Apple seeks outside help on OS X security

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CHICAGO, May 14 (UPI) -- Apple has asked Russian computer security company Kaspersky Labs to analyze its OS X operating system to improve its security, a Kaspersky official says.

Nikolai Grebennikov, chief technical officer at Kaspersky, said Apple is beginning to take steps to take OS X security more seriously following the recent high-profile Flashback malware episode, arstechnica.com reported.

More than a half-million Macs were infected by Flashback thanks to a then-unpatched Java vulnerability in OS X.

"Mac OS is really vulnerable, and Apple recently invited us to improve its security. We've begun an analysis of its vulnerabilities, and the malware targeting it," Grebennikov told Computing News.

"Our first investigations show Apple doesn't pay enough attention to security," Grebennikov said. "For example, Oracle closed a vulnerability in Java, which was a target for a major botnet, several months ago."

Security researchers have long argued Macs were only perceptibly "safer" because of their relatively low market share, but that hackers would eventually turn their attention to the Apple platform.

"Market share brings attacker motivation," Kaspersky Labs said in April. "Expect more drive-by downloads, more Mac OS X mass-malware."