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Euguene Kaspersky, CEO of security software firm Kaspersky Lab, has waded into the Apple security argument by declaring Mac OS X is 10 years behind its rival Microsoft.
Speaking at the Computer Business Review at Info Security 2012 show in London this week, Kaspersky said that when it comes to computer security, Apple’s Mac platform was a decade behind Microsoft’s own security, and that it’s got some things to learn from its rival.
“They will understand very soon that they have the same problems Microsoft had 10 or 12 years ago,” Kaspersky said in an interview. “They will have to make changes in terms of the cycle of updates and so on and will be forced to invest more into their security audits for the software.”
The declaration from Kasperky comes hot on the heels of Flashback, a high-profile piece of Mac malware that is estimated to have infected more than 600,000 macs across the world.
Apple took a lot of flack for not responding sooner, but Apple has, in fact, increase its detection and removal tool ahead of the official fix.
The last two major Mac updates for Mac OS X have come with a built-in malware scanner called XProtect that is able to spot and quarantine known malware
The company has plans to make sure that any software downloaded from its app store is compliant with new rules and safeguards that will mean apps can’t access user files or other parts of the OS.
Apple’s also announced Gatekeeper, a technology that will be built into the upcoming release of OS X Mountain Lion, that gives users a way to install only software that’s been signed by registered developers.
Even with those things on tap, Kaspersky argues that Apple’s success will continue to make the Mac a bigger target.
“Cyber criminals have now recognized that Mac is an interesting area. Now we have more [malware], it’s not just Flashback or Flashfake,” Kaspersky told CBR. “Welcome to Microsoft’s world, Mac. It’s full of malware”
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