McAfee pumping FUD to boost sales
By now we’ve all seen either this story in The Seattle Times or one just like it somewhere else reporting on how McAfee is taking its claims that “the number of discoveries of vulnerabilities on the Macintosh platform has increased by about 200 percent in the past three years” and hopelessly linking it to the recent Apple TV ad “Get a Mac: Viruses” as if one had much of anything to do with the other.
Please people, especially the PC using public that is more likely to want to fall for this FUD, please, this is not that hard to figure out–read the following transcription from the Apple ad:
PC: No, no. Do not be a hero. Last year there were 114,000 known viruses for PCs
Mac: …for PCs, but not Macs
There you have it–that is the claim made by that particular commercial. It does not say that Macs are impervious to malicious attack. It does not say that they have no vulnerabilities. It merely states that of the 114,000 viruses that infected PCs last year, none of those infected Macs.
McAfee’s claims of there now being 143 known vulnerabilities on the Mac platform are not being contested or contradicted. But the differences between a “vulnerability” and a “virus” are as different as “rabbit season” and “duck season”… this is a classic FUD maneuver of taking one fact and comparing it to one to which it does not directly relate.
McAfee has an axe to grind and a product to sell. The new Apple ads may cause current Mac users to become overconfident and not feel the need for any anti-virus software and that, of course, troubles McAfee: fear and undermining the confidence of Mac users if the only way to sell their product since there truly are so few real threats to scare any of us into buying their software.
As always, your comments are welcome in our Forums.
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Current Mozilla Foundation Projects
Do you find yourself wondering what the Mozilla Foundation is up to? Wondering how their current projects are? Well, in that case, it’s time for an opinionated review, which has once again been updated to reflect the current versions. This updated review briefly covers Firefox v1.5, Camino v1.0, and Thunderbird v1.5. Enjoy the Spotlight on the Current Mozilla Foundation Projects!
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Eminem iPod video ad only the most recent example of Apple copying Lugz
I started a forum thread and poll about the Lugz vs. Apple controversy and in the discussion, it occurred to me that the iTunes + iPod TV Ad featuring Eminem ad may not be the first time Apple lifted ideas from the Lugz “Arrow” ad from 2002… it may just be the most recent and most obvious.
As I’m sure you are all aware, Lugz footwear has sent a cease-and-desist letter to both Apple Computer and its ad agency, TBWA/Chiat/Day, over the obvious similarities between their ad and the Eminem spot that launched about a month ago at the announcement of Apple’s iPod with video.
Follow on to the Forums to learn more, discuss and vote in the online poll…
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Symantec spreads fear of viral attack on Mac
This morning’s articles by Silicon.com in regards to comments by security vendor Symantec its seventh bi-annual Internet Security Threat Report have set the web abuzz with talk of Mac vulnerability. Let’s unspin Symantec’s comments one by one, shall we?
Contrary to popular belief, the Macintosh operating system has not always been a safe haven from malicious code.
Translation: New Mac converts may be inclined to think that the immunity the Mac platform enjoys at the moment has always been the case–it hasn’t. There was a virus in the late 1990′s that really caused some damage for a week or so.
Out of the public eye for some time, it is now clear that the Mac OS is increasingly becoming a target for the malicious activity that is more commonly associated with Microsoft and various Unix-based operating systems
Translation: The Mac platform has been unattractive to hackers in the past since it didn’t offer enough mass devastation opportunities due to its smaller market share. Now that the platform is becoming a bit more popular, hackers may decide to give it a look. That doesn’t mean they’ll be able to compromise it, but they will be looking for vulnerabilities when before they we not as interested.
Apple Computer has become a target for new attacks… The appearance of a rootkit109 called Opener in October 2004 serves to illustrate the growth in vulnerability research on the OS X platform… The various OS X vulnerabilities allow attackers to carry out information disclosure, authentication bypass, code execution, privilege escalation and DoS attacks. Symantec believes that as the popularity of Apple’s new platform continues to grow, so too will the number of attacks directed at it
Translation: Yes, a few people have developed malware for Mac in the recent past. So far much of what has been written has taken more advantage of the naivety of users than actual flaws in the operating system. Opener and rootkit109 could expose a Mac to some serious hurt, but the victim would pretty much have to invite it in to be affected by it. Meanwhile, Apple has traditionally responded quickly with security updates to fix not just demonstrated possible vulnerabilities, but security issues that are unlikely to actually affect even a small percentage of actual users.
Should we panic? No. Should we become complacent that our Macs will remain virus and malware free forever? Of course not. Should we believe a company who makes its living from selling anti-virus software when they say that there is an ever increasing need for their product? Not without verification.
We invite your comments on the subject.
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Spotlight Update– Current Mozilla Foundation Projects
Do you find yourself wondering what the Mozilla Foundation is up to? Wondering how their current projects are? Well, in that case, it’s time for an opinionated review, which has once again been updated to reflect the current versions. This updated review covers Mozilla v1.7.3, Camino v0.8.2, Firefox v1.0, and Thunderbird v1.0. Enjoy the Spotlight on the Current Mozilla Foundation Projects!
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Spotlight– Current Mozilla Foundation Projects [Updated]
Do you find yourself wondering what the Mozilla Foundation is up to? Wondering how their current projects are? Well, in that case, it’s time for an opinionated review, which has once again been updated to reflect the current versions.
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Spotlight– Current Mozilla Foundation Projects [Updated]
Do you find yourself wondering what the Mozilla Foundation is up to? Wondering how their current projects are? Well, in that case, it’s time for an opinionated (and updated) review.
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Is QuarkXPress 6 to be the last upgrade?
Peter Dudar has written a thought provoking article in the September edition of Graphic Exchange Magazine that follows all that is good, bad and horrifying about Quark’s latest edition of QuarkXPress. The piece staggers across the line between review and editorial as the writer’s distain becomes all too evident. The full article is available as a PDF from the Graphic Exchange web site or as Google’s HTML parsed version.
The issues brought forward are up for debate in the comments section below. Is this Quark’s Last Upgrade?
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Apple releases bigger better iMac and iPods, not PowerBooks
In what I can only interpret as a diversionary tactic, Apple has not upgraded the G4 PowerBook line but has made maintenance upgrades to the iMac and iPod lines as a form of misdirection. No revolutionary additions have been made. They’re just keeping up with the Joneses.
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Spotlight– Current Mozilla Foundation Projects
Do you find yourself wondering what the Mozilla Foundation is up to? Wondering how their current projects are? Well, in that case, it’s time for an opinionated review.
Note:
