Slashdot Mirror
Game Theory, Antivirus Improvements Explain Rise In Mac Malware
Sparrowvsrevolution writes "Four years ago, security researcher Adam J. O'Donnell used game theory to predict in a paper for IEEE Security and Privacy when malware authors would start targeting Macs. Based on some rough assumptions and a little algebra, he found that it would only become profitable to target Apple's population of users when they reached 16% market share. So why are we now seeing mass attacks on Macs like the Flashback trojan when Apple only has 11% market share? O'Donnell says it turns out he may have underestimated the effectiveness of the antivirus used by most Windows users, which now makes overconfident Mac users a relatively vulnerable and much more appealing target. Based on current antivirus detection rates, O'Donnell's equations now show that victimizing Macs becomes a profitable alternative to PCs at just 6.5% market share."
Linux does have significant marketshare in the server and smartphone arenas. Servers are generally more secure than desktop machines (not to mention better maintained), so there's naturally fewer points of vulnerability - this holds true for Windows servers as well. As for smartphones, I've seen a lot of articles about Android malware recently although I haven't personally encountered any.
Generally more secure, but Linux servers are still vulnerable, especially when they are neglected from being looked after. I have signed onto a company that kept a mail server running for years with no updates -- turns out that exim had a security vulnerability and there was a rootkit living on the system for at least a couple years. If the machine was being properly monitored, the chances of infection would be very low (keep on top of updates!), and it would have been detected rather quickly even if it did happen despite that first point.
I still don't know what the attacker gained but apparently it pays off enough to pry on mismanaged Linux servers.
http://www.apple.com/why-mac/better-os/#viruses
Is this true? Yes, but only because the malware they are talking about was written specifically for Windows. It has nothing to do with the "built-in defenses in Mac OS X that keep you safe". It is at best disingenuous because the average user reads that to mean "Macs can't get malware".
I'm sorry; I love my Macs BUT this last Flasback virus would easily get into your computer without doing anything. All you had to do was visit a page with the virulent java applet for your computer to be infected. Once infected it may attempt to ask a password off you to dive further into your system, but even ignoring it did nothing, the virus was fully active in your system.
Some tech geeks love to think "I'm too smart for me to be infected", and blame anyone with a virus of being stupid. Ironically, those tech geeks" tend to be some of the most vulnerable users for real virus infections, since they refuse to use any anti-virus solution because it will "slow down their system" or patch their systems with latest updates because "it's working fine and I know what I'm doing."
That’s how viruses actually work. Everything that requires you to do something to accept it is qualified as a Trojan. No amount of tech savvinnes makes anyone less likely to get virus infections (unless you are savvy enough to update asap and run some form of antivirus.)
THAT being said:
0.7% flashback victims were Linux machines
0.6% flashback victims were Windows 7 or Windows 8 PCs
0.3% flashback victims were FreeBSD
0.5% flashback victims were machines running an unidentified OS.
How on Earth does Linux got more Flashback infections than Windows??? Hint: I said why above. At least Macs have the excuse of Apple negligence at patching the vulnerability.
To add (thanks for the edit button, slashdot!)
Source of the numbers