The Art of Mac Malware

Introduction

Do Macs even get malware? If we’re to believe an Apple marketing claim once posted on Apple.com, apparently, no:

[Mac] doesn’t get PC viruses. A Mac isn’t susceptible to the thousands of viruses plaguing Windows-based computers. That’s thanks to built-in defenses in Mac OS X that keep you safe without any work on your part.¹

Of course, this statement was rather deceptive and to Apple’s credit has long been removed from their website. Sure, there may be a kernel of truth in it; due to inherent cross-platform incompatibilities (not Apple’s “defenses”), a native Windows virus cannot typically execute on macOS. But cross-platform ...