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iPad Left Vulnerable After Record iPhone Patch Job

CWmike writes "With Monday's iOS 4 upgrade, Apple patched a record 65 vulnerabilities in the iPhone, more than half of them critical. However, the first-generation iPhone and iPod Touch, as well as the much newer iPad, may have been left vulnerable to some or all of the 65 bugs. iOS 4 cannot be installed on 2007's iPhone and iPod Touch, and the upgrade is not slated to reach iPad owners until this fall. The bug count is a record for the iPhone, surpassing the previous high mark of 46 vulnerabilities patched last summer with iPhone OS 3.0. Formerly known as iPhone OS 4, iOS 4 included 35 bugs, or 54% of the total, that were tagged with the phrase 'arbitrary code execution.' It's unclear how many, if any, of the vulnerabilities affect Apple's iPad. The media tablet runs an interim version of the operating system, dubbed iPhone 3.2, that followed the February iPhone 3.1.3 security update. It's possible that some of the bugs patched Monday were fixed by Apple before it launched the iPad in early April. But according to the Common Vulnerabilities & Exposures database, it's likely that many of the flaws fixed on Monday still exist in 3.2."

145 comments

  1. Re:They're no bugs in Apple products! by Monkeedude1212 · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    I know! How can they talk about how Apple Products don't suffer from viruses or other Malware when they are patching record numbers!

    The only time I saw more than 65 windows updates in a single download is an XP that was still on Service Pack 2.

  2. It's a phone by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It's a frigging phone. The biggest vulnerability they haven't patched is people leaving it in bars. Who cares if it has vulnerabilities. It's a phone.

    1. Re:It's a phone by heruvian · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Yes, a phone that you can use to access your bank account on the internet.

    2. Re:It's a phone by Lundse · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Who cares if it has vulnerabilities. It's a phone.

      A phone which is able to broadcast your real-time location.
      A phone which has all your mails, all your texts and logs of all your calls, and a few private photoes to boot.
      A phone with verified contact information for all your friends, and sellable information on yours and their preferences.
      A phone that can call any number, including premium-rated ones owned by shady organizations.

      Yeah. Who cares is someone else gains control of that?

      --
      IAIFARSIJDPOOTV - I Am In Fact A Reality Star; I Just Don't Play One On TV
    3. Re:It's a phone by dhanson865 · · Score: 2, Insightful

      A phone which is able to broadcast your real-time location.
      A phone which has all your mails, all your texts and logs of all your calls, and a few private photoes to boot.
      A phone with verified contact information for all your friends, and sellable information on yours and their preferences.
      A phone that can call any number, including premium-rated ones owned by shady organizations.

      Yeah. Who cares is someone else gains control of that?

      On top of calling pay phone numbers (900 numbers and such) if it copies all your data to a server somewhere you may go over your data plan and have to pay $15 per 200MB transferred or $10 per 1GB transferred depending on your plan.

      DataPlus - 200 MB of data for $15 per month

              * Designed for people who primarily surf the Web, send email, and use social networking apps.
              * On average, 65% of AT&T smartphone customers use less than 200 MB per month
              * If you use more than 200 MB, you'll receive an additional 200 MB of data usage for $15, replenished as often as necessary during the billing cycle.

      DataPro - 2 GB of data for $25 per month

              * Designed for people who regularly download or stream music and video, or use other high bandwidth applications
              * 98% of AT&T smartphone customers use less than 2 GB in a month on average
              * If you exceed 2 GB, you'll get an additional 1 GB of data for only $10. Each time an additional 1 GB is used up during a cycle, you will automatically receive another 1 GB at the same low price.

    4. Re:It's a phone by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      2011 - Rise of the iZombie

    5. Re:It's a phone by Haxzaw · · Score: 1

      So there are vulnerabilities, but how likely are they to be exploited? That's the real problem. I couldn't care less about the vulnerabilities if they cannot be used against me.

    6. Re:It's a phone by jackspenn · · Score: 1

      You know I don't need a security exploit to cause iPhone/iPad users trouble by pushing them over their data plan.

      All we need to do is send them e-mails with attachments and it just so happens that I have a long list of iPad users I purchased from my Russian friends.

      Hey that gives me a great idea. I invest in AT&T stock, take advantage of their pricing scheme by flooding AT&T users with more bits then they can afford, sell the stock after the quarterly profits shoot through the roof. Wow, making money like a Chicago gangster is fun.

      For bonus points I could short Apple stock, and use a virus that infects iDevices (They have taken more than a year to patch some security holes, so I just need to keep an eye out for one that works for me, that way I could push people over on the send and recieve sides as my virus propogates and depreciates Apples inflated share price.

      --
      Respect the Constitution
    7. Re:It's a phone by Yvan256 · · Score: 1

      As long as there's only one, we'll manage.

    8. Re:It's a phone by jedidiah · · Score: 1

      I am less worried about the sorts of bugs that allow me to jailbreak an iphone and take full control of it than I am worried about the things that Apple does intentionally or allows application vendors to do intentionally. The same goes for Google.

      I trust Apple far less than I do the general robustness of Unix in general and Apple flavors in particular.

      --
      A Pirate and a Puritan look the same on a balance sheet.
    9. Re:It's a phone by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      How many times have you heard of someones phone being hacked in daily life??? Without it going out of their possession?

      The fact that root/alpine will own that phone and everyone knows it is how insecure apple and everyone except you feel about a PHONE.

    10. Re:It's a phone by fullgandoo · · Score: 1

      How stupid CAN you be? They are vulnerabilities BECAUSE they can be exploited against you.

    11. Re:It's a phone by Stray7Xi · · Score: 2, Informative

      A phone which is able to broadcast your real-time location.
      A phone which has all your mails, all your texts and logs of all your calls, and a few private photoes to boot.
      A phone with verified contact information for all your friends, and sellable information on yours and their preferences.
      A phone that can call any number, including premium-rated ones owned by shady organizations.

      Yeah. Who cares is someone else gains control of that?

      Worse, how as a user can you even mitigate this risk?
      You can't stick it behind a firewall (except on wifi) to detect weird traffic patterns.
      There is no task manager of any kind (yes stock has very limited multitask but malware can jailbreak to rootkit)
      There is no booting off a bootdisk to get a checksum of firmware.
      It's like being logged onto windows with a locked down user account, unable to view the OS in any way.

