Apple cannot confirm or deny that it hired a security expert, but the Macalope hopes it’s true. Meanwhile, Microsoft’s parents apparently never told the company that if you don’t have anything nice to say (or sell) then you shouldn’t say (or sell) anything at all. And RIM’s come up with a killer plan to save the BlackBerry. The only question is who it’s going to kill.

Apple this week. Of course, the only ways to hire someone who used to work at the NSA are “quietly” or “noisily killing everyone who might know.” Quietly was probably a good choice on Apple’s part.

This is a move the Macalope’s . He’s with the company’s to security.

Every time the Macalope brings up security, someone in the comments goes off about the inherent security superiority of OS X because Unix doodily doody doo-doo and the fact that Apple showed a 5-slide deck about security at WWDC last year means it’s clearly on top of it and shut up, shut up, SHUT UP. Admittedly, the Macalope’s no security expert. That’s why he relies on the opinions of people who know what they’re talking about. Like his pal Rich Mogull.