Apple the New Microsoft
From ZDnet
Not counting silent (undocumented) fixes, Apple has patched at least 32 security flaws affecting QuickTime in 2007. Last year, the QuickTime patch count was 28. Five was documented in 2005.
Judging by the public release of details — and exploit code — for affecting the company’s flagship media player, it looks like the number will rise again in 2008.
Take a quick peek at Milw0rm.com, a popular security research site that hosts proof-of-concept exploit code. At the moment, there are four different remote exploits for unpatched QuickTime vulnerabilities.
[snip]
It affects most versions of QuickTime prior to and including 7.3 running on all supported Apple Mac OS X and Microsoft Windows platforms. Since QuickTime is a component of Apple iTunes, iTunes installations are also affected by this vulnerability.
[snip]
“QuickTime is the new IE and Apple is the new Microsoft,” said a researcher who works closely with both companies on vulnerability reports. [emphasis mine]
(more…)
Apple fanatics can no longer take the Rolling Stones message to heart when they hear “Time is on my side, oh yes it is”. Times up guys, you’re a target now with a great big bullseye painted on you.
[tags]Apple, Quicktime, exploits, Microsoft[/tags]
Related posts
« Junk food banished from Edmonton schools
Comment from M. Douglas Wray
Time: 12/1/2007, 10:03 am
LOL
Seriously, I’m not concerned. Apple is -fixing- the bugs - unlike Microscoff who just pretends they’re not there.
Also, all the hoo-haw about Mac attacks comes down to the user having the wits NOT to install an application they know nothing about. The ‘Codec’ download exploit is sad at best. Will a bunch of clueless knuckleheads get clobbered? Sure. Do I CARE? Nope. My parents taught me not to take candy from strangers. Pity our current crop of netizens don’t have that much sense.
I think it’s great the hackers see the Mac community as worthy of their attention. Knowing Apple, they’ll figure out a way to FIND the little weasels and have them exterminated. Unlike M$ who’s probably getting royalties from them.