Derek Currie
2006-06-08 19:00:33 UTC
One of the stupid/favorite winTroll excuses for Windows having thousands
of times more malware than Mac is that the Mac is 'obscure.' They say
that Windows having around 90% market share versus Mac having around 4%
market share justifies their conjecture.
Below I perform some calculations to prove this conjecture to be
ridiculous. I challenge the winTrolls, or anyone with an actual brain in
their head, to come up with an actual explanation for the disparity in
malware. I toss out a few ideas myself.
On with the calculations. To be fair I have performed the calculations
twice to provide both a maximum and minimum result based upon the number
of malware reported at different websites.
1) The McAfee calculation.
This is based on the fact that McAfee quote the figure of 180,000+
malware at their website:
<http://vil.nai.com/vil/default.aspx>
Let me walk you through my calculations:
I created a proportion of the percent of the computer community on
Windows, versus the current percent on Mac, and the number of malware
for Windows versus the number of malware for Mac. I then calculated the
required factor to make this proportion work. For the percent of user
figures I used 90% on Windows and 4% on Mac. For malware I generously
used the figure of 55 pieces for Mac, which includes that available for
ye olde Mac OS as well as the 5 not-in-the-wild pieces of malware for
MOSX. For Windows malware I quoted the current McAfee published figure
of 180,000 pieces minus the 55 that are for Mac. The factor that makes
this proportion work is 145, which means that on a PER USER BASIS there
are 145x MORE malware for Windows than for Mac.
.90 180,000 - 55
X --- = ------------ where X = 145
.04 55
2) The Symantec calculation:
Now, let's do some work on behalf of the winTrolls and create the most
conservative version of this calculation possible. To do this I will use
the figure of 60,000 Internet security-related threats, as determined by
Symantec in their Security Response online database:
<http://www.symantec.com/avcenter/search.html>
.90 60,000 - 55
X --- = ------------ where X = 48
.04 55
There are 48x more malware, on a PER USER BASIS, for Windows than Mac.
If one wanted to compare the malware on each OS by removing the
'obscurity' factor, and if there were no other mitigating factors
involved in writing malware for one OS versus another, you should expect
the number of malware on a PER USER BASIS to be identical for both
operating systems. Clearly this is NOT the case.
Simple statistics proves there is zero validity to the obscurity
argument. IT IS DEAD.
3) What is the REAL explanation of dramatically fewer malware for Mac,
on a PER USER BASIS than for Windows?
I personally do not have the answer. I challenge everyone to brainstorm
their own explanations and post them.
Below are a few personal thoughts, for whatever they are worth:
1) Windows is really is a far less secure operating system than Mac.
2) Windows users hate their OS far more than Mac users, leading to
revenge by way of malware.
3) There is a more malicious culture of cracking among Windows users,
possibly related to #2.
4) There are a lot better tools and much better documentation about
how to crack Windows than there is for Mac.
5) The ability to crack Windows is much easier than Mac, allowing
less sophisticated crackers, such as 'script kiddies' to join in on
malware creation and evolution.
Readers: feel absolutely free to quote my calculations in any posts you
make. It is publicly available data, and anyone trained in algebra can
make the calculation if they WANT to. Obviously winTrolls want to avoid
this statistic at all costs in pursuit of the agenda of lies, ignorance
and FUD.
And yes, winTrolls. Expect me to pull these calculations out of
mothballs every time you perpetrate your 'obscurity' lie in the future.
And expect me to update these calculations to include the ever
increasing amount of malware for Windows as well as the all of the
relatively stagnant amount of malware for Mac OS X. I would appreciate
it if fellow Mac advocates would do so as well.
CONCLUSION: No matter what factors you consider, Windows has
dramatically more malware on a PER USER BASIS than Mac OS X. This means
that Mac OS X is remarkably more secure, in this case regarding malware,
than Windows. As has been quoted from even the CEO of McAfee, security
conscious computer users should be using Macintosh.
of times more malware than Mac is that the Mac is 'obscure.' They say
that Windows having around 90% market share versus Mac having around 4%
market share justifies their conjecture.
Below I perform some calculations to prove this conjecture to be
ridiculous. I challenge the winTrolls, or anyone with an actual brain in
their head, to come up with an actual explanation for the disparity in
malware. I toss out a few ideas myself.
