It's
hard to deny that Macs are pretty darn secure. According to Sophos, there are
four known viruses on OS X, compared
to 80,000 on Windows. That said, Macs aren't invincible by any means. Viruses
are by no means the only way people with bad intentions can get at your
computer. In fact, attackers are well aware of Apple owners' false sense of
security, and we've seen them take advantage of this time after to time to
compromise OS X systems.
We've
put together some easy ways you can secure your Mac systems and personal data.
They're listed in order of paranoia—the first two are mandatory really, while
the last few are tailored to the extremely security-conscious:
Back Up Your Data
With Time Machine: We wouldn't normally categorize back up as a
security issue, but the recent hack of Wired journalist Mat Honan turned it
into one, as he learned the hard way the fallacy of relying solely on iCloud
for backup. Apple makes hard backups incredibly easy with Time Machine, a
built-in feature that regularly backs up your entire system onto an external
hard drive. All you need to do is plug it in. Apple's iCloud and other cloud-based
backup services are convenient, but you should never rely fully on the cloud.
After all, you're entrusting all your data to another company, and you'd be
surprised at how careless they can be. Wired journalist Mat Honan discovered this the hard way last week when attackers managed
to trick Amazon and Apple reps into resetting his iCloud account.
New Software Updates Ready? Hit 'Install'
Right Away: Unpatched
software still one of the most common vectors for computer attacks. OS X makes
checking for updates easy by doing it for you. Open the Software Update pane in
System Preferences, make sure "Check For Updates" is on (it usually
is by default) and set it to the most frequent setting.
Enable
Keychain: Hopefully
by now you know never use the same password for everything—if an attacker gains
access to one of your accounts, he'll try using the same password to access
other kinds of accounts. That's why it's crucial to use multiple "insanely
secure" passwords. Fortunately, in OS X you don't have to know them
all by heart. Just use built-in password manager Keychain where you can store
your passwords, certificates, and other confidential information used to
authenticate an application or website. Find Keychain in the Utilities folder
under Applications.
Know Your Source: The
few instances of Mac malware we've seen have all entered users' systems by
fooling the user into downloading malicious email attachments or downloading a
legitimate-looking piece of software. In the latest software OS X 10.8 Mountain
Lion, Apple has introduced a new security feature in the control panel called
Gatekeeper. This lets you choose the sources of app installations. At the
highest security setting, you'll only be able to download and install apps from
the Mac App Store. The default option I'd stay with lets you download apps
signed by a Developer ID (like Microsoft). The lowest security setting lets you
download apps from anywhere.
Disable
Java and Flash Plug-ins:
Security experts have long encouraged users to disable Java and Flash in their
browsers, which closes popular attack vectors on Macs. For instance, the
Flashback malware that infected over half a million Macs earlier this year,
exploited systems through Java. So unless you're a creative who relies heavily
on Adobe Creative Suite, you probably don't need these plug-ins now that most
websites are switching to HTML5.Disable Java by going to the Applications
folder, Utilities, and unchecking all the Java boxes under the General tab. To
disable Flash, you'll have to use the Chrome or Firefox browsers which let you
configure this setting.
Install an Anti-virus: If your mentality is that "you
can never be too safe," there are lots of popular, free options out there
that will protect your system from the various Trojans, viruses, and phishing
scams that occasionally ensnare Mac users. Mac-specific security vendors like
Intego, Sophos, and ClamXav provide free or free trials of antivirus software,
though we haven't
tested them yet.
Use a Stronger
Firewall: OS X has a built-in firewall (disabled by default) that
blocks incoming connection attempts, but you'll find far more granularity in
the popular OS X firewall, Little Snitch. Little Snitch tells you when an
application tries to establish an outgoing connection, which could prevent a
malicious app from sending out private data. It handles all network interfaces,
including AirPort, PPP, network cards, etc, and unlike OS X's built-in firewall
lets you block specific IP addresses. However, it does take time to fully
configure.
Encrypt
With FileVault 2: If
your Macbook is carrying State secrets or similarly confidential information,
you can enable this built-in feature to encrypt your entire hard drive with AES
128 encryption. There you have it. As mentioned earlier, tips 1 and 2 are
mandatory, really. This list is by no means exhaustive, so feel free to share
your own Mac security tips in the comments section below.
By:
thecodewhiz
On 5:06 AM
