Why does macOS have better security features? Macbooks are generally said to be less susceptible to Malware than Windows.
So why is the MacBook so dominant? Read on below if you want to get the answer.
What is Malware?
Malware is “a program secretly inserted into a system with the intent to compromise the confidentiality, integrity or availability of the system.”
These malicious programs can perform various functions, including stealing, encrypting, or deleting sensitive data, altering or hijacking functions, and monitoring the user’s computer and phone activity without their permission.
Thus, Malware carries a broader concept than viruses. It can be said that viruses are only considered a specialized group of Malware with the ability to replicate and spread quickly (similar to biological viruses).
What makes Macos safer and more challenging to get malicious code?
1. Apple builds macOS using the Unix platform
If Windows built its own distinctive and unique MS-DOS-based operating system platform, Apple also developed a Unix-based macOS operating system, which was developed in the 1960s.
When Microsoft developed Windows, they built an OS based on their software platform called MS-DOS. In contrast, Apple created macOS (or Mac OS X at the time) using Unix, an open source platform that has been in use for many years.
This operating system, which has always stood out for its stable operation and good security features, is said to bring more advanced security features than MS-DOS.
Windows hasn’t used MS-DOS as a base since Windows XP, but many parts of its security and architecture today are still left over from those old days.
Meanwhile, Unix is open source and has been used by many companies to develop macOS, Linux, PlayStation 4, etc.
There are a lot of people looking to fix the vulnerabilities in Unix. So they can make their products safer. Your Mac benefits from this grouping, while Windows PCs depend solely on Microsoft’s architecture.
That’s why this Unix platform is invested by a series of technology giants and fixes vulnerabilities daily, while Microsoft only focuses on the Windows platform.
2. Gatekeeper Security Features
The Gatekeeper app brings excellent security features to macOS, which is currently only compatible with this device and is an exclusive strength of macOS.
If you’ve ever downloaded an app from a source other than the App Store, you might have discovered that you can’t open it after the download is finished. This is a result of macOS’s Gatekeeper security feature.
When you download a new application to your device, Gatekeeper will immediately use XProtect to scan for malware present on that application. If Malware is detected, it will issue a notification and stop the download.
XProtect even scans apps you’ve downloaded before. If it finds any apps provided by untrusted developers, Gatekeeper will remove them.
In default settings, your Mac only allows you to install apps available on the App Store and from verified developers. This helps applications like Dropbox, Evernote, or Microsoft Office block malicious and untrusted software.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdo3D0lorDA
3. Grant access permissions for each app
With Sandbox, macOS brings the ability to grant access to each application.
This creates an intrusion protection shield for third-party applications provided by 3rd parties to access and steal data from other applications on the machine or files on Mac’s system, preventing malicious software from entering and attacking your Mac.
This is considered a second layer of protection if, unfortunately, a piece of Malware bypasses Gatekeeper’s scanning layer.
From macOS Catalina operating system, Mac applications need to be allowed to access any data on the system, such as Files and Folders, Screen Recording, Cameras, and Photos, …
Go to System Preferences > Security & Privacy > Privacy to check your machine’s security settings. You can see which apps are granted what permissions here.
4. Equipped with SIP system protection
A system on Macs called System Integrity Protection (SIP) allows users to hide some essential system files in a hidden “fence” of protection.
This ensures that anyone, including you, can’t edit anything on these system files (this feature is often targeted at Malware.
With SIP, malware codes have little chance of breaking your Mac system. Now, trusted app developers are releasing apps that can accommodate this Mac’s protection.
Like Gatekeeper, you can bypass SIP if you need to. But most reputable developers integrate their applications to work with SIP, so you should not interfere with this feature if it is not necessary.
5. Macs are less popular than Windows
Windows computers are more commonly used than Macs, making this a fertile ground for cybercriminals.
Malware that is created to target Windows computers will not cause damage to the Mac. And often, Windows computers with a more significant number of users will be selected as the target.
6. Secure Boot:
Support for secure boot is automatically enabled. This processor is designed to verify that the operating system software loaded on your computer during startup is authorized by Apple.
If your MacBook Pro doesn’t start because an untrusted component is detected, the computer boots from the secure recovery partition and automatically fix issues where possible.
Changing security settings on the startup drive of the Apple silicon Mac is covered in the macOS User Guide in more detail.
7. Secure storage:
MacBook Pro’s storage is encrypted with hardware keys to provide enhanced levels of security. You should back up your files to an external source because data recovery might not be possible in a severe issue.
The macOS User Guide describes how to use macOS Recovery on a Mac with Apple silicon.
To frequently back up your files, you can set up Time Machine or another backup strategy. Apple Support’s article Back up your Mac with Time Machine and the macOS User Guide’s section on Backing up your files with Time Machine are available online.
Final Thoughts
These are why MacOs are more secure, so you can rest assured that your data is well protected. This is also the difference that MacOs creators support users in keeping information safe.
I hope the article will help tell you Why does macOS have better security features?
Tips for using your MacBook more safely:
- Update your Mac to the latest operating system version to receive support for the company’s latest security features.
- Do not open files from unknown email addresses.
- Don’t ignore security software warnings on your Mac to install untrusted apps.
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