Apple Has Made Major Updates to macOS Malware Protection in 2022

Apple has made notable updates to macOS malware tools over the course of the last six months, according to updates tracked by Howard Oakley at Eclectic Lighting Company (via Ars Technica).

macOS Malware Feature
"In the last six months, macOS malware protection has changed more than it did over the previous seven years," writes Oakley in a blog post published this week. Malware detection on the Mac is now "fully pre-emptive" and as active as "many commercial anti-malware products."

Specifically, at around the time that macOS 12.3 Monterey was launched, Apple quietly introduced a new XProtect Remediator tool for its XProtect service that checks for malware in the background. XProtect Remediator more frequently looks for malware and fixes it if malware is detected.

Apple previously used the Malware Removal Tool (MRT) and XProtect, but XProtect was limited to checking apps and code against a list of known malware and MRT ran infrequently. Apple's new solution is more aggressive and offers more protection. Xproduct Remediator is available on Macs running macOS Monterey, macOS Big Sur, and macOS Catalina, but it is not available on Macs running older versions of macOS.

The new XProtect feature is updated regularly and it runs at least once per day, but sometimes even more frequently. For some malware checks, it runs as often as every hour or two, and it is able to identify a range of malware, such as Adload, DubRobber, Pirrit, SnowDrift, Trovi, and more.

Scans are most likely to take place when the Mac is awake but not in active use, and is primarily doing background tasks like backups and receiving email. Oakley says that the new malware protections represent a "big step forward" for those who are running the most recent versions of macOS, with more information available in Oakley's full blog post.

Popular Stories

iOS 18

Here Are Apple's Full iOS 18.5 Release Notes

Tuesday May 6, 2025 2:17 pm PDT by
Apple today seeded the release candidate version of iOS 18.5 to developers and public beta testers, giving us a look at the final version of the update that will be provided to the public next week. With the release candidate, Apple provided release notes, so we have a more complete look at the new features that are included in the update, including those that weren't found during the beta...
siri glow

iPhone Users Now Able to Submit Claims in $95 Million Siri Spying Lawsuit

Wednesday May 7, 2025 11:40 am PDT by
If you owned a Siri-compatible device and had an accidental Siri activation between September 17, 2014 and December 31, 2024, you could be eligible for a payment from Apple as part of a class action lawsuit settlement. Apple in January agreed to pay $95 million to settle a class action lawsuit involving Siri spying accusations, and a website to distribute the funds has now been set up and...
iOS 18

Apple Says iOS 18.5 Coming Soon, Here is What's New

Monday May 5, 2025 8:19 am PDT by
In its press release for the new Pride Band today, Apple said that iOS 18.5 is "upcoming," following more than a month of beta testing. We expect the iOS 18.5 Release Candidate to be released this week, and this should be the final beta version, barring any last-minute bugs or changes. The software update should then be released to the general public next week. iOS 18.5 is a relatively...
iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

iPhone 17: What's New With the Cameras

Friday May 2, 2025 3:52 pm PDT by
We've still got months to go before the new iPhone 17 models come out, but a combination of dummy models and leaks have given us some insight into what we can expect in terms of camera changes. Apple is adding new camera features, and changing the design of the camera bump for some models. You might be skeptical of dummy models, but over the years, they've proven to be a highly accurate...
Foldable iPhone 2023 Feature Homescreen

Foldable iPhone Said to Have Two Key Advantages

Monday May 5, 2025 6:41 am PDT by
Apple plans to release its first foldable iPhone next year, according to several reporters and analysts who cover the company. In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said the foldable iPhone will offer two key advantages over other foldable smartphones. First, he said the foldable iPhone will have a "nearly invisible" crease when unfolded. This means the device's...
AirPods Pro 3 Mock Feature

AirPods Pro 3 Just Months Away – Here's What We Know

Tuesday April 29, 2025 1:30 am PDT by
Despite being more than two years old, Apple's AirPods Pro 2 still dominate the premium wireless‑earbud space, thanks to a potent mix of top‑tier audio, class‑leading noise cancellation, and Apple's habit of delivering major new features through software updates. With AirPods Pro 3 widely expected to arrive in 2025, prospective buyers now face a familiar dilemma: snap up the proven...
Nineth iOS 19 Feature

iOS 19 Beta is a Month Away With These New Features for Your iPhone

Thursday May 8, 2025 7:37 am PDT by
The first iOS 19 beta is just one month away, and there are already many new features and changes that are expected with it. Apple should seed the first iOS 19 beta to developers immediately following the WWDC 2025 keynote, which is scheduled for Monday, June 9. Following beta testing, the update should be released to the general public in September. Below, we recap the key iOS 19 rumors...

Top Rated Comments

TheDailyApple Avatar
35 months ago

I guess Mac users can't feel superior anymore, computer comes with Anti Malware...
Built-in security has always been a plus for an operating system. The things users hated (and still do) is trashy third party anti-virus programs that slow your computer down, get in the way, and generally make a nuisance of themselves. Ever since Windows 10 was released, Defender has been sufficient for anyone with good internet practices. Both operating systems still need extra security for people with bad security practices or who need extra protection, but their built in systems are sufficient for most. The thing Mac users hated about previous versions of Windows (Vista and earlier) was that a trashy third party antivirus was practically a necessity.

Oh, and if you had read the article you’d know that Macs already had anti-malware built in. The point of the article is that it’s gotten better.
Score: 28 Votes (Like | Disagree)
polyphenol Avatar
35 months ago
Having dealt with lots of different third-party anti-virus/anti-malware products on Windows (and a couple on macOS), I hate them all with a vengeance.

When protection is, effectively, built into the OS, you know that every developer will have had to deal with it.

When protection is one of a dozen, or more, products, you cannot realistically expect developers to have dealt with more than a small proportion.

Please can I have back the hours I have spent trying to identify why some software is not working on some machines - but is fine on others. Eventually finding that removal of anti-malware fixes it. But on the adjacent machine all is well with it installed.

(And removal of anti-malware software can be harder than getting rid of some actual malware.)
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
max2 Avatar
35 months ago
Thank you Apple!
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TheDailyApple Avatar
35 months ago
This is good to hear. As Macs get more popular, there is going to be more and more malware targeting them.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
VineRider Avatar
35 months ago
I wish Apple was more forthcoming about what their anti-malware engines were actually doing, and when....I wish they would log the scans, log the definition updates, give the user some idea of the protection being offered.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
djam Avatar
35 months ago

Many thanks Apple but why quietly?
Apple have traditionally used Mac's "virus free" nature as a selling tool. You don't want to change that perception if you don't have to.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)