According to Apple, Mac OS X Panther "offers breakthroughs in innovation, ease of use and reliability". Apparently, these breakthroughs are also providing fertile ground for malware. Since its release in October 2003, Panther has been found vulnerable to several possible exploits. The first involves executing code via the ID3 tag rendered when an MP3 file is opened in Finder. The proof of concept Trojan demonstrating this vulnerability has been dubbed MP3Concept by antivirus vendors. A second Trojan was discovered spreading on the P2P filesharing networks LimeWire and Gnutella and involved a fake Word 2004 demo that erases the user's Home folder.

Definition: Macintosh viruses impact only Mac users. The following is a list of some Macintosh viruses that have been discovered in the past.

Though fewer viruses have been written specifically targeted the Macintosh OS, Mac viruses do exist. Cross-platfrom threats, such as many of the Office macro viruses, can also be a problem for Mac users. The following antivirus software is well-suited to defending Mac users against the threat of viruses.

A mass mailing email worm targeting Macintosh computers directs the infected user's browser to an online archive of the popular U.S. television show, "The Simpsons".

Unix-based BBS admins or bloggers beware - the Linux Slapper worm has been given a facelift and this time you're the target. The worm exploits a vulnerability in xmlrpc.php, a file commonly included in BBS and weblog software. A second exploit lies in a vulerability in AWStats, a web hit statistics package. A third exploit leverages a flaw in WebHints, which can lead to remote system access.

The SANS Institute's Global Incident Analysis Center has issued an alert warning of a Linux worm similar to the Ramen virus but significantly more dangerous. The Lion worm affects Linux machines running the BIND DNS server, versions 8.2, 8.2-P1, 8.2.1, 8.2.2-Px, and all 8.2.3-betas.

Virus researchers have discovered a new breed of virus that infects both Windows and Linux files on Intel-based Pentium PC's. Considered a proof-of-concept virus, it has not been found in-the-wild. As such, it is not posing a threat to users, but could signal the beginning of a new precedent in virus writing - the cross-platform threat. Within less than a day of discovery, the new virus has already been assigned a number of different names, including Linux.PEElf.2132, W32.Winux, Linux.Winux, W32/Lindose, and W32.PEElf.2132.

Outlook blocks access to certain types of attachments in email. While it's a nice security feature, sometimes you really need that attachment. Here's how to unblock the blocking feature in Outlook email. This requires editing the system registry. If you aren't familiar with the system registry, read the tutorial "Windows System Registry" before you begin, or ask a computer savvy friend for help. Difficulty: Easy Time Required: 5 minutes

So you've created a strong password system following the tips outlined in Passwords: Creating and Maintaining a Strong Password System. Now you need to keep those passwords safe

Most of us have multiple sites we visit which require logins. So many, in fact, that it's tempting to use the same username/password combo for all of them. Don't. Otherwise, it takes only the compromise of a single site's credentials to have a toppling domino affect on the security of all your online assets.