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Mac OS among least prone to hacker attacks

updated 12:30 pm EST, Fri November 1, 2002


The Mac OS was among the . Data from the report is taken from mi2g's SIPS (Security Intelligence Products & Systems) database, which stores information on more than 6,000 hacker groups from as far back as 1995.

1,162 software vulnerabilities were recorded during the first 10 months of 2002, and fewer than 25 were attributed to the MacOS. Two different versions of Unix shared top rankings with the MacOS, with fewer than 25 vulnerabilities: Compaq's Tru64 and The SCO Group's SCO Unix.


Microsoft Windows accounted for the majority of vulnerabilities, with more than 500. Linux came next, with more then 200.


by MacNN Staff

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  1. MacNN.com Reader

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    Joined: Jul 2001

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    11/01, 12:40pm | report spam | Reply |

    We always knew...

    We always knew that it was true, but it's great to finally have some facts to prove it to the Windows folk.

    I'm suprised that Linux is up there too, although I can see all the 'g33ks' that use Linux finding the exploits and taking advantage of them.

  1. MacNN.com Reader

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    11/01, 12:42pm | report spam | Reply |

    well, no kiddin'

    what virus hack is gonna waste their time with a +-4% marketshare?

  1. MacNN.com Reader

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    11/01, 12:47pm | report spam | Reply |

    re: well, no kiddin'

    Well, tehre was 200 for Linux and it represents less than Apple does. So that blows your theory huh braniac?

  1. MacNN.com Reader

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    11/01, 12:55pm | report spam | Reply |

    marketshare

    the more popular an operating system, the more exploits of the o/s are found due to more hackers searching for them. Its not suprising that the least popular operating systems have the least amount of KNOWN vulnerabilities, No operating system is immune to them, as long as humans have written software, there will always be mistakes made, but they can be rewritten and fixed. Especially so with Linux.

  1. MacNN.com Reader

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    11/01, 01:05pm | report spam | Reply |

    Re: Marketshare

    It is right that there are more people searching vulnerabilities in more popular system, but the number of FOUND vulnerabilities is also proportional to its intrinsic number.

  1. Charles A

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    11/01, 01:11pm | report spam | Reply |

    Pointless

    mi2g talk rubbish, all the time; they warn of huge cyber-attacks constantly, one supposes in the expectation that one day they'll be right, by chance if nothing else.
    MacOS does have flaws; perhaps not as many as Windows. But with fewer people searching for them, you aren't going to find them as fast. "Many eyes make bugs shallow" (which isn't actually true; otherwise howcome the BIND flaw took so long to be spotted?) but in the same spirit, "many hackers make vulnerabilities shine". I wouldn't trust mi2g saying this at all. Surprised they didn't say that BeOS and Palm weren't super-safe too.

  1. MacNN.com Reader

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    11/01, 01:59pm | report spam | Reply |

    "MacOS"?

    What does "Apple's Mac OS" mean? Are we talking OS9 or OSX? Not a very interesting article without that piece of information. Can we get some version numbers please?

  1. MacNN.com Reader

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    11/01, 02:03pm | report spam | Reply |

    I've got it!

    Oh, my. Did anyone notice that IBM PC DOS didn't even get mentioned. It must be bullet proof. Holy cr^p. We've got to dump our macs and buy PC/XTs!

  1. MacNN.com Reader

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    11/01, 02:06pm | report spam | Reply |

    Linux but not Mac OS?

    It appears that an OS' market penetration is not the principal reason for its virus vulnerability. Otherwise, why is Linux such a target with even less market penetration than the Mac OS?

    Devoted Windows users tell me they consider Window's poor security record its achilles heal.

  1. MacNN.com Reader

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    11/02, 07:21am | report spam | Reply |

    More idiots!

    Obviously the reason that more people hack Linux is because it is used widely in the server market. If you hack one Linux machine you can disable whole networks. If you hack a Mac you generally take down one computer belonging to a home user.

    The more people hacking any product the more vunerabilities you will find. Just because Macs are unpopular it doesn't make them less vunerable!

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