Gongol.com Archives: April 2025
April 17, 2025
For what seemed like the longest of times, to have an Apple computer was to think oneself impervious to cyberatttack. It was a fair enough assumption; Windows computers were much more susceptible for a variety of reasons related to their operating system architecture. ■ The resulting hazard, though, was that many Apple users took no interest in security issues and left themselves vulnerable by their sense of impunity. The recent discovery of sophisticated attacks that could compromise Apple devices illustrates the danger of over-confidence. ■ We know of the Apple vulnerabilities because they were documented by the CVE program, which provides a common clearinghouse for monitoring major computing vulnerabilities. It's a program whose very existence has come under attack, and even though it looks like the status quo will prevail for now, the scramble to establish a durable institution to house that research indefinitely is underway. ■ Having well-coordinated research and surveillance programs for cybersecurity vulnerabilties is one of the best large-scale steps a society can adopt. America's problem right now appears to be that not everyone realizes just how consequential these vulnerabilities can be and just how important a steady hand can be in the face of gray-zone threats. ■ Whoever imagined that cuts to the CVE program would be worthwhile "savings" is a person not to be taken seriously.
