The common wisdom states that Macs aren’t as susceptible to viruses as Windows PCs are.
But why is this, exactly?
Of course, no system is flawless when it comes to security.
It’s possible to get malware on a Mac just like any other computer.
Let’s look at the ways macOS is built to resist viruses and other malware.
What Is Malware?
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Viruses are hard to get rid of because they replicate themselves inside your operating system.
The termmalwarerefers to any malicious software, including:
What Protects a Mac From Malware Infections?
You might have heard the claim that viruses don’t affect Macs.
This isn’t true, asMacs can certainly get viruses.
You’ll struggle to find the same story from a Windows user.
There are a lot of factors at play here.
Unix is renowned for its stability and security features, many of which aren’t present in MS-DOS.
Your Mac benefits from this group effort, whereas Windows PCs are solely dependent on Microsoft’s architecture.
This is due to a macOS security feature called Gatekeeper.
When you download new apps, Gatekeeper quarantines them and uses XProtect to scan the code for malware.
This allows apps like Dropbox, Evernote, or Microsoft Office while blocking lesser-known developers.
This is an example of Apple’s infamous “walled garden” approach.
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3. macOS Separates Apps With Sandboxes
macOS makes use of sandboxing to limit what apps can do.
This includes categories likeFiles and Folders,Screen Recording,Camera,Photos, and more.
But it also guards important files behind a hidden defense, called System Integrity Protection (SIP).
Just like Gatekeeper, you might bypass SIP if you’re gonna wanna.
But most reputable developers design their apps to work alongside SIP, so you shouldn’t need to.
Seeour full explanation on System Integrity Protectionfor more details.
In fact, there are a lot more.
A virus designed to damage Windows doesn’t work against Macs.
So criminal developers need to choose which platform they want to target.
This is exactly what happens.
Fewer malware threats exist for the Mac because there’s far less to gain for people who create them.
This principle, however flawed, is known assecurity through obscurity.
For example:
For additional protection, you might also consider installing antivirus software.