      The only thing as a user you can do is monitor your bills closely for unusual patterns.

    12. Re:It's a phone by node+3 · · Score: 1

      Ooh, scary innuendo!

      Can you point to any actual reason to worry about your bank information being vulnerable from an iPhone? There was that exploit a while back that affected jailbroken iPhones that had a default ssh password (which didn't compromise bank info anyway). But that's *not* caused by any of these security updates. In fact, the users had to go quite a bit out of their way to make themselves vulnerable in the first place.

    13. Re:It's a phone by Vectormatic · · Score: 1

      Can you point to any actual reason to worry about your bank information being vulnerable from an iPhone?

      You need help to see the problem with your e-banking platform being compromised? You dont see a problem with handling your credit-card data using a computing device that potentially has just about anyone listening-in in the background?

      Now obviously the iphone isnt that leaky, but if some of these vulnerabilities marked "arbitrary code execution" could lead to key-logging software being secretely installed, that would be a rather big issue, especially since lots of people still see the iphone as a phone (an appliance), rather then a computer, with all the needed security worries

      --
      People, what a bunch of bastards
    14. Re:It's a phone by TheSunborn · · Score: 1

      I think we just found the real reason Apple don't want iPhone to multitask

    15. Re:It's a phone by Vectormatic · · Score: 1

      which wouldnt be an issue with a competent security model and process seperation, what modern OS allows one userland proces to snoop on another one?

      --
      People, what a bunch of bastards
    16. Re:It's a phone by aristotle-dude · · Score: 1

      which wouldnt be an issue with a competent security model and process seperation, what modern OS allows one userland proces to snoop on another one?

      Are you serious? Do you even understand what a jailbreak is? By default, all userland apps run inside of BSD jails on the iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch, hence the name "jailbreak" where you deliberately hack the phone to destroy those jails. This is why jailbroken devices are more vulnerable to attack. They are wide open after you destroy the security model that provides process sandboxing.

      --
      Jesus was a compassionate social conservative who called individuals to sin no more.
    17. Re:It's a phone by node+3 · · Score: 1

      Can you point to any actual reason to worry about your bank information being vulnerable from an iPhone?

      You need help to see the problem with your e-banking platform being compromised? You dont see a problem with handling your credit-card data using a computing device that potentially has just about anyone listening-in in the background?

      Where did I say I wouldn't have a problem with my banking info being compromised? I asked for a citation of this actually happening on the iPhone due to a security flaw.

      Now obviously the iphone isnt that leaky, but if some of these vulnerabilities marked "arbitrary code execution" could lead to key-logging software being secretely installed, that would be a rather big issue, especially since lots of people still see the iphone as a phone (an appliance), rather then a computer, with all the needed security worries

      Except that no such exploit exists. There have been "arbitrary code execution" flaws in parts of Mac OS X since the beginning, and as far as I am aware, not a single exploit, not even a proof-of-concept (which is somewhat surprising).

      The problem is that taking advantage of possible "arbitrary code execution" flaws in Mac OS X is difficult. Far more difficult than on Windows pre-Vista and all but the most hardened Linuxes. Windows Vista and forward, and hardened Linuxes like SELinux have active countermeasures which Mac OS X doesn't have (or have done as well), but just by the very nature of the OS, it's hard to create an exploit for this, and once you do, it's specific to a particular flaw and isn't all that reusable.

      And on iOS it's even more difficult.

      Which is why I asked for actual evidence for an actual reason to be concerned. I don't mean "concerned enough to fix the flaws", that's obvious. But "concerned that there are actual exploits out there".

      Maybe there are. It's an honest question, and if there are exploits, or even proofs-of-concept that lead to the realistic concern that there may be unknown exploits in the wild, then I really want to know, because I use my iPad, and very much need to know if I should be more concerned than I currently am. But knowing what I know, I'm not presently concerned.

    18. Re:It's a phone by node+3 · · Score: 1

      I think we just found the real reason Apple don't want iPhone to multitask

      Non sequitur.

    19. Re:It's a phone by Vectormatic · · Score: 1

      what i meant is, that multitasking (as in apple doing it, not jailbreaking), shouldnt open the door for keyloggers, as TheSunborn suggested, my comments have 0 to do with jailbreaking, or jailbroken phones, if anything, your explanation of jailbreaking solidifies my argument that multi-tasking (if done properly by apple) should not pose any security risk at all

      --
      People, what a bunch of bastards
    20. Re:It's a phone by Vectormatic · · Score: 1

      Ah i see, must have slightly misunderstood your post

      my point is though, that even the existence of vulnerabilities that allow arbitrary code execution warrants some thought into what you put your banking info into

      Now i know the iphone is a far cry from an unpatched windows box, but it isnt a black box appliance like old phones used to be

      --
      People, what a bunch of bastards
  3. Stop with the "record number of bugs fixed" please by e2d2 · · Score: 2, Insightful

    If another person claims a "record" on the number of bugs fixed in an apple release out I'm gonna jump off a fucking cliff.

    Bugs are not good. Lots of bugs are worse. Fixing them? You don't get a medal, you should have done it right the first time. Yes it's good to patch them, but it's not something to break out the champagne on. When I fix a huge bug list my boss says "about time", not "good job! way to work!".

  4. Walled garden? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Doesn't the walled garden protect the users, to a large degree?

    1. Re:Walled garden? by recoiledsnake · · Score: 1

      Not against bugs in Safari, for sure. And some exploits are local ones.. like connecting a locked iPhone to a computer and reading all the personal data from there.

      --
      This space for rent.
    2. Re:Walled garden? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

      Only if you don't connect your iDevice to a network.

    3. Re:Walled garden? by arose · · Score: 1

      That doesn't really need a walled garden then...

      --
      Analogies don't equal equalities, they are merely somewhat analogous.
    4. Re:Walled garden? by jackspenn · · Score: 1

      Sadly no, you're thinking of the FIREWALLED GARDEN

      --
      Respect the Constitution
  5. Funny by DrugCheese · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Funny how M$ us to be on top and all you'd read about was the security vulnerabilities left unpatched and with apple on top, with their new line of hardware, are having the same issues. I wonder if we'll ever see something like the Melissa virus, or the iJerk.

