In fact, Malwarebytes found that in 2019, there was a 400-percent increase in Mac malware compared to the previous year. However, the Mac user base has grown steadily over the years, and cybercriminals are taking notice. Since there are more Windows users, malware makers can target more people with Windows malware. The main reason that there are more threats to Windows is because there are more Windows users.

That and the fact that a huge majority of malware is designed for Windows lead many to believe that Macs don’t need antivirus software, but that is a myth. That means a piece of malware designed to exploit a Windows vulnerability does no harm to a Mac and vice versa. Here’s one tidbit of information about malware that many people don’t know: Many of them are OS-specific.

Keeping macOS up-to-date helps patch security vulnerabilities.

Read our Bitdefender review, a top-rated software with 100-percent virus detection rate.

Macs need third-party antivirus for total protection.Macs have built-in antivirus and security software, but they aren’t foolproof.

Best free antivirus for macs