( 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 . `` I 've done similar searches in the past ... [ and ] I have never found more than one or two in-the-wild reports , '' Bott wrote . `` This time , the volume is truly exceptional . '' Furthering his case , Bott in a follow-up article quoted an AppleCare technician who claims that phone calls to AppleCare support have grown four to five times recently , and the majority of the calls are related to Mac Defender . Customers and technology observers have debated for years whether the Mac is truly more secure than a Windows PC . The general consensus among security researchers is that there 's nothing about the Mac that makes it inherently more secure than Windows -- indeed , the Mac platform has been easily penetrated in the Pwn2Own hacking contest in years past . But Windows has always been a juicier target for malicious hackers because it has much larger market share than the Mac . As a result , when customers switch from a Windows to a Mac , they 're often under the impression that they 're switching to a more secure , sterile environment where they wo n't need to install expensive , resource-hogging anti-virus software . While it 's not true that the Mac is more secure , theplatform is generally `` safer '' because fewer people target it , security researchers have told Wired.com in the past . Bott 's discovery renews this debate : A new piece of malware seems to be fooling more Mac customers than past examples . So does this change the scenario ? Should Mac customers install anti-virus software by default like most Windows customers do ? Charlie Miller , a security researcher who has repeatedly won the annual Pwn2Own hacking contest by hacking Macs and iPhones , told Wired.com he does n't think so . Miller noted that Microsoft recently pointed out that 1 in 14 downloads on Windows are malicious . And the fact that there is just one piece of Mac malware being widely discussed illustrates how rare malware still is on the Mac platform , he said . And while 200 posts complaining about Mac Defender in Apple 's support forums may seem like a lot , that 's still a small fraction of the millions of Mac customers in the world . While Mac Defender does show that the problem is getting worse and people should be more wary about malware , it does n't necessarily mean that every Mac user today should rush to buy anti-virus software , Miller said . Ultimately , it 's up to the customer because there 's a trade-off involved . Anti-virus software will help protect your system from being infected , but it 's expensive , uses system memory and reduces battery life . `` Mac malware is still relatively rare , but is getting worse , '' Miller said . `` At some point soon , the scales will tip to installing antivirus , but at this point , I do n't think it 's worth it yet for most people . '' In looking into the effects of Mac Defender , Wired.com 's sister publication Ars Technica did a thorough investigation on the state of Mac malware , speaking with 14 Mac support specialists . `` The truth is hard to tease out , '' ArsTechnica 's Jacqui Cheng wrote . `` Partly because Mac OS X still makes up a comparatively small percentage of the global OS market share , and partly because Apple itself is a secretive company , it 's not easy to find out whether malware on the Mac is indeed becoming more common , or it 's simply being reported on more often . '' The results were all over the map , with most certified Mac support specialists logging a low number of malware reports . But some Apple Genius Bar technicians noticed an uptick in malware instances , thanks to Mac Defender . Though the conclusion is unclear , the moral of this story is to be wary that Mac malware is in the wild , and be cautious about installing sketchy software from unfamiliar sources . Mac Defender may be the first wake-up call for people who believed that Macs do n't get viruses . Subscribe to WIRED magazine for less than $ 1 an issue and get a FREE GIFT ! Click here ! Copyright 2011 Wired.com .
A ` ` Trojan horse '' called Mac Defender is telling its customers they must install anti - virus software . If a customer agrees , the program puts porn sites on their computer . Despite some claims , experts say the Mac is n't more secure than Windows . Anti - virus software will help protect your system from being infected , but it 's expensive .