Mac malware overtakes Windows by 2:1 in 2019

[anonymous-user]

Interesting. I've always argued that windows was targeted more due to the larger use base. Seems Apple's increased user base has now been recognised by the malware authors / users and consequently had become a jucier target.

https://www.gizmodo.co.uk/2020/02/malware-threats-...

[hotchy]

Makes sense since people seem to believe apple cant get a virus where as everyman and his dog knows windows needs an anti virus atleast lol.

[megaphone]

hotchy said:

Makes sense since people seem to believe apple cant get a virus where as everyman and his dog knows windows needs an anti virus atleast lol.

Article is about Malware

[Zirconia]

This down to people not using the built in security and a bit of common sense though? Download an unknown app and load it despite the system asking are you sure without checking provenance (I do have a few but well known).

Though I just tried Malwarebytes and it pulled two photo duplicate detector apps from the Apple App store, that is supposed to be secure. Not that I use them anymore and they are locked down with Little Snitch.

[megaphone]

We have to note this report comes from Malware Bytes who have a product 'sell'.

That said I might download it and scan my Mac.

[anonymous-user]

Malwarebytes is free for the on demand app.

I take your point but I doubt they would blatantly lie.

[Zirconia]

megaphone said:

We have to note this report comes from Malware Bytes who have a product 'sell'.

That said I might download it and scan my Mac.

I have used them in the past but deleted it. I will be deleting it, again. Not sure why the previous try did not pick up the Apple App store apps, revised threats probably, I have had those apps for years but they are no longer required and just rooted them out.

Etre check is another app I use that checks the system especially the start up files loaded and not loaded and will tell me what browser plugins are in use, date installed etc. and full file path should I want to nuke them.

[megaphone]

Downloaded and scanned, nothing found, which I expected. I don't download stuff where I'm not certain of source.

[julian64]

I think the mac is more foolproof against viruses than Microsoft.

For this reason its been my go to suggestion for anyone who isn't tech savvy or over the age of 60.

But this is malware, not viruses which means it often requires more co-operative wrong doing on the part of the user to make it happen.

Perhaps point one and two are linked?

[anonymous-user]

I think malware and viruses have mostly merged. They can both come from websites or executables and are both a pain. Viruses traditionally infected and spread for kicks. Malware to get money somehow.

I think the stats are simply due to authors targeting the easiest and most numerous "audience", and that changes over time. For a long time there were few Mac's and tonnes of pcs. Now it's probably flipping the other way.

[Magnum 475]

There's no doubt that Mac is becoming more popular, both for individuals and companies (for example, Salesforce use Macs for all their staff in the UK).

This is making targeting the Mac more appealing.

However, just as with a Windows machine all users should be running decent endpoint security on their Mac. There are plenty of options out there for security on Mac, including some decent zero-cost products, so no excuses for not protecting yourself.

[mmm-five]

They even state themselves that 'malware' covers a huge range of things, and the Mac increase is in the relatively minor stuff of adware and PUPs ('potentially unwanted programs' like pop-up flash download prompts).

Whereas Windows Malware includes these, but also the other, more serious stuff.

So while the Mac number has increased, the potential harm is much less. I still run a sweep once a month as I swap between, and work with both Mac & PC systems - but I've not seen anything on the Mac, or Windows 10...although I obviously ignore any pop-up ads/download notifications.

[Bikerjon]

I would say most of the Macs people ask me to fix have traces of malware these days, however as mentioned above the severity of Mac malware is usually fairly trivial.

[Bikerjon]

julian64 said:

I think the mac is more foolproof against viruses than Microsoft.

For this reason its been my go to suggestion for anyone who isn't tech savvy or over the age of 60.

Seems a slightly outdated view, Macs are used by people of all abilities in my experience. I'd say a lot more older or less tech savvy people just use an iPad or similar now - usually with great success.

[Tony1963]

I’ve been using a MacBook since 2012 ish. I’ve had one fairly harmless infection where my safari homepage was changed to something fairly innocuous. That was last year. I’m still enjoying the fact that I don’t need to be a geek to make the thing run ok, and I don’t spend the first few minutes after switch-on waiting for antivirus and malware updates to load.

[anonymous-user]

Tony1963 said:

I’ve been using a MacBook since 2012 ish. I’ve had one fairly harmless infection where my safari homepage was changed to something fairly innocuous. That was last year. I’m still enjoying the fact that I don’t need to be a geek to make the thing run ok, and I don’t spend the first few minutes after switch-on waiting for antivirus and malware updates to load.

That's a bit out of date now to be fair.

Firstly you can just let Windows 10 handle AV and AM - built in and no boot up time or scans. You then install Antimalwarebytes or similar and only run it on demand. I run a scan every few months.

Installing Avast etc - extra AV software , just isn't necessary any more, and especially the Norton suites they bloat new compters with and hope you will pay to renew after 12 monts.

Secondly with SSDs Win 10 boots in less than 10 seconds now. My PC goes from off, to a ready desktop in around 10 seconds, and that's a PC that is heavily laden .

From hibernate to full ready is 5 seconds at most.

[Tony1963]

That’s all well and good, although 10 wasn’t out in 2012. Also, 10 seems to divide opinion a lot. I doubt I’d get along with it now.

[anonymous-user]

10 is great. Its just an OS and it keeps out the way.

The haters seem to be the ones that don't like the Icon style menu. It takes less than a minute to make 10 look like the previous version. I really don't get the hate. It is wonderfully stable.

I might add, I do , or DID, fine one thing hateful - the overly agressive auto updates. They obviously did it to combat getting flak for an insecure system primarily because people ignored / postponed security updates. The system they used was so heavy handed, you'd say "install and shut down", and then next time you booted up, be greeted with a 1 hour update process, unstoppable, and not at all funny when needed in a business environment. Happened to me and I was furious. Was in a customer facing environment.

They've tweaked it now and all the latest updates do indeed seem to be done when they say they are done, and no nasty surprised when you next boot.

I dont' think you'll hear much noise from people who like/don't mind/don't care about win 10. That's not how it works. Only the haters post.

I fully sympathise with the 10 minute boot thing of old. I used to get people asking for help with their laptops and face an agonisingly slow boot as it would clunk along, load a hundred tasks, then do an aggressive AV scan. In the end I refused to help with kit like that.

Thankfully things are drastically different now.

Edited by anonymous-user on Saturday 15th February 17:23

[Teddy Lop]

Tony1963 said:

That’s all well and good, although 10 wasn’t out in 2012. Also, 10 seems to divide opinion a lot. I doubt I’d get along with it now.

as a dumb user that just wants an os to be a tool doing its thing as easily for me as possible, 10 is much better than 8, 8 did my head in.

I'm annoyed you can't do online scans any more, only option is to download more stinking bloat.