Apple to discuss iOS security at 2012 Black Hat conference
For the first time ever, Apple will be presenting at the Black Hat security conference this week, highlighting key security technologies in the iOS mobile operating system.
Apple's scheduled appearance at Black Hat was profiled on Tuesday by Bloomberg, which noted that prior to this year, Apple has been "noticeably absent" in the 15 years that the conference has been held in Las Vegas, Nev. This Thursday, Dallas De Atley, manager of Apple's platform security team, is scheduled to give a presentation on iOS security.
"It's significant because in recent years, Apple products have been stripped of their image of being hack-proof," author Jordan Robertson wrote. "The company's rise has made it a bigger target, as hackers have been discovering bugs in the iPhone since it came out in 2007."
Trey Ford, general manager of Black Hat, told Bloomberg that Apple's marketing team is "on board" with De Atley's presentation, as "no one at Apple speaks without marketing approval."
Apple has recently softened its language on security, and last month the company gained publicity when it toned down some of the marketing speak on its website related to viruses on the Mac. The website used to boldly claim that Apple's OS X operating system "doesn't get PC viruses," but since then the company changed the page to say that OS X is "built to be safe."
Earlier this year, more than 600,000 Macs were estimated to have been infected by a trojan horse named "Flashback." More than half of the Macs believed to be infected by the botnet were found in the U.S. alone, before Apple released a number of software updates to stop the spread of the malware.
As for the iOS platform found on the iPhone and iPad, repeated studies have shown that Apple's mobile operating system is more secure than Google's Android platform, where malware is more commonly found. However, some malware has even found its way onto Apple's iOS App Store, even though all applications found on the digital storefront must first be reviewed and approved before they can be made available for public download.
Apple's scheduled appearance at Black Hat was profiled on Tuesday by Bloomberg, which noted that prior to this year, Apple has been "noticeably absent" in the 15 years that the conference has been held in Las Vegas, Nev. This Thursday, Dallas De Atley, manager of Apple's platform security team, is scheduled to give a presentation on iOS security.
"It's significant because in recent years, Apple products have been stripped of their image of being hack-proof," author Jordan Robertson wrote. "The company's rise has made it a bigger target, as hackers have been discovering bugs in the iPhone since it came out in 2007."
Trey Ford, general manager of Black Hat, told Bloomberg that Apple's marketing team is "on board" with De Atley's presentation, as "no one at Apple speaks without marketing approval."
Apple has recently softened its language on security, and last month the company gained publicity when it toned down some of the marketing speak on its website related to viruses on the Mac. The website used to boldly claim that Apple's OS X operating system "doesn't get PC viruses," but since then the company changed the page to say that OS X is "built to be safe."
Earlier this year, more than 600,000 Macs were estimated to have been infected by a trojan horse named "Flashback." More than half of the Macs believed to be infected by the botnet were found in the U.S. alone, before Apple released a number of software updates to stop the spread of the malware.
As for the iOS platform found on the iPhone and iPad, repeated studies have shown that Apple's mobile operating system is more secure than Google's Android platform, where malware is more commonly found. However, some malware has even found its way onto Apple's iOS App Store, even though all applications found on the digital storefront must first be reviewed and approved before they can be made available for public download.
Comments
Speaking of security isn't it around time an iPhone prototype shows up in a San Francisco bar. I think its long over do.
Speaking of iOS security I just read that there is a Windows malware app that has been discovered in the App Store
http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-13727_7-57478793-263/windows-malware-slips-into-apples-ios-app-store/
The legions of tech pundits that shill for Android and Microsoft will will spin this as an Apple mea-culpa on security and how iOS/OS X is as insecure and malware ridden as Android and Windows.
Quote:
Originally Posted by mstone
Speaking of iOS security I just read that there is a Windows malware app that has been discovered in the App Store
http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-13727_7-57478793-263/windows-malware-slips-into-apples-ios-app-store/
That's hilarious - it's a Windows virus hiding in an iOS app.
Quote:
Originally Posted by markbyrn
That's hilarious - it's a Windows virus hiding in an iOS app.
You do realize that more iPhones are used by Windows users than Mac users, right?
Quote:
Originally Posted by mstone
You do realize that more iPhones are used by Windows users than Mac users, right?
Shhhh... let the iHating trolls have their moment of sad fun... there's been bad Android news lately (and more coming) so let them feel like they are important for once.. which in reality they are insignificant.
Quote:
Originally Posted by mstone
You do realize that more iPhones are used by Windows users than Mac users, right?
Of course, I use Windows and I have two different security suites to try and keep out the countless number of worms and viruses that are created nearly everyday for the MS platform. But to suggest that iOS is insecure because it might be used as a conduit to transmit a Windows virus is absurd and I certainly don't want iOS to be bloated with Windows AV scanners.
Quote:
Originally Posted by markbyrn
But to suggest that iOS is insecure because it might be used as a conduit to transmit a Windows virus is absurd and I certainly don't want iOS to be bloated with Windows AV scanners.
Who in this thread suggested that? You seem to be the only one jumping to conclusions.
In this instance, iOS is not insecure but the vetting process for software needs to improve.
On another note; running two security suites that do the same thing would indicate that neither one works well. It might be time to ditch both and find something else.
Quote:
Originally Posted by PBRSTREETG
In this instance, iOS is not insecure but the vetting process for software needs to improve.
On another note; running two security suites that do the same thing would indicate that neither one works well. It might be time to ditch both and find something else.
Both suites probably work equally well. Happens all the time. The two suites end up dueling over which has the role. Often times new computers come with McAfee but people end up installing Symantec also. Both softwares have extreme resistance to being uninstalled because disabling the AV is the first order of business for any malicious program.
Having any AV package on Windows really cuts into your resources. Can you imagine having two? Unless you have a really powerful machine everything will slow down to a crawl.
Perhaps this is a step Apple is taking to eliminate significant unknown vulnerabilities. If I recall correctly, Apple has hired some high-level security personnel with a focus on tightening things down. As the iOS and Mac OS X become more popular, the target appears more interesting to those creating threats. Keeping ahead of them is a wise choice. It would appear likely that a hint of direction will be given during the presentation. What is said, and what isn't said, will be of particular interest.