(Wired.com) -- A new piece of malware has caused an uptick in Apple customers reporting infected machines, renewing a timeless debate on the state of Macintosh security versus Windows. The trojan horse is called Mac Defender. It's a web pop-up containing a spoof message that tells customers their machines are infected by a virus and they must install anti-virus software. If customers agree to install the software, the program sporadically loads porn websites on their computer. ZDNet writer Ed Bott was first to spot a long thread of complaints in Apple's support forums related to Mac Defender, with at least 200 posts of customers reporting they've been infected by the malware.
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A "trojan horse" called Mac Defender is telling Mac customers they must install anti-virus software
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If a customer agrees, the program loads porn sites on their computer
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Despite some perceptions, experts say the Mac isn't more secure than Windows
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Anti-virus software will help protect your system from being infected, but it's expensive
Windows
Windows
But @placeholder has always been a juicier target for malicious hackers because it has much larger market share than the Mac.
Windows
Windows
As a result, when customers switch from a @placeholder to a Mac, they're often under the impression that they're switching to a more secure, sterile environment where they won't need to install expensive, resource-hogging anti-virus software.
Wired.com
While it's not true that the Mac is more secure, theplatform is generally "safer" because fewer people target it, security researchers have told @placeholder in the past.
Mac Defender
Mac Defender
Mac Defender
While @placeholder does show that the problem is getting worse and people should be more wary about malware, it doesn't necessarily mean that every Mac user today should rush to buy anti-virus software, Miller said.
Mac Defender
Mac Defender
Mac Defender
@placeholder may be the first wake-up call for people who believed that Macs don't get viruses.