    --
    *DrugCheese rants*
    1. Re:Funny by magsol · · Score: 2, Insightful

      With Apple finally gaining in the markets, it's becoming profitable to create exploits. While the fanbois would have you believe that Apple products simply weren't exploitable, the simple facts are that 1) there simply weren't enough Apple products in the wild to justify an exploit, and 2) Apple seems to prefer the "silent failure" route (which, admittedly, is less obvious than a BSOD) so users don't know they've been compromised.

      Now that devices like the iPhone, iPad, even iPods have become all but ubiquitous, I bid Apple a very warm welcome to the malware-infested playing field M$ has been inhabiting all this time.

      --
      "I'd just like to emphasise that taking a million years isn't a metaphor here..." -Rich Bradshaw
    2. Re:Funny by phantomfive · · Score: 2, Informative

      In the old days, in addition to Microsoft's OS being an open door, a lot of those computers were left on the open internet, making it easy for viruses to find computers to attack. Also, OS distributors didn't really catch on to the idea that leaving services open was a bad idea (it just seemed like being a good netizen to leave your finger port open). For example, I don't think RedHat stopped shipping with the FTP port open by default until 2001 or 2002. And that was a secure OS, Windows was much worse.

      In comparison, most iPads and iPhones are hidden behind a firewall, or are natted. You can't randomly probe ip addresses hoping to find one that is an iPad with a vulnerability that you're looking for. Maybe the best you can do is hope someone with the right device will surf to your web page with the exploit.

      That doesn't stop email viruses, but given that iPads are only a fraction of the computers out there, I think we're more likely to see a serious email virus from a bug in Outlook than one on an iPad.

      --
      Qxe4
    3. Re:Funny by Moridineas · · Score: 1

      2) Apple seems to prefer the "silent failure" route

      What do you mean?

    4. Re:Funny by BasilBrush · · Score: 1

      I bid Apple a very warm welcome to the malware-infested playing field M$ has been inhabiting all this time.

      Can you name any malware that affects a non-jailbreak iPhone or iPad?

    5. Re:Funny by BarryJacobsen · · Score: 4, Funny

      2) Apple seems to prefer the "silent failure" route

      What do you mean?

      Apple's Human Interface Guidelines for Malware on OS X and iOS specifically state not to inform the user of their presence.

    6. Re:Funny by whitedsepdivine · · Score: 1

      {{citation needed}}

    7. Re:Funny by thePowerOfGrayskull · · Score: 1

      or the iJerk.

      That's a social problem. And I already see them everywhere...

    8. Re:Funny by abigor · · Score: 1

      Well, since you seem to know what you're talking about, how about providing links to all these viruses and malware? The iPad alone has sold 3,000,000 units in three months - surely, with all these vulnerabilities, something must be out there for such a popular item, right?

      The iPhone and iPod have been "ubiquitous" (not quite, but very popular) for ages. Nothing has happened. I wonder why.

    9. Re:Funny by DrugCheese · · Score: 1

      Yeah I know, I EAGERLY await the day the virus gets out there, and all the iPhones blare outloud 'Hey You're a big stupid jerk!'

      --
      *DrugCheese rants*
    10. Re:Funny by mcgrew · · Score: 1

      with apple on top

      Jees, you fanboys are amusing. What, exactly, is Apple on top of?

      As to viruses, being a big fat target is only one of meny reasons MS gets so many viruses, MS software simply isn't written with security in mind; security is an afterthought with them (Adobe is as bad or worse, as are some other companies).

    11. Re:Funny by intheshelter · · Score: 0, Troll

      While Apple haters like to trot out this security through obscurity crap, it's well known to anyone with an ounce of brains that it has been debunked many times over. Apple products aren't perfect, but in 10 YEARS OS X has not had a single virus. Previous version of the Mac OS had a lower percentage of the market and they actually had a few viruses. OS X is not perfect, but it's record is very clear so far on this.

      As for the Apple preferring the silent failure option, it seems that you are making shit up. Very clever, saying that since you don't see any failure message Apple must be hiding it. A huge lie of course, but a nice attempt for the other sheep and haters to latch on to.

      In the end you're just full of shit and making crap up to justify your dislike of Apple. I bid you a very warm welcome to the world where people see through your BS and call you out on it every time.

  6. Have you... by matt4077 · · Score: 1

    ...ever tried improvising on a piano? It's always difficult to find the right way to end, and so you go on and on, frequently repeating yourself. The summary's writer felt the same way.

  7. Is this speculation? by AmazinglySmooth · · Score: 0, Redundant

    What is the point of speculating? It would be news if an exploit was in the wild.

    1. Re:Is this speculation? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

      What is the point of speculating? It would be news if an exploit was in the wild.

      well, the reason for disclosure is that it might already be exploited by someone, even if it's not public knowledge.

    2. Re:Is this speculation? by halestock · · Score: 1

      Exactly. Heck, by their own admission it's speculation. From TFA: "It's unclear how many, if any, of the vulnerabilities patched this week affect Apple's iPad." Which is definitely a far cry from the horrors the article's title implies.

    3. Re:Is this speculation? by BarryJacobsen · · Score: 1

      Exactly. Heck, by their own admission it's speculation. From TFA: "It's unclear how many, if any, of the vulnerabilities patched this week affect Apple's iPad." Which is definitely a far cry from the horrors the article's title implies.

      Exactly. Heck, by their own admission it's speculation. From TFA: "It's unclear how many, if any, of the vulnerabilities patched this week affect Apple's iPad." Which is definitely a far cry from the horrors the article's title implies.

      This is the new journalism - don't give facts, give possibilities and raise questions - you can sound much scarier and it's not saying anything that's false because all you did was say something was possible.

      New iPhone may be made from the bones of children! Does Steve Jobs drink the blood of 15 virgins before bed each night? Find out more after the page break!

  8. Arbitrary Code Execution by aaaaaaargh! · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I wouldn't call that a bug. :-)

    1. Re:Arbitrary Code Execution by Argilo · · Score: 1

      Indeed, it's pretty much the whole point of jailbreaking. :-) And as far as I know, the some of the jailbreaking tools exploit arbitrary code execution vulnerabilities to do their job.

