Apple this and Apple that. Do the success of the iPhone and more recently the iPad, people have gone iCrazy. Everywhere you go you see people with their heads down laying with iPhones and iPads. However, when it comes to laptops and desktop computers, Apple is still trailing by a large margin. While the differences between PC’s and Mac’s seem to be marginal at best, it is important to note the key area in which PC and Mac computers drastically differ: Security.
With Apple recently dominating the market share with their products, more people than ever are picking up Macbook Air and Macbook Pro because of their perceived invincibility to malware infections. Malware infections have long been a major drawback to Windows computers. It poses a major question facing consumers: Can my Mac computer be infected with a virus?
Absolutely.
However, the rate in which Mac computers are infected with malware versus its PC counterparts is alarmingly low. As a result, most Mac users don’t even bother installing anti-virus software—something that is almost considered a crime in the PC community. Nevertheless, it is not the superiority of the Mac that causes less malware infections, but rather a culmination of other factors such as:
• Less users of OSX and therefore less targeting of OSX customers by hackers
• The Unix kernel used in OSX is more reliable and secure in general
• Macs do not use a common language for coders
• Less Mac-specific programs
That does not mean that you can NOT get a virus on a Mac computer, it just is very unlikely. However, all internet users are succumb to phishing and bad ads on the internet that can greatly affect system performance. In addition, regardless of how the system performs, Mac users are still susceptible to online fraud from fraudulent websites.
Another key area in which to focus your attention on the fact that Mac computers can be carriers for virus infections without showing any clear warning signs such as a decrease in system performance. And as a result, it is quite possible to spread the virus through emails and file transfers to Windows users. Those who are running Bootcamp also need be concerned about the idea of getting virus infections on the Windows partition of the drive. If you feel that your computer may be under attack, whether it be a Mac or PC, it is best to contact a computer repair company for further assistance.