Can you have viruses on a Macbook

The rumor persists that Macs are immune to viruses. But IT experts confirm that Macbooks are not immune to viruses or other attacks. Security gaps exist, for example, in the operating system or the hardware platform.

Malware writers with commercial interests brutally exploit these weaknesses.

A misconception

Rumors persisted that Apple devices were actually immune to computer viruses, and for several good reasons. Even Apple was so convinced of this point of view that in 2006 the manufacturer published an advertisement that addressed exactly this immunity.

That’s why it was simply particularly rewarding for hackers to design malware for Windows.

Read: Why Does Android Get More Malware Than iOS

A significant increase

Current studies show that around 350,000 new malware programs and unwanted applications – so-called PUAs – are registered every day . While Windows accounted for around 187,450 malware programs in 2018, around 14,820 attacks related to Android. For MacOS, only 254 attacks per day were registered in the same period. In 2015, however, the number of attacks on MacOS was still 13 attempts per day.

This means that the proportion of malware programs has increased 18-fold in a few years. For the iOS operating system, the proportion is much lower than for MacOS, but in return, corresponding cases are discussed much more intensively in public. The number of malware is much lower for iOS and MacOS. However, 100% virus protection is not guaranteed.

Don’t feel safe

Nevertheless, users should protect themselves well, since the proportion of malicious programs for Mac devices has increased significantly in recent years. Some security functions are integrated into MacOS, which counteract the installation of programs from dubious sources.

If this trend for an increasing malware threat continues in the future, virus protection for Mac is inevitable. This virus protection is particularly recommended if Mac owners want to continue to feel safe in the future. These anti-virus programs are a good choice, especially for Mac owners who are unsure about using the Internet and have problems distinguishing legitimate e-mails from phishing e-mails.

Read: Enhancing Mac Speed: Memory (RAM) Optimization Techniques

Your Mac is infected: what to do?

When a Mac is infected with malware, the corresponding side effects are comparable to those of an infected Windows PC. For instance, the device works slower. In addition, menus, windows and programs react comparatively sluggishly. To make matters worse, operating systems keep freezing. If the systems crash at regular intervals for no comprehensible reason, there is probably an infection.

Because Macs are primarily attacked via browsers, skepticism is warranted if a new toolbar suddenly appears in the browser or a redirect to other search engines occurs. Another sign of a malware infection is when aggressive ads appear on websites that don’t actually display ads. A typical example would be websites like Wikipedia .

Read: How To Avoid These 4 Common Cyber Security Mistakes

Don’t choose just any anti-virus program

If there is reasonable suspicion that a Mac computer is infected with a virus (virus on Macbook for instance), it would be fatal to google the error and download the next best program to fix the problem. Supposed anti-virus programs such as MacDefender, which only appear serious at first glance, are particularly dangerous. However, these applications are nothing more than malware in disguise.

Mac users are therefore well advised to only use well-known programs from well-known manufacturers to remove malware or viruses. An example of a good program is Malwarebytes, which can be downloaded for free from the App Store on Mac. The program runs a virus and malware scan on the Mac and reliably eliminates disruptive installations.For security reasons, Mac owners should not forget to install the latest security updates on their own devices at regular intervals.


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Marianne elanotta

Marianne is a graduate in communication technologies and enjoys sharing the latest technological advances across various fields. Her programming skills include Java OO and Javascript, and she prefers working on open-source operating systems. In her free time, she enjoys playing chess and computer games with her two children.

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