Are Macs REALLY Safer?

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There's a common belief that Macs aren't as susceptible to malware as PCs, but how true is that?
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[@mrguest3749]

Don't worry, my $999 apple stand has no chance of getting a virus.

[@cubedmelons876]

Sure it can. Just sneeze on it. :)

[@chuck_norris]

@@owainharris Calm down "kiddo" r/youngpeopleyoutube

[@icommentonstuff1873]

Owain Harris r/wooosh

[@AliYassinToma]

@@owainharris haha nice joke ... Srsly i hope that was a joke

[@AliYassinToma]

@@owainharris no one ACTUALLY needs a mac ... windows can do EVERYTHING mac can do ... and thats the reason windows has 75%market share ... better than that shit locked up os that is so limited ... which has less than 10% market share ... srsly mac for work ? What kind of work that cant be done on windows ? Looking at the 2010 era animations ?

[@sheepman6291]

AWWWWW! I Have been an IT Guy for years. I have worked on MAC, Linux, and windows. They are all about as secure as the system admins supporting them.

[@jayzo]

So basically my computer is secretly scared of being disliked by others just like me?

[@haileygarrett2783]

As a fellow IT person, yep. Golden rule I've learned: don't be stupid and let end users install things without asking. It's a matter of time before someone installs "PDF Viewer XL Max Deluxe" and brings something undesirable onto the network.

[@AxeAR]

@@jayzo lol

[@cyclonous6240]

Nailed it!

[@TheMrMiao]

Owain Harris did you watch the video?

[@Twinrehz]

No joke, ad-blocker has probably saved my ass more times than I can imagine.

[@KSR3]

maybe try unplugging the cable from your internet and you get 0 ads

[@blahorgaslisk7763]

I was browsing a site that doesn't have any other income than their adds and when I saw the plea for disabling any ad blocker so they could keep the site going I thought about it carefully. This site gave me a lot in terms of entertainment. They had very nicely coded pages with little in the way of fluff or scripting, and the only off site resources was the adds, and those were provided by usually reliable companies. So I disabled the ad blocker and gave them a chance. And no. Within a few minutes there was some script throwing up windows designed to look like system alerts, claiming to be an AV software that had diagnosed several severe viruses running on my machine. Turned out to be nothing serious as long as you didn't try to follow the instructions which would have had me downloading some software and installing it to take care of the "dangerous virus infections". Just to be sure I did shut everything down and gave the machine a thorough scrubbing using a bootable USB stick and the latest updated AV software which found nothing I didn't expect to be there. This time it was just some social engineering at play, and I knew what was and wasn't installed on my machine, and that the "system alert" boxes was just something generated using html code. But I can see how something like this can trick a lot of people. What I took away from this was that no, I'm sorry, but the ad blocker stays on for the foreseeable future. I'll just have to live with being a leech on resources for small independent sites that have no other source of revenue than the adds.

[@cjc363636]

That and script blockers. No Script back 15 years ago was a lifesaver. No Firefox install was complete without it.

[@gustavoguti27]

Not clicking anywhere its safer

[@serge2cool]

@@KSR3 not true. Sky tv ads are aids still.

[@lucidtheming3190]

Linux community has entered the chat....but does not want to know your location.

[@____-gy5mq]

Read up on systemd and its controversies.

[@uniqhnd23]

Haha nice

[@rizkyadiyanto7922]

@@____-gy5mq what about it

[@SYS_Alberto]

*@Lucid Theming* Linux is like mac, it's security through obscurity. Nobody uses Linux / mac why bother attacking it Also Linux doesn't come with an AV so it's not that secure.

[@ahmatm2147]

@@SYS_Alberto antivitusses are, to me, completely useless. It's just a matter of how you use your computer. I've never had any virusses and never installed an antivirus.

[@nemlol]

Fun fact my typewriter doesn't get windows or Mac viruses.

[@matsb13]

Get out boomer

[@DevCasey]

But it gets typewriter viruses

[@iKn-ft2bc]

It doesn’t get viruses. But bakteria

[@tjsmithson1598]

Is it a fancy one with Word possessing?

[@JustinZero0]

but can that typewriter display these YT videos??

[@peterthepanda]

Big Macs are safe though. Unless you want to get hypertension.

[@WarriorsPhoto]

Peter the Panda Good point. LOL

[@mikediezel0923]

I prefer whoppers

[@peterbreis5407]

Yep! "Only" 50% fat! Half of which is saturated and the, oh so American, Trans Fat. The fat that nobody ordered but they shove in your food anyway.

[@AbrahamsYTC]

@@peterbreis5407 is that part of the LGBT+ community too?

[@MOJU314]

LOL i get it

[@NathanYoungman]

Top tip: password managers are helpful for avoiding phishing attacks. Autofill isn't going to fill if the URL is visually similar but not identical.

