In recent months, Microsoft has been struggling to make Windows more secure and now its efforts are paying off, as the number of malware infections targeting its operating system has dropped substantially last year, which is according to a new investigation.
According to a report from the AV-TEST security institute, it has also been revealed that at the same time, MacOS and Linux have been the object of more frequent attacks, with Apple systems registering three times more attacks than in previous years.
The report indicates that the number of malware programs targeting Windows has increased by 10 percent. However, the number of malicious programs created specifically for Windows systems fell by 13 percent.
Although Windows is still the most frequently attacked system, with 7 out of 10 new malware targeted at the Microsoft operating system, Apple and Linux devices also reported a threefold increase in attacks.
One of the major malicious programs for Windows last year was the Allaple, which has been active since 2006, followed by Virut, Ramnit and Virlock. Although ransomware attacks broke out this year with WannaCry and Petya, ransomware attacks accounted for only 0.94 percent of all malware that were targeted at Windows. However, viruses and worms topped the lists with 37.60 percent and 25.44 percent respectively.
The research states: “The number of malware samples in 2016 decreased by 15% compared to the previous year. However, the fever curve increased again by 7% in the first quarter of 2017. At the end of this report, End of June 2017, there were already 600 million malicious programs detected by AV-TEST targeting the operating system frequently used since Redmond.
In the department of macOS, the Trojans represented one of the biggest threats with 85.59% of the attacks, while the rescue represented only 0.07%.
“With an increase rate of more than 370 percent compared to the previous year, it is not an exaggeration to talk about explosive growth. However, it is also important to keep an eye on the total number of malware programs that criminals try to Misleading Mac users: Whereas in 2015 there were a moderate 819 different malware threats directed at macOS, Apple users in 2016 already had to protect their devices Since 3033 samples of malware, “explained AV-TEST.
The three main forms of malware macOS last year were Flashback, MacControl and Keranger.
