Time for an upgrade? Report warns outdated operating systems could be the 'unnecessary risk' your business forgot about

• More than half of Macs and mobiles have critically out-of-date software installed
• macOS attacks are rising as are Mac shipments, amplifying the issue
• Software updates are designed to patch vulnerabilities

Vulnerable apps and outdated operating systems could be the biggest security concerns across Mac and mobile environments, new research from Jamf has claimed.

The firm found more than half (53%) of organizations have mobile devices with critically out-of-date operating systems, and even more (58%) are running outdated macOS devices.

As for the apps themselves, nearly all (95%) of the mobile apps assessed had at least one medium-severity vulnerability – combined with poorly protected operating systems, this could be putting sensitive company data at risk.

macOS and mobile are major culprits for running dates OSs

Three in five (62%) mobile apps also request potentially risky permissions, with one in five (21%) showing "privacy-impacting behaviors."

Although the operating system or app itself might not be enough to send a company downward, these vulnerabilities combined with human risks could spell disaster – a quarter of the organizations surveyed had fallen for phishing links which provide attackers with an entry point into a system.

Those vulnerabilities then enable lateral movement within a company's systems, intensifying an attack's impacts.

Jamf also touches on the evolution of threats, with many attacks now using zero-click, browser-based or chained exploits that don't require the active participation of a victim.

When it comes to Macs themselves, Apple saw a 16.4% rise in shipments between 2024 and 2025 (via Omdia) – the biggest growth of any brand including Lenovo, HP, Dell and Asus. Simultaneously, more than 26,000 macOS malware samples were identified in 2025. According to the company's research, nearly three-quarters (73%) of Macs now have at least one vulnerable app.

"Our goal with this research is to spread awareness among security leaders regarding the risks impacting their organizations," Portfolio Strategy VP Michael Covington wrote, "so that they can ensure threat detection, compliance enforcement and response capabilities are aligned with their Mac and mobile devices."

Though Jamf's research centers around macOS and mobile, other operating systems (including Windows) are not immune from similar attacks, but thankfully one simple, effortless action could prevent a significant number of attacks.

Keeping apps and operating systems up to date doesn't just address bugs and introduce new features – it also patches vulnerabilities and flaws to maximize security.

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