Tuesday, March 4,2008 @ 1:15pm
Kaspersky, others prepared for potential Mac epidemic
Several internet security companies have preliminary Mac OS X anti-virus applications, awaiting a potential large-scale attack before deploying the countermeasures. According to Yahoo News, Kaspersky Lab keeps a prototype of a Mac-based anti-viral program that could be distributed in a matter of days, should an outbreak occur. Kaspersky has even tested a version designed specifically for the iPhone.
Kaspersky is joined by F-Secure, AVG, and Dr. Web, all of which have either interest in the Mac platform or have a working bare-bones version of their software. The companies heavily debate having an official presence on the Mac, since it currently stands strong against many forms of attack. Since the risk of infection is lower, many view it as an unprofitable venture.
"We see that Mac OS is taking a bigger and bigger share of the market," Kaspersky said. "We made the prototype to be ready just in case."
Symantec, McAfee, Intego, and Sophos are currently the only four companies with a fully functional anti-virus program.