Bad news for Mac users: the first construction kit for Mac OS X Trojans has appeared. That comes just as Microsoft released a report showing that Windows 7 is far safer than previous versions of Windows. So while it’s true that the Mac is still safer than a PC, the security difference between them has begun to shrink (ComputerWorld)
We’ve always maintained there is no magic pill for computer security. It takes work and monitoring, and maybe the Mac world is about to join the malware party. The fact is that the Mac has always had security bugs and flaws. In fact, Apple has often been criticized for taking their time to patch known critical flaws.
The ComputerWorld article points out that it is market share, and not good secure programing, that has kept hackers away from the Mac this long. At the end of the day, most hackers are interested in making a living (just like the rest of us). If a hacker has the choice of creating malware that targets 90 % of computer users as opposed to 10%, they will choose the 90% to increase their chances of success. If you think about it, it’s just like target marketing.
As the Mac’s market share increases, it become more appealing for hackers to create malware to target Mac users. One other interesting point is that the Mac’s market share in affluent households has recently increased by 85%. Perhaps this statistic is attracting hackers who desire to commit financial fraud and steal account information.
