It doesn't help that the big tech advertising platforms are making money off pushing ads peddling investment scams and malware. So long as there is a financial incentive to make money in ways that harm "users" things will only get worse. Governments have failed consumers.

Malware has a specific meaning - that one app can surreptitiously embed itself in your device, cause damage, or exfiltrate your info.

I’m not saying there haven’t been vulnerabilities in iOS. But those were bugs that Apple tried to close. For desktop operating systems, giving third party applications that ability is a feature not a bug.

Yes I’m including MacOS in that bucket - see Zoom installing a web server on Macs without letting users know.