Watch out, malware about

As we get closer to the release of Windows Vista the chatter has focussed on whether the new code will be more resistant to viruses and spyware.

The consensus seems to be that things will indeed be better but still not perfect. Respected anti-virus outfit Sophos shares that view but that hasn’t stopped one of the firm’s senior consultants from suggesting that home users avoid the issue altogether by getting a Macintosh.

That’s all well and good for anyone who is an Apple reseller, but not so good for the rest of us. Besides, if this actually happened and Apple captured significant market share, how far behind would the virus writers be? Also, once enough Linux makes it onto desktops, how long can the penguin fanciers expect to remain free of malware?

Surely this is just a numbers game to the increasingly organised criminals who are largely responsible for the latest malware.

Terrorists are unlikely to bother blowing up an empty train and virus writers are just as unlikely to target a platform with hardly any users.

With market share comes malware. That’s just an unfortunate reality.