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A friend has sent you a link to the following article: http://mac360.com/index.php/mac360/comments/1051/ January kicks off the “Month of Apple Bugs“ project, featuring a new Mac bug each day. This is a ridiculous publicity stunt designed to inflate a technogeek’s ego and could harm Mac users. If exposing operating system bugs and exploits in public is fun to those guys, then they probably love tossing kittens into a microwave. Both are ridiculous, feed an overinflated ego for publicity hounds, and dangerous to you and me and our Macs. This “bug a day” thing began last summer with the now infamous Month of Browser Bugs which purported to expose security holes in the most popular browsers. That junior high school prank was followed up with the now notorious Month of Kernel Bugs which exposed a bunch of exploits on Macs, Linux, wireless products, and so on. Finding a bug in an operating system, a browser, or any software or hardware is one thing. Telling the public what it is and where it is could be considered criminal, dangerous, and worse than unethical. What’s next with these guys? Will they divulge the whereabouts of all US troops in Iraq? After reading Brian Krebs piece in the Washington Post, tell me how you feel. The folks behind this absurd and irresponsible behavior say they’re doing it because they’ve notified the browser makers, the operating system makers, and everyone else—but nothing has been done to plug the exploits and security holes. Hello? Do these people have any idea how long it may take to track down and plug a problem in an operating system? I don’t either, but I doubt that it’s an overnight job. Listen, at best, all browsers, operating systems, complex software will have problems, bugs, potential exploits, and so on. It’s the nature of the business. We know our Macs are not bulletproof. {embed=“360adserver/content_rectangle”}Ditto for Windows and Linux. Double ditto for browsers, other software, even some hardware products. What’s the point of finding such exploits in Mac OS X, Safari, Firefox, or whatever, and then exposing said exploits to the public? All that does is invite malware makers to a new list of fun and games. It may very well be true that Apple does not move to plug exploits or problems as quickly as some so-called experts claim is necessary. For me, the average Mac user, Apple moves just fine because the Mac is far more secure than the typical Windows PC. I want Apple to continue to improve the Mac’s security record. I wish for a hex to fall on the pea-brained, pimple-faced, Clearasil-toting, 8-bit membered, junior high school Geeks Without Girls™ who expose what they know to the similarly endowed malware miscontents. They endanger my Mac. This irresponsible publicity stunt endangers your Mac. What is to be gained by such behavior? Only an increase in the space between the ears of these security anti-heroes.