People often say that Macbooks are superior to PCs because of the fact that this is the sort of thing that could potentially end up keeping you safe from viruses. However, how truthful is this statement based on how Macs generally tend to perform? According to a survey conducted by All About Cookies, Macs are not as immune to viruses as people seem to think.
Most Mac users tend to be operating under the assumption that their systems are safer than Windows computers, but in spite of the fact that this is the case, they also tend to use a wider variety of security protocols. This might be why they face fewer threats than might have been the case otherwise, since the added security increases the layers of protection that they have with all things having been considered and taken into account.
With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that Mac users are more likely to use two factor authentication, identity theft monitoring as well as VPNs. 63% of Mac users have two factor authentication set up, compared to just 49% for Windows users. 19% of Mac users have the good sense to take advantage of identity theft monitoring, with 38% also using VPNs. For Windows users, the proportions for identity theft monitoring and VPN usage were just 15% and 24% respectively.
There are some areas where Windows users come out on top, such as the use of Antivirus software, firewalls, and anti spyware. 57% of Windows users have antiviruses installed, compared to 34% of Mac users that have done the same. 34% of Windows users have firewalls set up, with 23% being the proportion for Mac users. Anti spyware has next to no usage on Macbooks, with just 9%, yet 20% of Windows users are using them as of right now.
Windows users are also more likely to change their passwords compared to Mac users (26% vs 19%), but in most other areas Mac users were clearly more diligent. Apart from the use of password managers which were used by 32% of both Mac and Windows users, people that have MacOS installed were more likely to use a password generator, complex passwords and end to end encryption. Just 15% of Windows users use fingerprint recognition, while a whopping 48% of Mac users said the same.
Taking precautionary measures to keep cyber attacks at bay is crucial. No operating system is any more secure than another, since all of them can be cracked by malicious actors who will stop at nothing to gain control of your system if you don’t take steps to protect yourself.
Read next: 49% of Survey Respondents Are Worried About AI Security Risks
Most Mac users tend to be operating under the assumption that their systems are safer than Windows computers, but in spite of the fact that this is the case, they also tend to use a wider variety of security protocols. This might be why they face fewer threats than might have been the case otherwise, since the added security increases the layers of protection that they have with all things having been considered and taken into account.
With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that Mac users are more likely to use two factor authentication, identity theft monitoring as well as VPNs. 63% of Mac users have two factor authentication set up, compared to just 49% for Windows users. 19% of Mac users have the good sense to take advantage of identity theft monitoring, with 38% also using VPNs. For Windows users, the proportions for identity theft monitoring and VPN usage were just 15% and 24% respectively.
There are some areas where Windows users come out on top, such as the use of Antivirus software, firewalls, and anti spyware. 57% of Windows users have antiviruses installed, compared to 34% of Mac users that have done the same. 34% of Windows users have firewalls set up, with 23% being the proportion for Mac users. Anti spyware has next to no usage on Macbooks, with just 9%, yet 20% of Windows users are using them as of right now.
Windows users are also more likely to change their passwords compared to Mac users (26% vs 19%), but in most other areas Mac users were clearly more diligent. Apart from the use of password managers which were used by 32% of both Mac and Windows users, people that have MacOS installed were more likely to use a password generator, complex passwords and end to end encryption. Just 15% of Windows users use fingerprint recognition, while a whopping 48% of Mac users said the same.
Taking precautionary measures to keep cyber attacks at bay is crucial. No operating system is any more secure than another, since all of them can be cracked by malicious actors who will stop at nothing to gain control of your system if you don’t take steps to protect yourself.
Read next: 49% of Survey Respondents Are Worried About AI Security Risks
