{"id":424,"date":"2012-12-24T12:27:10","date_gmt":"2012-12-24T17:27:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.nccomputertech.com\/?p=424"},"modified":"2012-12-24T12:27:10","modified_gmt":"2012-12-24T17:27:10","slug":"where-os-x-security-stands-after-a-volatile-2012","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/2012\/12\/24\/where-os-x-security-stands-after-a-volatile-2012\/","title":{"rendered":"Where OS X security stands after a volatile 2012"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

2012 was an “exciting” year for OS X security\u2014at least if you’re a security expert or researcher. There were plenty of events to keep people on their toes. Although Apple took some egg on the face for some of them, overall, the company came out ahead when it came down to keeping users safe.
\nAt least that’s the opinion of some security researchers who followed OS X developments throughout the year.
\nBack to the Flashback
\nRemember Flashback? That malware first made its way onto the Mac in 2011, but never became widespread enough for most users to even become aware of it\u2014until earlier this year. Suddenly, Apple was faced with arguably the first truly high-profile malware to appear on OS X, right as Apple was appearing more than ever in the media.
\nThe incident sparked plenty of hemming and hawing about the end of “security through obscurity” for Apple. Researchers and pundits alike argued that Apple’s continued popularity could only lead to more attacks on security, whether they occur on iOS or the Mac. Indeed, it’s hard to deny that malicious attacks on Mac users are increasing in frequency, and Apple did take some flak for talking a big security game for so long while simultaneously leaving open a Java hole for two whole months after it was first patched by Oracle.
\nRemoval of Java
\nBut despite this stumble, the Flashback fiasco was the catalyst for one of the most meaningful decisions Apple made in order to beef up OS X security.
\n“Flashback both led to Apple removing Java from their default installs, and prompted them to release a dedicated cleanup tool,” security researcher (and former security engineer for Obama for America) Ben Hagen told Ars. “When an OS vendor releases a dedicated cleanup tool, you know things are bad.”
\nHagen pointed out the need existed for Apple to release its own Flashback cleanup tool because the Mac anti-malware market and user base “is relatively immature.” But the bigger decision to come out of Flashback was to reduce the role of Java in OS X users’ lives as much as possible, unless the user specifically installs it.
\nFull Story: Where OS X security stands after a volatile 2012 | Ars Technica<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

2012 was an “exciting” year for OS X security\u2014at least if you’re a security expert or researcher. There were plenty […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[2,7,9,10],"tags":[84,507,549,785,950],"class_list":["post-424","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-apple","category-security","category-software","category-technology","tag-apple-2","tag-idevices","tag-ios","tag-os-x","tag-security-2"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/papNkV-6Q","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":8004,"url":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/2015\/04\/10\/latest-version-of-os-x-closes-backdoor-like-bug-that-gives-attackers-root\/","url_meta":{"origin":424,"position":0},"title":"Latest version of OS X closes Backdoor-like bug that gives attackers root","author":"NCCT","date":"April 10, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"For at least four years, a bug in Apple's OS X gave untrusted users\u2014and possibly remote hackers with only limited control of their target\u2014unfettered \"root\" privileges over Macs. The vulnerability is being called a \"hidden backdoor\" by Emil Kvarnhammar, the security researcher who discovered the bug and privately reported it\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Apple"","block_context":{"text":"Apple","link":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/category\/apple\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/backdoor-640x425.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/backdoor-640x425.png?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/backdoor-640x425.png?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":8157,"url":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/2015\/04\/29\/researcher-claims-that-attackers-can-easily-bypass-current-osx-security-tools\/","url_meta":{"origin":424,"position":1},"title":"Researcher claims that attackers can easily bypass current OSX security tools","author":"NCCT","date":"April 29, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Most Mac users feel as though they are impenetrable to viruses and malicious software, but according to one researcher that is not the case. While Apple has its fair share if security measures in place, recent data has surfaced suggesting those tools are \u201ctrivial\u201d for any attacker to bypass. For\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Apple"","block_context":{"text":"Apple","link":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/category\/apple\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":6106,"url":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/2014\/07\/30\/13-things-os-x-yosemite-beta-testers-need-to-know\/","url_meta":{"origin":424,"position":2},"title":"13 things OS X Yosemite beta testers need to know","author":"NCCT","date":"July 30, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"For the first time since the OS X beta test of 2000, Apple is allowing Mac users to test and provide feedback on a prerelease version of OS X. The first 1 million people to sign up for the beta program through Apple\u2019s Web page\u2014which crashed under heavy traffic on\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Apple"","block_context":{"text":"Apple","link":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/category\/apple\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":5757,"url":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/2014\/06\/13\/dailytech-apple-reveals-os-x-yosemite-gives-it-a-fresh-coat-of-paint\/","url_meta":{"origin":424,"position":3},"title":"DailyTech – Apple Reveals OS X “Yosemite”, Gives it a Fresh Coat of Paint","author":"NCCT","date":"June 13, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Apple's PC operating system gets an iOS 7-style makeover OS X is Apple\u2019s premiere desktop operating system, and it\u2019s getting a big update with OS X 10.10 \u201cYosemite\u201d. The \u201cflat\u201d user interface that was first introduced with iOS 7 has been deftly transferred to OS X. So for people that\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Apple"","block_context":{"text":"Apple","link":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/category\/apple\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":3213,"url":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/2013\/08\/20\/researchers-manage-to-get-malware-published-in-apples-ios-app-store\/","url_meta":{"origin":424,"position":4},"title":"Researchers manage to get malware published in Apple's iOS App Store","author":"NCCT","date":"August 20, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"While the posting of malware remains a rare occurrence on Apple's iOS App Store, a team of security researchers figured out a way to get a malicious piece of software past Apple's certification team. The team from Georgia Tech said that the app was approved and published by Apple in\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Apple"","block_context":{"text":"Apple","link":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/category\/apple\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":6142,"url":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/2014\/08\/06\/department-of-homeland-security-warns-retailers-of-backoff-pos-malware-techspot\/","url_meta":{"origin":424,"position":5},"title":"Department of Homeland Security warns retailers of ‘Backoff’ POS malware – TechSpot","author":"NCCT","date":"August 6, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"The Department of Homeland Security yesterday issued an alert about a point-of-sale malware that was used in a string of recent attacks by cyber criminals. Dubbed Backoff, the malware has been witnessed on at least three separate forensic investigations since late 2013 and continues to operate today. According to US-CERT,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Security"","block_context":{"text":"Security","link":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/category\/security\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/424","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=424"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/424\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=424"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=424"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=424"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}