[@MRJMXHD]

I have never used password managers and never will. Reason is because, when they are compromised (and they always are), everyone's data is out in the open. I'll stick to Google's Secure Password Encryption + Sync.

[@davidg4512]

@@MRJMXHD? That's not an accurate statement. If you're that paranoid, then use a self hosted solution such as bitwarden

[@System-br1tx]

@@davidg4512 keepass?

[@bscchurch8423]

@@System-br1tx No good sync solution, sorry.

[@kapilsethia9284]

@@MRJMXHD chrome give access of password to other softwares. That's why I have to stop using.

[@Thuazabi]

This reminds me of a VERY old IT joke: "the safest computer in the world is one where no firmware or operating system has been installed, all external and internal IO has been disabled, there is no display, nor keyboard nor mouse, and it's been sealed in a steel box and dropped into the Marianas Trench - super secure, but essentially worthless"

[@cjc363636]

Broadcast engineer once complained to me at an old TV job: "If you idiots didn't use this equipment everyday, I wouldn't have to fix it all the time!"

[@Dhairya_Dj]

But Pro Display XDR isn't Safe Without the Stand

[@Kindly_Otter]

no one isn't safe without the JOJO Stand!

[@frosty1865]

I bought it and it's phenomnaaaaaaaaal

[@TUTAMKHAMON]

​@@frosty1865 me too, I use it to hang my clothes while they dry.

[@manafasif5007]

@@TUTAMKHAMON can't afford a washing machine after wasting half your months wage lol?

[@ElZamo92]

Kindly_Otter ORAORAORA ORAORAORA ORAORAORA ORAORAORA ORAORAORA ORAORAORA ORAORAORA ORAORAORA ORAORAORA ORAORAORA ORAORAORA ORAORAORA ORAORAORA ORAORAORA ORAORAORA ORAORAORA ORAORAORA ORAORAORA ORAORAORA ORAORAORA ORAORAORA ORAORAORA ORAORAORA ORAORAORA ORAORAORA ORAORAORA ORAORAORA ORAORAORA ORAORAORA ORAORAORA ORAORAORA ORAORAORA ORAORAORA

[@MsPfpfpf]

there is tons of viruses for mac, just have to pay for them :D:D:D

[@glados9298]

999$ per virus, 499$ per malware and so on

[@SiddarthSiddu71]

😂😂😂😂

[@andreib302]

Sevder Kernel Panic

[@Yaroslav_Tselovanskyi]

are

[@RonakBadhe]

like windows

[@OmegaJazz]

idk whats cheaper. getting your wallet banged by a hacker (699$) Or an apple stand (999$)

[@Brainlizard]

True😆

[@sohammandal5723]

or an absolutely welcoming penguin for free

[@nani8ot]

You made my day xD

[@faruktta3151]

Dhruv Kumar well for 999 youget something that will give a litle a very litle help but if you get banged and lost 700 and your pc broke

[@JamesAutoDude]

@@faruktta3151 for $700 you can get a brand new PC and have the newest hardware (likely better hardware then Mac anyways)... The $999 stand, you're still stuck with a system that'll be outdated next week and force you to buy a whole new Mac machine anyways

[@SoidSnake]

4:19 "If you do, you will have to give up pirating your favorite games" I'm pretty sure going from Windows to Chromebook means giving up on all games period.

[@gkid64]

The Chromebook image at the end is a Dell Chromebook 3189 don't know who would find this information useful but here it is

[@ntb3884]

don't find it useful at all, but respect for giving the info

[@martin1649]

i do, thank you

[@ColHogan-le5yk]

Where's my 8k option, my Chromebook can take it Linus!

[@HShango]

lol

[@gdkdnebhsahkdnrhsune2762]

I have a chromebook too WE WANT 8K

[@abidashhar8627]

Apple: hold my $999 Pro Stand

[@gdkdnebhsahkdnrhsune2762]

Long live the headphone jack

[@Sonic6293]

@@xXChamModzXx The last time you've use a Chromebook must have been well over 4 years ago.

[@funguy8801]

You just compared Apple Mac to a small town in the middle of nowhere ... Mac users: Triggered!

[@cjc363636]

But as long as it's a small town with Artesian water and unicorn dreams, we'll be fine.

[@aspyn.j_]

Lol I’m a Mac user and I thought that was actually pretty accurate.🤷🏾‍♀️

[@aguy8983]

Linux is like a tiny village then.

[@sukapakwu]

It is like small group of rich people in the world population.

[@dinglesplat3281]

@@aguy8983 more of a skyscraper in the middle of nowhere B)

[@ymi_yugy3133]

I think the issue goes much deeper than that. If I am not mistaken Win32 apps have a more rights than apps on Mac OS. I heard that UWP fixes most of these issues but very few people seem to be using that. Another thing to note is that the UAC (User Account Control) on Windows seems to be less granular than the permission model Mac OS or most UNIX based OS use. An App that needs system level access on Windows is usually started in admin mode and can than do whatever it wants for the duration it's running. In the UNIX world you typically grant those rights only for a specific action. Aside from that there is also the topic of kernel access that I know very little about and that you should have discussed.

