Linux systems certainly give the impression of being safe and secure, but the number of malware targeting the platform hit a new high in the year 2022 just passed. According to Atlas VPN team statistics, the number of malware targeting Linux last year was 1.9 million, up 50 percent year-over-year.
The number of malware targeting Linux was 75,841 in the third quarter of 2022, up 91 percent year-over-year, and 164,697 in the fourth quarter, up 117 percent year-over-year.
This compares to a decline in other operating systems. The overall number of malware in 2022 was 73.7 million, down 39 percent year-over-year. The number of malware targeting Android declined the most in 2022, dropping 68 percent to 1.1 million from 3.4 million in 2021.
Windows continues to be the most targeted operating system, accounting for more than 95 percent of all malware. Compared to 116.95 million in 2021, the number drops to 70.7 million in 2022, a 40 percent decrease year-over-year. New malware applications targeting macOS dropped from 17,061 in 2021 to 12,584, a 26 percent decrease.
