Is it true that Macs are virus free?

For years, one of those urban legends has been circulating in the IT field that can spread (it's really the case to say) virally along the telematic highways, using forums, social networks, and sometimes even authoritative sites as a means of reproduction and at the same time as a sounding board. The legend in question would have PCs that mount Microsoft operating systems or similar ones constantly under siege by viruses and malware, while Macs and other Apple devices would be practically "virgin" from this point of view. An extremely distorted vision, because the world of hacking and phishing is so enterprising that it often finds itself a cut above those who operate in the IT field within the law.

Thus, even Macs can boast their good enemies, in the form of viruses that attack the health of computers and especially the operating systems - or parts of the latter - installed on them. It is also true that, on a percentage level, cyber attacks on the health of PCs are still clearly superior to those of Apple terminals. However, this aspect should not induce Mac owners to sleep on two pillows. In fact, Apple products, in the eyes of a hacker, appear to be elite devices, precisely by virtue of their "shielding" against unwanted external agents; and this makes them much more attractive, because they represent a more impervious and therefore more fascinating challenge. Furthermore, it is a widespread belief that Mac owners are on average wealthier than PC owners, and that therefore they can hide much more valuable data in their terminals, incentivizing phishing operations.

The result of this is an exponential increase in the presence of viruses and malware in Mac environments. So, while PCs are holding firm to their not very honorable leadership in this regard on a purely quantitative level, Macs are recording a significantly higher growth trend: a good 60% more in 2019 than in 2018. And this alone is data capable of destroying any mythology regarding Macs as virus-free devices: they can be infected like any other computer. Indeed, data in hand, even more so.

Hence, the need to defend oneself beyond the tools (however precious) that Apple regularly makes available to its customers in the form of security updates. As many software houses operating in the sector have understood, they may not be enough. The success of tools for cleaning and restoring the functionality of a Mac produced by third-party companies, such as the now famous CleanMyMac X, it can also be explained like this.

On the other hand, the tug of war between software producers and telematic "spreaders" is destined to continue indefinitely. And beyond the precautions and countermeasures made available to the market, the most effective defense remains constant care of your device. Which means: continuous monitoring of plug-ins, applications, files and programs, in order to identify suspicious and unknown ones, and possibly remove them. But also timely installation of updates provided by the parent company: this is in fact the first, and often most effective, "vaccine" against any kind of computer virus.