GateKeeper: A tool that effectively vets any app that you download from the App store to check if it's agreed to Apple's terms and conditions.Quarantine: An alert system that warns users when they open applications, files, and documents downloaded, which serves as a reminder to be cautious with what you're allowing onto your computer from the internet.Apple's excellent security infrastructureĪnother reason why Apple products tend to be pretty robust in their defense against malware and other viruses is the security stack Apple provides for users. ![]() Conversely, Windows relies solely on Microsoft's security infrastructure to better itself.Īlthough Windows has been a multi-user operating system since Windows XP, it certainly made it a more appealing operating system to write malware for while the internet was in its relative infancy. As with most open-source software, fixing bugs and vulnerabilities is a global, team effort that anyone interested in improving the software can get involved with. MacOS is built on UNIX, which is open-source software that also provides the foundation for Linux. With multi-user systems, it's standard procedure to log in with different user accounts, depending on who's at the wheel – not all accounts are admin accounts.īefore the early 2000s, typical Windows users would have had admin privileges and very few security restrictions, so infecting a Windows desktop would, in theory, let you wreak more havoc in less time, and with greater ease than on a multi-user system, where many important settings aren't directly accessible. macOS and other operating systems, such as Linux, have always had “multi-user systems”. Windows was traditionally a single-user operating system and, historically, most Windows users have used administrator accounts. Historical Windows OS infrastructure loophole Here are three other reasons why Mac hasn't quite got the reputation Windows does for being vulnerable to viruses. The sheer volume of malware being created for Windows PCs is certainly the most significant factor in why Macs seem to get fewer viruses than windows in the modern era. One recent study found that 5000 times as many new malware scripts were made in 2022 for Windows than for macOS. This discrepancy has helped to fuel the idea that Macs don't get viruses, when in fact what's really happening is that less malware gets made with macOS users in mind (at least when compared with Windows). Unfortunately, if you're a macOS user, you're susceptible to the same sorts of cyberattacks, through the same sorts of attack vectors as Windows users. Lazarus: Disguised as job offers on, hacking group Lazarus dropped some multi-stage macOS malware in October 2022.ĬrateDepression and Pymafka: Both of these macOS malware variants appeared last year, and effectively use a similar typosquatting technique to trick users into downloading malicious files that are similarly named to genuine ones. XMRig is actually a genuine utility, but it can be used maliciously on suspecting users' Macs to mine crypto, which will affect device performance. ![]() XMRig: This is the name for a type of crypto-mining software attached to bootleg copies of the video-editing app Final Cut Pro. ![]() UpdateAgent: This Mac malware has been in circulation since November 2020 and used to be a rudimentary information-stealing program, but recent reports have suggested that malicious actors have upgraded it so it drops an adware payload that creates a backdoor on whatever network it infects.
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