    2. Re:Arbitrary Code Execution by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I wouldn't call that a bug. :-)

      hehe, good one, this is actually a shortcut to jailbreaking :)

  9. Re:They're no bugs in Apple products! by ivucica · · Score: 0

    I'm more surprised that a phone is subject to so many vulnerabilities. Yet again, it is a pretty sophisticated piece of software. Hence, thanks for fixing the stuff, Apple; better late security than no security.

  10. Re:Stop with the "record number of bugs fixed" ple by ivucica · · Score: 1

    Better late than never. And it's rather easy to create mistakes when focusing not on security, but on performance and ease of use.

    That said ... it's surprising that a phone is so riddled with security flaws.

  11. Re:They're no bugs in Apple products! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    There never were and there never will be.

  12. Re:They're no bugs in Apple products! by BarryJacobsen · · Score: 5, Informative

    I'm more surprised that a phone is subject to so many vulnerabilities. Yet again, it is a pretty sophisticated piece of software. Hence, thanks for fixing the stuff, Apple; better late security than no security.

    According to the article, 50 of the bugs are bugs in Webkit (side note: which would mean these bugs are likely present in Android, as Google uses Webkit for their browser, too), so it appears that web browsing is the most sophisticated piece (understandably.)

  13. No ipad updates of any kind by proxima · · Score: 1

    There have been no ipad core OS updates of any kind since its release. This includes expected improvements like software tweaks to make wifi more reliable. There were rumors that the ibooks app was released on the App Store so it could get more frequent updates than the core OS, yet it has only had one major update (yesterday's, adding PDF support and a few other features).

    Web rendering engines have security vulnerabilities, and webkit is no exception. Since Apple allows no competing renderers (alternative browsers still use webkit), it has an even greater responsibility to push security updates at least as often as they do for Mac OS X. Hopefully the official iOS 4 release means the developers/QA people have some time to work on iOS 3 patching.

    --
    "The universe seems neither benign nor hostile, merely indifferent." --Carl Sagan
    1. Re:No ipad updates of any kind by BarryJacobsen · · Score: 1

      Hopefully the official iOS 4 release means the developers/QA people have some time to work on iOS 3 patching.

      I'd hope that instead of spending that time patching iOS 3 they just try to release iOS 4 for iPad much sooner (that'd probably be the largest gain, after that if they really want they can work on porting the changes so the people with an original iPhone have security fixes, but I don't actually know the if the numbers would make it worthwhile).

    2. Re:No ipad updates of any kind by proxima · · Score: 3, Insightful

      I'd hope that instead of spending that time patching iOS 3 they just try to release iOS 4 for iPad much sooner (that'd probably be the largest gain, after that if they really want they can work on porting the changes so the people with an original iPhone have security fixes, but I don't actually know the if the numbers would make it worthwhile).

      You have to support recent releases of your operating system with security updates, as not everyone is going to upgrade to the latest and greatest OS for any number of reasons. Lots of people with the 3G are reporting performance issues with iOS 4 (and few benefits). Until this release, OS updates for the ipod touch weren't free as well.

      This becomes extremely important in the enterprise, where changes are handled more carefully. These mobile platforms seem to be way too fast of a moving target, though. Even Mac OS X gets deprecated fairly quickly relative to enterprise schedules. It's clear that Apple just isn't targeting them, which I think is a shame.

      --
      "The universe seems neither benign nor hostile, merely indifferent." --Carl Sagan
    3. Re:No ipad updates of any kind by walshy007 · · Score: 1

      Why would they target them? Apple thrives from making throw away iDevices. Making their appliance-like product have any kind of longevity would stop people doing the mac upgrade treadmill every 1-2 years.

      The price you pay for being with apple is being at their terms, they want to limit functionality as much as possible to create a simple user experience. I can't imagine that going well with enterprise either.

    4. Re:No ipad updates of any kind by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Why would they target them? Apple thrives from making throw away iDevices. Making their appliance-like product have any kind of longevity would stop people doing the mac upgrade treadmill every 1-2 years.

      I only have anecdotal evidence, but people with Macs tend to hold on to them for a while. Or if they do upgrade, you can get a decent amount selling it on ebay.

      Of course, there's a distinction between the software treadmill and the hardware upgrade treadmill. Apple will support major OS upgrades on its hardware for 2-3+ revisions. It took until 10.6 to drop powerpc support, for example. Given their family/student/etc pricing, they aren't making a killing on these software updates.

  14. Re:holy shit! by Tsunayoshi · · Score: 1

    Really? So Android has no bugs/exploits in it? The various phone vendors that add their own code to the Android base also didn't introduce any bugs/exploits? And let me guess, the linux kernel has never had an exploit fixed?

    ALL software has this problem. Open Source means it is much easier to bring them to light instead of depending on a proprietary vendor's announcement. Open Source does not mean the software doesn't have bugs/exploits.

    --
    "Get a bicycle. You will not regret it, if you live." - Mark Twain, "Taming the Bicycle"
  15. My five year old is the only iPad vulnerability by swb · · Score: 1, Offtopic

    ...that I worry about. He's played AniMatch on my iPhone and when he sees the iPad he gets this look in his eyes and I'm scared for the iPad.

  16. Re:Stop with the "record number of bugs fixed" ple by BarryJacobsen · · Score: 1

    That said ... it's surprising that a phone is so riddled with security flaws.

    50 of the security flaws were in WebKit, so it's not so much that the phone is riddled with flaws, but that a web browser is.

  17. Re:Stop with the "record number of bugs fixed" ple by sphantom · · Score: 2, Insightful

    This might be a perspective thing, but I read "Company X has patched a record number of security holes" as a negative thing, not as something the OP or company X is reporting to gloat about. I've taken the liberty of reading the links by the OP (shocking, I know), and didn't find any of them to really be coming across as something that anyone is looking for a pat on that back for (and for the record, I didn't see an official comment from Apple on their "record patch job").

    Fundamentally, you're right though. It'd be nice if companies could make flawless products, but it seems to be the exception rather than the rule, and when any company addresses a record number of fixes to a product's flaws, I see no reason why it shouldn't make the news. Granted, some fanboys will try and spin it into a positive of some kind, but that's not really shocking and we all know how trustworthy fanboys are.

    My $0.02.

  18. Re:They're no bugs in Apple products! by Mister+Whirly · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Hence, thanks for fixing the stuff, Apple; better late security than no security.

