"If you change to Linux or Mac OS X for banking, the crooks will only do the same."
This is the 'It's no use.' arguement. If you switch to Mac or Linux, the crooks will only find ways into those systems, so the argument goes.
Taken to the extreme, we might as well not lock our doors, use firewalls, or do anything at all to prevent 'black hats' or criminals of any kind from robbing us.
But let's take a closer look at the logic here. Notice first, that this argument doesn't factor in the issue of 'time'. Even if it were true that the crooks would be in hot pursuit of your data, how much time would it take them to write the code, get into your system, and make all other adjustments, in a new OS? And what exactly would give them the incentive to go to all this extra effort, when there are still many potential 'marks' out there, using Windows?
Can 'the bad guys' make adjustments instantly, or might it take them months, or a few years? If it takes a few years, that's a few years where you can worry less about this type of crime.
Second, there is a presupposition that the crooks have devoted their efforts to Windows, because, and only because it is the most prevalent OS.
There may be some truth to that. Since Windows is the most widely used operating system, it is both the OS with which most crackers are familiar, and the OS that will offer the most opportunity for successful crimes. There are simply more computers out there running Windows, so there are more potential victims for a crook to pilfer.
As an aside, there are advocates of both Linux and Mac OS X who claim that their operating systems are inherently more secure than Windows. For now, though, I'll not delve into that topic.
From a purely practical, business point of view, here is a different perspective.
Is it practical, even smart, to lock the doors to your place of business? Do you have security cameras installed? If so, have you installed them because the cameras and locks, act as a deterrent?
The smart business will use whatever tactics make business sense, to avoid being robbed. If that means using a Linux CD or using a Mac to do online banking, as recommended by Washington Post's Brian Krebs, and The Register, maybe that's not such a bad idea.
But let's examine this further. How much does it cost to use a Linux CD for online banking? Macs are supposed to be expensive, aren't they?
A Linux CD is free, except for the time and trouble it takes to implement the system. A new Mac Mini can be purchased for $599 and that's all you really need for online banking. A used Mac can be even less.
How do you know which of these would best suit your business? Determine what expertise you have on staff. Is there anyone who knows Linux or Mac OS X? Assess how much time and trouble is involved in either - or both, of these alternatives. These measures are very much like installing better locks, or security cameras. In both cases the question is, will doing this make your business more secure? What are the costs, in money and time?
For the time being, I'd agree with others that making either of these moves would indeed reduce the chances of becoming a victim to bank fraud, and perhaps other crimes too, such as theft of your customer records, etc.
There's another line of thought, though, in the claim that 'the cybercrooks will only start using Linux or Mac OS X if you, and other businesses switch to those operating systems. Inherent in this claim is the supposition that either or both of the non Windows systems will grow enough in market share to become attractive to the 'bad guys'.
We'll look at that claim in the next blog post.