Do you own a Mac? If so, you might have the common perception that they’re more secure from internet threats than Windows PCs. Unfortunately, this isn’t the case. The truth is that Macs have historically not been targeted by hackers as frequently as Windows systems, simply because there were fewer to attack, so it didn’t make financial sense for the bad guys.
But this is changing: as Macs become more popular, cyber-criminals are increasingly turning their attention towards the platform. That’s bad news for Mac owners.
According to some estimates, Mac-specific malware soared 270% in 2017 over the prior year. Threats are still not as widespread as on Windows PCs, but you only need to get hit once and it could have a serious impact: leading to the loss of precious files and pictures, identity theft, or even locking you out of your machine altogether.
- Scan your Mac for hidden threats in less than a minute. Instantly find and delete viruses, ransomware, and other malicious software before they can cause trouble. Maintain your protection with advanced background scans and virus removal features powered by artificial intelligence.
- Stopping a virus altogether involves searching your Mac pretty thoroughly to ensure all traces of the virus are gone. You should use malware-scanning software to help identify and eliminate.
Choose Good Passwords. Don't use passwords that are based on personal informationDevelop.
With that in mind, we’ve put together this blog, briefing you on things you need to know: where some of the main risks are for Mac owners, and how you can keep your machine and data safe from harm with Trend Micro.
A helping hand
Fortunately, there are some built-in protections to help keep your Mac safe from internet threats. For one, its operating system is based on the Unix platform, which is more secure by design than Windows. However, no OS is completely impervious to vulnerabilities and threats. That’s why Apple has added a few features to improve security. These include:
XProtect: A built-in malware scanning tool that works in the background. If you try to open a file – for example, by opening an email attachment from an unrecognized sender, or downloading an app – it will check the file against a blacklist of known malware and flag anything suspicious. The tool requires no user interaction to work; it’s on by default and shouldn’t slow your Mac down.
However, its list of malware is not exhaustive, and there are many threats in the wild which have never been seen before, and so could bypass this filter. Its effectiveness could also suffer if you don’t keep it up-to-date by upgrading to the latest macOS version.
Gatekeeper: This is a built-in tool that prevents users from downloading unapproved Mac apps. When you’re on the official Mac App Store this isn’t an issue, of course. But if you’re on a third-party marketplace, there could be malware-laden applications masquerading as legitimate software. If the app hasn’t been digitally signed and approved by Apple, Gatekeeper will alert the user. Your Mac’s password protection helps here too, for gatekeeping purchases and free downloads.
Sandboxing: Approved macOS apps also contain a “sandboxing” feature which ensures they’re isolated from the critical parts of your machine. This provides further security in case they are hijacked by attackers.
Anti-phishing: Phishing attacks are commonplace today. They often aim to trick the recipient of an email into clicking on a malicious link or will take you to a specially crafted site where they ask for log-ins, financial and other personal data. The site could also download ransomware, to lock your files or Mac, until you pay the price. Apple’s Safari browser has built-in anti-phishing technology to spot some of these sites.
Plug-ins: Certain third-party technology platforms can also introduce extra risk to Mac users. That’s why macOS is designed to block plug-ins such as Adobe Flash Player, Silverlight, QuickTime and Oracle Java if they aren’t updated to the latest, most secure version.
FileVault 2: This feature offers full disk encryption to keep your data protected in the event that a hacker tries to access the information on your machine.
MacOS threats on the rise
However, despite these protections, the bad guys are getting more determined and advanced in how they target macOS users. There was an estimated 29 percent increase in vulnerabilities on the platform reported in 2017, while Mac malware samples have skyrocketed (see the chart below). Hackers are adept at exploiting software flaws to spread malware which could steal your data, snoop on your internet browsing, flood your screen with annoying ads, and, as ransomware, even lock you out of your machine completely.
Source: AV-TEST, January 2018
Reports also suggest US users are more affected by macOS malware than any others. A quarter of all global threats affecting the platform are aimed at them.
Here are just a few recent threats affecting Mac users:
Meltdown/Spectre: Billed as one of the most serious cyber-threats in recent memory, these processor flaws could allow sophisticated hackers to read your Mac’s memory. The result? Although there are no reports of these vulnerabilities being exploited as yet, the potential is there for attackers to steal any data that has been stored on your machine.
Word macro viruses: For a long time confined to the PC space, these threats also affect Mac users. Macro programs embedded into Word and other documents can contain malware. If they’ve been enabled to automatically run this could land you in trouble, downloading info-stealing malware, ransomware and more.
Fruitfly: Discovered in 2017, it’s thought the Fruitfly malware could have been circulating for as many as 13 years. It’s designed to capture screenshots and webcam images and infect other devices on the same network. Dubbed “creepware,” it’s thought the program lifted millions of images from infected computers.
OSX/Ransom: Again discovered in 2017, OSX/Ransom-A (popularly known as MacRansom), the ransomware follows the now-familiar pattern of encrypting your files, then threatens you with the message that if you don’t pay the ransom within 7 days, even the cybercriminals who created the malware won’t be able to decrypt your files.
OSX/MaMi: One of the first threats of 2018, OSX/MaMi is designed to route your internet traffic through malicious servers, where the attackers can steal your log-ins and other sensitive information.
MacDownloader: This malware was first discovered hidden in a fake Adobe Flash update. If a user clicks through they’ll be told there’s adware on their machine and asked for their Mac password. Divulging it will allow the hackers to steal your usernames, passwords, PINs, credit card numbers and more.
