USA: Do you want to know how serious the malware issue is? The first three quarters of 2022 saw a startling 62.29 million malware threats, or an average of 228,164 per day, according to a study by Atlas VPN.

The good news is that malware threats decreased by almost 34% from the previous year. As the year went on, malware threats gradually decreased quarterly, with cases falling by 4% between the first and second quarters and another 14% from the second to third.

The fact that Windows had the unwelcome distinction of being the operating system most susceptible to malware in 2022 was still of little consolation to Windows users.

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During that time, the following programmes closely followed Windows for malware detections:

• 1.76 malware samples were found on Linux.
• 938,379 malware samples have been found on Android.
• 8,329 malware samples were found on macOS

Why is Windows such a malware target?

The simplest answer to this question is that Windows is the operating system that malicious actors target the most because it is the one that runs on the vast majority of devices in use today. Additionally, because Windows is used by such a large number of devices worldwide, the number of systems that become infected very quickly.

Additionally, when installing applications downloaded from the internet, Windows users are much more likely to unintentionally download malware to their devices. This is because Windows users must, for the most part, download applications using a standard internet browser, which is a connection that is much more susceptible to attack, as opposed to an operating system like Mac with a dedicated and secure library for application downloads.

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Windows was created from the ground up to be used by just one user per device (well before everyone had easy access to the internet), so it was never intended to support multiple user accounts that can be password-protected. As a result, Windows was created without essential security features such as appropriate user accounts and limited file permissions that protected crucial system components. Windows has never installed a firewall that is natively built into the operating system, despite the fact that it does use a multi-user framework today (i.e., multiple accounts with separate passwords).

This implies that a Windows user's Windows system is still vulnerable to attacks from malicious parties once they connect to the internet unless they buy third-party security software and properly set it up.

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How can I guard against malware?

1. Consistently update the software on your device

To verify that your iPhone is current:

• Access the Apple icon by clicking it in the top left corner of your screen.
• Select "This Mac's About"
• Select "Software Updates" from the menu.
• To update now, click.
• To verify that your Android is current:

Click the Settings icon.

• Click System at the bottom of your scroll.
• Select System update. Update available will be displayed if one is available. To instal it on your device, simply click it and follow the instructions.
• 2. Secure your equipment