Apple Inc. (AAPL) Hires Former Microsoft Corporation (MSFT) Hacker

Historically speaking, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)‘s operating systems have had fewer malware problems than chief competitor Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT), mainly due to “security by obscurity,” as this insightful journalist describes it.

As Apple products being to be used with more regularity, though, there’s an increasingly larger number of viral threats, from spyware to auto-scripters. Earlier this year, it was reported that an estimated 700,000 Macs were infected with an X Trojan, and there have been other, smaller threats that iOS users are forced to face on a day-to-day basis.

Originally reported by Wired, the Cupertino-based tech giant is making an effort to tighten its proverbial ship, with the hire of a former Microsoft security employee. Kristin Paget, who “was part of a small team of elite hackers brought in by Microsoft to lock down Windows Vista,” is now a Core OS Security Researcher at Apple.

The signing of Paget is notable because of her fundamental role in preventing a flawed Vista operating system from going out to consumers, which caused Microsoft to release the OS on a delayed schedule. On the work, Paget said (via ZDNet) that she was “proud of the number of bugs we found and helped get fixed.”

While we don’t know the specifics of Paget’s work at Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) just yet – we probably won’t ever know the full details – it’s extremely encouraging that the company is boosting its security by hiring former Microsoft standouts. Let us know your thoughts on the move in the comments section below.