An OS X zero-day group may clarify security debate

Maybe Apple doesn't have dominant market share in the PC market. Maybe Apple is basically a consumer electronics company these days. But there is one sign of Apple's influence in the PC industry--the company is increasingly becoming a security target.

Ryan Naraine reports that Landon Fuller, the guy behind the month of Apple fixes project, says Apple's OS X may warrant a Zero-day Emergency Response Team-like group. Just the fact that OS X may need such a group shows the company's clout.

And if Apple gains in the enterprise--my hunch is it just might--a ZERT-ish group may be necessary.

One benefit of a ZERT-like group is clear: A dedicated team tracking Apple flaws would offer critical data about whether OS X is truly more secure than alternatives. Additional data would clarify whether Apple has benefited from security by obscurity due to its small market share.

Fuller touches on this a bit.

“I’m interested to see the ramifications that it has on the overall Macintosh security debate, if any. In the community, I do think that there is often a general dismissiveness of security concerns. I think that’s very unfortunate, as these are very complex issues and I feel that they’re important enough to deserve a fair evaluation. The Mac has a great security track record, but I think there’s great value in asking “why?” he argued.

Great value indeed.