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More than 34 million new malware samples have been discovered to date in 2022, with both Windows and Android still the most vulnerable platforms compared to Apple systems like Mac.
Malware writers have created more than 316,000 new malware threats daily in 2022, according to data from Atlas VPN. The team’s information is based on analysis of data from AV-Test GmbH, an independent antivirus and security provider.
January saw the biggest jump in the development of new malware, with 11.41 million new malware samples registered in the first month of 2022. February saw 8.93 million malware samples, while March saw 8.77 million.
By the end of the first quarter of 2022, newly discovered malware threats reached 29.11 million.
The data was last updated on April 20, 2022. At that number, at least 5.65 million new malware samples were discovered so far in the month of April.
As for the split between platforms, Windows has seen 25.48 million new malware samples by 2022. At least 536,000 never-before-seen Android malware samples have also been detected.
Apple platforms appear to be less affected, and macOS sees 2,000 new malware samples by 2022.
Despite the relative rarity of macOS malware, Apple still finds the number of threats on the platform “unacceptable” compared to iOS. Vulnerabilities and exploits are not unheard of on iOS, but are still rarer than on macOS.
The proliferation of malware on competing platforms like Android and Windows has been a core argument from Apple against opening their platforms. Apple has repeatedly argued that antitrust laws in the US and EU could do real harm to users’ privacy and security.