Should you take steps to protect your computer from malware, or are Macs still inherently safe?
Last year something happened that sent tech writers reeling the world over. No, Steve Jobs hadn’t returned from the dead; people had found the first Mac ransomware. Every Mac user is familiar with the adage that ‘Macs don’t get malware’, but is that still true? Do you need anti-malware apps for your Mac?
Naturally immune
Traditionally, there have always been two main reasons why Mac antivirus software has been seen as superfluous: macOS’ low market share, and its UNIX base.
Windows enjoys an operating system market share of almost 90%. That makes it a highly attractive target to malware authors: the larger the market share, the greater the chance you’ll find someone to exploit. And unlike Windows (based on MS-DOS), Macs are UNIX-based, which makes them much more complicated to hack. For instance, an app’s executable code and its data are stored in separate, predictable folders on a Mac. On Windows, installed programs could have files placed in a wide variety of different places, so uninstalling every lingering piece of code can be tricky – and potentially dangerous if that app can cause harm to your computer.
This story is from the April 2017 edition of MacFormat UK.
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This story is from the April 2017 edition of MacFormat UK.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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