[@ymi_yugy3133]

@Adeel ahsen They are. But that's just the tip of the iceberg, when it comes to security. There are questions surrounding how much unwanted stuff apps can do that you installed, how much damage a virus can do, and so on.

[@ymi_yugy3133]

@@azraela9 I not quite sure whether I really like Macs. They have some things going for it. Mainly being an easy to use UNIX style OS. Their trackpads are awesome and the hardware is nice. On the other side the keyboard layout is just silly, especially the German one, they are overpriced and there is some weirdness about closing vs. quitting an app.

[@krenzzie7290]

It just depends on how you use your computer

[@brokenacoustic]

Exactly. I've been online since the mid 90s, run an antivirus/spywear program once in a blue moon, and have never once gotten a virus on any of my computer. Not really too hard to avoid if you use a bit of common sense.

[@Jellykrop]

Hmm, what’s a computer?

[@ERROR_-_404]

@@Jellykrop god, get out of here girl from the apple comercial.

[@ericwood3709]

By and large.

[@cjc363636]

True. I ran Windows for 10 plus years before I moved to Mac, and never got a virus that I know of. While friends who visit the more, uh, 'free' side of the gaming/movie side of the web needed to hose out the hard drive about twice a year. And reinstall Windows. If they had been on a Mac going to those sites, the results would've probably been the same, infection-wise.

[@nERVEcenter117]

I was hoping you might talk about BSD sandboxing and other such differences, but alas.

[@cjc363636]

That's too granular for this. It's just about the haters and the clicks. Now, I like LMG . TQ, but I come here to keep up with what's happening in PC land. Not Apple Bash Party. I get they don't like, understand, Apple. That's fine. Just realize platform bias exists and if you wish to do a take, get an Apple zealot to argue for the defense. There are reasons Apple does what it does. And not all of it is greed. And no company exists as a charity. (Sit down, Linux! I said 'company'')

[@cjc363636]

@Carl Sinclair Don't call strangers retarded, Carl. And before you call me a fanboy, let me explain my past. I was using DOS PCs in the 80s, windows 3.1 in the early 90s, 95/98 and God help me, ME to 2000. I currently use six different Windows workstations at my job, and a Mac at home. My point was about Linus's take. If he wants to actually educate viewers about the differences between an Open Market system like Windows vs a culled system like Apple/Mac, then that's cool. But this video isn't that. Both systems have their advantages and are actually quite different. But those differences - and I include Windows here, too - matter to different customers needs.

[@theharbingerofconflation]

There are a fuckton of advanced security features stemming from the UNIX world getting more numerous since SL. Among them are Mandatory Access Control to the kernel level, App Sandboxing, PKI, Standardised ACL and POSIX permissions, W^X, or more recently SIP. Gatekeeper even offers build in security scans of all apps since 2011, way before Windows had a build in virus scanner. Add to this the Full Disk Encryption offered by FileVault since (again) Snow Leopard, at this point even the TimeMachine (Apples fully timelined Backup Solution) offers build in Encryption (End to end and endpoint). I was a security researcher (penetration tester) for years and can whole heartedly endorse that MacOS is indeed harder to attack. For example a common tactic, using pdf embedded JS scripts, simply fails on a mac due to their tight but restrictive integration of the pdf format. It is by no means OpenBSD, but it is a joke to compare the well exploited NT lineage to macOS. As for pure Viruses, there are about a handful for the Mac. Only 1 of which I know you could get running right now thanks to gatekeeper exploding with denial messages for the others. That is in part definitely due to value of attack market. However it still does make the Mac a profoundly safer place to be a noob. By default you cannot even install Apps from unknown developers without specifically pushing "run anyways" in the right settings submenu.

[@nicholasbrownlee4209]

Many thanks for the info! Very interesting stuff. Sounds like a really cool job by the way.

[@theharbingerofconflation]

@@Disrupterds Erm, no actually, you should do some research before you comment. Apple had engineers contribute to as well as backport from HardenedBSD. Many features were thus in FreeBSD and MacOS years before Linux had them. The only mainline Linux Mandatory Access Control feature for example that I am aware of came in a leightweight concept form in Ubuntu and SUSE in 2005/6. FreeBSD had full MAC in 2003, MacOS backported that with Snow Leopard in 2009. The first comparable Linux MAC toolset came in Android 5, at least the first I'm aware of. I'm not even aware any version of Linux has a SIP feature, probably some Research Linux out there would have W^X memory features like OpenBSD and MacOS had for a while now? Frankly most Linux Distrosnaren't the most secure.

[@theharbingerofconflation]

The word doubling in that last comment is real. I shouldn't drink and write

[@Fastf1ng3rs]

literally my favourite part about Linus hosting videos is "how's Linus going to bullshit his way into a advertisement segue this time?"

