Risk: Informational
On 26th October, Apple unleashed Leopard, its latest Mac OS X operating system.
The eagerly awaited Leopard boasts 300 new features, including an easy to use desktop, a Quick Look feature which allows a user to view a file before it is opened and a Spaces application which helps to keep the desktop clutter free. Despite the brilliance of these applications, some experts believe that the features Apple has designed to protect a user's computer are not as secure as we are lead to believe.
The problems with Leopard's Firewall have been heavily published over the last month. If a user has upgraded from an existing Mac system which had a firewall activated, the protection may be de-activated.
In a separate development; a Trojan Horse has been built for the first time to attack Apple's OS X operating system. Users systems may be compromised through clicking on a link that may then burrow into the operating system and divert some of the victim's future web surfing to sites under the attacker's control.
Despite Leopard experiencing some initial flaws, it boasts many positive design features that users may find essential. Apple's new operating system has certainly led to divided opinion within the IT community.