Safari Security Claims Ignite Controversy [8 bugs found in first day alone]

PCWorld ^ | 6/12/07 | Gregg Keizer

[Rodney King]

Hmm.. I thought Apple software didn’t have bugs.

[big'ol_freeper]

Pfft. Ok.

[theFIRMbss]

>I thought Apple software didn’t have bugs

So long as no one
uses it, it's rock solid!
Don't ask for the moon!

[Disturbin]

“Larholm agreed. “Given that Apple has had a lousy track record with security on OS X, in addition to a hostile attitude towards security researchers, a lot of people are expecting to see quite a number of vulnerabilities targeted towards this new Windows browser.””

The popular attitude of some pro-Mac folks is that there are no security risks associated with Macs.

[theFIRMbss]

>>I thought Apple software didn’t have bugs

Besides, give Apple
a break. All their Quality
Assurance sherpas

are struggling to fix
60% of the bugs
in the new iPhone...

[Spktyr]

Let’s also not forget that this is a *Beta* version of Safari/Windows.

Or should I mention all the bugs that are in the *release* version of IE?

[Spktyr]

Lousy? Hm. Please name one exploit of OS X that has been found in the wild.

[PajamaTruthMafia]

Maybe you missed this:

I can't speak for anybody else, but the bugs found in the beta copy of Safari on Windows work on the production copy on OS X as well," he said in a posting on the Errata site. "The exploit is robust mostly thanks to the lack of any kind of advanced security features in [Mac] OS X."

[Spktyr]

I will believe it when someone else confirms it (i.e., peer review).

Remember, people have claimed a lot of bugs with OS X before that have turned out to be a lot of hot air.

[GovernmentIsTheProblem]

Remember, people have claimed a lot of bugs with OS X before that have turned out Apple falsely claimed to be a lot of hot air.

[itsahoot]

"The exploit is robust mostly thanks to the lack of any kind of advanced security features in [Mac] OS X."

Do you work for Norton by chance? Just asking because this is the most blatant nonsense I have ever seen posted about OS X. I will email you my Static IP address and challenge you to get into my mac if you want to prove your statement.

[Liberty Valance]

"...in the Windows version of Safari Apple"

That explains that.

[SolitaryMan]

I found this on PC mag this morning and tried to post it here, but FR will not allow PC Mag content on the web site.

I installed Safari on my Vista desktop and XP laptop the day it was released. I’m using Safari right now on my laptop, nice program, but not nearly as customizable as IE or Firefox. I had to uninstall it from my Vista machine as it would not display any text in the title bar, address bar, drop down menus or even on the web page. definitely buggy.

[rightwingextremist1776]

As a computer security professional I just have to chuckle about all the Mac user claims of security. The fact is there is not one single computer anywhere this isn’t vulnerable to exploitation. One of the main reasons there is so much focus on Microsoft products is the fact that they are so prevalent. If someone is in the business of exploiting machines, the best platform to concentrate on is obviously MS products just because of the shear numbers. If the numbers were reversed, I’m sure that Macs would be victimized just as easily. If any of you Mac users think you are invincible, you obviously haven’t seen the number of exploits available to hackers\malicious software for the Mac platform.

[Star Traveler]

That’s why they call it a beta version.

I won’t be getting it until it goes final and probably, also, one revision past final. Then it will be stable and holes will be plugged.

Windows hasn’t had a Safari browser before and thus it will always have bugs when it’s first worked out in a new OS environment (i.e., Windows).

It’s going to be necessary for Safari on Windows because of Safari being necessary for the iPhone and how developers will be able to work with iPhone. Thus, they are coming out with it now, to get ready for it.

It’s not just going to be Apple Macintosh people who get iPhones, but Windows people who get it, too.

Regards,
Star Traveler

[SandRat]

Apple software doesn’t have bugs, they are “New Apple ‘Jobs,’” users will have to pay Apple for to get fixed.

[Chicos_Bail_Bonds]

"As a computer security professional I just have to chuckle about all the Mac user claims of security. The fact is there is not one single computer anywhere this isn’t vulnerable to exploitation. One of the main reasons there is so much focus on Microsoft products is the fact that they are so prevalent. If someone is in the business of exploiting machines, the best platform to concentrate on is obviously MS products just because of the shear numbers. If the numbers were reversed, I’m sure that Macs would be victimized just as easily. If any of you Mac users think you are invincible, you obviously haven’t seen the number of exploits available to hackers\malicious software for the Mac platform."

I believe you are correct. Macs make up something like 4.5% market share of all computers in the USA so most hackers aren't going to bother hacking them. The more prevelent they become (if) the more hackers will turn to them. Right now, there just aren't enough out there for the hackers to bother with the effort.

[PajamaTruthMafia]

Gee, you must have not really read the article either. If you had, you would have read this:

I can't speak for anybody else, but the bugs found in the beta copy of Safari on Windows work on the production copy on OS X as well," he said in a posting on the Errata site. "The exploit is robust mostly thanks to the lack of any kind of advanced security features in [Mac] OS X."

[snarks_when_bored]

Safari loads faster than Firefox, but each time it starts it insists on trying to connect to this or that IP number. No program should try to connect to the internet without asking the user whether it's okay to do so.

Also, the tab text and status bar text are too small and don't seem to be scalable. And the gray background color of the tab bar and the status bar is too dark.