Apple products may be expensive and receive a lot of media hype. But they’re far more capable when it comes to security against malware and viruses. Unlike the NT based Windows OS, Mac OS is UNIX based that requires substantial authorization before allowing any program from functioning. Moreover, any software that has not been digitally registered and approved by Apple is blocked by Gatekeeper. Hence it is clear that Mac users are certainly more protected from any cybercriminal activities as compared to Windows users.
But that still doesn’t mean they’re impervious to any security breach attempts and attacks. Interestingly, most things that users are made to believe about Apple OS security are more of fallacies than facts. Let’s take a brief look at some of the myths regarding Mac’s security.
Commonly Believed Mac Security Myths
- Mac Can’t Get Any Viruses – If you go by the hardcore definition of a computer virus, surely there are no viruses in existence for Mac. But if you look at the broader family of viruses such as Malware, Adware, Spyware and Ransomware; they exist in plenty proving this belief to be nothing but vanity.
- Mac Don’t Need Additional Security Software – The inbuilt security features such as Gatekeeper and XProtect sure make Mac far more impervious than Windows. But both are unable keep up with newer strains of malicious programs, especially persistent buggers such as PUPs and adware.
- Mac is More Secure Than Windows – UNIX based OS does make it a little tricky for hackers to design malicious codes that can bypass security. Nevertheless, even Windows have made some impressive improvements in their security that made it equally cumbersome for novice hackers to cause substantial damage. This has only resulted in more focused and persistent attacks on Mac users.
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Debunking All Myths
Gulp it down with a grain of salt but malware is written for Mac too, and they’re far more devastating. Since Windows users are certainly higher in number, not a lot of hackers and cybercriminals want to write malware for Mac. But that clearly doesn’t mean that there is any dearth of malware floating around the internet that is designed to target Mac systems.
Mac Malware Are Written by Best in Business – Since writing malware and malicious codes for Mac OS requires a whole different level of skill, only the most devious and cut-throat cyberhackers are involved in exploiting Mac security. And since they put more time and effort in designing digital viruses, the damage they cause is far more as compared to Windows systems.
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Mac Malware Are Far More Serious – While Windows has the largest number of malware and security exploiting viruses. But most of them are drive-by and can be avoided and removed. However, malware designed for Mac systems are more targeted and can cause irreparable loss.
There Are Security Software for Mac – The best one of them is certainly Malwarebytes Anti-Malware for Mac that can effectively clean your mac from any viruses, adware, malware and PUPs. This is important as the in-built antimalware protection in both Mac and Windows can only stop identified programs.
Sure, Mac’s market share of around 6-7% makes it a much smaller target for cybercriminals as compared to the overwhelming Windows market. Nevertheless, these are only numbers as even 6-7% on a global scale makes it a big fat kill for expect hackers who like challenges (and what criminal doesn’t like challenges). Hence, users are requested to become more aware of the various security loopholes in their Mac systems, before they’re victimized by such threats.
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