Drive encryption doesn’t really matter to malware, since the disk must be decrypted to function when turned on. Also the majority of malware still runs in userland, maybe arguably more since the rise of ransomware.
I’m not sure what you mean by permissions being limited to the Microsoft store exactly, but there’s a very robust permissions system built into Windows by default. It’s just not very user friendly, and your average user wouldn’t know it exists probably.
There’s arguments on both sides about default security policies anyway, as I’ve found navigating osx systems to install software can often be a nightmare - but that could be due to my lack of experience with it directly.
Both systems have pros and cons from a security standpoint. In the corporate spaces I’ve worked in, osx security is more annoying to manage from a central point than Windows.
As a Windows user that dabbles in Mac but is definitely not an expert, I get seriously frustrated when I try to share my screen in ??? meeting product only to have to adjust permissions and be told I probably need to restart the app (in the middle of a meeting). I’ve found other minor nags with MacOS along the same lines. They are trivial at best, but can be seriously interrupting. I agree with the high security defaults, but the UX could be improved.
