Reading The Tea Leaves To Figure Out Security Risks For Mac And Linux

Rumors, Conspiracies, etc.

from the just-wondering... dept

For years, every time we run a story about some virus or spyware related story, someone has to pop up in the comments acting as if they’re brilliant saying “just get a Mac” or “just get Linux” as if that solves everyone’s problems. The reality, of course, is that many people are unable to do so. However, with stories of Mac and Linux worms on the loose, there’s suddenly a discussion about how unprepared those platforms might be. This may not be true. Both of the worms weren’t particularly dangerous (if at all), and mostly got hype because such things are so rare. Which brings up one of the biggest myths we keep hearing about Mac and Linux security: that there are no security attacks because the market is so small. Considering just how high profile it is when any weak attack shows up, you’d think that the prestige factor alone would have more than compensated for the smaller market size ages ago. So, while the “just use a blank” crowd may get annoying — they may have a point. As if to underscore this, it’s worth noting that we don’t hear the various security firms hyping up just how important it is for you to get their latest Mac/Linux offerings. There are security/antivirus type offerings for both, but instead, the stories those firms are pushing are all about mobile security — where viruses remain just about as risky as those found on Mac and Linux boxes. And, we already know how willing the various security firms are to hype up products over fears that may not really be there. So, if even the itchy trigger finger security firms don’t seem to be talking up the threat of security threats on the Mac and Linux platforms… perhaps even they realize the likely risk just isn’t that big. Either that, or maybe we spoke too soon, and the security firms will seize on this opportunity to promote new products. Update: And… just like that we get stories of a new zero-day exploit hitting OS X.