PC's Revenge

4:35 PM -- July will probably go down as the unofficial Month of iPhone Bugs. Now that the seriously hyped and sexy iPhone is out and in the hands of hackers, look for lots more bug disclosures -- and hopefully, the requisite patches -- for the hot new mobile device. (See i Caramba! iPhone Hacked Already.)

Apple has had a field day poking fun of Microsoft's operating system bugs and other issues (think "PC and Mac" television commercials), when all along security experts have cautioned it's more about Microsoft's popularity than its security flaws. Now a Mac device may soon be the butt of PC's jokes: If the iPhone takes off as anticipated and becomes the most popular of smart mobile devices, Apple will end up in Microsoft's shoes.

Robert Graham, who was one of the first researchers to disclose iPhone bugs, says Apple's iPhone, like Windows and Microsoft applications, will be the big target for hackers and attackers because of its potential popularity -- even though it's the most secure of mobile devices, he says. "Microsoft [software] is more secure, yet it gets more attacks," he says. "Now Apple will [have the same problem] with iPhone."

Plus, hackers know OS X better than Symbian or Windows Mobile, he says. So, like his buddy PC -- er, Microsoft -- Apple will likely find itself in a serious arms race between vulnerabilities and patches.

— Kelly Jackson Higgins, Senior Editor, Dark Reading