Do "Rotten" Apples Exist?

This PC vs Mac commercial shows PC suffering a terrible virus while Mac appear perfectly content and immune to any viruses.

Is it true that PC's get more viruses than Mac's? The answer is "Yes."

Although, the computer hope website displays four reasons why this is true which are shown below.

1. “Newer Macintosh operating systems, such as the Mac OS X, is built on the Unix kernel, which is one of the oldest and most secure operating systems available.”

2. “Microsoft Windows is used by a lot more users. Because more users use Microsoft Windows, it is a lot better of a target than Apple Macintosh computers.”

3. “Most of the virus writers are familiar with the IBM platform and Microsoft Windows, and therefore are only going to be able to create a virus for that platform.”

4. “Many of the tools and scripts used to help users create viruses or other malware are designed for Microsoft Windows.”

The list above supports that since Microsoft Windows are most commonly used more viruses occur since the system is an easier target to attack.

However, "rotten" apples have been discovered as Apple's enormous growth in the market has made it more of a target according to msnbc.

In an article titled, "Macs no longer immune to viruses, experts say," a 29 year old British chemical engineer Benjamin James was surfing the web just like any ordinary computer user would be when suddenly an abrupt force was taking over his computer also known as a virus. So Benjamin James was obviously using a PC since its never unusual right? The answer to that question is “NO” the real victim was a Mac who is seen in the spotlight as innocent and virus free.

This virus was the very first “rotten” apple found in the Mac OS X operating system. I guess this displays how you should never judge a book or a “MacBook” by its cover. Apple may look sweet and fresh from the outside but inside can embrace worms crawling throughout it. Daines states that, “It just shows people that no matter what kind of computer you use you are still open to some level of attack,” which points out that viruses can rot anywhere and as time goes on the rotting increases. According to experts, this “rotting” of Apple is more dangerous recently with its growing market share and adoption of Windows microprocessors that are making Mac another target option.

The virus that Daine’s Mac suffered from rotted his Apple by deleting various operating system file and damaging several new files and applications. The virus was also contagious to 10 people on Daine’s buddy list while instant messaging.

According to a computer security consultant, Neil Fryer, “A lot of Mac users are in denial and have blinders on that say, ‘Nothing is ever going to get to us,’ and Fryer bluntly disagrees with them.

Previously I showed you bloggers why PC’s get attacked by viruses more than Mac’s and now I will show you the warning signs Mac’s are receiving as they face the reality of being a growing target displayed below:

· The SANS Institute, a computer-security organization in Bethesda, Md., added Mac OS X to its 2005 list of the top-20 Internet vulnerabilities. It was the first time the Mac has been included since the experts started compiling the list in 2000.

· This week, SANS updated the list to warn against flaws in Safari, the Mac Web browser, which the group said criminals were able to attack before Apple could fix it.

· The number of discovered Mac vulnerabilities has soared in recent years, with 81 found last year, up from 46 in 2004 and 27 in 2003, according to the Open Source Vulnerability Database, which is maintained by a nonprofit group that tracks security vulnerabilities on many different hardware and software platforms.

· Less than a week after Daines was attacked in mid-February, a 25-year-old computer security researcher released three benign Mac-based worms to prove a serious vulnerability in Mac OS X could be exploited. Apple asked the man, Kevin Finisterre, to hold off publishing the code until it could patch the flaw.

As shown above, the warning signs are very intimidating and Apple must take serious precautions before it is too late. Before we know it bloggers, viruses might be taking over Apple one MacBook at a time causing a disgusting rot odor streaming across the world and PC’s taking over Mac’s with their infinite number of protection programs.