Symantec: Mac users deluding themselves over security

MacCentral ^ | 09/19/2005 | Matthew Broersma

[Panerai]

I would take this a lot more seriously if it did not come from Symantec, trying to get me to buy more of their products.

[DainBramage]

Uhmmmm Mac Central?

[roostercogburn]

Security is just a small reason why I use Macs. But I tell you what, in 8 years of using them I have never had mine down due to any virus.

[JoJo Gunn]

FUD ping!

[Izzy Dunne]

the open-source browser is currently a greater security risk than Internet Explorer.

I would take this a lot more seriously if it did not include such preposterousities.

The fact (if it is one) that over the past six months, nearly twice as many vulnerabilities surfaced in Mozilla browsers as in Explorer doesn't imply "more security risk" at all.

Why does IE have vulnerabilities unpatched for months, and FF has them unpatched for hours?

[viper592]

I can't take this seriously at all. Just because the Firefox developers admit it when a bug is found and have it fixed within days, and Microsoft doesn't admit a bug exist untill there are exploits already taking over your pc before fixing doesnt mean firefox has more bugs.. It just means Firefox bugs are reported and fixed, while Internet Explorer Bugs are kept secret and only fixed when MS deems in necessary.

[Rodney King]

Researchers also found that over the past six months, nearly twice as many vulnerabilities surfaced in Mozilla browsers as in Explorer.

Of course, that doesn't mean that IE is any safer.

[Izzy Dunne]

Beware the crime statistics quoted by a lock salesman.

[stockpirate]

They are telling us that MAC users are delusional, okay I can understand that point of view....lol

[RoadTest]

Sounds like it came from Microsoft.

[Hank Rearden]

Security is just a small reason why I use Macs. But I tell you what, in 8 years of using them I have never had mine down due to any virus.

In 22 years of using CP/M, MS-DOS and various flavors of Windows, I've never had a virus survive long enough to execute on any of my systems, much less take one down or even harm one. It's not all that hard to secure one's system.

Never used Macs; they don't run the software that I need to run and they're overpriced for what you get.

[RoadTest]

Sounds like it came from Microsoft.

[Panerai]

Symantec telling Mac users they are delusional over security ping

[BigSkyFreeper]

Security is just a small reason why I use Macs. But I tell you what, in 8 years of using them I have never had mine down due to any virus.

Security is just a small reason why I use a PC. But I tell you what, in 12 years of using them I have never had mine down due to any virus.

[Abathar]

I am not a big fan of Microsoft either, but lets face it, when they had 80+% of the market they had 95% of the hackers looking to exploit them. Now that people have a decent choice and more and more of us switch then these other companies are finding out what its like to have thousands of people hacking their code instead of a dozen. People start seriously hacking hard enough and they will find close to as many vulnerabilities in Mac and FF, just watch the number of patches keep rising.

[Izzy Dunne]

Security is just a small reason why I use Macs. But I tell you what, in 8 years of using them I have never had mine down due to any virus.

Security is just a small reason why I use a PC. But I tell you what, in 12 years of using them I have never had mine down due to any virus.

You're both probably telling the truth. But I'll bet I know who worked harder.

[BigSkyFreeper]

In 22 years of using CP/M, MS-DOS and various flavors of Windows, I've never had a virus survive long enough to execute on any of my systems, much less take one down or even harm one. It's not all that hard to secure one's system.

I've never even had the blue screen of death, but then again, I'm not loading a bunch of unneccesary gunk onto the system that brings it to a screeching halt.

[6SJ7]

Never used Macs...

I did not know that.

[Izzy Dunne]

People start seriously hacking hard enough and they will find close to as many vulnerabilities in Mac

What do you base this bit of wisdom on, pray tell?

Sounds like the old "nobody wants to hack it because there's only 20 million (or whatever) machines out there" argument.

Which makes me wonder why there are viruses for freakin' CELL PHONES with 100k units out there?

[BigSkyFreeper]

You're both probably telling the truth. But I'll bet I know who worked harder.

If you said me, you're right. I make $50 an hour, and not one repeat customer.