Sideloading, which refers to installing apps from sources other than the official operating system’s store, is a common practice in the Android ecosystem. Although it exists on Android, it is worth noting that sideloading can introduce security risks, and it is not recommended by us. In contrast, Apple strongly emphasizes that only apps from their App Store can be trusted. By default, macOS does not allow the installation of apps from sources other than the App Store. While it is possible to override this setting, it is generally advised against.

To provide an additional layer of protection, macOS incorporates a component called Gatekeeper. This feature examines every app for malware during the installation process and also performs periodic checks each time the app is launched. Furthermore, Gatekeeper analyzes non-malicious apps for potential security issues. Starting from macOS Catalina, apps are required to obtain permission before accessing critical areas of the system. Additionally, in Catalina, the operating system is stored on a read-only drive partition that is separate from other programs.

In the macOS environment, apps are isolated and restricted to accessing their own allocated resources. This security measure prevents viruses from modifying other programs and banking Trojans from reading browser memory to steal private data. Even if an app manages to breach this isolation and access another program’s memory, features such as ASLR (Address Space Layout Randomization) make it difficult to find any valuable information stored in memory.

While many PC manufacturers exist, Macs are solely produced by Apple. This grants the company complete control over the hardware, including the T2 chip found in newer Macs. The T2 chip establishes a Secure Enclave, a highly protected memory region that is inaccessible to any process not associated with macOS. Moreover, it manages features like Touch ID and encrypted storage.

Despite the various security measures in place, macOS malware does exist, and significant attacks have occurred in recent years. For instance, in 2021, the silver Sparrow malware downloader managed to infect 30,000 Macs before it was detected. The notorious LockBit ransomware also expanded its reach to target Apple Silicon Macs. Additionally, potential hackers can acquire malware such as the Atomic macOS Stealer, designed to access keychain passwords and other sensitive data, for just $1,000. There have even been instances of crafty Trojan-style PDF viewers that functioned normally until triggered by a specific PDF file. The list of such incidents goes on.

While Macs are generally considered less susceptible to malware compared to Windows PCs or Android devices, the notion that Macs are immune to malware is undeniably false. Unlike Windows, macOS does not include a built-in antivirus utility. Therefore, it is strongly recommended that you obtain antivirus protection for your Mac if you haven’t done so already.