Conventional wisdom has long held that Macs don’t need antivirus protection because they come with antivirus protection built in. And while it’s true that Macs do have more robust malware protection than Windows PCs, it’s simply not true that they don’t need antivirus software.
The truth is that Apple stopped marketing Macs as virus-free in 2012. Macs are increasingly vulnerable to viruses and malware. The last couple of years have seen a remarkable spike in malware targeting Macs. With more hackers writing malware for Macs, and figuring out ways to bypass Apple’s built-in security protocols, you need to install antivirus for your Mac sooner rather than later.
More Hackers Are Writing Malware for Macs
In the past, Windows machines provided a more appealing target for hackers – they were more common than Macs and easier to infiltrate with malicious code. But Macs are getting more popular, and that makes them a more appealing target for hackers, especially since hackers know that many Mac owners still think Macs don’t need antivirus protection. This widespread belief makes Mac owners into easy targets.
These days, Windows Defender, the built-in protection on Windows machines, is getting more formidable, which makes Macs seem more appealing. As a result, cybercriminals are increasingly focusing their efforts on targeting Macs. In 2020, hackers created 674,273 new malicious apps for Macs, representing a huge increase from the year before, when hackers created just 56,556 pieces of malware for Macs. The proliferation of malware for Macs alone is enough reason to install an antivirus for Mac on your system.
Hackers Are Finding Ways Around Apple’s Built-In Protections
Apple might not be advertising their Macs as resistant to viruses anymore, but that doesn’t mean they’re sending their computers out into the world with no virus protection, either. Quite the opposite – Macs are known for their built-in virus protection. Macs use a proprietary malware scanner called XProtect, which runs in the background, scanning every file you open against its library of known macOS threats. If it finds that the file is suspicious, it pops up a warning.
Another proprietary technology, Gatekeeper, seeks to prevent the installation of malicious apps by blocking any downloads from sources other than the Mac App Store, as well as software that lacks an Apple-issued developer signature. Of course, not every app from third-party sources or lacking a developer signature will be malicious. You can circumvent Gatekeeper pretty easily from your System Preferences – but therein lies the rub. If it’s easy to circumvent Gatekeeper, it’s also easy to accidentally install a malicious app. You’re not always going to be able to recognize malicious apps from their reviews or ratings in the App Store or on third-party sites.
And you don’t even need to circumvent Gatekeeper to get a malicious app, because hackers have figured out how to spoof Apple-issued developer signatures in order to fool Gatekeeper. OSX/CrescentCore, a malware app that emerged in June 2019, used a fake developer certificate to get around Gatekeeper’s protections. Even though Apple’s built-in protections are pretty good, you still need the extra layer of protection that an antivirus for Mac provides.
Your Mac Could Have Undetected Vulnerabilities
The problem with not having an antivirus is that you really don’t know how many vulnerabilities your Mac could have. In 2018, for example, Apple discovered that virtually all of the CPUs they had sold for two decades contained serious security flaws that could have allowed hackers to gain access to parts of the macOS that are supposed to be protected by sandboxing and other safety features built into the macOS. Dubbed Spectre and Meltdown, these vulnerabilities were eventually patched, but they’re a reminder that Apple machines could have security flaws of which no one is yet aware.
Of course, there’s also the possibility that you could encounter zero-day malware – that is, new malware that no one has ever encountered before. Your Mac obviously won’t have a zero-day threat in its threat definitions, because it won’t have seen that particular malware before. In 2019, a zero-day threat known as OSX/Linker exploited a security flaw in Gatekeeper to infect thousands of machines. Apple may not patch zero-day threats as promptly as might be hoped, so running an antivirus for Mac may be your best means of defense.
If you’re running a Mac, you need to protect it from malware with an antivirus program. Mac malware is on the rise, and your machine could be targeted next – or it could already be infected. Install a reputable antivirus program for Mac, and protect yourself from cybercrime.
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