Mac OS X Lion: Roaring Security
No doubt, when it comes to security, Apple’s new Mac OS X Lion is shedding its spots and is ready to roar. As the dust has settled on the release of Apple’s Mac OS X Lion, unveiled July 20, experts have started asking, “Yes, but is it secure?”And thus far, the short answer appears to be ‘yes.’
The latest Mac OS (version 10.7) comes equipped with a slew of security enhancements—some major, others incremental—designed to harden the operating system, bolster security defenses and ultimately make the system more resilient to security threats.
That said, experts maintain that with Lion still in its infancy, many of the new or enhanced security mechanisms have yet to pass the test of time. But at least Apple has given its new OS a fighting chance. Here are 10 of the Mac OS X security features users can expect to find.
Full Address Space Layout Randomization
This feature, inherent in the new Mac OS X Lion, will make it a lot more challenging for cyber criminals to exploit security vulnerabilities.Specifically, the Address Space Layout Randomization (ASLR) security feature thwarts exploits by randomizing the arrangement position of key data areas, which make it more challenging for hackers to predict target addresses and launch attacks.
While Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard first introduced the ASLR feature, it was limited to libraries, and missed randomizing the stack and heap.
The ASLR feature baked into Mac OS X Lion, however, is fully implemented, covering 32 and 64-bit applications, and is expected to be a big step up from its feline predecessor.
