“I bought a Mac, because it’s safer than a PC.”
“I always surf the web with my iPhone, because I know it can’t get infected.”
Jan 05, 2018 Every single iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple TV is vulnerable to a huge bug that could allow them to be hacked. Apple has now confirmed that almost all. Sep 08, 2017 Get Your Mac Ready for Hacking. The best coding platform for the professionals and the advanced users. Basically, it is been used by millions of hackers, technicians and pro tech users throughout the world. Based on the Linux this is the best ever platform or the base for everyone who is willing to start to hack even the strongest networks. The truth is Macs are not invulnerable to hacking and even to virus infiltration. Having said that, however, they do tend to be safer than their PC counterparts. Here is a brief overview of the relative safety and vulnerability of Macs versus other computers in general.
“I got a virus on my first PC, so now I only use Apple products.”
Sound familiar?
Too often, the rhetoric around the Mac vs. PC debate focuses on Apple’s presumed invulnerability to cybercrime. Many consumers believe (a belief that is bolstered by Apple’s marketing of “security by design”) that unlike Windows devices, Apple products are immune to cyber threats.
Unfortunately, as we witnessed this week, this logic is deeply flawed. Apple products can and do get hacked, and consumers who believe their devices are invulnerable are most susceptible to data loss after a compromise.
The Mac is susceptible to the “Trojan” virus that is just as sneaky at stealing data as its Windows counterparts if you don’t update your device to the latest software update. The question of whether Macs need antivirus is not a new one, but the answer is changing. Jun 29, 2020 Although a Mac is less susceptible to viruses, Mac users can still be the victims of trojan horses, phishing scams, and online fraud. If you are a Mac computer user, we still recommend keeping informed about how to keep safe while online. There is no such thing as a 100% safe computer. Feb 20, 2013 Yes, I do think that MAC OS and iOS are more secure than Windows was, certainly, quite possibly more secure than it is. What makes me think that.
New iPhone Security Flaw Discovered in iOS 6.1
The most recent version of Apple’s mobile operating system (iOS 6.1) contains a security flaw that allows hackers to bypass your password, make calls, listen to recent messages, tinker with your contact list, and even access private photos. The hack was posted on YouTube on January 31st, and it uses another phone placed nearby to bypass an iPhone password and access these limited functions. And while the original poster urged users to “play nice” with the flaw and only use it for harmless pranks, the hack presents a serious security risk until it is patched by Apple.
This flaw is just one in a long line of security risks in previous versions of Apple’s mobile operating system. Like most vendors, Apple is quick to a fix these problems once they are discovered, but the fact remains that these devices are becoming more and more vulnerable to attack.
So, if Apple devices really are just as vulnerable, why does everyone still believe Macs are safer?
This question can be answered best if broken down into two parts:
- The security built into the Apple operating system
- The number of security threats (viruses) made to target the Apple operating system
The reason why we say Macs are just as vulnerable as PCs to security threats is due to #1, the security built into the Apple operating system. While Apple likes to tout that they have “security built in” (which they do), their systems are no more secure than Windows devices, which ALSO have security features built in by design. This is exemplified by this most recent iOS 6.1 vulnerability; It’s a simple loophole that slipped through the cracks of Apple’s security team.
Less Susceptible Definition
The second part of this answer examines the actual number of threats out there – the fact that right now, there are fewer viruses designed to attack Macs. This is of course a valid observation (the volume of Android threats found by McAfee Labs in 2012 far surpassed the number of iOS threats), but users must be prepared as these threats grow.
For some context, consider the differences between computer criminals and ordinary criminals. Both groups are made up of rational individuals, but their motivations are very different. The bulk of ordinary crime – burglaries, car break-ins – is done by disadvantaged young people, often from underfunded school districts and historically segregated neighborhoods. This type of crime is most often predicted and prevented by examining socioeconomic forces – figuring out why these groups are disadvantaged and how to best improve their opportunities.
In contrast, the bulk of online crime is committed by technically savvy people living in poor countries like Russia, India, or Brazil. Preventing and predicting online crime is usually a question of economics – figuring out where these criminals will get the most payout for the work they put in. Since right now, Windows PCs are still much more numerous than Apple devices (and they’re used by the finance industry), you are much less likely to encounter a virus that infects Apple machines.
