard release; a
way to restrict the Windows viruses to the Windows partition,
perhaps, or maybe even anti-virus software built in (updated
regularly through Software Update).
If Windows viruses are restricted to the Windows partition, it
should be a simple matter to wipe the partition, do a clean
install of Windows, then install anti-virus software on that
partition (and checking backup disks for viruses before restoring
data). There'll be no effect to the Mac side at all. Of course, the
smartest thing to do is to use the Windows partition for only
offline work, which should prevent any viruses from infecting the
computer -- you can always use the Mac OS to surf the web.
And not all Mac users are as stupid as you portray them to be --
we know to install anti-virus software (I have Intego, built by
Mac users for Mac users), not to download suspicious files
(having to give a password before installing a file is a nice red
flag), etc. But once we install the software, we pretty much don't
have to worry -- I've only had to run one virus definition update
since I installed, while my dad-in-law has to run his just about
every week on his Windows machine.
- Self-serving drivel
- by mktras May 2, 2006 10:19 AM PDT
- Figures. This is what happens when people believe themselves to
- Like this Reply to this comment
-
Showing 1 of 3 pages (90 Comments)be knowledgeable. Mr. Johnson's commentary has revealed only his
superficial grasp of technology.