For years now, it has been believed that Mac is a secure platform compared to Windows. Largely thanks to the fact that not many people use the Mac (in comparison to Windows) and also the common belief that the UNIX based kernel of the Mac is secure compared to Windows’.
According to a new report by Malwarebytes (a cybersecurity software company), the malware found on Mac computers is crossing the same found on Windows computers for the first time in history. Thomas Reed, Malwarebytes’ Director of Mac and mobile said, “People need to understand that they’re not safe just because they’re using a Mac”.
However, it does not mean Macs are completely unsafe and Mac users should switch to Windows if they want to keep themselves safe online. Windows machines have more security issues as there are more users but according to Malwarebytes, as more and more people have begun to use Macs, there has been a 400 percent increase in threats to the Mac.
The report generated by Malwarebytes takes into account the threats detected between the years 2018 and 2019. On average, 11 threats were found per Mac machine compared to an average of 5.8 on the Windows side.
“There is a rising tide of Mac threats hitting a population that still believes that ‘Macs don’t get viruses,’” said Thomas Reed. “I still frequently encounter people who firmly believe this, and who believe that using any kind of security software is not necessary, or even harmful. This makes macOS a fertile ground for the influx of new threats, whereas it’s common knowledge that Windows PCs need security software.”
“People need to understand that they’re not safe just because they’re using a Mac,” Reed said. “They need to exercise care about what they click on, what apps they download — and from where — and who they allow to have access to their computers.”
