Thursday, March 25, 2010

Macs are no more secure than PCs

In the news today is yet ANOTHER example that Macs are no more secure than PCs. It is just as easy for a Mac to be hacked as a PC. I admit, there is less risk of falling prey to a cyber attack on a Mac but Macs are not less vulnerable. There is nothing magical (or even scientific) about Macs or Safari that make them impervious to exploitation.

The difference between the two is market share. Apple has roughly an 8% market share in the US. That means 92% of computers ARE NOT Macs. In other words, the world runs on PC's. So, if you are a nefarious person wishing to profit either financially or through some sick pleasure by writing viruses and exploiting computers, who will you go after? PC's of course! You'll go after the biggest group to impact the most number of people possible.

So Mac people, you really ought to get off your high horse because one day, you're probably going to be sorry that you weren't more conscious about security than just playing the odds.