Leaves Macs comparatively vulnerable

Apple has yet to update the signatures for the Snow Leopard malware blocker, a report observes. Malware protection was added to Mac OS X with Snow Leopard in order to counter growing security threats, namely the iServices and RSPlug trojans which hit before the operating system's release. While the many variants of those trojans can be identified, Apple has not taken steps to protect against DNS changer trojans, some of which actively target Mac users and direct them to phishing websites.

The blocker is also limited to scanning files downloaded with a handful of programs, like Safari, Mail, Firefox and Entourage. Owners of Windows Vista and 7 are better protected by comparison, thanks to broader security barriers, and automatic signature updates delivered as frequently as once a week. PCs do however remain a larger target for hackers than Macs, as a result of greater popularity and legacy systems with few safeguards.

Other problems are also outstanding with Apple products. The Magic Mouse for instance is thought to be causing keyboard battery drain, possibly as a result of Bluetooth activity. The company has also yet to update Boot Camp with Windows 7 support, despite promises and months to work on the project.

by MacNN Staff