Replies

Its real simple...

ANY software (windows, linux, or any other program) that is so WIDELY USED, and is basically the "standard" is a HUGE TARGET for 'hackers'.

When these people design a virus or trojan or whatever, they exploit little featurs or holes. Those features and holes are almost always exclusive to that particular software.

To put it short... windows has so many virus' because so many people run windows.

A 'hacker' knows that 92% of Home PC users (non business and so probably easier to infiltrate) run a vanilla version of windows98/2k/me/xp)... so you have a higher chance of 'success' with a "target base" (windows machines) that is many millions more than its nearest competitor.

Plus like I said.. most of the Non-Windows machines out there(IE LINUX boxes running Apache/MySql/PHP) are run by hard core IT nerds who REALLY know what they are doing. A virus designer, like a spam 'artist' will seek the path of least resistance.

So you have an 'easier' target, and many millions more 'potential' targets IF you design your 'virus' to exploit something in windows.

If 95% of 'clueless' home PC users were running some flavor of LINUX, I would expect just as many problems, exploits, or holes would be found (though due to open src, would most likely get fixed faster and more efficently)

Oh yeah, and you "get a mac" people, same goes for you.

There is nothing 'magical' about OSX... its just that the only real 'market' that MACs own is the graphic production and print industries.

As percentage of MACs grow in the 'home user' market you can expect more and more 'trojans' and 'viri' to increase proportionally.

BINGO!

A 'hacker' knows that 92% of Home PC users (non business and so probably easier to infiltrate) run a vanilla version of windows98/2k/me/xp)... so you have a higher chance of 'success' with a "target base" (windows machines) that is many millions more than its nearest competitor.

I have been a Software Engineer since 1972 and have worked with every operating system that has been invented.

Today, I am often requested to translate my software to LINUX, but I simply ask why? It is called market share, and I target my software toward the majority of users.

Why does MS Windows have the majority of attacks? Because it has the largest market share!