[@glados9298]

But we all love him for that

[@Zeales]

Fun fact: In 2013/2014 while OS X and general Apple product adoptation was storming ahead, virus and malware targeting OS X increased by over 4000%. Hilariously, in 2011 a lot of OS X installations was struck by the 'Mac Defender' malware and Apple reacted by basically telling their techs: Don't confirm or deny that an infection exists and whatever you do, don't try to remove it."

[@wds4097]

Mac user here. I use Bitdefender anti-virus on my systems, and recommend that any other Mac users find a similar option. There’s no such thing as a system with no vulnerabilities.

[@sethadkins546]

WDS Definitely BD is the best. Highest detection rate of all AV’s and lots of extra safety features. My choice as well as a Windows user.

[@sethadkins546]

WDS Also you’re definitely right about the no vulnerabilities thing. I know a lot of Mac exploits.

[@phil2782]

This is why I use os/2. Come at me virus.

[@cjc363636]

Oh, the memories! That gave me a chuckle!

[@BenK12345]

if there was a virus for os/2 it would require 3 pages of settings to be configured before it could run..

[@sethadkins546]

sk phon Damnit! I was just going to get through the encryption!

[@EJBert]

@@BenK12345 if then

[@sewnixltdofficial7687]

That's nor middle of nowhere! that's my village :(

[@sittingstill3578]

I’ve never had any malware or viruses on Apple products since 1985. It’s anecdotal, but in a circle of primarily Mac users, I’ve never met a Mac user who has ever been infected with viruses or malware. So, just another data point. (Yes, I’ve read about and watched DEFCON and like demonstrations of Macs and Apple devices being compromised. I am aware of what is possible and the shortcomings present in every architecture.)

[@TheStrategyWargamer]

Wow, as a former Apple and former Microsoft employee, I’m shocked by this video. It goes deeper than Market Share, you should of looked into GateKeeper, and sand boxing. This clearly points out his bias and rush to judgement.

[@Maximara]

Apple even has set up things so you can't turn off gatekeeper like you could when this video was made.

[@jangelelcangry]

4:07 but what if someone hacks Google and bricks every chromebook with a rogue update?

[@jangelelcangry]

@@hoffer_moment No worries, I'll just install an antivirus card and download some SSDs.

[@BertRedd]

Did you guys forget about SIP (System integrity protection) for OS X? This is the major difference between the operating systems. SIP protects core OS files and is likely another major reason why it gets less malware.

[@tetrasparks2040]

Linus: Speaking of giving up... Me: Same

[@stanleyk2857]

You know whats safer than a Mac : Two number 9s, a number 9 large, a number 6 with extra dip, a number 7, two number 45s one with cheese and a large soda

[@mhammadalloush5104]

Damn you

[@techy804]

Linus: "You might have to give up pirating your favorite games" Me: Downloads ARC and the apk to my favorite game

[@tjwreds1]

The puns... the awkward pauses for devastating pun effect. haha.

[@Black_Barnes]

From someone that uses and supports both OS's on a daily basis, I find that the Mac does a better job of stopping the user from installing software that would/could have malware/viruses attached to them. Apple have implemented a lot more security into their OS like the Security & Privacy blocking unrecognised Apps and the fact you have to put your password in to install basically anything. I see my fair share of infected Macs but I see WAY more PC's that are infected

[@RoastLambShanks]

Not only the Gatekeeper but also XProtect and the MRT which get updated regularly.

[@thebluechipinvestor]

I really enjoy this techquickie guy. I hope he starts doing unboxing videos on every tech product and reviews them and make the occasional funny content.

[@cjc363636]

Computers are computers. The biggest threat is usually between the keyboard and chair. Now I'm gonna go and update my Mac's Malwarebytes......

[@sethadkins546]

CJC 3636 The air?

[@cjc363636]

@@sethadkins546 If it's breath from a user, then yeah......

[@beyyyyyyyy]

PLEASE HELP. After an update on my Mac, I keep randomly seeing ads for the $999 apple monitor stand.

[@UndertakerU2ber]

@@hotaru25189 I tried this, and received flowers and a box of chocolates in the mail. My spam inbox is also filled with requests from obscure dating sites all from the same user "Mista T. CookURMacbook69". I think the problem is getting worse...

[@thundercloud2982]

@Undertaker 11/10

[@sethadkins546]

Dean And Andrew Apple is back with their adware.

[@damar_u0_angki908]

github

[@sarcasticdream402]

install linux! or bsd

[@papeleradereciclaje4375]

Mac OS: I'm the safest operating system ever! Linux: Hold my beer

[@fut6754]

OpenBSD

[@tenshi6293]

I think people miss a very important thing: The quantity of software between one OS and the other. There exist a lot more applications for windows, wich would by logic have also more malicious ones. It would be interesting to se the ratio between these two

[@JustinZero0]

it reminds me of a month ago when my classmate got adware on her MacBook Pro 2016 b/c she installed a "MacCleaner" program to resolve issues on upgrading to MacOSX Mojave. She couldn't move the program to the trash bin. I managed to help her out by using the terminal to delete the program and then no more adware

[@Meeth02]

What’s the best malware/virus protection software for Mac?

