All computers have security issues!
Prologue: I am a 50/50 Mac/Windows user but my heart is with PC’s first. I have used Windows for 20+ years and thus it holds a special place in my heart and daily routine. That being said I do like OS X and therefore I also use it on a daily basis. My Linux or Ubuntu 9.04 usage is limited to when I have free time…not day to day.
Apple has recently released an update to Leopard (10.5.7) and a hole sleuth of security updates for older operating systems. You can see all of the changes to the Apple security line up here.
I am not surprised at all to see that these vulnerabilities exist…since operating systems cant always be so secure as to not have any security holes.
The whole TECH community comes down on Microsoft for having holes in their operating system and having to patch them on ‘Patch Tuesday’…and my question to that is WHY? When you consider that computers in the world (80+ percent of them) run Windows (all versions) it is not at all unreal to find regular security holes that must be patched. Microsoft operating systems have a HUGE following and thus they have a HUGE barrage of bug reports and security vulnerability reports on a daily basis….they take action and they fix them every month. Why not….? That is exactly what they should be doing.
Now then, why did I write this post? The answer is simple, my point is that NO Operating System is free of flaw and thus it must be updated on a regular basis to keep up with vulnerabilities. Apples may be secure from virus activity and have only a few known trojans…but they do have security flaws which can be taken advantage of. Windows computers on the other hand are more vulnerable because of the 80%+ usage scenario. Therefore, there is no use trying to put one against the other…no one system is better then the other…it comes down to choice.
Linux may be the solution…but how many of us can use it in our day to day lives…you need to have “Über-Geek” knowledge sometimes to run and maintain a Linux system. I use Linux, occasionally, but it is something I experiment with, not something that I can use for my work….and this is probably in my head.
Pick a system you like. Make certain you have it updated and protected. You are good to go! Dont get caught up in the useless heresay on the Internets about one being better then the other. Get what you like….go to stores, play with both, and in the end buy what your wallet allows.
