Apple hires former Windows security hacker to strengthen OS X

It was discovered on Thursday that famed hacker and former Microsoft employee Kristin Paget is now working for Apple as a core operating system security researcher, suggesting the Cupertino company is beefing up OS X safeguards amid recent Mac-directed malware attacks.

When employed by Microsoft, Paget worked alongside a small team of hackers tasked to find security holes in Windows Vista before the OS was released to the public in 2007, reports Wired. The group apparently found so many flaws that Vista's launch date was pushed back while fixes were put in place.

According to her LinkedIn profile, as of September Paget is listed as being a "Core OS Security Researcher at Apple" based out of Cupertino. Previously, she held the position of chief hacker at security firm Recursion Ventures, but said in June that she wanted to find a job building "security-focused hardware."

Paget, formerly known as Chris Paget, gained notoriety for a number of hacker feats of strength, including a cellphone call-intercepting station at the Defcon hacker conference and a long-range RFID identifier duplication device.

While the hacker's responsibilites at Apple remain unknown, it can be speculated that she will be working to thwart future attacks like the Flashback trojan that affected an estimated 600,000 Macs in April. Most recently, a piece of Mac-targeted malware similar to Flashback was found embedded in a webpage dedicated to the Dalai Lama.