InfoWorld: Mac (in)security: How to secure Macs in business

As Macs make their way into the enterprise, IT needs to address these six security flaws before disaster strikes

JULY 14, 2008
By Glenn Fleishman

Macs are immune from security threats, right? It's Windows we have to worry about. That water-cooler wisdom needs to be flipped on its head, security experts and IT managers warn. Microsoft has gotten its security act together with Vista and its current security-response program; meanwhile, Apple is fast becoming the company most in need of getting its security mojo going.

Many IT and security managers who have focused on securing Windows need to turn their attention to the Mac OS, as these six Mac security flaws attest. And with Macs increasingly making their way into the enterprise, they shouldn't wait: According to a recent Yankee Group study, 80 percent of senior managers at 700 companies had Macs in house, with 21 percent boasting 50 or more Macs in use.

A few security holes in Mac OS X are already known, such as the unpatched ARDAgent vulnerability. But that's not where the principal Mac security threat lies. From interviews with security experts and corporate IT managers, it's clear that security concerns and potential risks are much more quotidian -- exactly the kind of bread-and-butter stuff that is easy to ignore, especially for Macs, where IT's familiarity with the Mac is slight because users have typically managed the computers themselves.

It's time for IT to figure out where the Mac's security holes are so that you can plug them before your corporate knowledge starts bubbling out. Here are the six main flaws you should focus on.

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