[X-Unix] Re: Apple dumping IBM, moving to Intel

[Eric F Crist]

On Jun 5, 2005, at 1:49 PM, Timothy J. Luoma wrote:

>
>
> ...... Original Message .......
> On Sat, 4 Jun 2005 02:48:07 -0500 "Eugene" <list- 
> themacintoshguy at fsck.net>
> wrote:
>
>> y. I was reading an article the other day about
>> : how many of the exploits on PC's are due, not to Windows, but to  
>> the
>> : Intel architecture. I doubt it's true, but if it is I'll have to do
>> : some serious thinking about my next computer.
>>
>>
>
> figure out wherever you read that and be sure to never trust  
> anything they
> say again.
>
> 99% (or close to it) of the viruses come through Internet Explorer or
> Outlook Express.  It's the insecurity of Windows, not Intel, that lets
> viruses flourish

I've been running FreeBSD for over 8 years on x86 architecture, as  
well as different flavors of Linux, and not a single one of them has  
ever had a virus.  If viruses were due to the insecurity of the x86  
architecture, I would have had all the viruses those Windows users  
had.  Instead, I had none, because there has never been an overtly  
successful virus written to exploit the Unix operating system, and  
those that operate similarly.

Have no fear.  Even if Apple does move to the Intel processors, rumor  
has it they're going to use the Itanium series, which isn't even x86  
anyway.  Secondly, Mac OS X is based on Mach 2.0, and FreeBSD 4.x/ 
5.x, neither of which is susceptible to any of the known viruses out  
in the 'wild.'

Aside from viruses, exploits themselves have very little to do with  
the architecture of the hardware, relative to the ability of the coder 
(s) who wrote whatever system you're trying to exploit.  Although my  
web, mail, and DNS servers have not been broken into in over 7 years,  
if I was not diligent with security patches, network monitoring, and  
upgrades, when appropriate, my FreeBSD/Linux/Mac OS X systems would  
be just as vulnerable as anything Windows/x86.

Hopefully this clears that whole argument up a bit.

_______________________________________________________
Eric F Crist                  "I am so smart, S.M.R.T!"
Secure Computing Networks              -Homer J Simpson