    If you replaced Apple with Microsoft and posted that same statement, do you think you would have been rated Interesting or would you have been modded into negative oblivion with Flamebait or Troll? Why is it that Apple gets a free pass on everything it does half-assed regarding security, yet Microsoft's feet are held to the fire instantly?

    --
    "But this one goes to 11!"
  19. Re:holy shit! by Graff · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Really? So Android has no bugs/exploits in it?

    Of course Android has bugs. In fact, it's based on WebKit and so it has many of the SAME bugs that the iOS does because many of these patched bugs are in WebKit.

    Like you said, bugs are nearly unavoidable. All you can do is try your best to code well in the first place and then fix them when you find out you still have a few that you missed. They key really is the severity of the bugs, are they so blatant that they make the device unusable or trivial to exploit? Obviously the bugs aren't so bad in iOS because the devices still work well and there isn't any serious malware out there yet.

    It's most likely that one of these days there will be a major bug/security flaw. We'll see how Apple handles that but so far their track record is fairly decent.

  20. Re:Vulnerability Exploit by CoffeeDog · · Score: 1

    Quick question: How many times has your house been broken in to?
    Follow up question: If you answered "never" then why do you bother locking your doors when you leave?

  21. iOS 3 the IE6 of phones? by syntaxeater · · Score: 1, Troll

    Obviously jumping to conclusions, but the irony would be overwhelming.

    1. Re:iOS 3 the IE6 of phones? by Culture20 · · Score: 1

      Maybe, except I can't install iOS4.

  22. But I *like* to execute arbitrary code. by customizedmischief · · Score: 2, Insightful

    As a jailbreaker, it is always a little bittersweet to see my arbitrary code execution bugs fixed.

    --
    Oops.
  23. Re:Vulnerability Exploit by Mongoose+Disciple · · Score: 1

    A lot of you guys have iPhone envy that's just oozing from your orifices.

    Also, your husband only beats you because he loves you, and anyone who says otherwise is just jealous that he's yours.

    Not that a patched security vulnerability is anywhere near on the same order of magnitude, but the logic in the argument is as bad.

  24. they can sign up for a $20 /m Premium text club do by Joe+The+Dragon · · Score: 1

    they can sign up for a $20 /m Premium text club download high cost apps.

  25. Re:holy shit! by Altus · · Score: 1

    In fact, you might have much more trouble getting those bug fixes on your android phone depending on the level of customization your phone requires and the phone manufacturers willingness to roll up a patch with the latest version of Android.

    Of course the original iPhone is in a bit of a bind as well.

    --

    "In America, first you get the sugar, then you get the power, then you get the women..." -H. Simpson

  26. Fairly certain the bugs not in Verizon iPad by WillAffleckUW · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    If you have the pre-beta Verizon iPad, the one that is coming out in January 2011 and was shown at E3, you shouldn't have all these vulnerabilities.

    The problems so far are only showing up on the AT&T iPad.

    --
    -- Tigger warning: This post may contain tiggers! --
    1. Re:Fairly certain the bugs not in Verizon iPad by intheshelter · · Score: 1

      What is going on with this post? Do you work for Verizon or someone else? This looks like a classic case of FUD to try and freeze sales of the iPad with a fake rumor. Even the premise is ridiculous, that whether the iPad is AT&T or Verizon will make no difference. This might float on TechNewbie.com, but the people here are not going to buy it.

  27. Re:Stop with the "record number of bugs fixed" ple by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    but on performance and ease of use.

    and in an OS that just added 3rd party (psuedo)multitasking, no less.

  28. Re:They're no bugs in Apple products! by Alien1024 · · Score: 1

    bugs in Webkit (side note: which would mean these bugs are likely present in Android, as Google uses Webkit for their browser, too

    That may be the case, but I wouldn't bet on it. The rendering engine is the same, but everything else is different - Android is based on Linux, iPhoneOS is based on Darwin. Different platforms, different architectures, different builds.

    Following that reasoning the bugs should also be in Chrome and Safari on Linux, MacOS, Windows...

  29. Re:They're no bugs in Apple products! by 0xdeadbeef · · Score: 1

    No, there aren't. And the malware that takes advantage of them are not exploits, they're jailbreaks (for somebody, not necessarily the owners).

  30. Webkit is the rendering engine by name_already_taken · · Score: 1

    That may be the case, but I wouldn't bet on it. The rendering engine is the same, but everything else is different - Android is based on Linux, iPhoneOS is based on Darwin. Different platforms, different architectures, different builds.

    Following that reasoning the bugs should also be in Chrome and Safari on Linux, MacOS, Windows...

    Webkit is the rendering engine. If the bugs are in Webkit, then they are in all the products that use Webkit.

    --
    Putting moderation advice in your .sig lowers your karma!
    1. Re:Webkit is the rendering engine by BarryJacobsen · · Score: 1

      That may be the case, but I wouldn't bet on it. The rendering engine is the same, but everything else is different - Android is based on Linux, iPhoneOS is based on Darwin. Different platforms, different architectures, different builds.

      Following that reasoning the bugs should also be in Chrome and Safari on Linux, MacOS, Windows...

      Webkit is the rendering engine. If the bugs are in Webkit, then they are in all the products that use Webkit.

      And indeed they were in Safari, which was patched earlier this month.

    2. Re:Webkit is the rendering engine by Alien1024 · · Score: 0, Flamebait

      That may be the case, but I wouldn't bet on it. The rendering engine is the same, but everything else is different - Android is based on Linux, iPhoneOS is based on Darwin. Different platforms, different architectures, different builds.

      Following that reasoning the bugs should also be in Chrome and Safari on Linux, MacOS, Windows...

      Webkit is the rendering engine. If the bugs are in Webkit, then they are in all the products that use Webkit.

      And indeed they were in Safari, which was patched earlier this month.

      I notice my Chrome install got updated around the same time too. But are they the same bugs this article refers to?

      If they are, I wonder why this isn't making headlines on Android's vulnerability -- my Android browser didn't get an update since I bought it months ago with 1.6, and AFAIK the only official way to update Webkit on Android is to upgrade it to a newer Android version when it gets released for your phone.

    3. Re:Webkit is the rendering engine by MaskedSlacker · · Score: 1

      Because OMG APPLE SECURITY HOLES!!!!1111one are news, Android ones are not.

