Are Hackers Targeting Windows First While Macs Fly Under the Radar in India?

In India’s cyber threat landscape, operating system risk is driven primarily by exposure economics rather than platform architecture. Windows, which accounts for the majority of enterprise and consumer endpoints, represents the largest attack surface and therefore absorbs most commodity malware, ransomware, and automated exploit activity. High prevalence, legacy dependencies, and inconsistent patching further amplify its risk profile.

macOS, with a smaller but growing footprint in professional environments, faces fewer mass campaigns but is increasingly targeted through customized malware and advanced intrusion techniques aimed at higher-value users.

The security differential between platforms continues to narrow. In practice, threat volume correlates with adoption, while real resilience is determined by endpoint hardening, identity controls, and operational security maturity rather than operating system choice.

Stage one target acquisition why Windows lights up first

From the attacker's point of view, Windows is the low-hanging fruit, the easiest target in India. Its ubiquity across enterprise, small business, and government systems gives hackers a huge and predictable foothold to operate from. And the numbers don't lie: with over 45% of endpoints infected, it's clear that attack volume is being driven by the sheer scale of Windows' presence, combined with the fact that many organizations are still not doing enough to keep their endpoint security up to scratch.

The usual suspects are still at play: phishing emails, dodgy documents, drive-by downloads, and pirated software all remain common entry points for malicious attackers. As for the types of malware they're using, the top three are still ransomware, banking trojans, and info-stealers. What's changing is that many of these campaigns are now relying on Ransomware-as-a-Service (RaaS) to make life easier for the hackers. They're also using automated privilege escalation and lateral movement to get deeper into an organization's network, and all too often they're aided by legacy systems and delayed patching.

Stage two initial access where Macs stop looking invisible

macOS, on the other hand, operates under a somewhat different playbook. Don't get me wrong, it still gets targeted, but the overall infection volume is lower, and the hackers are having to put in a bit more effort to get access to each Mac. Most current campaigns are relying on user-assisted execution, i.e., getting the user to help the malware get installed. Fake installers and the abuse of trusted binaries to blend in with normal system activity are also in the mix.

While adware is still the most common type of detection for macOS, we're seeing an uptick in credential stealers and supply chain attacks as more and more Indian startups, media outfits, and engineering teams start to use Macs. And one other thing to watch out for: browser-level vulnerabilities, especially in Chromium-based applications, which have become a bit of a recurring weak point.

Stage three privilege and persistence defaults don’t save bad ops

Windows has some great defenses in place, like virtualization-based isolation, secure boot & built-in endpoint detection. But, they only work if you turn them all on & manage them properly. And let's be honest, in a lot of Indian environments, they're just not fully enabled because of legacy apps or because people need local admin access so badly.

macOS, on the other hand, sets some pretty strict defaults, like system integrity protection & mandatory code signing. And those do a great job of stopping kernel compromise but don't do much about social engineering. Once a user lets their guard down & approves some dodgy action, all the platform's safeguards start to look a bit pointless.

Log files don’t lie India’s rules rewrite privacy math

Both Apple & Microsoft have to play by India's rules on surveillance, data retention & incident reporting. So, even on their secure platforms, there's still data available to the authorities. From a purely technical point of view, this is a pretty big risk on both Mac & Windows.

Microsoft is letting Indian businesses choose where their data is held & giving them a bit more control over the diagnostic data they send to Microsoft. Apple, on the other hand, is just sticking to the same global data handling rules everywhere. Neither of them can really do much to stop the state from getting access to the data in the current law.

Defense spend vs damage control where budgets actually go

On Windows in India, you're lucky because it's already got a load of security features like identity management, endpoint security & compliance frameworks all built in. And because there are some pretty good local vendors, it's all relatively cheap & easy to manage.

On macOS, you can get to a similar level of security, but it's a bit more complicated. You need to have a good device management system in place, some third-party endpoint detection, & some pretty technical skills to administer it all. All of which adds a lot of operational cost & means it's not something that every business can do easily.

Windows vs macOS in India at a Glance

If attackers had a dashboard this is what it would show.

End of simulation: what actually decides who gets burned?

Windows bleeds at scale. macOS bleeds quietly. In India, neither platform is inherently safer. Security outcomes are shaped by governance, endpoint hardening, monitoring maturity, and user discipline.

The operating system influences risk. Execution determines damage.

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