More Secure: Mac OS X or Windows 7

[shovenose]

please vote. thanks!

 

[jimmysmitty]

Not sure why you put Ultimate when all Windows 7 have the same security.

I said Windows 7 based on the fact that a pro hacker stated that Windows Vista and 7 are harder to hack than Mac OSX.

 

[shovenose]

because thats what i use (ultimate) i dont have os x 10.6 i have 10.3 and 10.4

 

[Ijack]

This really is a meaningless question. Any OS is only as secure as the person who secures it.

So what do you mean - out of the box, or when someone knowledgeable has secured them? And it changes all the time as security updates are released (assuming the user applies them).

What you are really asking is the age old non-question "Which is better OS X or Windows?". I don't play that sort of game.

 

[welshmousepk]

how do you even define 'secure'?

seems like a pointless flamebait to me.

 

[nsquid]

harder to hack or less likely to be infected in the wild?

both were easily hacked at pwn2own this year via their own internet browsers, but there's a big difference in their chances of being infected by viruses/spyware.

 

[randomizer]

Are we talking about the OS itself or the OS with applications sitting in userland that open up tens of thousands of additional vulnerabilities?

 

[Scotteq]

Taken in isolation, and based on the capabilities inherent to the operating system: Windows

(Big One) Taking into account that the great majority of malware is written for Windows due to it's dominant position in the market? OSX

Taking into account that (anecdotally) OSX users seem to feel they're invulnerable and dont' have to worry about the safety and security of their systems? Windows



In short: Neither, really.

There isn't an OS in existance that can't be hacked.

 

[nsquid]

macs can get hacked, i'm not going to argue that. you need to secure your mac and your network, just like your windows machines. but i don't agree that the only reason there's very few viruses for mac is because more people use windows, or that mac users are lulled into a false sense of security. most mac users don't know why they don't need antivirus software.

Unlike Windows, Mac OS X applications don't share a common registry. Mac OS X applications use individual preference files, thus the types of global configuration changes which enable so much of Windows malware is simply not as feasible on a Mac. Further, on Mac OS X, the Web browser is not integrated into the operating system - it's a completely separate/independent application. This isolates the browser - a common infection point for Windows users - and helps insulate the Mac OS from external attack. Root access is needed in order for malware to interact with other programs (i.e. steal passwords, intercept transmissions, etc.) By default, root access on a Mac is not enabled.