    4. Re:Webkit is the rendering engine by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      because the apple haters cry more.

    5. Re:Webkit is the rendering engine by Stupendoussteve · · Score: 1

      They have updated apps such as Google Maps without an OS update. I don't see why they *couldn't* update the browser, other than the fact your version of Android may not run it (through fault of OEMs, carriers and Google allowing the fragmentation).

  31. Re:They're no bugs in Apple products! by UnknowingFool · · Score: 1

    Mobile browsers based on WebKit are more likely to be similar than desktop browsers. It is more likely that Android and iPhone have issues but not OS X or Chrome.

    --
    Well, there's spam egg sausage and spam, that's not got much spam in it.
  32. IOS! apple needs to use names not already taken by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Hmmm...

    Issue on Cisco router, do a google search including "IOS" and get back something about some app that goes "mooooooo."

    Very helpful Apple

  33. Re:They're no bugs in Apple products! by recoiledsnake · · Score: 0

    Someone is going to post some long justification about exploits in the wild and some blah blah about monopoly. Whereas when it's about MS it's 'M$ can't code'. Apple gets a free pass on everything, including DRM in the iPhone and Trusted Computing.

    Apple seems to have a particularly strong fanbase even amongst geeks which can't take valid criticism and does not hesitate to use their mod points for days after a story to stamp out any posts that can be construed as negative towards Apple.

    --
    This space for rent.
  34. Re:They're no bugs in Apple products! by Nerdfest · · Score: 1

    Microsoft has tastier feet. Duh.

  35. Re:they can sign up for a $20 /m Premium text club by BarryJacobsen · · Score: 1

    they can sign up for a $20 /m Premium text club download high cost apps.

    Hrm, that does remind me that I get unlimited texting for cheaper than their data plans...has anyone come up with an HTTP over SMS solution? :P

  36. Re:If Microsoft hadn't written this crappy code by VGPowerlord · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    If Microsoft hadn't written this crappy code, and everything had been written by an organization that knew had to write secure code, this problem wouldn't exist.

    Microsoft's iPad is their worst product yet. I mean, shit, they even managed to fuck up and put a competitor's logo on it!

    --
    GLaDOS for President 2016! "Well here we are again. It's always such a pleasure." -- GLaDOS, 2011
  37. Incredible. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Your iCrap isn't so perfect now, Steve Jobs.

    It's true. We are more secure than all of Apple's products.

    - PC

  38. Re:holy shit! by UnknowingFool · · Score: 1

    Yes like 50 of the bugs were with WebKit. If WebKit was open source, someone would have found it sooner. Oh wait, it IS open source. And Android uses WebKit. . . so I guess that defeats your arguments.

    --
    Well, there's spam egg sausage and spam, that's not got much spam in it.
  39. Re:They're no bugs in Apple products! by Graff · · Score: 1

    Apple seems to have a particularly strong fanbase even amongst geeks which can't take valid criticism and does not hesitate to use their mod points for days after a story to stamp out any posts that can be construed as negative towards Apple.

    Eh, I posted a few things the other day that weren't positive towards Apple but they were knocking down a few overzealous anti-Apple rumors and myths. I got modded down for it. It happens on both sides, a lot of people here are overly emotionally-invested in things and they tend to lash out rather than use reason.

    The funny thing is that I've been capped at the highest level of karma forever and the downmods were reversed in a few days by upmods and meta-moderation. It's no biggie and I never find it useful to complain about moderation. Just keep posting reasonable statements and it will all take care of itself, post like a troll and you'll get smacked down a lot.

    As for Microsoft, Apple, or whatever, all companies do stuff that is in their best interest but which might not be great for the consumer/public. It's good to be informed about their actions because that allows us to do the right thing: vote with our dollars. If you don't like how a company is run then don't buy from it.

  40. Re:They're no bugs in Apple products! by DJRumpy · · Score: 0, Troll

    Perhaps because Apple is patching these before they are exploited in the wild, rather than after? TIf the phone OS follows the same pattern as the desktop updates, they will continue to support the 3.x branch for quite a few years with security patches just as Apple continues to support Leopard as well as Snow Leopard. There is absolutely nothing preventing Apple from pushing the same patches to the 3.x line. It's also not a sure thing that these patched vulnerabilities that have been patched in 4.0 exist in 3.0. No where in the article does it claim as much. It simply hints that they might exist in both (and I agree it's likely that some do).

  41. That's not all by sjonke · · Score: 1

    I read that the iPad might, possibly, maybe kill it's owner after 30 days of non-use. I know there haven't been any cases of iPhones, iPads or iPod touches attacking and killing their owners, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't fear it. Better safe then sorry!

    --
    --- What?
  42. Re:Vulnerability Exploit by Wingsy · · Score: 1

    Modded down to a Troll???? LOL! The iPhone envy is gushing, not oozing.

    --
    If I didn't have absolutely NOTHING to do, I wouldn't be here.
  43. Re:They're no bugs in Apple products! by ivucica · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Obviously it doesn't, seeing how I ended up with a 0 score. Not only that, your flamebait ended up with +4 insightful.

    And yes, I can honestly say that replacing Apple with Microsoft would yield almost same response from me. "Sloppy, Microsoft, but better late than never! Thanks". Not the same, but close.

  44. Okay, point me to an exploit. by Brannon · · Score: 1

    Go ahead...I'll wait.

    1. Re:Okay, point me to an exploit. by Monkeedude1212 · · Score: 1

      *Points to article*

      ???

      There were clearly exploits? Are you trying to say there weren't any there?

    2. Re:Okay, point me to an exploit. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      There is a an obvious difference between a patching a vulnerability and patching a vulnerability being exploited in the wild. You would prefer that they patch them AFTER these were being actively exploited in the wild?

  45. Re:They're no bugs in Apple products! by theantipop · · Score: 1

    Calm down, chief. One mod gave him an interesting nod, two others downrated him. The amount of freak out about moderation in the last couple years is getting pretty annoying.

  46. Did Chrome crash while you were typing your reply? by Brannon · · Score: 2, Funny

    Did Chrome crash while you were typing your reply?

  47. Re:they can sign up for a $20 /m Premium text club by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    has anyone come up with an HTTP over SMS solution? :P

    That'd work at about 80 bytes per second with a ping of about 10 seconds! You'd be better to use it to synchronise your email & contacts at that rate..

