[dafleur]

Why hackers are taking a bite of Apple
By Tom Regan
Through a decade of marriage, four children, three moves, and several job changes, my wife and I have only had one real disagreement: What computer to use.

I have chosen the path of enlightenment - I'm a PC guy all the way. My wife has chosen a darker, more sinister route - she's a Mac user. (Had she written this column, the descriptions of the paths would be reversed.)

In one area, however, she holds the superior position - security. More than once, I've caught her smirking as I go through the weekly security checks on my PC. Have I downloaded all the latest antivirus updates? What about my spyware protection? Is my firewall working properly?

But if recent news of Mac worms and vulnerabilities are any indication, my wife, and other Mac users, soon will be going through the same weekly security checks employed by PC users.

Several computer security experts are predicting that the security "honeymoon" enjoyed by Macs will end this year. They argue that the profile of the company that makes Macintosh computers, Apple, is on the rise, thanks to the iPod. And the more visible a computer is, the more attractive it becomes to hackers.

As computer columnist John Dvorak wrote Feb. 23 for MarketWatch.com: "I'm certain that widespread boasting about immunity from attack in the Mac community has finally awakened interest among the exploit coders, whose collective motto is either 'Oh yeah?' or 'Sez who?' So now the malware folks are having a look at the Macintosh platform to see where it's weak."

Apple also opened the door to hackers by using a well-known and widely available computer language called UNIX in its latest OS X operating system. The company had good reasons for this move. Instead of the proprietary systems of the past, UNIX would allow more people to help shape the OS X system and programs that run on OS X.

It also means, however, that more people can now create viruses and worms that can attack that system.

In the past week and a half, two worms and a security hole were reportedly found in the Safari Web browser used in the OS X system. While these problems have affected a relatively small number of Mac users, it's an indication that hackers have turned their attention to Mac computers in a way unknown in the past.

The two worms, known as Leap and Ingtana, first appeared around Feb. 16. Leap was spread via Apple's iChat instant messaging software and could prevent certain applications from opening. Ingtana came a few days later, and could pass between Macs running OS X Version 10.4 over Bluetooth wireless connections.

Perhaps the more serious concern was the vulnerability found in the Safari browser. By simply visiting a site set up by a hacker, malicious code could be downloaded into a Macintosh computer using the "Open safe file" command that is enabled by default on all Safari browsers.

Apple, of course, is not sitting around twiddling its thumbs (as has been all too often the case in the past with Windows' security issues). A company spokesman told the media that "Apple takes security seriously," and is working on a fix.

As of press time, no fix was publicly available. (Security experts are recommending that in the meantime Mac users turn off the "Open safe file" feature in their Safari browsers.)

So why is this important? After all, Mac computers only comprise about 5 to 7 percent of the market. Besides giving me the opportunity to tease my wife a bit, the answer becomes more obvious when you look at who uses Macs.

For years, Apple has had a strong grip on the educational market in North America. The publishing business also relies heavily on Apple computers.

More important, however, is the fact that several years ago, key branches of the military switched to Mac computers for security reasons - fewer people were trying to hack into those particular computers.

But there is a silver lining in this dark cloud for Mac users. As one security expert put it, these security problems are more like a shot across the bow. It's a warning that it's time to stop taking your computer's security for granted and take the steps now to protect your investment.

And the benefit for us PC users is the end of all those smug looks. For a while, at least.

http://csmonitor.com/2006/0301/p16s02-cogn.html

[Xarthan]

why not? unix isn't that hard to "hack" if you think about it.

[skwannabe]

finally.. now my friends can stop laughing at me when they see, after using my edwido, i get over 500 viruses.. i do this once a month...

[Xarthan]

stop surfing pron sites then!!!

[awdark]

O_o stop using IE altogether.

Well the other thing is (might get yelled at) apple users are stupid and ignorant for wanting an "easy to use" "uncrashable" OS. They dont know how to do much other than turn it on and use it. So it would be that much more fun to total them...

[Xarthan]

like pc users know how to d more than turn on and off either.......

[awdark]

Very true... its just that the primary focus on the apple os is it is like an embedded client... "unbreakable" and super intuitive to use with the floatie icons and stuff.
Many buy it because it looks nice and is "easy to use"

[boka]

crime increases with the population of a community i guess.

