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Microsoft vs Apple: Which OS is more secure? - All Articles - CISO Platform

Microsoft vs Apple: Which OS is more secure?

Contrary to the common man belief that 'Windows is very insecure', Microsoft has been very proactive in security. Apple iOS has a great deal of security too, it is described in its building from scratch in the iOS security document. Here are the few points I found great for mention. Here's a small video which has the debate on.

Watch video[9 min]:

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Microsoft(Windows)

  • Have made great changes in terms of security eg. Security Development Lifecycle (SDL), considered Industry model
  • Bluepill attack ineffective in Windows 8 - due to installation of an empty hypervisor and alert on other hypervisor installation
  • Windows 8 x64 also removed backward support for documents-caused as source for bugs
  • UEFI, an alternative for BIOS which overcomes certain BIOS limitations eg.prevents Bootkit attacks
  • Secure Boot verifies Windows OS is not compromised
  • Pwn2Own (hacker competition) - Lately Windows has been the hardest to compromise
  • Windows is doing great at preventing zero-day attacks& verifying kernel modifications

Apple(iOS)

  • Jail breaking has become very difficult
  • Admin rights reserved, so attackers cannot exploit privilege escalations
  • Admin rights reserved is also a great step for enterprise security as Apple security expert can be trusted more than any common user
  • Isolation of applications- apps are signed,verified and sandboxed
  • Secure Boot Chain - allows iOS to run on validates Apple devices
  • Secure Enclave(A7 or later Aseries) - allows data integration even if Kernel is compromised
  • UID(unique ID) & GID(group ID)-i.e. encryption AES 256 keys fused in application processor, not allowing any software/firmware to read it directly
  • Keychain Data Protection
  • FIPS 140-2, iOS 8 cryptographic modules (U.S. compliance validation) that will validate integrity of Apple apps and third party apps properly using iOS cryptography services.

*  We have mentioned a few, this is a suggestive list not binding, there are various other features.

What are best security specs in your favorite mobile OS- Windows or iOS ?

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