Mac malware is a good thing

Malware that targets Macs rather than Windows-based PCs is a good sign - at least as far as Apple is concerned.

That's the view of one analyst, who said that the fact that cybercriminals thought that the Mac OS was worth targeting was a sure sign of its success.

Mike Davis of analyst firm Ovum argues that Macs are now popular enough for criminals to want to target them as it could prove to be a good supply of new victims.

"It is a simple truth that the bigger a dartboard the more people that are likely to throw darts at it and by implication hit it.

"The fact that OS X is now on the radar of both the security vendors and the bad guys indicates that the OS has become a 'worthy' target," Davis said.

Most online threats target Windows operating systems, though Apple felt the need to issue an update to the Mac OS, 10.5.3, last week in order to address some security flaws.

But Davis warned that iPhone owners were also the intended targets of Mac-focused malware.

"What has to be remembered in Apple's case is that the target is not just the desktop or notebook Apple Mac," Davis said.

According to recent figures from Net Applications, Apple's OS has a 7.8 per cent share of the global operating system market. Windows-based PCs make up 91.2 per cent.

www.ovum.com
www.apple.com/uk