M icrosoft Windows is the operating system of choice on many mission-critical computers at federal agencies, according to a column at the Baltimore Sun; but why? From the almost weekly major security holes, to the easily-written, but far-reaching viruses, Windows has proven itself to be insecure and untrustworthy time and again. What could these federal agencies do to protect themselves from such attacks? According to Dave Zeileris The Mac Experience, the answer is simple: Ditch Windows, use Macs. From the Baltimore Sun:
According to mi2g Ltd., a London-based computer security firm, August was the worst month ever for malware-related economic harm. Attacks caused $32.8 billion in worldwide damage. The company estimates the SoBig worm alone caused $29.7 billion in damage across the globe.
Still more sobering are mi2gis yearly estimates of malware damage -- rising from $800 million to $970 million in 1997, to between $88.3 billion and $107 billion so far this year.
If the terrorists are paying attention, and experience tells us they most likely are, a disastrous terrorist attack on our digital infrastructure could be just a matter of time.
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However, the use of Mac OS X in the fight against cyber terrorism never arose in those columns because it seemed a remote possibility.
After all, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security in July signed a five-year, $90 million contract with Microsoft to supply Windows software to its 140,000 employees. Although a department spokeswoman said the federal government doesnit endorse any particular platform, such a large-scale purchase comes off as a strong vote of confidence for Windows.
But on Aug. 26, the U.S. Office of Management and Budget added Mac OS X and Linux to a revision of its Technical Reference Model, a sort of stamp of approval for various technologies used by the federal government.
You can read much more of the interesting piece at the Baltimore Sunis Web site.