I've spent almost 2 years bashing OS X security and more specifically Apple's information security program. Well, while fawning over a friend's MacBook Air (MBA) yesterday I had an epiphany. Have I been too hard on Apple? Is the security inherent in OS X sufficient for Apple's core audience?
Let me start by informing you that my aforementioned friend is known on the national and international stage as an information security guru. Heck, he's even graced the cover of this very publication (the “Time - Man of the Year” for information security if you will). My friend's glorious new MBA was being hobbled by so many security utilities that I wouldn't have wanted to use the darn thing. Granted all of these tools weren't Mac specific, but were instead “feature” of the infrastructure in use at the organization. After finding the right wireless network, the browser based network authentication didn't work easily or quickly. Then toss into the fray, the VPN software with multiple authentication requirements, and finally the anti-virus software just to add a final layer of confusion. Somewhere in this chaos an Apple update had gotten stuck during installation causing the machine to stall indefinitely. ...and the chaos continues...
On my drive home I thought about my own experiences with Apple gear in various incarnations. During all the time that I've used Macs, I've only had one update break during installation. I've run anti-virus for all of probably 2 days during that time and have had ZERO problems. Let me be clear, my naked Macs have traveled internationally and have attached to countless public hot spots in the U.S. I run a firewall and other than that rely on only the inherent hardening of the Apple OS. This brings me to my point.
Are the security needs for Apple gear the same as those for Windows gear? On a base level, I'll still say yes. There are general do's and dont's that apply to all types of hardware and software. Conversely, I am guessing that none of you would run a Windows laptop without first adding a firewall and anti-virus software at a minimum. For a Mac, this isn't all that unusual. In fact at one point it was standard practice to remove or disable anti-virus so that certain programs would run properly. Have we yet seen a sweeping Mac virus? No. Any truly significant exploit of the OS itself? No. Sure, there have been vulnerabilities in applications, but that applies on both sides of the Windows/Apple debate. Ultimately, we should consider whether or not Apple's base level security is appropriate for those in the creative arts, students, and researchers. These groups represent the bulk of Apple's audience.
There is undoubtedly a need in some organizations for the cacophony of security gadgetry mentioned above, but is that need representative of the needs of the core? For these folks, the dependability and simplicity of the Apple OS is paramount to infinite layers of security. So, I am not necessarily wrong in my prior estimations of Apple security, but I do need to take a broader view and include not only the corporate perspective, but also a view that is more representative of Apple's target audience.
I have been intrigued by your articles and find a strange wisdom to them. I have long been an advocate of distribution and mutation as a risk reduction practice. The fact that windows is ubiquitous is the very problem while the apparent safety of macs is due to its isolation. The Mayberry paradox is not that far fetched. Consistency and economies of scale have allowed Microsoft to become the defacto standard but at the same time have presented a consistent target for threats. If we had more diverse operating systems then cyberspace would be more resistant to infections. This is true in biology as well. The more diverse the species the more likely it is to survive threats. There is no reason to have a single operating system any more than there is a reason to have a single species of life or a single energy source. Security should be built into the DNA of cyberspace through constant mutations and competition of operating systems. Consistency is the risk.
I agree completely with the the posts I have read. You seem more bias than the Mac heads are given credit for way too often. "MAC People accused of being a cult" Bottom Line I know if Mac's were the in the largest market share. They would be attacked more from viruses etc. I have had to use both Windows and MACs since 1992. and it has always been a hassel to do anything on a PC vs a MAC. If the Mac is so bad at security and only for the artsy types Why does Virginia Tech have the 2nd Largest server farm in the world all Apple G5s. Why has there been only one worm virus that has actualy caused any kind of issue for the Mac since 1992.
I think you need to stick to facts and leave your opinion to yourself. From your explanations regarding your MAC experience. It is obvious you really have no idea how to operate a MAC. It is amazing you can operate a PC.
I can understand locking down an Apple XServe for security, which I have personally done myself. But I think that any Apple Mac should be just as secure as any Windows PC. The difference is that Apple's come with most of the basic tools to secure the system already whereas a Windows PC usually requires add on services or software. I think Mac OSX starts at a higher level of security to begin with.
But I take exception to the idea that some users just don't need security because they're artsy-fartsy types or something. Everyone needs security and to say that users of Apples are less deserving of security in the type of online environment that we have is kind of insulting.
It would have helped if this article included specific software packages and processes that were put in place to secure the Apple Mac mentioned. That way the debate could have been on what aspects of securing a computer, Apple or Windows, are most important and why Apple's seem to have not required them so far. Perhaps there are other articles on this site to that effect that I missed?
What stupid and pointless article!
Next time have nothing to write, try keeping your hands off the keyboard instead of wasting our by posting your drivel.
PS: 9/11 was an Inside Job!
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