12 Dec Can Apple Computers Get Viruses & Do They Need Antivirus Software?
“I’ve got a Mac so I don’t have to worry about viruses“. Have you ever heard someone say that before? Being in the tech industry, I know I have heard it many times. It either makes you roll your eyes or maybe consider replacing the ol’ PC with a sleek to new Apple. But what makes an Apple computer so “invulnerable” to a virus and are they really?
Apple, widely known for being essentially immune to viruses has now changed the wording on its website to clarify that Mac computers aren’t in fact immune to malware. Until recently, Apple’s “Why Buy Mac” page, which touts the benefits of OS X, displayed an icon that claimed a Mac “doesn’t get PC viruses.” Now, instead, it reads that a Mac is “built to be safe.” It’s an amusing little change, and one that’s quite noteworthy coming from Apple.
The truth is, nothing electronic is totally secure. Everything can be hacked and all of the major companies such as Google, Apple, and Microsoft are constantly working to patch vulnerabilities on their respective products. The secret is in the term “market share” This is what it really boils down to. Microsoft has been for years and continues to be the leader on quantities of computers sold with their operating system. Check out this chart on Business Insider: http://www.businessinsider.com/apple-mac-lost-most-pc-market-share-in-2016-chart-2017-1 to get an idea on the last couple of years’ computer sales.
So think about it; If the majority of computers currently being used are Windows computers and if time and effort have to be spent to create these viruses specific to your computer and operating system, then hackers want it to be as effective as possible. Who’d want to write a virus for 100 computers when you could reach 1 million? Hence the reason malware is so prevalent in the Windows world. So yes, Apple computers are prone to malware attacks. I must add, however, Apple has been taking steps to increase security, like releasing a security guide for iOS and including a feature called Gatekeeper in the upcoming OS X 10.8, but those lagging behind with older operating systems may still be at risk.
Do Apple Computers need antivirus software?
As we’ve explained above, it’s certainly not an essential requirement to install antivirus software on your Mac. Apple does a pretty good job of keeping on top of vulnerabilities and exploits and the updates to the MacOS that will protect your Mac will be pushed out over auto-update very quickly.
Beware that due to the fact that people are so concerned about malware threats on the Mac there have been cases of malware actually disguising itself as an antivirus app, most recently Mac Auto Fixer pop-ups have appeared suggesting that software needs to be installed (at a high price). This is similar to another fake antivirus app called MacDefender which has been doing the rounds for some time.
Have questions that weren’t answered in this post? Feel free to contact Your local IT Support team.