Three little bugs and a hacker do not a rotten Apple make
Most PC users switch to Macs because of virtues that translate into more value - less downtime from viruses and hackers, lower cost of ownership due to fewer mechanical and software bugs and, of course, higher resale value. Slowly, these virtues have worked their magic on the PC faithful to the point that more than 60 per cent of my e-mail is from Mac users who have recently adopted the platform and are able to work without any trouble.
At least that was the scenario until a few weeks ago when the first Mac OS X virus was discovered, after which a second one reared its ugly head and then a third. As a final blow, a hacker using a little-known OS X vulnerability hacked into a Mac in less than 30 minutes during a contest which touted that such a thing was impossible.
The international technology press was aghast. In the flurry of media attention that followed, I read headlines such as 'Mac OS X doomed!' and 'Macs safe no more'. I actually looked under my desk to see if there was any hiding place, just in case the situation got worse. Fortunately, it did not. And after an hour of research I discovered that this maelstrom was, in fact, a good thing.
This, if my maths is accurate, is my 350th column for this newspaper. Those of you who have been reading my column since the early days will remember how happy I was to get my first real virus. I had three antivirus applications which I had to review and, when that first virus appeared, they all recognised it but I could only use one to erase it and repair the damaged files. It took another few years for two more viruses to show up and then I was finally able to test the other applications.
So why are these invasions such a good thing? First, since we now have a Mac OS X virus, there will no longer be any programmers seeking to create the first one (that was their primary motivation). Second, antivirus software developers, who till now have not been selling many copies of their products, will get a boost in sales. They will continue to make Mac antivirus software so that if we ever actually do need such applications, they will be there. And third, since I know how to get samples of these viruses, I can test the software now and do not need to wait for years.
If my tone implies that the security news was a non-event, you have read me correctly. The first two viruses were essentially a proof of concept and not widely distributed. Thousands of Mac aficionados actually downloaded them on purpose so they could be part of the event and have their own copy. It was posted as a file claiming to contain a photo of some secret, yet-to-be-released Mac product.
