Apple Thoughts: The Obligatory 'Mac Security' Post

"Security firm Intego said that just 20,000 machines had been infected as of January 21 but that the risk of ongoing infection was "serious, and users may face extremely serious consequences" if they are stricken with the malware. Mac users are suggested to use common sense -- that is, don't try to download and installed pirated software -- and to update any antivirus definitions immediately. If you're a Mac user and aren't using security software, well, this might be a good time to start."

I have so had it with these "Macs are vulnerable" stories. Let's be blunt about something: if every Windows worm, virus, and exploit got the press that every isolated Mac issue got, we'd be hearing nothing but Windows infection stories. Instead, the tech press jumps all over these stories as proof, somehow, that Windows and OS X are somehow equal. They're not. They never were. They never will be. For all the talk about how Apple gets a pass on its security for OS X, every single exploit is considered front page news worthy of days of multiple stories. The impression given is that "we both have viruses, so we're equally insecure." That's simply ridiculous.

Particularly riling was this dopey comment from a dope reader of Christopher's column:

"I'm almost happy. Maybe it'll take attention off of Windows...."

Really? Will it? Let's analyze this trojan. You have to seek out a pirated copy of Apple Software, download it, then run what you've downloaded from a questionable source. At the same time you have to be logged in as an administrator (a no-no to begin with) for the install to happen. In other words, along every step of the way you have to interact with the process using, at best, bad computing practices, to get this "infection" on your Mac.

Compare that to a certain other operating system and then let's also open up a dictionary and look at the word equal.

I guess I shouldn't be this annoyed. The fact that every single tiny exploit in OSX (whether it's in the OS, in an application, or requires a user to throw caution to the wind and do something stupid) gets all over the tech news outlets while flaws in Windows are generally just perceived as de rigeur to using a Windows computer is proof that there really just isn't some massive security problem for the Mac, nor is this looming threat that we've been hearing about with every single iteration of OS X as pressing as it was made out to be. For the last 8 years, we've heard that one day it would all be over as far as Apple's security. At the current rate of infection, we'll have a full-blown security problem on our hands by 2043.