Apple Computer Inc."s Macintosh was among the computer operating systems least prone to attack and damage from malicious hackers, worms and viruses in 2002, while Microsoft Corp."s Windows and the Linux operating systems were the most vulnerable, according to a report by technology risk management company mi2g Ltd.
The report, which will be released Friday, presents data on the discovery of software vulnerabilities and incidents of digital attack for 2002, according to a summary of the report released Thursday.
Data from the report is taken from mi2g"s SIPS (Security Intelligence Products & Systems) database, which stores information on more than 6,000 hacker groups reaching back to 1995.
According to the company, 1,162 new software vulnerabilities were discovered during the first 10 months of 2002, including vulnerabilities discovered in operating systems, server software, and third-party applications. Of that number, fewer than 25 were attributable to the Macintosh operating system (OS).