Mac vs. Vista Part 3
November 29, 2008 by Milo Riano
Filed under Computers
In the third part of Sandra Gittlen series, Vista is secure. Period. MAC being secure is a misconception and the tiny spec of users of the overpriced computers from Apple just makes them less of a target of hackers; but not secure.
In an excerpt:
With security threats skyrocketing in recent years, it’s no surprise that organizations are looking for the safest desktop platform they can find. What is surprising to some in the business world, though, is the discovery that Apple Macs aren’t necessarily more secure than PCs running Windows Vista.
“There is a misconception that Macs are safer than Windows Vista environments,” says Bill Bernius, chief architect at systems management company Eden Technologies Inc. in New York. In truth, though, it only appears that way because cybercriminals are writing more malware for Windows-based devices than for Macs. The Microsoft operating system’s enormous market share makes it a much more tempting target.
In fact, Michael Cherry, senior analyst at Directions on Microsoft, a research firm in Kirkland, Wash., worries that some Mac users have lulled themselves into a false sense of security regarding enterprise threats. “The attitude of the Mac user is that they’re not going to get attacked,” he says.
Mac vs. Vista: Which is better for business? Part 3: Security
I remember when the virus outbreaks started happening on most computer platforms that existed in 1989. No platform was immune from any of the threats, even if they were floppy-disk based. Not even the likes of the Apple II platform.
Infact, I remember reading an article in that platform’s magazine whch described what would happen when one of those machines was overtaken by a boot-sector virus, including the unpredictable behaviour that would result.
It now seems to me that people who work with the Apple Macintosh platform think that their platform is “virus-free”. I always think that NO computing platform is free from any of the malware that is floating around and would still suggest making sure that there are proper steps to guard against this.