  48. Re:Vulnerability Exploit by jedidiah · · Score: 1

    > Quick question: How many times has your house been broken in to?
    > Follow up question: If you answered "never" then why do you bother locking your doors when you leave?

    The more analogous and honest question to ask is: Has anyone's house ANYWHERE ever been broken into?

    --
    A Pirate and a Puritan look the same on a balance sheet.
  49. Re:they can sign up for a $20 /m Premium text club by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ...has anyone come up with an HTTP over SMS solution?

    Yeah, it's called WAP http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wireless_Application_Protocol

    WSP - wireless session protocol http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wireless_Session_Protocol is the top layer of the protocol. It's kind of an optimised binary HTTP running over WTP. Since it's session-based, you set up the agreed data formats and associated headers etc. at the beginning and reuse them for every request. Much better than HTTP on a high-latency network, but not that important now we have megabit connections on mobiles.

    WTP is basically TCP redesigned to handle frequent and long lasting packet loss episodes without getting it's knickers in a twist. WTP is layered on top of WDP (wireless datagram protocol) which is transport-agnostic and used to mostly run over SMS or a dial-up data connection. It was briefly hyped about ten or twelve years ago.

    Say what you like about how crap WML was (and it was really crappy...) but the WAP protocol stack was very well designed. WAP protocols are behind most of the MMS functionality - message delivery is essentially a connectionless push datagram.

    You could do fantastic things using the WAP protocol which still aren't easily possible today on IP networks. Unsolicited push messages could be addressed to a particular subscriber, and not only that to a particular application running on the subscriber's handset. It was really powerful, mostly because the phone number was the network address. If only they had stuck with HTML as the markup language and GIF/Jpeg as the image formats.

  50. Re:Schaudenfreude Reigns! by jo_ham · · Score: 0, Troll

    What truth? That software has bugs?

    I have known that truth for a long time - OS X is patched quite frequently, and the knowledgebase articles about just what has been patched and who discovered it are quite informative. Since iOS is based on OS X it does not surprise me that it also has bugs. Nice to see them fixed.

    A lot of these were bugs in Webkit, so expect updates for Android too, assuming your phone manufacturer offers an update. How many of them have got around to offering 2.2?

  51. Another patch that creates a more annoying bug by GreenSquirrel2 · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Upgraded my iPhone to v4 last night, now it doesn't work with my Pioneer (DEH-3200UB) car audio deck. Talked to Pioneer and they pointed to Apple. Spoke with Apple and was told "sorry". Maybe the iPad users are the lucky ones.

  52. I wonder by s4ltyd0g · · Score: 1

    Do you have to agree to have your location information sold to unspecified third parties before you can get the patch?

    1. Re:I wonder by Vectormatic · · Score: 1

      probably, after installing 4.0 on my ipod the app store requested i take the time to read *109* pages of EULA before updating some apps.. I can only imagine how many pages i ignored to install that update in the first place..

      Also, Fuck you apple, why do you need 3GS type hardware in order to have the option for orientation locking? i fully realize that my 3G ipod (8gb, so actually a 2G with a new sticker) probably hasnt got the memory for serious multi-tasking, but no orientation lock? WTF

      --
      People, what a bunch of bastards
  53. Glad I shelled out for premium hardware! by PeanutButterBreath · · Score: 4, Insightful

    65 bugs that I won't get patches for in my 1st Generation Ipod Touch. What is the point of paying a premium for hardware, when the control-freak sole arbiter of software patches renders it functionally obsolete long before its useful life has expired?

    1. Re:Glad I shelled out for premium hardware! by LynnwoodRooster · · Score: 1

      Don't you know, Apple has determined that it is a bad business practice to support older products or OSes, anything more than a few years old. But you're free to buy the new version that will be supported!

      --
      Browsing at +1 - no ACs, I ignore their posts. So refreshing!
    2. Re:Glad I shelled out for premium hardware! by illumin8 · · Score: 1

      65 bugs that I won't get patches for in my 1st Generation Ipod Touch. What is the point of paying a premium for hardware, when the control-freak sole arbiter of software patches renders it functionally obsolete long before its useful life has expired?

      Yeah, after 3 years you no longer get updates because your hardware is obsolete. Name one other smartphone/media player vendor that still releases updates for their hardware after it's 3 years old.

      --
      "When the president does it, that means it's not illegal." - Richard M. Nixon
    3. Re:Glad I shelled out for premium hardware! by TrancePhreak · · Score: 1

      The original Zune got an update 3y2m after its release.

      --

      -]Phreak Out[-
    4. Re:Glad I shelled out for premium hardware! by El+Neepo · · Score: 1

      Most phone/devices do not get updates, even premium ones. How many other consumer devices that are 3 years old still get updates?

      My 1st Gen iPhone isn't getting the updates either. Do I wish did it? Of course.

      I got good updates and upgrades for 3 years. It was worth the cost.

  54. Re:Stop with the "record number of bugs fixed" ple by dakameleon · · Score: 1

    ... and they don't allow any other (real) browser on the phone, either. I might be parroting comments from above, but if this was a certain other large technology company the vitriol here would have been through the roof.

    --
    Man who leaps off cliff jumps to conclusion.
  55. Re:Vulnerability Exploit by Pop69 · · Score: 1

    House has never been broken into, I live in the middle of nowhere and have half a dozen geese as watchdogs.

    I don't bother locking my door when I leave, often don't bother locking the car.

    Last night I was putting oil into the car and got distracted doing something else, left the bonnet up and the keys on top of the engine. Next morning, everything still exactly where I'd left it.

  56. Re:they can sign up for a $20 /m Premium text club by sznupi · · Score: 1

    ...If only they had stuck with HTML as the markup language and GIF/Jpeg as the image formats.

    Wasn't that also abour severe hardware limitations of handsets back then?

    --
    One that hath name thou can not otter
  57. Is this why my iPhone rebooted recently? by Culture20 · · Score: 1

    I viewed an idle.slashdot.org page, Safari crashed, and my iPhone rebooted on its own. I wonder if I got hit. Yay.

