PC vs. Mac in Security: Experts Share Opinions

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dwave

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Maybe it boils down to the fact that there are more Window$ systems out there than Apple so the hacker and virus makers are going to target who?

Window$!

Yes, the one guy is right, sometimes it depends on who is sitting between the monitor and the chair.
 

bustapr

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Mac will always be safer because they dont have a big market for hackers to fk up. HAckers however abuse furiously of windows. I bought my laptop 1 month ago and it has already picked up 2 worms and 135 spywares, ending in a win7 reinstallation.:(
 

amabhy

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Just as there is no such thing as perfection, there is no such thing as perfect security.

There is always some way to hack something.

The only reason Windows is considered "less" secure is because more people use it. Thus, "less" secure has nothing to do with the operating system itself.
 

burnley14

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I really wish some hackers would go after Macs just so we could get rid of the stupid "I'm impervious to viruses and malware" slogans. I have nothing against Apple, I just hate false advertising.
 

matt87_50

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yeah, what we have been saying for years, fact of the matter remains tho, despite the principle of the thing, you are safer on a Mac.

in the same way that you are safer in a safe city even with all your doors and windows unlocked than you are in a problem city with all the security in the world...

HOWEVER, it's a bit rich to use this as a SELLING TOOL, the irony being the more you sell with the "Macs are more safe" line, the less true that line becomes...
 

AMW1011

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Mac market share is ever increasing, and at a faster rate than Windows. Mac will never hold much of the market, but as the market share, interest, and publicity of Macs increase so will the malware written for it. The difference? OS X isn't prepared as well as Windows for it.

It wont be long until something serious happens to OS X and people realize that the false advertising is in fact false. That said, it wont be long after that Apple will catch up to that and so nothing will likely change except for the people's opinion on the matter.
 
[citation][nom]AMW1011[/nom]Mac market share is ever increasing, and at a faster rate than Windows. [/citation]
I found this kind of humorous. How is Windows going to pick up more market share when they have over 90% of the market share now. Apple is at about 5%. It's going to be difficult for both to have increasing market share.
 

sceen311

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Analogy:
Owning a Pc is like living in a big city, more crime but more police
Owning a Mac is like living in a little city, you can leave your doors unlock but that just makes you more vulnerable should something happen.
 

twu

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[citation][nom]bustapr[/nom]Mac will always be safer because they dont have a big market for hackers to fk up. HAckers however abuse furiously of windows. I bought my laptop 1 month ago and it has already picked up 2 worms and 135 spywares, ending in a win7 reinstallation.[/citation]

Please post your cookie file, we would like to know which p**n site you visited to get these 135 spywares. :)
 

AsAnAtheist

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Also has to do with the fact that in black market exploits, I forgot the name of the well known exploit selling website. Basically you post your exploit, and people offer you $ or buy the exploit.
Typically Window's OS exploits can easily net you $15,000-$30,000 or more depending on what the exploit does precisely. For example a up to date unpatched Java exploit, or Flash could easily net you a very healthy sum of cash on your pocket a majority of websites use one or the other.

OSX exploits I believe were going from a few hundred to couple thousand if you got anyone to bite.
 
[citation][nom]burnley14[/nom]I really wish some hackers would go after Macs just so we could get rid of the stupid "I'm impervious to viruses and malware" slogans. I have nothing against Apple, I just hate false advertising.[/citation]
+1. IIRC Apple was the first to fall in the PWN2OWN contest a few years ago.
 
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Market share isn't Apples's objective. Their objective is furthering the usefulness of technology in everyday people's lives. I've been a system admin for more than 15 years. Comparing Macs to PCs is simply media bantha foodo. It get's us talking. The reality is Apple's business model gives them predictability, after all they make the Mac OS and the Mac hardware.

The PC market is controlled by Microsoft software. Thus Windows will run on anything. In fact Windows runs better on Intel Macs, as Apple has done an excellent job with windows drivers. However, until windows rewrite Windows from the ground up (they are carrying at least 10 years of legacy code), thereby getting rid of the Active desktop, the registry and .dll files, Windows will continue to have the same problems.

So it is unwise compare McDonald's (Windows PCs) to Dave and Buster's (Mac). The business models are different.

I love computers in general and I have built my own PCs and Hackintoshes. The Mac OS runs better, faster and more stable than Windows XP and Vista. The jury is still out on Windows 7, but I have already experienced several blue screens of death. The fact that viruses are or aren't being targeted towards Apple isn't relevant. The fact is I don't get viruses on my Macs, Linux or Ubuntu machines. These are the facts, so unless these security experts are taking notarized statements form hackers whom claim they don't target Macs because of market share, it's just an opinion not backed up with facts.

Besides the problems with Flash and MS Office, macs are pretty stable.

PCs can be stable as well, if you learn the truth about them (and Microsoft).

The fact is PCs don't come out of the box stable and secured, users have to take additional steps and if they're smart spend additional money on security. Plus you still have to be careful on wireless networks and websites (which is why it is recommended to avoid IE).

I'm no expert. I believe you in using what works best for you. Whether it's a PC or a Mac. You don't need an expert to make your decision. Use the internet and research for yourself. If you an Apple store close to you, pay the a visit. If you have a Microcenter close to you it is a great place to visit for PC stuff.
 
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An operating system is only as secure as the person at the keyboard. Mac and Linux are so "impervious" to hacking and exploitation because the people using them typically know what the hell they're doing. Your average grandma doing her grocery shopping on her Windows PC does not. Simple as that.
 

AsAnAtheist

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ninerblitz

System admin for 15 years and you haven't realized the only hardware Apple makes might be the stickers they put on the computers? Please read up on OEM's for Apple. Even the enclosures (unibody/Mac Pro) are made by OEMs. To actually manufacture a computer down from screws all the way up to the motherboard would easily be a multi billion dollar investment, with very annoyed stock holders. Sure they design the enclosures but that's about it as far as hardware is concerned.
Windows does not run better on a Mac. First off Apple does not make their own Windows drivers. Most companies who are OEM for Apple make most of the drivers possible on both Mac/Windows because guess what? It's the same hardware -gasp- I know shocking huh? Mac's are plagued by Bootcamp instability, and sometimes issues with compatibility with certain hardware which does not run well with Bootcamps OS loader.
Last time I checked don't Mac's need updates out of the box?
Wireless networks are secure if you put a WPA2 password. Only way to get around this is to have remote access to a computer which means you were compromised by malware or spyware and or rootkits/malware combinations.
The facts are hackers will not spend as much time on a OSX exploit as much as they will on a windows simply because the market for exploits are much higher on a Windows OS vs a OSX exploit. See my post above to see what I am talking about.
 

jivdis1x

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[citation][nom]alexkitch[/nom]An operating system is only as secure as the person at the keyboard. Mac and Linux are so "impervious" to hacking and exploitation because the people using them typically know what the hell they're doing. Your average grandma doing her grocery shopping on her Windows PC does not. Simple as that.[/citation]

oxymoron statement
"people using mac knows what they are doing" :D
 

ravewulf

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Not so sure about that last guy
Consumers should see if Apple's iPad ... suit their needs
Yeah, what if I want to actually DO SOMETHING? You know, actual power in the device, more than one program at a time? I bet if you asked him how to be the most secure he would tell you to never connect to the internet or install anything.
 
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From the original article:

"This safeness [for OS X] is purely a function of market share."

Rubbish.

•••••••••••

And I agree that ultimately the weak point is always the human being operating the damn computer, ie social engineering. All the security in the OS itself makes no difference if the user actively (though unwittingly) gives permission for malware to come on board.
 
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