|
Apr
04
|
A friend, recent switcher and member of our user group recently emailed me to ask if he should install some kind of security software on his new MacBook. For his virtual PC installation, this goes without saying, but on the Mac side, what am I to tell him? I kept that idea in the back of my mind until I read about the Pwn2Own contest, part of the CanSecWest digital security conference held in March in Vancouver. Constestants were to choose a platform, Windows, Mac OS X, Linux and most smartphones, and demonstrate a winning attack. Charlie Miller won $5,000 and a MacBook.
The big headline out of that affair was that a Mac using Safari had been “cracked in seconds”… Still, how did that relate to installing security software on a Mac? Thankfully, AppleInsider found an interview of Miller and beautifully summarized the facts.
First, Charlie Miller, a security expert, may have succeeded “in seconds” on the floor of the contest, but he explains having prepared his attack for “many days” beforehand.
Second, this expert is himself continuing to advise people to get a Mac rather than a PC because it is safer… While detailing in a long technical explanation why PCs are more “secure.”
To summarize Miller: starting with Vista, Microsoft has reinforced Windows so much so that Mac OS X is looking a little retarded on the security level… but all that should be fixed with Snow Leopard this summer! Phew…
Yet, Miller believes that it is not worth the trouble to try to crack a less secure Mac, but much more fruitful to develop attacks against the Windows world. One main reason besides the difference in number of machines that can be attacked, is the fact that all sorts of levels of security exist in the Windows world, where users are often reluctant to upgrade to the latest, safest version. On the Mac side, however, users have a very high level of adoption of the latest technology. It could be also the case that Apple delivers real value in each new system upgrade and that the Software Update function is much less intrusive and disruptive than its Windows counterpart. Precisely, one of the main reason I use my virtual machine as little as possible, is because of the annoyance of having to stop everything for Windows Updater which slows my machine to a crawl almost every time I want to use it! In the end, Charlie Miller, does not believe that any security solution on the market offers more safety to Mac users than what they already have when they keep their machine up-to-date.
I quickly sent the AppleInsider report to my friend, glad to have found a rationale for not having installed any silly security software on my computers. Like Miller says, “If I was worried about attacks, I would use [security software], but I’m not worried.”
In the end, the difference I imagine between using a Mac instead of a PC on the security level front is like driving a fun convertible car in a pleasant, safe and stimulating region instead of a clunky armored vehicle negotiating roadblocks in a guerilla-torn country. OK, I’m partial. But if you feel like you are spending too much time maintaining your PC, it is time to switch.
Written by Yves
Print This Post
