Russian security expert Eugene Kaspersky, co-founder of IT security company Kaspersky Labs, has said Linux and Mac users will be “easy targets” for hackers and malware writers over the next few years.

Linux and Mac users have enjoyed a secure past which has split opinions across the world as to why this is the case. Some believe that malicious virus writers and hackers do not target Apple OSX as it has a small percentage of the market share compared to Microsoft's Windows operating systems. The opposite opinion is that the Mac OS is inherently more secure than that of Windows so the same attacks do not work.

Apple ran an ad campaign in the UK where adverts claimed macs are not subjected to viruses. The Advertising Standards Authority in the UK cleared the adverts which included a national press ad, a regional press ad, a poster and two Internet and cinema ads.

Kaspersky goes on to mention that "Modern operating systems are flawed by design. Mac and Linux are not as secure as [users] think; criminals pay no attention to them at the moment, but they will be vulnerable — easy targets. The problem is that customers design the operating systems (either within open source communities or via market demand) and they choose flexibility over security.”

(NeoWin)