Softpedia >News >Apple
Softpedia Homepage   

So Much for Mac Is More Secure than Windows: macOS Malware Increased by 270%

Research shows macOS malware is on the rise

Mar 12, 2018 09:50 GMT  ·  By
Apple has pledged to invest more in macOS security
   Apple has pledged to invest more in macOS security

macOS is generally referred to as a more secure alternative to Windows 10 because, as some people say, Apple’s operating system can’t be infected by viruses.

This isn’t only completely false, but simply comparing Windows and macOS in terms of security these days no longer makes so much sense, as both platforms are being attacked by a growing number of malware.

In the case of Apple’s desktop operating system, malware threats increased by no less than 270% last year, according to an analysis from Malwarebytes, and a total of four different major vulnerabilities were discovered only in the first months of this year. In other words, there’s a chance macOS malware’s growth continues throughout 2018, and users need to pay more attention to their cyber-security.

The security vendor highlights the OSX.MaMi malware, which was discovered by users themselves and which attempted to highjack DNS settings in order to direct Internet traffic to phishing sites.

macOS not getting any malware? Think again

Then, macOS was targeted by Dark Caracal, OSX.CreativeUpdate, and OSX.Coldroot, which once again compromised the security of macOS to confirm that no matter if they’re running Apple’s desktop operating system or a different platform, users should be more cautious when opening content from untrusted sources or visiting websites they don’t know.

“The average Mac user has no effective protection to prevent them from being infected with malware, much less the far more common threats posed by adware and PUPs. Worse, because they believe that there are no threats, they often do not exercise the same caution online that they would on a Windows machine,” Thomas Reed of Malwarebytes explains.

Apple itself has pledged to improve the security of its software in the coming releases, as both macOS and iOS have been hit by several major vulnerabilities in the last few months. As a result, Apple is expected to reduce the focus on new features and spend more time boosting security and performance, though this strategy could in the end backfire given how much users love getting new functionality on their devices.