Will Intel Macs be vulnerable?

pmbooks · Dec 29, 2005, 01:53 PM

Is it just the Windoze OS that's the target of the majority of virus attacks, or will the Intel inside make Macs more succeptible?

belvdr · Dec 29, 2005, 02:14 PM

The OS and applications are what cause the vulnerabilities. The architecture has nothing to do with it.

mkrishnan · Dec 29, 2005, 02:19 PM

Some people claim that the x86 processor family is more susceptible to buffer overflow exploits than the PPC family is. I don't understand all the details myself, but the basic idea is that in many cases the core issue of security vulnerabilities is that under certain situations, data that is supposed to be "information," but not "code," in that it is put in a place where executable code is not supposed to reside (i.e. inside a graphic file, or whatever), is allowed to act as code. The buffer overrun issue appears to be an area where a number of these exploit possibilities exist.

You can see more in this thread:

http://forums.macrumors.com/showthre...urity+overflow

belvdr · Dec 29, 2005, 02:22 PM

Yeah, but if I run Darwin on x86 or PPC, it doesn't matter. The OS is handling the memory allocation and such.

BornAgainMac · Dec 29, 2005, 03:48 PM

Any evidence supporting this claim with Linux on Intel? Perhaps there is a fact sheet posted on Microsoft's website.

Fictional site: www.microsoft.com/security=intelsfault.asp

Mikael · Dec 30, 2005, 02:39 AM

The NX bit in AMD K8 CPUs and Execute Disable bit in Intel CPUs are there to prevent buffer overflow exploits.

http://www.intel.com/business/bss/in...rity/xdbit.htm

mkrishnan · Dec 30, 2005, 09:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mikael

The NX bit in AMD K8 CPUs and Execute Disable bit in Intel CPUs are there to prevent buffer overflow exploits.

http://www.intel.com/business/bss/in...rity/xdbit.htm

Thank you for the link!

So it says it's on the Pentium 4 line, and I'm assuming it's on the Pentium M as well? Is it on current Celerons?

Interesting that it is not supported by the latest Win2k. I guess that actually is one of the first relevant reasons to upgrade to XP!

wasimyaqoob · Dec 30, 2005, 08:33 PM

I read an article that said that Intel chips are more likely to attract hackers, because in order for the chips to work properly, Mac have to recode the OS therefore causing a loop hole which hackers can use - Only something I read but if its true, who knows?

Dec 29, 2005, 01:53 PM	#1
pmbooks macrumors regular Join Date: May 2005	Will Intel Macs be vulnerable? Is it just the Windoze OS that's the target of the majority of virus attacks, or will the Intel inside make Macs more succeptible?
	0

Dec 29, 2005, 02:19 PM	#3
mkrishnan Demi-God (Moderator emeritus) Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Grand Rapids, MI, USA	Some people claim that the x86 processor family is more susceptible to buffer overflow exploits than the PPC family is. I don't understand all the details myself, but the basic idea is that in many cases the core issue of security vulnerabilities is that under certain situations, data that is supposed to be "information," but not "code," in that it is put in a place where executable code is not supposed to reside (i.e. inside a graphic file, or whatever), is allowed to act as code. The buffer overrun issue appears to be an area where a number of these exploit possibilities exist. You can see more in this thread: http://forums.macrumors.com/showthre...urity+overflow __________________ Mohan
	0

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Dec 29, 2005, 02:14 PM	#2
belvdr macrumors 68040 Join Date: Aug 2005	The OS and applications are what cause the vulnerabilities. The architecture has nothing to do with it.
	1

Dec 29, 2005, 02:22 PM	#4
belvdr macrumors 68040 Join Date: Aug 2005	Yeah, but if I run Darwin on x86 or PPC, it doesn't matter. The OS is handling the memory allocation and such.
	0

Dec 29, 2005, 03:48 PM	#5
BornAgainMac macrumors 601 Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Florida Resident	Any evidence supporting this claim with Linux on Intel? Perhaps there is a fact sheet posted on Microsoft's website. Fictional site: www.microsoft.com/security=intelsfault.asp
	0

Dec 30, 2005, 02:39 AM	#6
Mikael macrumors regular Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Gothenburg, Sweden	The NX bit in AMD K8 CPUs and Execute Disable bit in Intel CPUs are there to prevent buffer overflow exploits. http://www.intel.com/business/bss/in...rity/xdbit.htm
	0

Dec 30, 2005, 08:33 PM	#8
wasimyaqoob macrumors 6502a Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: London, England.	I read an article that said that Intel chips are more likely to attract hackers, because in order for the chips to work properly, Mac have to recode the OS therefore causing a loop hole which hackers can use - Only something I read but if its true, who knows?
	0


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