Mac Malware Awareness Surges as Users Abandon ‘Immunity’ Belief
Cupertino, CA – September 26, 2024 – A new report reveals a significant shift in perception regarding Mac security, with users increasingly acknowledging teh growing threat of malware.The Mac Security Survey 2025 from Moonlock indicates only 15% of respondents believe macOS is immune to malware, a sharp decline from 28% in 2023. this change in mindset coincides with a reported surge in cyber threats targeting Mac users.
The survey found that 66% of Mac users experienced at least one cyber threat in the past year, including malware, phishing attempts, and data breaches. Growing anxieties surrounding artificial intelligence also contribute to the heightened concern, with 72% fearing AI is fueling the rise of cyberattacks and only 34% feeling safer because of it. Over half of respondents expressed a lack of control over the data collected by AI tools.
This follows reports from late 2023 detailing the use of AI tools, such as ChatGPT, by threat actors to generate malware scripts.
Despite Apple’s built-in security measures like XProtect, confidence in these protections alone is waning. Nearly half of Mac users (46%) now believe they require additional security software. Though, 64% still maintain the belief that software alone can fully protect them, suggesting a continued oversight of essential security practices like software updates, strong passwords, and network security.
The full Mac Security Survey 2025 report is available from Moonlock: https://moonlock.com/2025/09/Mac-Security-Survey-2025.pdf.
