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Trusteer CEO says Google switch is not a recommended security practice for enterprise to fight targeted attacks
June 2010 by Mickey Boodaei, Trusteer’s CEO
Reports that Google are planning to drop the Microsoft operating system for security reasons following targeted attacks they’ve been suffering may lead other enterprises to follow this practice. Adopting this practice by enterprises will not improve their defences against targeted attacks, according to Trusteer the provider of secure browsing services.
“Enterprises that are considering shifting to an operating system like Mac or Linux should realize that although there are less malware programs available against these platforms, the shift will not solve the targeted attacks problem and may even make it worse," said Mickey Boodaei, Trusteer’s CEO.
“Mac and Linux are not more secure than Windows. They’re less targeted. There is a big difference. If you choose a less targeted platform then there is less of a chance of getting infected with standard viruses and Trojans that are not targeting you specifically. This could be an effective way of reducing infection rates for companies that suffer frequent infections”, he added.
However, when it comes to targeted attacks this approach offers little value and may even increase exposure.
“In a targeted attack where criminals decide to target a specific enterprise because they’re interested in its data assets, they can very easily learn the type of platform used (for example Mac or Linux) and then build malware that attacks this platform and release it against the targeted enterprise,” said Boodaei.
According to Boodaei, ”The security community is years behind when it comes to security products for Mac and Linux. Therefore there is much less chance that any security product will be able to effectively detect and block this attack. By taking the action of that the enterprise increases its exposure to targeted attacks, not reducing it.”
