Mac users may think they’re safe from malware, but they’re not

Elizabeth R. Cournoyer August 20, 2025

136 3 minutes read

Are you reading this piece on a Mac? Do you have any antimalware software programs on your Mac? Wait, it truly is proper. You do not need it, do you? Due to the fact the acquired expertise is that the Mac running machine – OS X – is superior to Windows and is immune to the plague of trojans, viruses, and different diverse nasties which can cripple a home Windows device.

Think once more. In truth, OS X is no greater or less proof against attack than any other running system. The current spate of assaults approaches its time for Mac customers to become responsible members of the broader computing community. Malware isn’t just about causing havoc on one machine, any extra. Malware can steal your passwords and give the awful men access to all of your monetary money owed: it is not amusing to wake up one morning and locate that your financial institution account has been stripped naked.

And contamination picked up from, say, a Java take advantage of along with the Flashback trojan, which is ideal to have hit as much as 600,000 Macs, can add your pc to a botnet – a network of zombie computer systems that may be used for criminal ends together with launching an allotted denial of service (DDoS) attack or spewing out unsolicited mail. Botnets are a chance no longer simply to the net; however – in case you’re feeling apocalyptic – the whole cloth of society.

When the Conficker trojan horse first seemed in 2008, it quickly unfolded at a rate that terrified observers, who had no idea what its crook masters had in mind. Mac customers have answered the sounding of klaxons from internet protection companies by pointing to the low degree of infections thus far, and the comparative rarity of Mac exploits within the wild. However, no pc person can come up with the money to be complacent about searching after their system.

Shielding your pc from viruses is a chunk like vaccinating your youngsters: you do it not most straightforward for the best of your baby – whether your infant is a golden-haired moppet known as Perdita or a glittery center i7 MacBook Air – but also for the best of the network. Herd immunity protects the broader populace from diseases; keeping your pc safe from nasties makes the net more secure. One of the keys to retaining your PC security is ensuring you religiously update your running machine.

But you can’t depend upon Microsoft or Apple to push out updates at the right time: Apple took 3 months to fix the hollow in Java that the Flashback trojan exploited. Malware is likewise spread through infected files, and the brand new Mac makes the most of it, the Sabpab trojan, and uses this vector simply. USB keys can include inflamed files, both deliberately or unknowingly boobytrapped, so your workplace may not let you use them at work. Porn sites and people imparting dodgy software are often hosts for nasty stuff that sneaks onto your pc.

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But by way of some distance, you are the most significant danger to your computer. “Customers are nasty at making informed decisions about what is safe and isn’t always secure behavior,” says Graham Cluley at internet security enterprise Sophos. “Cybercriminals are masters at social engineering and trick customers into putting malware on their computers.” Having a quiet MacBook does not make you smarter than Windows customers.

Cluley adds:

“The awful men have seen the boom in popularity of Apple generation, comprehend that the standard MacBook proprietor may be more likely to have extra disposable income than a home Windows consumer and, importantly, aren’t going for walks any antivirus at all. That makes Mac customers a completely tender target. I truly do not agree that Mac customers are any more proof against social engineering than their Windows cousins,” he says. I recognize. You adore your Mac, and one of the reasons you love your Mac is that you do not have to bother your pretty little hipster head with mundane stuff like antimalware. But you do need to worry. Use gear that includes the loose ClamXav device; Sophos also produces an unfastened tool for Macs. It’s now not simply home windows customers who have to fear approximately nasties on their machines in recent times.