[@KJAYG]

Though you’re right regarding the operating system on its own, I think not touching on hardware features that Apple is able to employ, like the T2 chip, is missing a big part of the picture. Having hardware kill switches for the microphone, secure booting, and hardware level encryption is super powerful.

[@jale05x]

Secure booting is a Part of Windows since Windows 8 (when you use a PC with uefi) and Hardware Level encryption can be achieved by using a PC with tpm Chip.

[@nemesisny]

Mac is like having a regular lock on your door, but you live in the middle of nowhere. Windows has a chain and deathbolt, but you live in downtown Detroit. Technically the later is safer. In practice the former is. Plus Mac OS it's more difficult to install something unintentionally then it is in Windows, just by having how the UI and OS works, which reduces getting infected via user error.

[@noping4100]

Here's an analogy: Security is often an inverse-correlation between security and functionality. With iOS/OS X - Installed programs are usually from a single trusted source (less so on OS X), and programs are usually able to access far less on the system (especially on iOS). Windows/Android by comparison has programs that come from everywhere, and can do pretty much anything - great for functionality but as a consequence - it radically increases the 'system surface area' that could be attacked, and therefor there are far more bugs/malware for them. Curious if people disagree though - let me know I'm curious.

[@nintendork07]

any thoughts on the upcoming Catalina being on a read-only partition of the ssd/hdd?

[@RackaApps]

Well that would prevent things from accessing the system (root) partition since it will be the only read only section of the OS (just like android and iOS) but all other data partitions are accessible. This won't prevent malware attack that come in form of applications but will prevent malware from altering you system files making the system crash or corrupt. Kinda like on android, if you download a malware app and install it, it will mess with your phone but can't corrupt any system files thus when you find it and delete it or just do factory reset everything goes back to normal without any harm. Apple is doing this to prevent the drawbacks that windows and mac os have had. On windows malware can install crao in system32 folder or delete anything in the windows folder, same as in previous versions of OS X.

[@nintendork07]

@@RackaApps thank you for the clear & concise explanation. seems like a good move

[@StopMotionGuy2012]

It’s a lot easier to get a backdoor In Windows compared to any Unix system, macOS included, with things like “rootless” leaving read-only rights to the system files unless *specifically* having the user going out of their way to disable that. The T2 chip encryption is also something that should not be ignored, and the only times I’ve ever seen someone with a virus on their Mac, they had to be tricked into typing in their admin password. On windows, you can simply hide malicious code in a file and run it through a backdoor without a password, or at best a simple “yes or no” screen. Finally, the Mac App Store has many more apps than the Windows Store does currently, including many professional apps, so you’re much more likely to get the app you need through the much safer built in store on macOS compared to Windows.

[@theunholybakery1990]

Short answer: i don't think so but idk Long answer: i d o n t t h i n k s o b u t i d k

[@alumlovescake]

short no long noooooooooooo but blah blah

[@raminatox]

Longer answer: i d o n t t h i n k s o b u t i d k

[@christianherrera4729]

I’m stuff

[@theunholybakery1990]

@@christianherrera4729 no you aren't

[@haxalicious]

“Windows malware can’t run on Macs” *Wine has entered the chat*

[@ousamadearudesuwa]

Android is late from the game

[@RunForPeace-hk1cu]

Who uses Wine except maybe 0.001% of population

[@RunForPeace-hk1cu]

@@emeraldbonsai Who uses Java on a Mac?

[@hayden6700]

Do people actually use Wine on Macs?

[@chris-rh8bc]

I love the old mac vs PC ad in your video

[@karmanyaahm]

Whenever Linus makes such a video the fights begin. Penguins rock!

[@mhammadalloush5104]

Linux is based on UNIX though, and is more likely to get viruses due to the server marketshare(server and desktop linux differ in wether or not a gui is installed

[@sethadkins546]

mhammad alloush Wait. So Windows is Linux based, so does that mean Windows is UNIX based?

[@lloyd26]

If the title of the video is a question, the answer is always "it depends".

[@deathbybassofficial]

Linus "JBP" Sebastian: "Well... It depends on what you mean by"

[@RJHEllis]

The audio in this video was fantastic!

[@AgentSquash]

System Integrity Protection? Sand boxing? Totally ignored some of the fundamentals of macOS security.

[@why5784]

he just need a vid for his sponsor. this place btw is the den of blind Mac basher

[@albynoson]

He said in the video that both Windows and Mac work on security features to keep malware out. It's a fundamental rule that any modern OS employs, even Linux (including Android and ChromeOS) and iOS.

