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images/news/apple.jpgThe days when you can assume that Apple’s products are exempt from harm are over.
Is it time to panic? No, actual attacks against Macs and the rest of the Apple family, such as the iPhone, are still rare. But as the platform becomes more and more popular, hackers are gearing up to do damage. You’d better protect yourself.
“Most Mac users take security too lightly. In fact, most are quite proud of the fact that they don’t run any security at all,” says IDC analyst Chris Christiansen. “That’s an open door; at some point it will be exploited,” he says.
In a sense, Apple is a victim of its own success. Savvy hackers read the same stories and watch the same television programs as the rest of us, and so they are very aware of the burgeoning popularity of Apple’s products. Hacking Windows still provides a lot more bang per bug than attacks on Apple, but the smaller rival is a more satisfying target than ever before. And the company’s deserved reputation for building good products has probably made users overconfident.
“Apple has better commercials, but the Mac is no harder to break into than a Windows PC,” says Gartner security analyst John Pescatore. What’s more, most IT shops can automatically patch large numbers of PCs at the same time, while Macs generally have to be patched one at a time, he said.
The Bottom Line: Actual attacks on the Mac platform are still unusual. But as it becomes a juicier target, that will change. Why take a chance? Give a lot more thought to securing your Macs this year.
Via: Infoworld
Is it time to panic? No, actual attacks against Macs and the rest of the Apple family, such as the iPhone, are still rare. But as the platform becomes more and more popular, hackers are gearing up to do damage. You’d better protect yourself.
“Most Mac users take security too lightly. In fact, most are quite proud of the fact that they don’t run any security at all,” says IDC analyst Chris Christiansen. “That’s an open door; at some point it will be exploited,” he says.
In a sense, Apple is a victim of its own success. Savvy hackers read the same stories and watch the same television programs as the rest of us, and so they are very aware of the burgeoning popularity of Apple’s products. Hacking Windows still provides a lot more bang per bug than attacks on Apple, but the smaller rival is a more satisfying target than ever before. And the company’s deserved reputation for building good products has probably made users overconfident.
“Apple has better commercials, but the Mac is no harder to break into than a Windows PC,” says Gartner security analyst John Pescatore. What’s more, most IT shops can automatically patch large numbers of PCs at the same time, while Macs generally have to be patched one at a time, he said.
The Bottom Line: Actual attacks on the Mac platform are still unusual. But as it becomes a juicier target, that will change. Why take a chance? Give a lot more thought to securing your Macs this year.
Via: Infoworld
The more popular it Gets, the more Hackable it becomes
