The rise of cybercrime attacks is becoming a cause for concern for many business, particularly those with a small budget for IT support. However, IT security is something which does require investment and neglect of this area can be catastrophic if you suffer a cyber attack. The most important aspect of IT security is to always stay alert and remember that everyone is a potential victim. In the past, many have believed that Macs are more secure than PCs and this has caused complacent users to lose focus and, consequently, suffer an IT security breach. But is there any truth to the claim that Macs do have better in-built security systems?
Put simply, yes. Macs have been successful targeted by far fewer cyber attacks and their overall IT security systems do appear to be more robust when it comes to cybercrime. However, most criminal activity stems back to one thing: money. And cybercrime is no different. Twenty years ago, Macs were not nearly as popular as they are now. In the 1990s and even early 2000s, there simply wasn’t a market for creating viruses and malware for Macs. The recent explosion in popularity which has seen Macs entering offices, homes and, in the case of the iPhone, our pocket, has opened up a whole new market in the criminal world of virus building.
It is generally acknowledged that it is harder to successfully exploit a vulnerability in Mac software. In fact, there are, in theory, a greater number of vulnerabilities within Apple’s systems than there are in Windows. But a vulnerability doesn’t necessarily lead to a successful cyber attack. Once a weakness has been identified, the hackers have to develop the capability to exploit it and often by the time this has happened, Apple have released a patch. The recent WannaCry ransomware epidemic was an example of Windows failing to successfully patch known vulnerabilities on old systems; something Apple are generally better at doing and therefore keeping their users safe.
So perhaps it is no longer fair to say that there is significantly more malware targeting Windows. In fact, the latest operating systems from Apple and Windows are seeing similar levels of cybercrime activity. The difference, however, is their success rate when it comes to blocking these attacks. It seems that despite being under increasing pressure, Apple’s overall security is capable of withstanding a greater number of malware attacks thanks to their superior inbuilt IT security.
Finally, in addition to being aware of the risk of cyber attacks when we are using our computers, either a Mac or a PC, it is becoming increasingly important to consider mobile device IT security. We are able to do more and more from our mobile phones, including accessing our work emails, internet banking and social media profiles. Just as the money linked to malware development followed the rise in the market for Macs, it is now heading steadily towards handheld devices. Again, iOS on the iPhone has proven itself significantly more secure than Android’s equivalent.
No one is immune to cybercrime. Stay alert, stay up-to-date (both with your own knowledge and your operating systems) and stay safe online, regardless of which system you’re using.
