Apple's software chief Craig Federighisaid during the trial with Epic Games that the company is not satisfied with the number of malware detected in macOS, the operating system for Mac.
See also: Mac devices were hit with more malware last year than ever before
Federighi said this is largely due to the fact that Mac users can download software from the internet, some of which can be malicious. On the other hand, he stressed that the protections in the iPhone operating system, iOS, are greater.
“Today, the levels of malware we have on the Mac are unacceptable and much worse than iOS,” Federighi testified.
See also: New iMac: A beautiful, powerful and ideal PC for the office
Comparing the security of iPhones and Macs (and especially the view that iPhones are much more secure) is important to the lawsuit because Epic Games is trying to force Apple to allow iPhone users to download apps from the web and other app stores, just as they do on Macs.
Epic Games argues that Apple can easily implement software installation policies and security mechanisms on iPhones, while Apple says that its App Store review rules are designed to keep users safe.
Federighi also said that the Mac user base is about one-tenth of the iPhone user base.
“For iOS, we aspired to create something much more secure. Everything suggests we have achieved that,” Federighi said.
Comparing the security of the iPhone and Mac, the head of software said that last year Apple detected and removed about 130 different types of malware on Macs. The malware had infected hundreds of thousands of user systems. During the same period, only three types of malware had been detected that had infected iPhones. This means that the protection measures implemented on iPhones are effective and should not be changed.
See also: How to see if Silver Sparrow malware is hiding on your Mac?
Federighi said Macs can operate securely, but they are more vulnerable than iPhones.
“I think the Mac is like a car, you can go out on the road if you want, you can drive wherever you want. Just like with drivers, you have to be trained, there’s a certain level of responsibility to do that. But that’s what you wanted to buy, you wanted to buy a car,” Craig Federighi said. “With iOS, you can create something where kids, even toddlers, can operate an iOS device and be safe. They’re really different products.”
Federighi also cited a recent Nokia report that found that only 1.72% of mobile malware infections were related to iOS devices, compared to 26.64% for Android .
“Android still has a significant malware problem,” Federighi said.
Source: CNBC
