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Loading...For a long time, one of the big reasons for choosing a Mac was the fact that they had far fewer security issues than Windows PCs. They were never completely immune to viruses. These days, however, Mac users have to take security every bit as seriously as people who use Windows PCs. Here’s an explanation of why you need the best free antivirus for your Mac.
Why Macs were once “safe” and Windows PCs weren’t
Rather than get into the details of all the “under the hood” differences between Macs and PCs, let’s summarize. The way MacOS works means that it is more challenging to create viruses which work on Macs than it is to create viruses which work on Windows. That doesn’t mean it is (or ever was) impossible. There have long been some nasty viruses floating around the Mac world. It just means that it takes a lot more work.
In the old days, the payoff for creating a Mac virus was relatively low. Before the days of broadband internet, people (even businesses) often connected to the internet as and when necessary. This meant that when a virus was released into the wild, its creator usually lost touch with it completely. At most, they would have a very limited degree of contact with it, when the victim went online.
For practical purposes, therefore, viruses could only be used for corrupting and/or deleting data (or damaging operating systems). They could not really be used for more sophisticated crimes, such as identity theft.
For practical purposes, therefore, viruses could only be used for corrupting and/or deleting data (or damaging operating systems). They could not really be used for more sophisticated crimes, such as identity theft.
The arrival of broadband internet was a game-changer for cybercriminals
With broadband internet, computers are, literally, always online (except when they’re actually switched off). This was very convenient for ordinary people, but it was also very convenient for cybercriminals. They started to develop new, and far more sophisticated forms of viruses. These new creations were intended not for straightforward destruction, but for discrete theft. Cybercriminals also started to branch out into new forms of malicious software such as spyware, adware and ransomware.
Macs changed from being “more hassle than they were worth” to being prime targets
There are still plenty of viruses out there which were created purely for the kick of causing wanton destruction. These exist even in the Mac world and they are definitely worth avoiding. These days, however, viruses and malware can also be used for more dangerous forms of cybercrime and Macs are prime targets for the cybercriminals who perpetrate them.
Some criminals target Macs because the people who own them tend to be of solid financial standing. They might not be rich, but they probably have at least decent credit records. This means that if a cybercriminal can steal their identity, they have a very good chance of being able to obtain credit cards and loans.Alternatively, criminals could opt for the simpler approach of using ransomware attacks. Ransomware encrypts important files so that the user has to pay a ransom to recover them.
Typically, the criminals behind these attacks demand that the victim transfers cryptocurrency within a very short period of time, precisely to limit their options for dealing with the attack.
Macs are often used by people in creative industries. Such people may have invested significant amounts of time in creating content and may not be able to recreate it in time to meet a deadline. Even if they could, it would almost certainly impact their workflow. Cybercriminals know this and hence know that, as long as they don’t ask too much, the victim will probably pay up. At this point in time, ransomware attacks are still fairly rare, but the rate of growth is alarming.
Some criminals target Macs because have great hardware specs. This means that if a cybercriminal can take them over, they can do a lot of damage with them. In particular, Macs often have the sort of hardware muscle you need for mining cryptocurrency. This is a massively resource-intensive task and you typically need to do a lot of it to achieve a decent payoff. While mining cryptocurrency itself is not necessarily illegal, it is a way for illegal organizations to get funding. In other words, your Mac could be used to finance serious crimes like terrorism.
Get the best free antivirus for your Mac
Now you know why you need the best free antivirus for your Mac, it’s time to go download it. Head to this page to get Comodo antivirus for Macs. It’s all the protection you need and it’s free.
