A recent report from the online threat testing group AV-Test showed some interesting new information, mainly focused on the safety of the internet for platforms like Windows and Android. According to the report published, Linux and macOS saw the largest gains in new threats, with Windows dropping 15% from the previous year.
Windows developed threats, that include ransomware like WannaCry, slowed significantly, suggesting that users on the platform have become more vigilant, or that security on the platform has improved with time. The same could not be said for platforms like macOS, which saw an increase of 370% from the previous year, with 3033 malware threats detected. Linux, on the other hand, saw a 300% increase from the previous year.
According to the report, ransomware made up the smallest portion of all threats, even with their impact being one of the most devastating. Ransomware, when installed on your device, encrypts your data and then requests payment through anonymous means like Bitcoin for a key to gain access to your data. A recent Microsoft report noted that over half a billion emails with ransomware attachments are sent every quarter.
Windows accounted for 77% of the total online threat market in the first quarter of 2017, with Android commanding a mere 5.8%, mainly attributed to Trojan Apps.