Apple's software chief faults Mac security to keep grip on iPhone app store
Apple Inc.’s top software engineer criticized the
security of his own Mac operating system in a bid to explain why the company
shouldn’t be forced by a judge to loosen its hold over iPhone and iPad app
distribution, as Epic Games Inc. is demanding.
Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of software
engineering, testified Wednesday at a trial in federal court in Oakland,
California, that his experience with imported malware on the macOS system shows
how security would be eroded if the company allowed iPhone and iPad users to install
software from the web or other stores, as it does on the Mac.
“Today we have a level of malware on the Mac that we don’t find
acceptable,” primarily because the system allows users to install software that
isn’t vetted by Apple, Federighi said. That makes it less secure than iOS and
iPadOS, the operating systems that power the iPhone and iPad, he said.
Allowing apps from other stores or places on the iPhone would
create a “very, very bad situation for our customers,” including “a huge
decrease in their safety,” Federighi said.
He also said iPhones and iPads have security protections,
including the App Store review
process, to keep the products free from malware.
Later in his testimony, Federighi said that despite its malware
problems, the Mac is the safest choice among personal computers and is more
secure than those running Microsoft Corp.’s Windows operating system.
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