![]() Apple’s anti-malware software is called XProtect, and it consists of some basic signatures for identifying known malicious apps. This means that, although there may not be any explicit, major security differences between the two systems, Macs do tend to be statistically safer simply due to the smaller number of threats.įact: macOS has built-in anti-malware softwareĪlthough this feature is well-hidden from the user, and cannot be turned off, this is true. Many thousands of new Windows malware variants appear every day, while it’s a busy month in the Mac world if more than one new piece of malware appears. Macs certainly suffer under a far smaller burden of threats than Windows. Add to this the fact that security of Windows has improved over the years as well and it becomes difficult to say which system is more secure.Īs with other such myths, there’s an element of truth here, though. There are plenty of ways to circumvent Mac security. Of course, nothing is ever perfect, and macOS security is certainly far from it. Apple has made some great security improvements to macOS in recent years, and as a result, Macs are more secure today than they ever have been. Many years ago, Apple abandoned the old “classic” Mac system in favor of one based on Unix, a mature and security-oriented system. Fallacy: Macs are more secure than Windows For example, in 2015, a vulnerability in a common PUP (MacKeeper) was used to install malware on Macs that had MacKeeper installed. Worse, they can create security vulnerabilities that make it more likely for you to get infected with actual malware. Although these things are not malware, they are a huge nuisance. These can include so-called “legitimate” keyloggers (marketed as a means for monitoring your kids or employees), scammy “cleaning” apps (Macs don’t need that kind of cleaning), supposed “antivirus” or “anti-adware” apps that don’t actually detect anything, and so on.Īdware and PUPs are a serious problem on the Mac right now. ![]() PUPs are programs that are generally unwanted by users. The infected Macs are no more than a vehicle for generating revenue fraudulently from advertisers and search engines, who pay these adware-producing “affiliates” for referrals. Adware is designed to scam advertisers and search engines. Over the last several years, there has been an increasing amount of adware and Potentially Unwanted Programs (PUPs) for the Mac.Īdware is software that injects ads into websites where they don’t belong and changes your search engine to a different one. So why should Mac users be concerned? Because other threats are a rapidly growing problem on the Mac. The average Mac user has never seen any malware. A “big spike” of new Mac malware happened in 2012, when 11 new pieces of malware appeared. Examples of malware are backdoors that provide access to the computer, spyware that logs keystrokes and captures pictures with the webcam, ransomware that encrypts the user’s files in order to hold them for ransom, and other such nefarious programs. True malware is malicious in nature-thus the name, malicious soft ware-with the goal of stealing or scamming data or money from the user. Don’t allow yourself to be misled! Fact: There’s not much Mac malware out there (A better term for this is “ malware.”) Since there definitely is malware for the Mac, as well as a plethora of other threat types, the spirit of the “there are no Mac viruses” claim is completely false. The average person, though, understands a virus to be any kind of malicious software. Viruses have mostly disappeared from the threat landscape. However, by that token, there also aren’t very many Windows viruses these days, either. By this strict definition, there are no Mac viruses. Technically speaking, a virus is malware that spreads by itself, by attaching itself to other files. As with most good myths, though, there’s a slight element of truth. Most people associate this idea most strongly with the “I’m a Mac/I’m a PC” commercials from a decade ago, such as this one that ran in 2006: The idea that there are no viruses for the Mac goes back to the beginning of Mac OS X, at the very beginning of this millennium. So how can you tell if the advice you’re reading is fact or fallacy? Read on to find out! Fallacy: Macs don’t get viruses There are many Mac security myths circulating among users.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |