AV writers' new tactic
All isn't completely lost for antivirus vendors, however: while most computer users tend to equate computer security with the risk of getting a virus, the more serious problems come from socially engineered attacks that can and do suck in users of Macs as easily as those using Windows machines.
Symantec's Norton Confidential security suite for Macs, for example, doesn't even mention the word 'virus' in its product literature but instead uses the blanket phrase 'vulnerability protection', which also includes issues such as operating system patches, protection from phishing e-mails, and online content filters.
This change in marketing tactic reflects the different reality of security on Windows and Mac machines -- but users shouldn't let their guard down even if the Mac is more inherently resilient. Mike Romo, US-based product manager for Macintosh products with Symantec, says that even Mac users need to consider the ongoing risk of macro viruses -- which rely on vulnerabilities in applications rather than operating systems -- and the potential role of Macs as transmitters of Windows viruses attached to forward e-mails.
"We're not so much worried about the infrastructure anymore," he explains. "It used to be people thinking about doing a weekly virus scan, but now it's people making sure the Web sites they visit are legitimate. This is a fundamental shift about how we discuss Internet security: the boxes themselves are much more stable than they've ever been. Apple has made sure the baseline defences of the system are already so high out of the box that for the most part, people don't need to think about them."
That doesn't mean Mac users -- many of whom adopted the platform because it is seen as being easy to use and secure -- can ignore the threat of security attacks altogether. Mac OS X ships with so many built-in system features -- including remote access software, the Apache Web server, IPFW firewall, and other components -- that Long says it's important that users take a few precautions even if they're not running antivirus software.
Long recommends every Mac user take two steps to improve their system security. First, he recommends that they turn on IPFW, which isn't necessarily turned on by default (System Preferences / Sharing / Firewall / Start). Second, he advises users to turn off the 'Open "safe" files after downloading' option in Safari (Safari / Preferences / General), which increases the chance that any new exploit-laden file could have a clear shot at the system.
"The things that worry me about Mac OS X have to do with the ways in which Apple tries to make things easy," he says.
New attack vectors
Another potentially worrying issue with the Mac is the growing number of people using Apple's Boot Camp or virtualisation software -- such as SWsoft Parallels and VMware Fusion -- to run Windows on their new Macs. Users need to be aware that even though a virtual Windows machine is running on a Mac, it's still vulnerable to the same problems as on a standalone machine -- and, therefore, needs the same kind of virus protection.
At a minimum, free antivirus software like Grisoft's AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition or ALWIL Software's free avast! antivirus should be installed on any Mac-based Windows installation to provide essential protection.
This isn't only for protecting the Windows system: while the design of virtualisation software inherently separates the Windows system from the host Mac computer, it's also a dead certainty that someone, somewhere, is trying to figure out how to use virtual Windows images as a back-door to attack a host Mac machine.
Another potentially game-changing issue when it comes to Mac security is the iPhone. Apple has so far closely managed developers' interaction with the new device, but an inevitable raised profile for developers means the company needs to ensure its security model is consistent with that in OS X. "The iPhone is the beginning of a completely new mobile platform," says Romo. "I hope Apple will open it up to third party developers, but I also see why they're not doing it at this early stage."
"Apple takes security very seriously," he continues. "For the most part, 99 percent of the time, Mac users should feel pretty good about their purchase, and feel great about walking into the world of Mac OS X, and trust Apple and companies like Symantec to be at the forefront of security and looking out to make sure people are protected."
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What a fluff peice this is. The Verizon guys sums it all up when he says there's no Mac viruses replicating in the wild (same goes for linux too). This whole argument is absurd. If two guys go to the same work, take the same bus and contact the same people everyday and one of those guys is constantly sick with colds, flu's, viruses, while the other guy never has a day off sick in his life, who is healthier? The proof of the pudding is in the eating. Run Windows and you WILL eventually be hit by one of the many thousands of viruses out there. Run Mac or Linux and you won't, it's just that simple. And the reason there are so many thousands (yes, think about it THOUSANDS) of times more viruses for Windows than Mac or Linux isn't some stupid market share argument, it's because it's TRIVIAL to break Windows machines but a LOT, LOT harder to break Mac or Linux.