Mac Security 101

http://www.applemacpunk.com applemacpunk at cox dot net Copyright ©2006 Kale Feelhaver

2007 in Mac Security, 10 Predictions

By Kale Feelhaver aka Applemacpunk – January 2007

As the New Year is upon us, I’d like to take this chance to make a few predictions for Mac Security in 2007. With the eminent release of Leopard, and the Mac’s growing popularity, 2007 is sure to be a big year for Apple and Mac OS X. More importantly, I think the coming year will be a huge year for Mac security products and services. The Mac will never be as big of a target as Windows, but with each passing year, it becomes more and more of a target for exploitation.

According to a recent Gartner article, Apple is the #4 computer manufacturer in the industry. They are behind hardware giants Dell, HP, and Gateway. Apple has surpassed Toshiba at #5, and is trailing Gateway by a very small margin. It is reasonable to think that Apple may soon pass Gateway and slide into the #3 spot. This is great news for Apple stockholders, but growing popularity also means a growing need for security. Apple’s growing popularity is due to several things; among them are the iPod’s “halo effect”, Apple’s slick marketing campaigns (I’m a Mac commercials), and the general public’s overall frustration with Microsoft Windows. Nobody can argue that there are more Mac users now than ever before. Due to this fact, 2007 will be a year of more cross-platform (and Mac specific) malicious software than ever before.

Here are my predictions for Mac Security in 2007:

1. The first “real” Mac OS X virus will be released into the wild (many users will have a bad day due to this one)
2. All the major PC anti-virus software vendors will release Mac versions of their software (if they haven’t already)
3. The number of cross-platform worms will increase dramatically (this means worms that will affect Mac OS X and Windows equally)
4. The first exploit that will specifically target Mac OS X through Windows (Boot Camp, Parallels, etc.) will be released into the wild
5. Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard will include more robust firewall/security settings, showing an increasing awareness of Security by Apple
6. Apple will add a Security division headed by a CSO. This will also result in a Security page/site on Apple.com
7. More and more security firms will begin using Mac OS X on desktop/laptop systems
8. The first Darwin-based network appliance will debut in the IT industry
9. Apple will partner with a software vendor to produce a proprietary technology powered by Mac OS X (i.e., Apple/Blackberry Server)
10. Every major Linux-based security tool will be ported to run natively on Mac OS X

So what does this mean to the average Mac user? It means make sure you’re running anti-virus software and a personal firewall (see Mac Security 101, November issue). More importantly, the old adage of “Macs don’t get viruses” needs to be put aside in favor of a new one… Mac OS X is more secure than ever, but the Internet isn’t.