By: As part of its current ad campaign, Apple suggests that Macs aren't vulnerable to the same Internet security problems PCs are.
But according to a new study by security vendor Symantec, the number of vulnerabilities identified in Apple's Safari browser in the first half of 2006 doubled over the prior six months - and it increased its window of exposure to Net-based exploits from zero days to five.
Microsoft's Internet Explorer browser still has a longer window of exposure - the time between when code exploiting a vulnerability appears and when a fix is available - and a greater total number of security holes. But Apple “is headed in the opposite direction” with respect to its browser's vulnerability to Internet-based threats, says Dave Cole, director of Symantec's Security Response team.
Baseline contacted Apple last week requesting comment on the Symantec study, but the company did not provide a response by our Friday deadline.
The tenth edition of Symantec's twice-yearly Internet Security Threat Report, to be released Sept. 25, analyzes network-based attacks and known software vulnerabilities for the first six months of 2006.
Read the full story on Baselinemag.com: Study: Apple's Exposure to Net Threats Rises
