As a computer consultant, I see virus and spyware infected computers on a regular basis. None of them are Macs. The 3/13 article entitled “UA attack highlights vulnerability of Macs” gives a distorted, empirical example that does not correctly reflect computing reality.
As with all computers, Apple’s MacOS X operating system is vulnerable to outside attacks, but unlike other many other vendors, Apple ships it’s systems in a “closed by default” configuration, which prevents network attacks. The vast majority of Mac systems that are compromised have been modified by their users to deviate from the default secure configuration, have an easy to guess password, or are modified by a malicious insider.
As opposed to Microsoft’s Windows platform which has an insecure, administrative login by default, MacOS X requires a the user to enter a password any time administrative rights are required. Most of the so-called Mac viruses in existence require that the user manually download the virus and enter their administrative password to install it! Compare this to the recent Windows Metafile bug, where simply viewing a picture on the internet could cause any number of viruses or spyware programs to automatically be installed on the computer without any user intervention.
Apple’s line of Mac computers will continue to be the best combination of ease of use and security for most computer users. I encourage everyone who wants to stop fighting with malicious software and start enjoying their computer to seriously consider switching to a Mac.
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