Some people continually work under the assumption that the major computer companies and computer… Some people continually work under the assumption that the major computer companies and computer platforms fit nicely into one little mold.

Windows machines are dominant but unreliable. Apple machines are expensive but stable, and Linux machines are both stable and inexpensive — but only if you know how to use them properly.

This was all right when the percentages of the computer market remained the same.

Windows appeared insecure from a combination of security holes and the fact that hackers attack Microsoft because of its sheer dominance of the market.

Apple machines appear secure for opposite reasons.

Because of its Unix base, Mac OS X doesn’t have many of the security holes that plague Microsoft. Apple machines also represent only a small fraction of the computer market, so there are very few viruses written for Apple platforms.

The world is about to change, according to a report in ComputerWorld.

Gregg Keizer of ComputerWorld.com reported on Sept. 25 that a Russian organization of computer hackers was actively seeking attacks and viruses written for the Apple Mac OS X platform.

According to evidence the group left, hackers are being offered 43 cents for each Apple computer they successfully infect with malicious code.

What is the reason for this, and what does it mean for the future of computer stereotypes?

First, the increase in market share of Linux, which recently reached a full 1 percent of the market share, and the increase that Apple’s OS X saw made it possible for exploits on non-Windows systems to make more money.

The implications will undoubtedly include more wariness on the part of Apple users when surfing the Internet, as well as an increase in the availability of virus software available for OS X.

Pitt makes a version of Symantec AntiVirus for OS X available on its software.pitt.edu website.

If Microsoft’s Windows 7 operating system proves more reliable and secure than its predecessors, Microsoft might regain some of the losses it suffered when it pushed Windows Vista.

Windows 7, unlike Mac OS X, will have the benefit of being a younger operating system against which few attacks have been devised.

The implications might not be earth-shattering — after all, Apple still appears to sit comfortably in the minority of computer systems currently connected to the Web.

Hackers will undoubtedly continue to consider Microsoft Windows their system staple. But this new revelation does present some problems, especially for Apple.

If more and more full-on attacks target the OS X system, more and more security faults are sure to come. Will Apple be forced to offer security updates more often than it already does — like Microsoft?

If this is required, will Apple be able to continue its strangle hold on its image of infallible security?

It will be interesting to watch the future of the various roles played by the major computer platforms in the computer-buying universe unfold.

Perhaps Apple will prove to be more secure than Windows, Russian hackers will have problems and Apple will have a chance to boast.

Perhaps the Russians will bring some vulnerabilities to the forefront, and Apple will have some interesting doubts to address.

All computer users should begin taking the simple steps that might prevent computer vulnerabilities from being exploited.

Anti-virus software, no matter the system, is always a good idea.

Users should attempt to refrain from opening attachments connected to e-mails from unknown or non-trusted senders.

They should only perform downloads from the Internet if they are sure of the contents of the downloaded file and the identity of the content’s source.

The Internet is getting more dangerous every day.

Computerworld