Apple Revs Up Ad Attacks on PCs, Vista
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By MAY WONG  SAN JOSE, Calif. - For nearly a year, television and Internet audiences have been seeing a familiar string of ads from Apple attacking rival Windows-based computers. With this week's release of Windows Vista, the newest jabs aren't any friendlier.
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Microsoft urged Windows Vista users to download a new security tool that automatically disables suspicious or malicious "gadgets," the small applets that mimic the "widgets" popular on Mac OS X.Dubbed "Windows Sidebar Protection," the 1MB download was added to Windows Update on Tuesday and classified as a "high-priority" update. Microsoft customers running Vista RTM -- the initial version that launched in late 2006 to businesses and early 2007 to consumers -- saw the update on the list starting Tuesday. The update is optional, but depending on what settings have been selected in Windows' Automatic Updates, it may be downloaded and installed without any additional user interaction.Windows Sidebar is a Vista-only panel that holds the miniature applications known as gadgets -- small single-purpose tools that, for instance, display the time and date or RSS feeds. The Windows gadgets are composed of HTML and various scripts.And there's the rub, said Microsoft."Vista treats gadgets like it treats all executable code," said the advisory that accompanied the update. "Gadgets are written using HTML and script, but this HTML is not located on an arbitrary remote server as Web pages are. HTML content in the gadget is downloaded first as part of a package of resources and configuration files and then executed from the local computer."In other words, gadgets could be dangerous, even malicious. The small applications are crafted not only by Microsoft but also by third-party developers and users; Microsoft distributes gadgets on its Web site, but it doesn't vet them."The update gives us a mechanism to prevent a malicious gadget from being installed first of all, and if it's installed, to block the gadget [from running]," said Austin Wilson, a director in the Windows client product management group. "We're being proactive here. We looked at the [security] landscape and wanted this in place in case a problem arises in the future."There are no known vulnerabilities in any existing gadgets, Wilson claimed, stressing that Microsoft knows of no purposefully malicious gadgets, either.When it detects a flawed, suspicious or malicious gadget, Microsoft will create a "kill bit" file that it will then push to users through Windows Update on the regular once-a-month patch day, said Wilson. Yesterday's update included no kill bit, stressed Wilson, but instead is the tool that generates a unique ID for each gadget, accepts the list from Windows Update and then blocks existing gadgets from running or newly-downloaded gadgets from installing.After a gadget has been identified as bad, its icon gets swapped out with one labeled "Bad Gadget." The icon also can't be dragged, and the tool tip shows it as a security risk.The Sidebar security update is already integrated in the bits that were distributed as Vista Service Pack 1's release candidate last month, said Wilson, and it will be included in the final when that launches in the coming weeks.Microsoft has posted a pair of documents on its support site that go into more detail: KB943411 includes the download links to the 32- and 64-bit versions of the tool; KB941411 walks users through the various dialog boxes they will see when the tool tries to bar or block a gadget.
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The latest round of Apple (AAPL) ads aimed at convincing consumers to drop their Windows PCs and join the millions of people happily using Macs kicked off this week.
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Compared with other PC manufacturers, Apple Inc. may not have the  highest market share, but AMI believes this may be changing. The company  is currently slated to launch an update of its powerful operating system  this fall.
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Blog: This security update for Windows users piggybacks patches for Apple users.
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Apple quietly pushed out a new 7.4.1 QuickTime update to stop attacks through maliciously crafted Web sites, as well as to its iPhoto '08 software.
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Windows browser not 'secure from day one' Three days after unleashing a bug-infested beta of its Safari browser on Windows users, Apple has released an update plugging three serious holes that could allow miscreants to commandeer a user's machine.â¦
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The Story: It?s not often that an analyst covering computer security issues tells you that he doesn?t do much to protect his systems. But one reputable analyst I know said just that as we talked about the rising threat of malware aimed at Apple?s hardware. I won?t mention his name, but the gentleman is dead wrong. The days when you can assume that Apple?s products are exempt from harm are over.[ Slideshow: 2007's top underreported tech stories ]                                                    Is it time to panic? No, actual attacks against Macs and the rest of the Apple family, such as the iPhone, are still rare. But as the platform becomes more and more popular, hackers are gearing up to do damage. You?d better protect yourself.?Most Mac users take security too lightly. In fact, most are quite proud of the fact that they don?t run any security at all,? says IDC analyst Chris Christiansen. ?That?s an open door; at some point it will be exploited,? he says.First some numbers: In 2006, the National Institute of Standards and Testing (NIST) tabulated 106 ?vulnerabilities? in Apple?s Mac OS X. (It defines vulnerabilities as a weakness in the code that could be exploited to perform unauthorized, and generally harmful, functions by the application.) In the first six months of 2007 there were 78 vulnerabilities found in Mac OS X. Windows XP (all flavors), meanwhile, had 55 vulnerabilities in 2006 and 19 in the first six months of 2007. Vista, which wasn?t available in 2006, chalked up 19 vulnerabilities in 2007.In a sense, Apple is a victim of its own success. Savvy hackers read the same stories and watch the same television programs as the rest of us, and so they are very aware of the burgeoning popularity of Apple?s products. Hacking Windows still provides a lot more bang per bug than attacks on Apple, but the smaller rival is a more satisfying target than ever before. And the company?s deserved reputation for building good products has probably made users overconfident.?Apple has better commercials, but the Mac is no harder to break into than a Windows PC,? says Gartner security analyst John Pescatore. What?s more, most IT shops can automatically patch large numbers of PCs at the same time, while Macs generally have to be patched one at a time, he said.The Bottom Line: Actual attacks on the Mac platform are still unusual. But as it becomes a juicier target, that will change. Why take a chance? Give a lot more thought to securing your Macs this year.Complete list of 2007 underreported stories: 1.? Java is becoming the new Cobol 2.? Sun Microsystems is back in the game 3.? Hackers take aim at Mac OS X 4.? There are some threats you can worry less about 5.? Companies may have found a way around H-1B visa limits 6.? Open source?s new commercial strategy 7.? End-to-end Ethernet finally arrives 8.? Blade servers arrive for the masses 9.? BI is dead; long live BI 10. Balance of power shifts to software buyers
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If you haven't updated your Windows computer in more than one year, you could be subjected to a barrage of unwanted adware.
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iNuisance Miscreants have created a proof-of-concept sample of adware that targets Apple Mac OS X users.â¦
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Using the buzz surrounding last Frriday's launch of the iPhone, hackers and scammers are targeting eager would-be buyers to launch their latest attacks.
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By PAT KANE  Anyone who has visited a major website recently has surely seen the new batch of "Mac vs. PC" ads.
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SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Apple Inc. is urging some iPod and iTunes users to hold off on upgrading computers to Windows Vista, warning that the iTunes music software may not work well with the new operating system from rival Microsoft Corp.
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The software giant announces several changes and plans for its Virtual PC software, which lets Windows run on Apple machines.
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Windows XP Service Pack 2 promises to raise the security bar for the sometimes beleaguered operating system. Unfortunately, one of the new features could be spoofed so that it reports misleading information
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It's possible that in the coming months that security-minded computer professionals will finally have a conclusive answer as to whether low malware attack rates for the Mac are due to the platform's low rate of adoption. Some experts believe that as adoption rates rise, so will attacks.
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Macs still have fewer bugs than Windows PCs, but Apple moves to plug security holes before problems crop up.