  58. Re:They're no bugs in Apple products! by DJRumpy · · Score: 1

    No different than the above being marked troll. It is certainly not 'trolling' under any definition. There have been no mass exploits for Apple since they moved to Intel unless someone would be kind enough to point one out? The modding has nothing to do with the content in the post, but rather the fact that someone dared to defend Apple. Anymore it's become a total waste of time to even read Apple threads. They are full of vitriol and hate. Not from the expected Apple fans, but from the anti-Apple (droid?) crowd.

  59. Re:kdawson = ElmerFUD.pl by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Nice UID. Nice of the slashdot community to blindly follow this crap.

  60. Re:holy shit! by mjwx · · Score: 1

    Of course Android has bugs.

    The critical difference is that Google and FOSS are pretty damn quick in fixing bugs. Apple and to a lesser extent Microsoft are happy to leave known bugs and vulnerabilities unpatched for months or even years. Google fixes Android bugs in short order. Bugfix versions like 1.1 and 2.01 dropped very quickly after their parent releases.

    --
    Calling someone a "hater" only means you can not rationally rebut their argument.
  61. Re:They're no bugs in Apple products! by node+3 · · Score: 1

    How can they talk about how Apple Products don't suffer from viruses or other Malware when they are patching record numbers!

    How? Well, first, they've never said this. But they have said any such problem is way less than on Windows, which it is. And the iPhone/iPad? Aside from that exploit a while back that affected jailbroken iPhones with a default ssh password, what malware is there for iOS?

    None?

    Hmm... Perhaps that's how they can say the things they actually do say.

  62. adolescent mods? by Concerned+Onlooker · · Score: 1

    How is the parent a troll? Then again, that's the only reason I read this article, for the ad hominem attacks on Apple users. And the anti-Apple crowd does not disappoint. :-)

    --
    http://www.rootstrikers.org/
  63. Re:They're no bugs in Apple products! by dropadrop · · Score: 1

    Somebody has a strange concept of trolls.

  64. Re:Stop with the "record number of bugs fixed" ple by ekhben · · Score: 1

    Sorry your boss sucks so bad, man.

  65. Re:they can sign up for a $20 /m Premium text club by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    HTML & GIF, not so much. JPeg definitely. It wasn't very long until phones started running smart OS' though - Nokia's 7650 was released only 3 years after the WAP standard ratification. Ericsson had their R380 earlier.

  66. Re:They're no bugs in Apple products! by inamorty · · Score: 0

    Mod parent frustrated.

  67. Re:Stop with the "record number of bugs fixed" ple by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    If it makes you feel better, I thought the summary was calling out Apple for the flaws.

  68. Apple is secure by design.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    I know its a shallow and pointless sentiment but I still hope and prey somewhere in the world an Apple fanboy is thinking twice about spouting another hollow comment on the security picture of Apple.

    For the love of god they can't even write a media player (quicktime) without dozens of critical security bugs. If you ask me they suck just as bad as the other OS vendors.

  69. Re:They're no bugs in Apple products! by IflyRC · · Score: 1

    We just all need to come together and hate everyone equally.

  70. Re:Stop with the "record number of bugs fixed" ple by mcgrew · · Score: 1

    Apple seems to be getting more and more like Microsoft every day. I agree; bug fixes shouldn't be "look how great I am, I'm fixing bugs" it should be "We're sorry for the inconvienience and will try to program less incompetently next time. We hope these bug fixes don't brick your hardware." Plus, TFS says the upgrade is not slated to reach iPad owners until this fall. WTF???

  71. Re:Stop with the "record number of bugs fixed" ple by mcgrew · · Score: 1

    Granted, some fanboys will try and spin it into a positive of some kind

    Well yes, that's the problem. Companies just kind of matter of factly send out patches, and the kool aid crowd turns every negative into a positive. Every time I see one of those comments I wonder if the poster is an employee of that company, heavily invested in its stock, or is just a batshit insane loser.

  72. Re:Stop with the "record number of bugs fixed" ple by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    This was already spun against Apple: "iPad left vulnerable". Why not just report it as "iOS4 patches security flaws" or something like that? It's not just the "fanboys" who spin headlines - this one was already spun but the other way.

  73. Re:Vulnerability Exploit by intheshelter · · Score: 1

    While I suspect the iPhone envy comment was designed to get under their skin a bit, I doubt it's necessarily envy. I think it's more like blind Apple hatred that is driving much of this. While some complaints have some minor grains of truth to them, most of them seem blown ridiculously out of proportion. I imagine that most of the people who are so vocal against it have never used an Apple product, don't have an understanding of why people love them so much and so they make fun of what they don't understand.

  74. Re:They're no bugs in Apple products! by Monkeedude1212 · · Score: 1

    They have said this. Not in some press release or an interview from Jobs, but in other adverts like radio. They have a Mac commercial airing right now that says Macs are virus-free. If I can get a recording of it I'll host it and link it.

  75. If you jailbreak, you are destroying the security by aristotle-dude · · Score: 1
    The name "jailbreak" comes from the fact that hacking the device involves taking down the BSD jails that userland processes run under. BSD jails provide app sandboxing preventing apps from taking over the phone. While these flaw might be a concern, they are only a concern if the exploit contains some sort of jailbreak payload with malicious content packaged in.

    If you are worried about exposing your personal data, don't jailbreak. I've tried it in the past and I'll never jailbreak again.

    --
    Jesus was a compassionate social conservative who called individuals to sin no more.
  76. Re:If you jailbreak, you are destroying the securi by CoffeeDog · · Score: 1

    Except the problem is that the exploits in iOS that jailbreaking software uses to break in to your phone in the first place are still there. Someone could easily write a piece of malware that infects your PC, waits for your iPhone to connect via USB, then silently slips in a malicious payload in the same manner. Your phone has no measure of security to stop or even alert you of anything that makes it in.

    Being aware that my phone is vulnerable no matter what but having more transparency like being able to sift through my phone's filesystem gives me just a little more peace of mind.

  77. Re:They're no bugs in Apple products! by node+3 · · Score: 1

    They have said this. Not in some press release or an interview from Jobs, but in other adverts like radio. They have a Mac commercial airing right now that says Macs are virus-free. If I can get a recording of it I'll host it and link it.

    Apple does not have radio advertisements. Definitely not in the US, perhaps in another locale (although I wouldn't expect it).

    But by all means, snag a recording and put it up somewhere.