[@batsonelectronics]

Linus doesn't know shit about MAC OS. And yeah, his sponsor didn't allow a fully researched video. Except for occasional Browser Hijacks, I can't get infected unless I type my password in when something bad tries to install. I can inject malware very easily in Windows. I went thru the CEH program, Windows and Android are quit easy to break in to.

[@AgentSquash]

@@albynoson Do you know what System Integrity Protection is?

[@albynoson]

@@AgentSquash No I don't, nor do I care.

[@jedigrandmaster1773]

Just because someone isn't affected by the virus, doesn't mean they're not a carrier.

[@wakaweenie21]

The user name and profile pic checks out, o wise one

[@tiffanypersaud3518]

Jedi Grand Master, truth.

[@MrBlutz7]

Know the future you did... hmmm...

[@hessex1899]

You can absolutely do a number on someone running OSX if you manage to figure out a way to control processes or files. For example running jenkins, spark, flink, redis, etc without authentication, which is how a lot of people learning these technologies deploy them locally. It's basically just another UNIX like OS with some additional attack surface. The core OS is relatively solid but it's all the stuff that people install after the fact that causes problems. I routinely compromise developers' macs on the regular.

[@hessex1899]

objective-see.com is your friend.

[@icyshiba7869]

I have a mac and a windows and on my mac unless you disable a lock in the settings it wont allow you to download things off the internet from an un-identified source. Sounds good buts its pretty annoying from time to time and doesn't work well

[@Krafting]

*laugh in Linux*

[@KingJellyfishII]

*laughs in bsd*

[@QuadDamnage]

The real joke is having that many matches on Tinder

[@philmikehunt7479]

I sure do love a good quickie~

[@ledog9979]

Profile picture checks out... Niice

I would argue that Unix is inherently more secure than Windows. The extra security does however negatively affect UX as normal users hate having to constantly supply their passwords for basic tasks.

[@TalesOfWar]

If you're running properly written software the times you need to enter your password are few and far between. Microsoft tried to enforce this behaviour with developers with Vista but as we know Windows developers are a special breed of "just do it our way, fuck the Windows way", which is fair enough given even Microsoft can't even be bothered to follow their own best practices and guidelines lol.

[@sethadkins546]

@@TalesOfWar That's even worse, imagine that software being malicious.

[@stephensalex]

Sir, you are however forgetting code signing, Gatekeeper, and Secure Enclave implementations in Mac OS. Untrusted, un-notarized code is far harder to run under modern Mac OS whereas Windows has absolutely no protections like this - and third-party "security" software isn't a practical solution.

[@RoastLambShanks]

Not only the Gatekeeper but also XProtect and the MRT which get updated regularly.

[@aravindpallippara1577]

And windows has admin privileges Truth be told, viruses are fast becoming a thing of the past for windows as well On the other hand it's interesting to watch the debate looking from my linux system Running untrusted unnotorized code - you mean apple authorised software? You have that option in windows, just stick to windows store, but what if I wanted to run something open source? Does apple go around check every single one of them and notorize the binaries? If not it's just another extension of the wall in the walled garden

[@stephensalex]

@@aravindpallippara1577 "Running untrusted unnotorized code - you mean apple authorised software?" -- No, I mean software created by registered developers who sign their code. "Does apple go around check every single one of them and notorize the binaries?" -- Yes, for any applications available in the App Store. Lastly, "open source" does not ever mean "more secure" by any stretch.

[@aravindpallippara1577]

@@stephensalex yeah right, registered with apple per se - which they can whenever they want revoke for arbitrary reason that is actually in line with apple authorised software if you ask me - control is the key word, and apple has it and yes windows does that as well - for stuff in windows store of course lastly open source is considerably more secure than most every closed source system in practice - while it's not a causation per se, there is a strong correlation

[@captdev]

I would argue that for malware, rootless mode and other security enhancements on macOS actually make it condensably more difficult to write a deploy truely useful malware onto macOS. However, windows still provides comprehensive legacy support in windows 10 which is a considerable detriment to its defensive performance overall. It's been a while since we have seen an actually effective day0ne exploit for windows or macOS though. So the best advice is just to be cautious.

[@coolguy-lx3fy]

Ive been looking for this kinda video’s THX

[@SE7ENSINSxCOM]

Really appreciate someone like Linus to tell the facts. It helps get the word out there and actually helps people be more vigilant to protect themselves. Hell there are Mac Antivirus products!

[@marufbepary100]

yeah, apple and Microsoft spend resources on security, the same can't be said for intel

[@xiomi3124]

actually they spend money making them

[@failingnymph1503]

"a small town in the middle of nowhere" ouch

[@Mp57navy]

Well. those headphones... I already got those. Where do I get the stand, @LinusTechTips ?

[@Sylkis89]

It's worth noting that back in the day it used to be true that Macs and Linux were inherently safer by design because of a few simple security layers built into the system (sudo!) up to XP/2003 included... but then ever since Vista introduced UAC it's not really the case anymore.