Trend Micro Antivirus for Mac
The good news is that there are third-party tools available to help you enhance the built-in security of your Mac to boost protection against these rising threat levels. The truth is that while Apple does a good job of providing as much protection as it can, security is just one of the things that Apple’s focused on. Security vendors like Trend Micro are laser-focused on one thing only: threat protection for users and businesses. Trend Micro works around the clock to develop advanced protection, not just against current threats but also to reduce the risks posed by previously unseen web and social network threats, phishing emails, and ransomware.
Trend Micro Antivirus for Mac is just such a tool. Leveraging our industry-leading Smart Protection Network and the latest machine learning technology, it’s designed to keep scams out of your inbox, block malware, prevent you from visiting dangerous sites and much more.
The Folder Shield feature in Antivirus for Mac provides enhanced protection against ransomware. This tool adds an extra layer of defense by blocking the malware from trying to access and encrypt your most important files.
Trend Micro Antivirus for Mac also protects you against the growing threat of malware on social networks and for cloud sync/backup. And there are Parental Controls to help you keep your family protected online and to make your Mac more child-friendly.
Independent lab tests also prove that Trend Micro Antivirus for Mac gives you 100% protection against threats, without sacrificing system performance. See the January 2018 AV-TEST report Put to the Test: Antivirus Solutions for MacOS Sierra for the evidence.
For more information, go to Antivirus Protection for Mac OS, where you can also purchase the product or download a free 30-day trial.
Read the latest Macworld MagazineTrend Micro Antivirus for Mac Review, part of its best antivirus roundup, where it received 4 stars.
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For anyone who uses a Mac always have this question, do Mac get attacked by viruses and malware? And if so, how do I protect my Mac from it? Here, I’m going to show how to protect your Mac from viruses and malware.
Yes, Mac does get attacked by viruses and malware and there is a lot of attacks. Nothing is perfect in this World, almost everything (that could connect to the Internet) can be hackable. It is about how bad the attack are and how quickly can do to fix the security issue.
C’mon, let’s not hide the fact that Mac are still more secured than Windows. Mac operating system (macos) are Unix-based and Unix already has tons of security features built-in. Plus, Apple have tons of security measures built-in and that include Gatekeeper which further help you to protect your Mac from viruses and malware by blocking any software that are not digitally signed and approved by Apple. If you try to open the affected software, it will display a error message that will stop you from opening. But if you trust the software and wish to open it, right-click on the software and click on Open.
Also, Apple included a “antivirus” program into macos called XProtect. It contain a list of applications that is considered “malicious applications”. Once you download a software from the Internet and open it, XProtect will check the application and make sure it is not from the list of “malicious applications”. If the software is from the list of “malicious applications, it will not open and will prompt you that the software will damage your computer.
Font chooser. There is zero-configuration to XProtect and it is enabled by default. To learn more, How-To Geek will explain it to you in detailed: howtogeek.com.
Names Of Viruses And Malware
Have you ever go to a website that require Adobe Flash, Java and etc. Polarr 1 2 0 – lightweight and professional photo editor. and it won’t run because it is outdated? Yep, that is another way that Apple has included to further make sure your Mac is safe from viruses and malware.
Talking about Adobe Flash, for those who still have it installed on your computer should consider uninstalling it for good. No matter you are on Windows or Mac, you should get Adobe Flash uninstalled due to tons and tons of security issues.
Mac Malware Protection
Honestly, I feel that this is just a user problem. An average user without any tech knowledge, will just open a malicious link from an email he/she receive, install a software when system told them to, click here and there and etc. Though big companies like Apple, Google, Microsoft and etc. have taken a tons of security measures to ensure you won’t receive any malicious email but somehow they will just end up in your inbox (told you, nothing is perfect). You should also do your own part to make sure you don’t anyhow install software, click on malicious link and etc.
It doesn’t matter it is a Mac, Windows, iOS, Android and so on, just keep all of your devices up-to-date. Companies releases software updates mostly is to fix security issues and also implement more security measures. Always make sure you update to the latest version. I know, most of you will not update to the latest version because mostly, it is about the new features you don’t like or the new interface you don’t like. Well then, choose between security and interfaces/features. Good luck.
There is tons of articles will tell you not to install MacKeeper because it fake. In my own observation, it is true that it is a fake antivirus. I had encounter a lot of users that have MacKeeper installed had their computer slowed down (performance affected), more and more ads has been popup out of no where and etc. Keep away from MacKeeper, it won’t bring you any good.
One good example of a fake antivirus which Apple has blocked is called MacDefender that is affected all Mac OS X v10.6 or earlier (support.apple.com). Apple was quick enough to fix the security issue by issuing a Security Update 2011-003 (support.apple.com).
It is not compulsory that you have to install an antivirus on your Mac but if you really want to ensure your Mac is very secured, then you should. There is tons of antivirus programs out there in the market.
Some examples are: Bitdefender, Norton, Avast and so much more. You can refer to the top antivirus 2017 here by Macworld: macworld.co.uk
Scan For Malware And Viruses
This is all I have for you, the basic guide to ensure you keep your mac safe from viruses and malware. Remember to always keep your devices up-to-date, stop clicking/opening any links from your email and stop installing software that you do not know.
For the most complete ultimate guide to secure your Mac, visit Macworld.