QuickCheck: Are computers running MacOS and Linux immune to malware?

COMPUTERS running on MacOS and Linux are immune to viruses, trojans and other malware.

Is this true?

Verdict:

FALSE

Although the bulk of the computing world is made up of computers running Microsoft Windows, there have been cases of malware specially designed to infect other operating systems such as Apple MacOS and Linux.

In July 2021, Check Point security researchers announced that the notorious XLoader malware had a version that infected Macs.

XLoader is a program used to steal login credentials, record keystrokes, and download and execute files.

According to Crowdstrike, an American cybersecurity technology company, there has been a rise in malware targetting Linux over the last three years.

The company’s latest threat telemetry data shows that malware for the popular OS has increased by 35% in 2021, compared just to the year 2020.

Crowdstrike says Linux has become a popular target for cyber crooks due to its popularity among cloud infrastructure developers and web servers manufacturers.

References:

1. https://www.crowdstrike.com/blog/linux-targeted-malware-increased-by-35-percent-in-2021/

2. https://research.checkpoint.com/2021/top-prevalent-malware-with-a-thousand-campaigns-migrates-to-macos/