[@misterxzxc7314]

Nothing is safe in technology

[@wanori2319]

We've been very exposed

[@AXAND3R]

Nothing is safe in this world

[@kissu_io]

Just run on BSD, won't get any issues since nobody ever knows it's existence. 👌🏻

[@shaansingh6048]

wot is bsd

[@marcclarence2260]

Jokes on you my sister managed to download a Trojan virus on our Chromebook

[@cjc363636]

That took some skill.

[@user-xr3rb6pn9m]

Mac had a pretty bad vulnerability a couple of years ago, you just could type "root" and press Enter twice in the authentication form to get root privileges. However, given that Mac OS is a Unix system with properly set user privileges, it's more secure overall by design

[@RIPSLYMEFAN]

Is this why I have to buy a $999 stand

[@brsi58]

You should have brought up apples proprietary T2 chip

[@RackaApps]

You mean like the TPM chip on most Windows laptops and desktop? Those chips (TPM & T2) are used to generate unique cryptographic keys that are stored by encryption in the chip. These keys can be used by various apps and system processes that rely on these keys making it impossible for someone to get the access to them and unlock your computer either through internet brute force or physical possession of your machine. These chip DO NOT prevent malware from entering your machine. They may prevent the malware from taking any passwords and encryption keys from your computer

[@RackaApps]

@@Nik6644 well there are different kinds of malware. The chips can be good for preventing backdoors, rootkits and keyloggers but won't be very effective on spyware, viruses, trojans and worms as they will still have access to most of the data on the drives and can still function without root access. Here's an article about different kinds of malware: www.geeksforgeeks.org/malware-and-its-types/

[@brsi58]

​@@RackaAppsYou're tone comes across as though I've attacked you or something for mentioning something that was clearly left out lol. Yes Linus should have mentioned both the T2 and TPM chips. Also look into Apples file vault encryption with the T2 its actually extremely impressive in implementation with the 2018 MacBook Pro's and on. And actually yes, T2 is proprietary to apple; its based on the Apple Watch chipset.

[@joele.9110]

Any OS can be compromised by writing something malicious for it, what matters is how you're going to get in on the machine. This video didn't really address the fact that (historically at least) there are many more attack vectors on Windows than on Mac (remember Active X?). It's abundance of opportunities, not just marketshare.

[@thefrecklepuny]

And the funny thing is Jeff Goldbloom saved the world with a Mac...whilst infecting an alien mothership with a Mac virus...;-)

[@Shaggy12321]

They're a lot safer, especially the newer models with the T2 chip, and Apple software doesn't track you, they do everything to give their customers maximum privacy, whereas Google and Microsoft have sold customer information to other companies...

[@nickvogelius]

There hasn't been registered a single active virus there has spread from Mac to Mac without any help from the user since Mac OS X was launched. however, new Malware for Mac OS X and macOS is registered on a scale of 1-3 per year ;) so the doctrine of whether you need a malware scanner on your Mac or not, must depend on who is behind the screen. I have never had any kind of Malware on my Mac, not even Adware in the form of a Browser extension. But the number of times my mother has been able to install MacKeeper on her Mac, has caused me to install a Malware scanner on her machine.

[@sethadkins546]

About the whole antivirus solution thing, my biggest recommendation is BitDefender. They have a 99.8% detection rate and also comes with a really good VPN. And they also have other features like ransomware remediation, advanced threat defense (exploit defense), an encrypted online payment environment, an anti tracker system, a vulnerability scanner, webcam protection, file vault, privacy defense, and a WiFi vulnerability/safety scanner.

[@syclone]

04:05 any idea what that case is?

[@erwinhun]

Didn't use an anti-virus program for years and I was fine even though I, as a poor student, did some piracy and shady sites. I use Avast now, but it annoys the heck out of me with all its pop-ups.

[@Suresh-br2zz]

Linux users: Hold my beer

[@ledog9979]

Nokia 3310 enters the battle. 3310: Not so fast!

[@nedabiah]

Hey Linus, there is some noise you video you can see it around your watch

[@thesandboxbandit3838]

It looks like you lost a bit of your soul when you did that transition to the ad lol

[@Nashy119]

Sounds like despair at the end when he's paid to say "they sound just fantastic".

[@43hs236]

Claims of one OS being this or that... sure sign that you are just a gamer playing sysadmin... I love Linux and BSD Unix, but all networked devices have vulnerabilities, thats just reality. Claiming anything otherwise would be foolish.

[@swisstraeng]

And to me, the most "vulnerable" OS is simply the most used, because it is the most appealing to hackers.

[@Ksullivan95]

Got a windows virus scan summary in the middle of this video😂😅

[@chuck_norris]

I dont think Google shows Ads randomly to ppl... soo

[@Ksullivan95]

@@chuck_norris It wasnt from google it was a windows virus scan summary...lol

[@TalesOfWar]

@@Nik6644 Eh? His PC did a virus scan, Windows told him the results part way through watching the video. It has nothing to do with Google and it wasn't an ad. And while on that subject why does it insist on telling you it found NOTHING when it does these things? I don't care, let me know if you DO find something!