On with the calculations. To be fair I have performed the calculations
twice to provide both a maximum and minimum result based upon the number
of malware reported at different websites.
1) The McAfee calculation.
This is based on the fact that McAfee quote the figure of 180,000+
malware at their website:
<http://vil.nai.com/vil/default.aspx>
Let me walk you through my calculations:
I created a proportion of the percent of the computer community on
Windows, versus the current percent on Mac, and the number of malware
for Windows versus the number of malware for Mac. I then calculated the
required factor to make this proportion work. For the percent of user
figures I used 90% on Windows and 4% on Mac. For malware I generously
used the figure of 55 pieces for Mac, which includes that available for
ye olde Mac OS as well as the 5 not-in-the-wild pieces of malware for
MOSX. For Windows malware I quoted the current McAfee published figure
of 180,000 pieces minus the 55 that are for Mac. The factor that makes
this proportion work is 145, which means that on a PER USER BASIS there
are 145x MORE malware for Windows than for Mac.
.90 180,000 - 55
X --- = ------------ where X = 145
.04 55
2) The Symantec calculation:
Now, let's do some work on behalf of the winTrolls and create the most
conservative version of this calculation possible. To do this I will use
the figure of 60,000 Internet security-related threats, as determined by
Symantec in their Security Response online database:
<http://www.symantec.com/avcenter/search.html>
.90 60,000 - 55
X --- = ------------ where X = 48
.04 55
There are 48x more malware, on a PER USER BASIS, for Windows than Mac.
If one wanted to compare the malware on each OS by removing the
'obscurity' factor, and if there were no other mitigating factors
involved in writing malware for one OS versus another, you should expect
the number of malware on a PER USER BASIS to be identical for both
operating systems. Clearly this is NOT the case.
Simple statistics proves there is zero validity to the obscurity
argument. IT IS DEAD.
3) What is the REAL explanation of dramatically fewer malware for Mac,
on a PER USER BASIS than for Windows?
I personally do not have the answer. I challenge everyone to brainstorm
their own explanations and post them.
Below are a few personal thoughts, for whatever they are worth:
1) Windows is really is a far less secure operating system than Mac.
2) Windows users hate their OS far more than Mac users, leading to
revenge by way of malware.
3) There is a more malicious culture of cracking among Windows users,
possibly related to #2.
4) There are a lot better tools and much better documentation about
how to crack Windows than there is for Mac.
5) The ability to crack Windows is much easier than Mac, allowing
less sophisticated crackers, such as 'script kiddies' to join in on
malware creation and evolution.
Readers: feel absolutely free to quote my calculations in any posts you
make. It is publicly available data, and anyone trained in algebra can
make the calculation if they WANT to. Obviously winTrolls want to avoid
this statistic at all costs in pursuit of the agenda of lies, ignorance
and FUD.
And yes, winTrolls. Expect me to pull these calculations out of
mothballs every time you perpetrate your 'obscurity' lie in the future.
And expect me to update these calculations to include the ever
increasing amount of malware for Windows as well as the all of the
relatively stagnant amount of malware for Mac OS X. I would appreciate
it if fellow Mac advocates would do so as well.
CONCLUSION: No matter what factors you consider, Windows has
dramatically more malware on a PER USER BASIS than Mac OS X. This means
that Mac OS X is remarkably more secure, in this case regarding malware,
than Windows. As has been quoted from even the CEO of McAfee, security
conscious computer users should be using Macintosh.
--
Fortune Magazine, 11-29-05: What's your computer setup today?
Frederick Brooks: I happily use a Macintosh. It's not been equalled for ease
of use, and I want my computer to be a tool, not a challenge.
<http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2005/12/12/8363107/>
[Frederick Brooks is the author of 'The Mythical Man Month'. He spearheaded
the movement to modernize computer software engineering in 1975]
Fortune Magazine, 11-29-05: What's your computer setup today?
Frederick Brooks: I happily use a Macintosh. It's not been equalled for ease
of use, and I want my computer to be a tool, not a challenge.
<http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2005/12/12/8363107/>
[Frederick Brooks is the author of 'The Mythical Man Month'. He spearheaded
the movement to modernize computer software engineering in 1975]
