2006 - Year of the OS X Exploit?

In my personal view, Apple made the right move in using BSD code in OS X and in moving to the Intel chipset.

However, a smart man once said that every action has an equal and opposite reaction.

Why use OS X?

Apple’s use of the BSD microkernel code has turned OS X into the system of choice for both hackers and security professionals alike. As a result, many applications commonly used by on BSD/Linux have been ported to OS X. Some are even better on Apple, take KisMac for example. But all this positive attention hasn’t developed without some negative attention as well.

Opposite Reaction

Security Researchers and hackers now seem to have their sights on Apple’s OS gem.

• Just today, a serious vulnerability has been found in Apple Safari on OS X. Attackers can run shell scripts on your computer remotely just by visiting a malicious website.
• Hackers have worked to get the new x86 OS X to run on normal x86 hardware.
• Trojans and viruses designed for OS X seem to be on the rise.

Summary

Will 2006 bring an end to Apple’s current threat immunity? Perhaps - Only time will tell, but the force seems to be strong with those that want to dig in the OS X candy coating.

I have outlined several other security concerns for the Apple world with a good friend and hopefully we can put those all together in a more in-depth blog in the future.