Mac OS X a Growing Threat?

More threats to Mac OS X are discovered every day, it seems like. More and more experts go on record to tell us that Mac OS X is not as secure as we thought. They say things like:

'The Apple software "still remains safer than Windows, but its reputation for offering a bullet-proof alternative to Windows is in tatters," the report said.'

Now I completely agree and understand that OS X is not invulnerable. It's based on Unix, and unix has a history of being hacked; there is no reason to believe that OS X is 'hack proof'. But the FUD is unbelievable sometimes. Some have even claimed, recently, that OS X is more vulnerable than Windows because users aren't running brand X antivirus software.

Let's be honest here, folks. Who has the most to gain from the perception that Mac users need additional security software? I don't think I even need to answer that. And most of the claims based on scanning and detection software are from people associated with the companies you thought of when I asked that question. This is the old-school journalistic version of "Follow the Money". Money doesn't lie.

Should you follow basic precautionary computing? Of course. Don't give your administrative password to any dialog that asks for it unless you know what generated it and you trust the source. Don't install software contained in email messages from people you don't know - or even your friends unless you have spoken to them about it, as in, "I'm sending you a copy of X". Turn off the option in Safari to "run safe content" - there is no such thing. Make sure the things you download are what you think they are. Repair permissions regularly.

If you maintain a solid security policy based on this idea, you can only get a 'virus' through 1) a program flaw, 2) a trojan. Nothing in the world will ever stop trojans. If someone compromises the system on which trusted software is stored, you are going to get screwed. Period. If someone were to compromise, say, the Quicken (Intuit) software distribution system, they could basically ass-rape everyone in the known universe - and if they were smart enough, they might get away with it for a long damned time. That has nothing to do with the platform you use. And nobody will ever stop all of the users from executing that anonymously emailed binary file named "free_porn_access", but at least the smart ones should be able to avoid such stupidity. Maintain regular backups of important data, turn on your firewall, don't execute code that comes from sources you don't trust, and you should be fairly safe - at least, as safe as anyone can be who's connected to a network. And most of the time, you'll be able to smile at your windows friends and say, "No, I don't know what that's like."