Malware can affect virtually anyone regardless of what type of operating system they are using, although 54.4% of malware targets Windows users with all things having been considered and taken into account. In spite of the fact that this is the case, macOS users are not exactly safe from malware, with 6.2% of all malware targeting such users. Interestingly, a lot of this malware comes from a single source which was highlighted by Elastic Security Labs in their recent report.
With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that around 48% of all of the malware that can affect Mac users comes from Mackeeper. This malware is by far the most popular form of malware for Mac users, and Xcsset came in second with just a 16.7% share. Mackeeper has a larger share of Mac focused malware than the next three on the list combined, including Adload with 12.5% and Aobokeylogger with 10.4%.
Another thing that this report revealed was the strong prevalence of Trojan malware. Around 80.5% of the detected malware that was included in this report was Trojan in nature. Cryptominers came in second with 11.3%, and that suggests that getting a Trojan is a lot more likely than might have been the case otherwise.
Using a Mac can still be safer for users because of the fact that this is the sort of thing that could potentially end up exposing them to a lower quantity of malicious software. By comparison, almost 40% of all malware, or 39.4% to be precise, was found on Linux systems. That’s despite macOS having over three times the share of desktop users with 16% compared to Linux’s 5%.
Linux users are clearly more exposed to malware, and that can give macOS a leg up in the coming years. It should still be mentioned that there are numerous forms of malware that macOS users can get impacted by, so they should be careful while clicking on links or making any downloads. Trojan attacks can severely compromise a user’s ability to enjoy any kind of online privacy.
Read next: Is Your Password Strong Enough? Weak Password Is a Big Problem of 2022
With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that around 48% of all of the malware that can affect Mac users comes from Mackeeper. This malware is by far the most popular form of malware for Mac users, and Xcsset came in second with just a 16.7% share. Mackeeper has a larger share of Mac focused malware than the next three on the list combined, including Adload with 12.5% and Aobokeylogger with 10.4%.
Another thing that this report revealed was the strong prevalence of Trojan malware. Around 80.5% of the detected malware that was included in this report was Trojan in nature. Cryptominers came in second with 11.3%, and that suggests that getting a Trojan is a lot more likely than might have been the case otherwise.
Using a Mac can still be safer for users because of the fact that this is the sort of thing that could potentially end up exposing them to a lower quantity of malicious software. By comparison, almost 40% of all malware, or 39.4% to be precise, was found on Linux systems. That’s despite macOS having over three times the share of desktop users with 16% compared to Linux’s 5%.
Linux users are clearly more exposed to malware, and that can give macOS a leg up in the coming years. It should still be mentioned that there are numerous forms of malware that macOS users can get impacted by, so they should be careful while clicking on links or making any downloads. Trojan attacks can severely compromise a user’s ability to enjoy any kind of online privacy.
Read next: Is Your Password Strong Enough? Weak Password Is a Big Problem of 2022
