Craig Federighi testifies in Epic case
Federighi especially wanted to make it clear with his statements that the oft-criticized walled garden of the iOS App Store is much more secure, because all apps are pre-checked. Apple makes it difficult to install apps on your iPhone or iPad outside of the App Store. The Mac is very different: there is a Mac App Store, but it is also possible to download macOS apps directly from the developer and from other places. Craig Federighi, Apple's chief of software engineering, said the Mac doesn't meet Apple's security requirements and the platform has an “unacceptable level of malware”. Federighi also gave some examples, to make it clear that iOS is much more secure, thanks to the protected App Store.
When Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers asked why macOS allows multiple app stores & ndash; something Epic would also like to see with iOS & ndash; Federighi replied that he is not satisfied with the current situation. All of the various app stores “are regularly operated on the Mac,” said Federighi. & ldquo; There is a degree of malware on the Mac that we find unacceptable & rdquo ;.
No, then the App Store for iOS. It is a lot safer there, says the CEO: & ldquo; iOS has a much higher level of protecting consumers. The Mac can't match that today. & Rdquo; Federighi also used Android as an example to make it clear that third-party app stores make a platform less secure. & ldquo; It is well known in the security community that Android has a malware problem. & rdquo; iOS doesn't have that problem.
130 kinds of Mac malware
To explain how serious the situation is, Federighi clarified that there are now 130 kinds of Mac malware, which are 300,000 computers have been infected since last May. But he also emphasized that the Mac is a very different device from an iPhone.
The Mac is a car. You can go off-road with it if you want and you can drive wherever you want. That's what you wanted when you bought it. Some degree of responsibility is required. With iOS, you wanted to buy something that allows children to operate an iOS device and feel safe. It really is a different product.
& lsquo; Mac is still safe & rsquo;
Now it seems like you're insecure with a Mac, but Federighi rushed to say that compared to other personal computers, it's still “the safest place”, though you have to be careful with it. & ldquo; I have a few family members who got malware on their Macs, & rdquo ;, Federighi admitted, & ldquo; but in the end I think a Mac can be used safely & rdquo ;.
If iOS is opened up, Federighi thinks it will be a place where users will be redirected to the wrong software from untrusted sources, leaving them exposed to malware in no time. According to Federighi, a factor in this is that the iPhone is much more personal, often contains sensitive data and has functions such as a camera and a microphone. All of this makes the iPhone a much more attractive target. Furthermore, with an iPhone you constantly download apps, while with a Mac you do this less often and you do this much more consciously.
Epic's attorney (obviously) disagreed, emphasizing that Apple also touts the Mac as a suitable computer for children. Apple is not positioning the iPhone as a safer alternative to the Mac.
Epic's attorneys also wondered if features such as App Notarization and Mac Gatekeeper could be brought to iOS to enable third-party app stores. But according to Federighi, that is not feasible and impractical.
Enterprise program is being abused
Federighi also got questions about the enterprise certificate program, which allows companies to distribute apps outside the App Store. This is actually intended for internal apps of large companies. However, according to Federighi, this is widely abused. Malicious people sign up with bogus companies and then create app stores full of malware.
Later this week, CEO Tim Cook will also show up in court to testify.