This year has seen a record increase in Mac OS X malware, security researchers at Bit9 + Carbon Black said in the report 2015 – The Most Prolific Year in History for OS X Malware, based on an extensive study.
This year, there have been 948 OS X malware samples, which is not only an all-time high, but also represents the highest annual growth. The number of malware samples has increased more than five-fold compared to the previous year.
The reason is simple and obvious: Apple computers are rising in popularity, both in homes and the workplace. Over 45 percent of organizations are offering Macs as an option for their employees, according to statistics cited by Bit9 + Carbon Black. Expert say the time when Macs were considered invulnerable to malware is becoming history now. At the same time, it would be unreasonable, to say the least, to put Windows and Mac OS on the same plane. The majority of cyber security companies have long stopped trying to keep count of the exact number of Windows malware samples. However, even according to the most conservative estimates, their number exceeds 20 million a year.
