Just as those living in shiny houses of self-righteous glass often end up surrounded by shards of their former sanctimony, so Apple Inc. now finds itself the increasingly appealing target of software hackers.
For years, Apple’s marketing has consisted of accentuating the positive and ignoring everything else. As hackers pillaged Microsoft’s Windows operating system, Apple stressed that its computer platform was relatively virus-free, most notably in that snarky ad campaign, “I’m a PC. I’m a Mac.” There was Windows, groaning under the weight of its security apparatus, like some knight of yesteryear packed in heavy armor who, once he fell off his horse, couldn’t get up again. And on the other side, there was Apple strutting about, smacking its gloves together and posing for the crowd.
But now Apple is becoming a victim of its own success, and the irony is just too great to miss. Anyone with a mild sense of history is keeping track. The main reason Apple had been left alone by hackers was not by virtue of any superior security technology, the company’s protestations to the contrary notwithstanding. Software is, after all, eminently hackable. Only sufficient motivation is required. And now that Apple’s platforms have become more popular, hackers are getting motivated.
Target: iPhone
Apple sold nearly 7.8 million Mac desktop and laptop computers in 2007. That’s a 37 percent gain over the number sold in 2006 and well more than double the 2001 volume. It’s little surprise then that reports of Mac viruses have been rising steadily.
Even more than the Mac, the iPhone makes for an attractive target. Apple tried to keep tight control on the iPhone platform, which is also based on the Mac OS. But iPhone-philes had other ideas. Hackers went to town on the iPhone from day one, opening it for service with nondesignated wireless providers…