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Apple Executives Admit That Dashboard Widgets Can Do Harm To Computer Files In Their New Operating System - Tiger. (AP Wire Services - Cupertino, CA).
In a brief press release, senior Apple executives admitted that a highly touted feature in the newly released OS X - Tiger called the Dashboard could open the system to malicious software. Within 2 weeks of Tiger’s debut, an independent developer demonstrated how a Dashboard element called a Widget could insert itself in the Dashboard and not be removed. Thus exposing a possible security hole into the system.
“Yes we admit to being caught off guard on this particular aspect of the Dashboard environment” noted Rob Schoeben VP of Applications Product Marketing at Apple. He continued “Our enthusiasm to deliver a new and useful tool to our users should have been tempered by a more realistic look at the issues of allowing third party applets to be easily loaded into our operating system. We firmly believe that Dashboard and widgets will be a key aspect of all future Apple operating systems, but that security elements to protect both the user and the system from malicious or poorly written widgets needs to be in place”.
He went on to say that a Tiger task force has been created to immediately address and solve these issues with the Dashboard element of Tiger. An update is planned by end of May 2005.
In a brief press release, senior Apple executives admitted that a highly touted feature in the newly released OS X - Tiger called the Dashboard could open the system to malicious software. Within 2 weeks of Tiger’s debut, an independent developer demonstrated how a Dashboard element called a Widget could insert itself in the Dashboard and not be removed. Thus exposing a possible security hole into the system.
“Yes we admit to being caught off guard on this particular aspect of the Dashboard environment” noted Rob Schoeben VP of Applications Product Marketing at Apple. He continued “Our enthusiasm to deliver a new and useful tool to our users should have been tempered by a more realistic look at the issues of allowing third party applets to be easily loaded into our operating system. We firmly believe that Dashboard and widgets will be a key aspect of all future Apple operating systems, but that security elements to protect both the user and the system from malicious or poorly written widgets needs to be in place”.
He went on to say that a Tiger task force has been created to immediately address and solve these issues with the Dashboard element of Tiger. An update is planned by end of May 2005.