Surfshark’s latest research captures the state of malware in 2025, but more importantly, the numbers reveal where the future may lead.
From January to late August, Surfshark tracked 479,000 malware detections worldwide.
Windows absorbed 419,000 of them, while macOS faced only 60,000.
The seven-to-one gap doesn’t shock experts, because Windows still commands 71% of the global desktop market, far ahead of Apple’s 15%.
In countries such as South Korea, Windows dominates even more, running on 85% of desktops.
Therefore, attackers naturally chase the largest target.
Tools Turned Against It
However, market share alone doesn’t explain the difference.
Windows exposes itself through the very tools it provides.
PowerShell, designed for administrators, now arms attackers with a convenient weapon.
In July, Surfshark recorded 100,000 Windows detections—double the monthly average—after criminals exploited SharePoint with PowerShell scripts to spread ransomware and steal credentials.
Consequently, PowerShell has emerged as a recurring threat vector, and attackers show no signs of abandoning it.
Apple Not Immune
Meanwhile, macOS faces a quieter but more varied danger.
Viruses, trojans, and riskware dominate its threat landscape, while exploits form a smaller yet significant slice.
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In fact, attackers exploited unpatched systems in seven per cent of macOS cases this year.
These figures prove that hackers do not ignore Apple; instead, they steadily probe for weak points and wait for lapses in user behaviour.
Looking forward, the numbers suggest clear trends.
Windows will likely remain the top target because attackers can repurpose its widespread tools and still reach the largest pool of victims.
At the same time, macOS will attract more attention as attackers diversify.
The once-popular belief in Apple’s invulnerability has already cracked, and continued negligence with updates could widen the break.
Ultimately, the story of malware in 2025 hinges not on operating systems but on human response.
Microsoft and Apple both release regular patches, yet many users delay installing them.
As long as people hesitate, attackers will continue to exploit the gap.
The future battles in cybersecurity will depend less on the systems we choose and more on how quickly we close the doors left open.