The key thing to remember, however, is that as Apple grows in popularity and is used by more and more businesses, so does the number of viruses made specifically for Apple devices. Users must be prepared as this trend continues, and they must let go of the long-held myth that Apple products are invulnerable to attack.
Here are a few actionable tips on how to keep your Apple devices safe:
1. Enable Auto-Lock and Passcode Protection
Auto-Lock is a built-in iPhone security feature that locks your device’s touch screen after a short period of inactivity. This feature is turned on by default, and it’s best used in tandem with the iPhone’s Passcode Lock feature. This allows you to require a four-digit passcode to open the iPhone again. As a best practice, avoid using commonly used (1111 or 1234) or easy-to-guess passcodes such as your birthday.
2. Disable Features That Could be Accessed Without Entering the Passcode
By default, the Voice Dial feature of an iPhone can be accessed without unlocking it first. This feature can be used to call anyone from the contact list, play songs, and use other functions. To disable, navigate to Settings > Passcode Lock > Voice Control, and turn Voice Dial to OFF.
3. Think Twice Before Jailbreaking a Device
Jailbreaking is hacking of an iOS device to bypass limitations imposed by Apple, which can allow users to run applications that are not authorized by the Apple App Store. This makes your device much more susceptible to viruses and malicious applications.
4. Update Software Right Away
iOS security bugs (like this most recent password vulnerability) can only be fixed when you update your operating system. Not running the latest version of iOS may make your iPhone, iPad, or Mac vulnerable to defects and bugs identified in older versions.
5. Download Security Protection
Security software like McAfee All Access can protect every device you own (PCs, Macs, smartphones, and tablets) with the maximum level of protection that can be delivered to each device.
To learn more about the most common mobile security myths, be sure to follow our team on Facebook and Twitter.
Some Apple Macs have a particularly terrible flaw that lets hackers sneak in and remain undetected, a security researcher has found.
It means a hacker could -- from far away -- force a Mac into a coma. Personal, corporate or government Macs could be spied on in a way that even the best security checks wouldn't discover -- until it's way too late.
'This is scary,' said Sarah Edwards, a forensic analyst at the SANS Institute who specializes in reviewing computers for evidence of hacks. 'I would never see this. There could be funky stuff going on in the computer system, and I would never know why.'
What makes this one so bad? It's a computer bug that runs especially deep in the machine.
All computers have some kind of basic input/output system (BIOS), the core program that brings a machine to life. It's the kind of thing you should never tamper with. And it should obviously remain heavily guarded.
But Macs purchased one year ago or before, apparently, leave a door open.
When a Mac goes into sleep mode and wakes back up, it allows direct access to the BIOS. It's a weird quirk that lets someone tamper with the code there. That's what was discovered recently by Pedro Vilaça, a curious independent computer security researcher in Portugal.
He revealed this vulnerability publicly in a blog post last Friday. He told CNNMoney he alerted Apple directly soon thereafter.
Apple(AAPL) did not respond to questions about this flaw -- nor would it say when it plans to release an update to fix it.
Several cybersecurity experts confirmed to CNNMoney that this is a real problem, and they plan to research further in the next few weeks.
This isn't an easy hack. An attacker first needs administrative access to a machine. But what this means is that if a Mac gets hacked with a low-level computer virus, it can bury so deep you'll never find it.
That's the real problem here. It gives hackers more time to plot a massive bank heist or a huge corporate takedown, like the Sony Pictures hack.
So, who's in real danger? High-value targets: think company executives, bankers, politicians, the wealthy, journalists, or anyone else worth spying on for a long period of time.
Less Susceptible Meaning
The average Mac user doesn't have to worry about this one, because they're actually susceptible to cheaper, easier hacks -- that are easier to spot and fix. So says Katie Moussouris, an executive at HackerOne, which helps companies fix dangerous computer bugs.
Tod Beardsley, a security research manager at cybersecurity firm Rapid7, stressed that most Mac users aren't likely to get hacked because of this bug. He said the flaw is 'certainly surprising ... but the bar of difficulty is pretty high.'
This is the second major flaw in Apple devices discovered in the last week. Recently, people discovered that you can crash someone's iPhone simply by sending it a text message.
Vilaça decided not to name this bug. But every major computer flaw nowadays deserves a name. Given that it involves a poisonous kiss that wakes a sleeping Mac, Moussouris suggests this one: Prince Harming.