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Long deemed less prone to intrusion, Apple's OSX today faces a cyberthreat risk similar to Microsoft Windows, Kaspersky Lab says.
February 11, 2015
Once upon a time, Apple computer users could pretty much assume immunity from cyberthreats. There were simply too few of them to be worth a hacker's while — particularly compared with the number of PC users.
But now, according to a Consumer Security Risk Survey conducted by Kaspersky Lab and B2B International, Apple users are encountering cyberthreats almost as often as users of other platforms.
The survey showed that 24 percent of Apple desktop users and 10 percent of Apple laptop users encountered malware last year, whereas the number of affected PC owners was slightly higher at 32 percent.
Mac users also are generally less aware of Internet threats than Windows users, the survey revealed. Moreover, the survey found that half of Mac users still neglect to use Internet security solutions on their devices: Only 47 percent of MacBook and 59 percent of Apple desktop computers are protected.
When they users do choose a security solution, price is a top priority (41 percent), followed by 36 percent who consider the quality of malware detection most important and 33 percent who take into account the impact the solution has on the performance of the device.
By comparison, Windows users put malware detection efficiency at 47 percent, with cost at 42 percent and effectiveness against Web threats at 31 percent.
"OS X users have long lived in isolation from the dangers of the Internet so they may feel almost invulnerable, but as cyber threats today are expanding their areas of operation ever more widely, it is important to be prepared for them," said Vladimir Zapolyansky, Kaspersky Lab vice president of product and technology marketing.
