Link: » Mac versus Windows vulnerability stats for 2007 | Zero Day | ZDNet.com.
I’m not big on the Windows vs. Mac vs. Unix vs. Linux vs. etc discussion. During the course of my entire career, this whole discussion has been irrelevant. Much in the same way how a particular professional sports franchise is doing in any given season. Guess what? It’s all hammers and nails. Use the right tool for the right job, you wouldn’t use a 16oz hammer with a 2 penny nail.
Well now to add fuel to the Windows fire, this article today on ZDNet points out an interesting statistic, apparently Mac OS over the last year has had more critical vulnerabilities than Windows (243 for Mac OS versus 44 total for XP and Vista). Now, before this starts a riot, let me point out that this argument has nothing to do with anything except this following point:
It matters not what hardware/software/system combination any person/organization uses. Personal security and the security of organizational assets requires diligence from all parties involved and doesn’t rely on a system combination. If it is made by human hands, it’s flawed.
Gone are the days when we could leave our computers unlocked as much as gone are the days that we could leave our front doors unlock. It doesn’t mean it’s a cruel world, it just means that nobody is responsible for keeping our house in order except us. Part of being responsible adults is recognizing that WE must keep vigilant watch over our house, and that no person/system/software is going to do it for us.
So keep the doors locked, don’t let the newspapers or mail pile up on the porch or mailbox, and keep your systems updated and patched, because that’s what responsible adults do.