Comments on: Apple retracts AV recommendation http://techlifepost.com/2008/12/04/apple-retracts-av-recommendation/ Living with technology. Fri, 20 Jan 2012 02:22:32 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v= By: Eric Jacksch http://techlifepost.com/2008/12/04/apple-retracts-av-recommendation/comment-page-1/#comment-92 Eric Jacksch Thu, 04 Dec 2008 20:51:52 +0000 http://techlifepost.com/?p=1482#comment-92 The lower market share is part of the reason that OSX has not been much of a malware target. However, the other reason is that OSX uses the standard UNIX approach of having users run applications with user privileges and only escalate to admin privileges when required. If an OSX user downloads and executes malicious code, it executes with the user's privileges. The malware can access the user’s files, but it can not modify programs or the operating system. It took until Vista for Microsoft to catch up by adding UAC. The lower market share is part of the reason that OSX has not been much of a malware target. However, the other reason is that OSX uses the standard UNIX approach of having users run applications with user privileges and only escalate to admin privileges when required. If an OSX user downloads and executes malicious code, it executes with the user’s privileges. The malware can access the user’s files, but it can not modify programs or the operating system.

It took until Vista for Microsoft to catch up by adding UAC.

]]> By: Maggie James http://techlifepost.com/2008/12/04/apple-retracts-av-recommendation/comment-page-1/#comment-91 Maggie James Thu, 04 Dec 2008 14:54:53 +0000 http://techlifepost.com/?p=1482#comment-91 There are already Mac bugs out there... But none with the sophistication or pervasiveness of the prevailing Windows universe bugs. The real story, here, is that a major pillar supporting Apple's Mac OS superiority hype — that 'it doesn't get viruses' — has been seriously compromised. What an embarrassment for them, when one of their own support techs posts an advisory recommending the use of not one but *several* anti-virus products! And we all know how product-image-conscious Steve Jobs is... ;-) There are already Mac bugs out there… But none with the sophistication or pervasiveness of the prevailing Windows universe bugs.

The real story, here, is that a major pillar supporting Apple’s Mac OS superiority hype — that ‘it doesn’t get viruses’ — has been seriously compromised. What an embarrassment for them, when one of their own support techs posts an advisory recommending the use of not one but *several* anti-virus products!

And we all know how product-image-conscious Steve Jobs is… ;-)

]]> By: Evolving Squid http://techlifepost.com/2008/12/04/apple-retracts-av-recommendation/comment-page-1/#comment-90 Evolving Squid Thu, 04 Dec 2008 12:49:09 +0000 http://techlifepost.com/?p=1482#comment-90 There is one, and only one, reason why there are very few viruses and little malware that is Mac specific. Mac has such a small marketshare that the cretins who write the stuff can't be bothered to port their oeuvre to the Mac. Despite what the fanbois say, Mac security is still based largely on obscurity, not on any inherent strength (to be fair, it is stronger, but not so strong as to be insurmountable). If we waved a magic wand and gave Apple a 40% marketshare tomorrow, the first destructive Mac virus would be out by Monday. There is one, and only one, reason why there are very few viruses and little malware that is Mac specific. Mac has such a small marketshare that the cretins who write the stuff can’t be bothered to port their oeuvre to the Mac.

Despite what the fanbois say, Mac security is still based largely on obscurity, not on any inherent strength (to be fair, it is stronger, but not so strong as to be insurmountable). If we waved a magic wand and gave Apple a 40% marketshare tomorrow, the first destructive Mac virus would be out by Monday.

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