[@Ksullivan95]

@@TalesOfWar hahaha thank you for actually reading my comment and rightttt I get like 2 a day for no reason

[@BunsBunsBuns]

Yay! So that means my mac and cheese is safer than my bathroom windows from the corona virus! 😄😄😄

[@jpr1est783]

HAHA, that Tinder cow virus bit. xDDD

[@jamesslick4790]

My Windows PCs don't get Mac viruses! Every bit as useful as Apple's claim.

[@Swagnermite]

Same, never had a virus in 8 years of using windows

[@jamesslick4790]

@@Swagnermite I've been using MS-DOS/Windows since the mid 1980s and the only viruses I have had were intentionally put on VMs for "sport" and experimentation.

[@sethadkins546]

Swagnermite I’ve only received a Win10 virus through social engineering.

[@jamesslick4790]

@@sethadkins546Yeah, that happens, but "traditional" viruses are becoming rare as a fraud tool. "social engineering" is the main way online fraud is done now, And that makes sense as it is not "platform specific", and can "get" even the most "computer literate", if they are also not "street smart". - It is more efficient to sucker people to give up their private data via "phishing" than to keylog a billion PCs and get at few victims.

[@Rych]

The only safe computer system is one that is switched off.

[@oratiog9036]

unplugged from the socket.

[@araarabutkermitthefrog]

ironman robot in age of Ultron: it unsafe it unsafe it unsafe

[@anthonyholland8549]

Thanks for protecting us against misleading ads made back when Steve Jobs was feelin' cool and froody!

[@lucasechenique39]

Windows PC with monitor: $700 Rare potential Malware on Windows PC: pay us $400 to remove the virus Total: $600-$1100 "Secure" Mac PC: $1300 Total: $1300

[@ericwood3709]

The Mac mini is considerably cheaper than that. It sucks, but it's available.

[@vaseline5070]

Doesn't take $400 to remove a virus, especially if you do it yourself.

[@lucasechenique39]

@@vaseline5070 I'm talking about those pop ups that say "Your computer is heavily affected by viruses, go to the link below to remove it!". No technologically smart person would ever fall for that, but the kind of people who get Macs for "better security" will

[@ericwood3709]

@@vaseline5070 He's talking about ransomware, the stuff that encrypts your data and demands you pay a certain amount to the malware author to get a decryption key. You're not going to decrypt your data on your own.

[@tim0lmazan162]

So basically, although there are far less viruses for MacOS, the operating system is about as safe as Windows if you’re not careful. Also, tell me if you’re tired of the (dead) $999 stand meme.

[@AliYassinToma]

Not a dead meme yet

[@tim0lmazan162]

Ali0The0King It’s already been 11 days, almost 2 weeks already, get over it. It’s not funny anymore..

[@AliYassinToma]

@@tim0lmazan162 bruh we are talking about a piece of recycled metal selling for the price of a fucking flagship phone ... i dont think ill ever get over it

[@3gyxijv3jqaheb]

legitimately selling a "screen holder" for the same price as a gaming PC... never gets old honestly

[@longbuithanh502]

@@3gyxijv3jqaheb jewelries are just small pieces of metal that can even cost thousands of dollar. Yet, i don't see anyone complainting about them?

[@NikoBellic0878]

4:03 That computer on the right looks like some expensive high end tech

[@mohitmishramoit95]

Linus, will there be a follow up episode on "what is monthly security update for windows and Android, what exactly they update?"

[@Thomas-er8xg]

Unix based systems do have better permissions systems though which makes them less vulnerable though!

[@trippgs]

I'm no Windows expert, haven't used the OS in 15 years, but I do believe the file level permissions currently used by Windows is somewhat similar to Unix permissions. Anyone have better input on this?

[@microsf121]

@@trippgs They are exactly the same. The only difference is that Windows only gives you a yes/no prompt if you are on an admin account instead of making you enter your password. Fairly certain that can be changed though.

[@CarthagoMike]

or just don't download random stuff from the internet and use an ad-blocker to prevent pop-up malware.

[@motoryzen]

ad-block. ' add means to perform or dealing with addition of multiple things ad is short for advertisement ;) I couldn't agree more ftr. Too many idiots of all ages just " oo i have to click here..I'll click it now and expect NOTHINg bad to happen"

[@Raigekon]

Even when you're careful and don't download random stuff, you can still make a mistake. 1 miss click once can have some pretty bad consequences. Not that i disagree with you.

[@CarthagoMike]

@@motoryzen Thanks for pointing out the spelling mistake, fixed it :)

[@boeyensmichael]

Thanks to the editor for the futurama reference. #Bringbackfuturama

[@YasinHasan]

this is one of the ancient jokes which was always funny.