Linux on Mac Could Spike Attackers' Interest

Mac enthusiasts have pushed Apple's (Nasdaq: AAPL) Boot Camp one step further to support Linux on the Intel-based Mac product line.

Apple released Boot Camp -- software that dual boots OS X and Windows XP on Intel-based Macs -- after a Mac fan figured out how to do it and released the source code.

Now, open source software is available that allows Mac users to load Linux onto the Intel-based Mac as well. It can be found on OnMac.net.

Security Concerns

The development hardly comes as a surprise -- it has been possible to run Red Hat (NYSE: RHT) Linux on PowerPCs for several years.

However, these expanding options for Mac users may come with a price: As it becomes more commonplace to load alternate operating systems on Intel-based Macs, security lapses and hacker attacks are sure to increase.

While only serious geeks might have run Red Hat on the PowerPC, users who are not as computer-literate -- the same people who tend to be less than rigorous about Internet security -- might be tempted to try Linux themselves on Intel-based computers.

"Mac users have historically lived under a false sense of security when it comes to Internet threats," Jon Kuhn, director of product management at SonicWALL told MacNewsWorld. "This is largely because the majority of threats have been directed toward Windows-based operating systems, which are more widely used in business networks worldwide; their availability for attack gives them greater statistical prominence."

That said, there is nothing inherently dangerous about using Linux on a Mac, he added. The risks are built into the Internet environment.

"Loading Linux onto an Apple effectively turns the machine into a Linux machine," he explained. "The machine is subject to those same vulnerabilities that would be present if the same Linux OS version was running on X86 and other hardware types."

Not a Mac Anymore

As is the case with running XP on a Mac, it is important to remember that running Linux on a Mac means the user is, well, no longer using a Mac.

"You have to take the OS-appropriate software security measures in that scenario," Mike Romo, Symantec (Nasdaq: SYMC) product manager for the Macintosh, told MacNewsWorld.

"So if you are running Linux you want to run Linux AV (antivirus) software." Running Linux does not render the user immune to virus or malware infiltration, he added. "If you are running Linux as the primary OS and are using the Internet, you are still open to security-based holes that Unix systems have."

It's Your Behavior, Stupid

Romo also notes that where you go on the Internet can be just as dangerous as running an unprotected OS. "The operating system is disappearing as far as the computer experience is concerned. Now, the computer experience is all about what you do online and how careful you are."

AV software, for instance, will not protect users from falling victim to cleverly disguised phishing attempts or from an online scam.

"We like to encourage skeptical computing," he said -- which is more about a user's behavior than the choice of operating system.