OS X is "just as vulnerable", says McAfee

McAfee has launched a security product for Mac OS X, saying that the Mac operating system is just as vulnerable as any other when it comes to hackings and viruses.

"Many believe that using an Apple operating system is a form of security in itself, believing that they are far less susceptible to malware than Windows users," said Stuart McClure, senior vice president, global threats at McAfee. "And while the threats targeting the Mac operating system are low in volume, the use of Apple products does not provide an invisibility cloak from malware, and users need to be more vigilant about security as adoption rates soar and attacks on Apple operating systems increase."

The company has maintained that Mac users were at "no significant risk" at the moment, but as the client base of OS X increases, thanks to its iPod media player, and intel powered macs, Apple's OS will become target for more organized hacking.

"At this point, there is very little research (into OS X vulnerabilities) and very few people trying to exploit the OS. You have a lot more people trying to find vulnerabilities in Windows at the moment, but we believe that as more people put the time into finding vulnerabilities in Apple OSes, they will become just as vulnerable as any other OS," Viveros, a security expert at McAfee said.

"The availability of Mac exploit code on the Internet makes it an open target for the same types of malware currently plaguing the Windows world," Winsborrow, McAfee's vice president of marketing claimed.

McAfee has released a report saying malwares targetting Mac OS X have grown by 228 percent in last three years.

McAfee's key research findings:

From 2003 to 2005, the annual rate of vulnerability discovery on Apple's Mac OS platform has increased by 228 per cent, compared to Microsoft's's products which only saw a 73 per cent increase (although the number of vulnerabilities discovered in Microsoft products is still much higher than that on Mac software).

As demonstrated with their recent patches, Apple's Mac OS platform is as vulnerable to targeted malware attacks as other operating systems.

Apple's success with consumer products and its resulting higher profile could entice security researchers and hackers to target Mac OS and other Apple products, such as iTunes and iPods.