So when Apple issues an "official response", is it on some special stationery? Does it bear an official Apple seal? Is it on 100% recycled paper? But more important, if the researcher is anonymous, how does Apple know where to send the response?

Compared to what? Compared to other OS vendors, such as, maybe, you know, Microsoft? No IT professional in his right mind would connect any PC running Windows to the Internet without multiple layers of anti-virus, anti-spam, anti-spyware defenses.

I have four Macs at home, two of which have publicly-addressable static IP addresses. They are protected by nothing other than ipfw. In twelve years of owning Macs, I have never suffered a single virus infection, spyware installation, web page hijacking, etc.

No one with a clue thinks Macs are invulnerable. On the other hand, the number of serious, high-profile attacks on Macintoshes (anyone remember Melissa?) speaks for itself.

If Apple has "a very long way to go" in computer security, what does that say about the rest of the industry?

Ahh this is fun. This is like the Global Warming Theory business. You shoot some shots first, up in the air, like fireworks. No names, no proofs, no nothing. You get the media to eat it, and then harvest the the attention. You'll be famous and the money will follow, soon.

The CLAIM will be on all world-wide-medias front pages, and with some luck this becomes The Fact. It becomes the The Final Truth: Mac's are just as insecure as [ insert your favorite here ]. It's on the media. It must be true.

But who did it ?

TMO is a little late reporting this, and it surprises me a little that they would walk right into this one without mentioning all the doubt that has built up in the time since this was first reported. If it were me, I'd be afraid of reporting this without including a truckload of salt in my headline. From all the nebulous claims and weird happenings to this story, I'm laying my money on a hoax.

Apparently the guy in question has. . .

Disappeared!

Like Kaiser Soze! hmmmm

http://www.tuaw.com/2007/07/19/alleged-os-x-worm-creator-disappears/

If Apple has a long way to go then Microsoft better close shop on Windows. I don't consider it a long way to go when he can only find one exploit compared to the hundred's of thousands that have been found on Windows. So who does he think he's kidding here anyways. Also his is only a theory versus the hundreds of thousands that were reality with Microsoft's Windows. Millions of dollars lost in information and businesses because of Microsoft's LACK OF SECURITY. I think Apple has about an inch compared to Microsoft's 100,000 Light years.
To date, no spyware on OSX, no malware on OSX, and no viruses on OSX.
Windows has it all with more and more coming out everyday. Windows users have to spend there money and time on antivirus software, and anti-spyware software while OSX users just use there Macs for what they want to use them for.

So what were you saying Mr. anonymous?

FUD

See the ArsTechnica article.

I have owned a mac since 1990. Only once did I have a problem with my computer propagating a virus, because at the time I had no virus protection. Since I started using Norton Antivirus I have had no problems. I will trust a Mac before any other machine on the planet, especially a Windows machine. They are the ones that seem to continually get cracked.