Hackers and virus writers are increasingly targeting Apple computers, according to a leading US security research centre.
The SANS Institute, a Washington-based research organisation, issued the warning in its annual Top 20 Internet Security Vulnerabilities report, released on Monday.
Although the risks remain significantly lower for Apple users than those running Microsoft鈥檚 Windows operating system, the SANS report cites a 鈥渞apid growth in critical vulnerabilities鈥� being discovered in Apple鈥檚 operating systems.
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Apple software 鈥渟till remains safer than Windows, but its reputation for offering a bullet-proof alternative to Windows is in tatters,鈥� the report says.
鈥淭he reason it is such a problem from a security perspective is that [Apple] users feel invincible,鈥� SANS security analyst Ed Skoudis told journalists at the press briefing accompanying the report鈥檚 release. 鈥淒on鈥檛 think you have some shield of invincibility because you鈥檙e not using Windows.鈥�
Assembly code
Skoudis suggests this shift might have something to do with Apple鈥檚 decision to switch to Intel processors. 鈥淭he bad the guys know the assembly language for the Intel chips,鈥� he says.
But the SANS report indicates that hackers are increasingly targeting several alternatives to Microsoft software. This includes the popular free web browser Firefox. 鈥淲e have just as many vulnerabilities in Mac OS X or in Firefox as with Windows and Internet Explorer, but the bad guys really focus on market share and where the money is,鈥� Skoudis explains.
Experts at SANS are particularly concerned about malicious software aimed at both Microsoft and Apple computers that is designed to steal bank passwords or account information. This is part of an ongoing shift towards seeking a financial gain, the institute鈥檚 experts say. 鈥淵ou鈥檝e seen the rise of a malicious code industry,鈥� Skoudis says. 鈥淭he industry has its own research and development arm.鈥�
