The number of attacks led to public distrust of Windows as a secure operating system. Microsoft Windows 10 securityįor the first decade of its existence, Microsoft’s flagship Windows program was easily the most successfully attacked OS in the history of computers. We didn’t include other solid enterprise features that aren’t built into the OS and enabled by default. Below is an overview of each OS followed by a comparison of the base security features found in each. With that said, not everyone knows what makes the two most popular OSes secure out of the box. Insider exclusive: Download a PDF version of this article. You won’t gain many friends by claiming both are secure. In reality, both OSes are adequately secure when operated with their default security settings along with their vendor’s best practice recommendations, but after decades of intense competition for passionate consumers, the subject borders on a technical religious war. One of the quickest ways to troll IT security professionals is to proclaim that either Microsoft Windows computers or Apple Macs have better security.