There was once a time when Mac computers were almost invincible against malware. For a long time, that security was one of the major talking points of the superiority of Macs over Windows PCs. However, as time has passed and PCs have become much better at detecting malware and Windows has become more secure, it is now safer to use a PC than a Mac.

As Macs have become a larger piece of the computer market pie, they have become a more attractive target for cybercriminals to send adware and what Malwarebytes calls "potentially unwanted programs" (PUPs).

"While these threats are not as dangerous as traditional malware, they are becoming a larger and more noticeable nuisance to Mac users, and their beloved systems are no longer immune from malware," Malwarebytes Labs recently Malwarebytes Labs stated in a recent report.

Calculated in terms of threats per system, threats targeting Macs outnumbered those targeting Windows by about 2:1 in 2019.

The full report details that Mac-related threats increased by more than 400% overall in 2019 for both consumers and businesses, with a significant increase in detections per system from 4.8 in 2018 to 11.0 in 2019. This is double the number of detections on Windows PCs, which was 5.8 in 2019. Cybercriminals were able to target Macs more aggressively because Apple's built-in security "does not police adware and PUPs to the same degree as malware," making it easier for malicious software to infiltrate computers running the Mac OS.

In general, most Mac threats are different forms of adware and PUPs, with Malwarebytes' report ranking Mac threats in second and third place for the first time in its ranking of most pervasive malware. One of them, PCVARK, a generic term for "system optimizers" or "junk cleaners" that claim to speed up systems, was only 31st on the 2018 ranking; PCVARK caused about 25 million malware attacks against Macs last year . Adware.NewTab topped the list, with nearly 30 million attacks in 2019.

In contrast, the top threat for Windows PCs was Adware.MindSpark, which increased 497% from 2018 to 2019, but accounted for only 2M infected consumer PCs.

Adware.Yontoo infected just over 3M business PCs. infected. While Trojans and other severe forms of malware dominate PCs, adware attacks are the fastest growing malware attack on both PCs and Macs. The only difference is that Windows PCs are far more capable of catching these threats.

However, if you are still concerned about the health of your PC, there is antivirus software that we recommend.