We live in strange times. Craig Federighi, Apple's software division boss, claims that the level of malware on Macs is unacceptable; it is clearly not like an Apple executive to criticize macOS security.

This is evident in the ongoing Apple v. Epic civil trial over App Store royalties and Apple's alleged monopoly. Federighi argued that the malware threat to macOS is the main reason for Apple's walled-garden approach to iOS and the security benefits that control provides.

"There is a level of malware on the Mac today that we cannot tolerate," Federighi said in court testimony Wednesday (May 19).

This mild self-assertion was followed up with the explanation that the iPhone operating system would also face more cybersecurity threats if iOS adopted the same approach as macOS.

"If you apply Mac security techniques to the iOS ecosystem, all devices, all worthwhile, would be turned upside down to a dramatically worse degree than is already happening with the Mac," he said.

"For iOS, we were eager to create something much more secure," Federighi added, elaborating on the walled garden approach to iOS.

"All indications are that we have succeeded in doing that."

There is no room to dispute the latter, as the likelihood of iOS malware is much lower than the likelihood of it occurring on Android devices.

What is wryly interesting here is Federighi's mild condemnation of macOS security. In the past, Apple and its fans used to advertise that Macs were immune to malware; Apple even ran TV ads about it.

That was not true; Macs have always had malware. However, after Steve Jobs returned to Apple in 1997, as the popularity of the Mac and the compatibility of its application software increased, more and more malware infiltrated macOS.

If you bought a MacBook Pro or MacBook Air M1 thinking it might be more secure, Federighi's view may come as a painful blow. But these days, just as with Windows 10 computers, proper security measures need to be taken with macOS.

Federighi even states that he has experienced Mac malware up close. He said, "I've had several family members who have had malware planted on their Macs."

This humiliation may bring a smile to the anti-Mac crowd, but it can also be taken as positive news. It shows that Apple is more than aware of the malware threat facing macOS and suggests that new measures to curb viruses and malicious software may be added to future versions of the operating system.

Given that Cupertino engineers have created the Apple M1 chip and are gradually moving away from reliance on Intel silicon, Apple seems open to pushing existing computing boundaries. Perhaps in the future, the days of Macs free from the threat of malware will return, but that may be wishful thinking.