[OsiX]

like pc users know how to d more than turn on and off either.......

So true.

Very true... its just that the primary focus on the apple os is it is like an embedded client... "unbreakable" and super intuitive to use with the floatie icons and stuff.
Many buy it because it looks nice and is "easy to use"

And yes MACs do look easier to use

[Xarthan]

And yes MACs do look easier to use

I dunnooo. maybe cauz i've been using windows for so long, but OS X is so damn freaking confusing. (Modifying settings)

[awdark]

haha thats why I put it all in quotes.

But as boka said... there are more macs out there now... all because of the ipods...

[Trungy]

Very true... its just that the primary focus on the apple os is it is like an embedded client... "unbreakable" and super intuitive to use with the floatie icons and stuff.
Many buy it because it looks nice and is "easy to use"

In my opinion, Mac OSX is a lot like Windows XP.. just easier to use and more intuitive. People think there are severe limitations, or even simple limitations using a Mac. That truly isn't the case. There are some things you can do on a Mac that you can't do on a Windows, and there are some things you can do on a Windows that you can't do on a Mac. *shrugs* Question is, what do you want to do with your computer? That's pretty much the biggest question for those who are indecisive about the two.

haha thats why I put it all in quotes.

But as boka said... there are more macs out there now... all because of the ipods...

Very true. Every analyst mentioned the "halo effect" of the ipod, and for awhile, I thought, "I'll believe it when I see it." Well, I didn't have to see it before believing it, because once I bought my iPod and then started to eye on a new computer, I looked at the Powerbook and gave it a chance. Fast forward to a year and a half: I love my Mac. If I could marry a machine, well.. I wouldn't marry my Powerbook, but I'd definitely consider having an affair with it.

I dunnooo. maybe cauz i've been using windows for so long, but OS X is so damn freaking confusing. (Modifying settings)

lol, I know what you mean. When I first got my Powerbook, I went nuts trying to figure out how to do simple things. After a few days and posting on Mac forums, I found out how to do things, then became puzzled at how I didn't notice how to do it before.

Moving from a Windows to a Mac is much like moving from one house to another. In one house, you've memorized where the utensils are, you've memorized what room the TV is in, and you've memorized how to surf porn without anyone knowing so. Once you go to the Mac, most things aren't dramatically different. You can still use utensils; you can still watch TV; you can still surf porn.. but you just have to know where they are, and it isn't really difficult finding them, rather opening different drawers and finding out where things are.

[Kyung Won]

*shrugs*
i have a mac and a pc..
now i just have to be more careful with the mac@@
not reallya big deal if you take care of your computer
and there is litterally nothing to hack@@ i don't do anything on the internet that woul compromize my life

[Xarthan]

yeah, the best antivirus protection.

use it smartly

[kuja]

why not? unix isn't that hard to "hack" if you think about it.

Surely you mean "crack" and not the media bastardization.

Also, sure, UNIX flavors are not much different to crack than any other OS that is connected to the Internet.

Simply, because we all use the same protocol.

Now, in terms of viruses, it's possible for UNIX flavors to have viruses, but not as nearly possible for Windows. Windows viruses exist because of exploits that the nice little Windows developers leave like breadcrumbs.

Most UNIX flavors you see are open source, thusly it is immensely community based. So, writing viruses that affect UNIX systems are well... very hard. Not to mention, the source is open (as stated above), and the community is free to send patches or write them theirselves.

[Xarthan]

Surely you mean "crack" and not the media bastardization.

Also, sure, UNIX flavors are not much different to crack than any other OS that is connected to the Internet.

Simply, because we all use the same protocol.

Now, in terms of viruses, it's possible for UNIX flavors to have viruses, but not as nearly possible for Windows. Windows viruses exist because of exploits that the nice little Windows developers leave like breadcrumbs.

Most UNIX flavors you see are open source, thusly it is immensely community based. So, writing viruses that affect UNIX systems are well... very hard. Not to mention, the source is open (as stated above), and the community is free to send patches or write them theirselves.

well yeah, but most soompiers and people don't understand what crack means. What?!?!?! crack an egggggg?

[CRY_1314]

hmm...

[Xarthan]

hmm...

things that make you go hmm...