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Conclusion

Mac OS X has for the most part, compared to other operating systems, enjoyed a carefree history when it comes to security. There are certainly many vulnerabilities, but relatively few known exploits for them. There are also almost no examples of attacks in the wild. The few attacks that researchers have noted in the wild, although highly publicized, are mostly harmless. This however should not be taken as evidence that OS X is difficult or impossible to attack.

One area where OS X clearly scores high marks is its out of the box security. The design decision to take a conservative approach to security is certainly a good one. There is room for improvement though. Most notably, the firewall should be enabled by default and it should be harder for users to run admin user accounts for day-to-day use. The security improvements in Leopard are a good step forward, but still need to be improved on as well.

What is undeniable about OS X security is that it has yet to be exploited on a large scale. When the OSX.Leap.A was discovered in February 2006, many people proclaimed that it would be a watershed event, and that Mac users were no longer safe from viruses. It has been nearly two years since then, and there are still no large-scale virus outbreaks for OS X. In fact, in a recent security report by Sophos, senior technology consultant Graham Cluley stated, “…hackers seem happy to primarily target Windows users and not spread their wings to other platforms. It seems likely that Macs will continue to be the safer place for computer users for some time to come – something that home users may wish to consider if they’re deliberating about the next computer they should purchase.” Given the source, a senior consultant at a well-known security firm, this is a remarkable statement.

Even though OS X has an excellent security record, it is important to recognize that it has yet to stand up to the kind of security beating that operating systems like Windows XP have. Windows holds somewhere around 90% of the PC market, making it an immense target for hackers. Microsoft did not have the benefit of obscurity working for it in the case of Windows, as OS X most certainly does.

It is important that Apple, and OS X users, not become complacent about security. As OS X becomes more popular, so will its attractiveness to hackers. Security is an ever changing and increasingly complex field, and Apple will have to continue to steadily improve its operating system to keep ahead. For the time being though, OS X does indeed seem to be ‘more secure.’

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