A Mac user can still download an application from an untrusted source, click on a link in a phishing email or install malware on their machine, unknowingly or otherwise. But while the design of macOS protects you from most malware and other threats, using a Mac will not: The macOS is based on Unix which is generally more difficult to exploit than Windows. Let’s be clear: Macs, on the whole, are only somewhat more secure than PCs. If you click a link or download an attachment in a suspicious email, you risk installing malware on your machine. Using a Mac does not, by virtue, protect you from phishing scams or other web-based attacks. Macs are not immune to web-based threats.Researchers have been able to bypass Gatekepeer, steal user information and install malware. Apple’s Gatekeeper, one of the core security features in macOS, isn’t infallible. The Mac’s security mechanisms can be exploited.The notion that Macs are virus-free is dated and categorically false. Though there are fewer malware programs targeting macOS, the threat is there: Kaspersky Lab estimates that 700,000 Mac users fell victim to the Flashback Trojan virus alone. The rising popularity of Macs makes them an increasingly more attractive target for cybercriminals, and as a result we’re seeing more and more Mac users fall victim to viruses, malware and web threats. ‘The truth,’ according to Kaspersky Lab, is that ‘both Macs and PCs are very vulnerable to web threats and cyber-attacks.’ Propagating the myth that Macs are immune to viruses or resistant to attack is dangerous, particularly considering that Apple’s sales figures are strong and the number of active Mac users is over 100 million and counting. Historically, this has given Mac users ‘security through minority.’ Macs aren’t inherently more secure than PCs, there are just less of them to target in the wild.
MANAGED ANTIVIRUS FOR MAC AND PC PC
There are more PC users than Mac users, and therefore greater return on things like phishing and malware campaigns. Windows accounts for over 88 percent of the market, while Mac has a combined share of less than 10 percent.įor cyber criminals, targeting Windows PC just makes sense. Why do hackers target PCs? It’s basic economics.Īccording to NetMarketShare, Windows alone is more commonly used than all of the macOS operating systems combined. Macs do get viruses and they’re just as vulnerable as PCs. But that doesn’t mean Macs are definitively more secure than PCs.Īpple has claimed that its products ‘don’t get PC viruses,’ but that’s a misleading and dangerous claim. Let’s get one thing straight: Mac users are less likely to be targeted by hackers and cyber criminals than PC users.
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