Many MAC users live with the misconception that their hard drives cannot be hacked. This is completely incorrect. Similarly to the common Windows personal computers, a MAC PC is vulnerable. Hackers can penetrate the system and if your hard drive has a lot of important information, you are in big trouble.
Most people learn how to clean up MAC computers but they do not really know much about how to increase security. Because of this, here are some things that you can easily do right now to protect your important drive data.
Set Up A Firewall
Always make sure that you have a good firewall installed on the computer so that you can block malicious content from websites and various other threats that can infiltrate the unit. Contrary to popular belief, using an antivirus is not enough. Such a program would eliminate the threat once the computer is already infected. It is always a lot better to prevent the hard drive from being infected in the first place.
Install An Antivirus
Although the firewall is the first line of defense, you do still need to have an antivirus on your computer. In most situations we notice that MAC PCs do not have such a program on them as they are not that targeted. Whenever you have important business or personal data on a hard drive, it has to be secured as a virus might slip in from so many sources.
Do be sure that the antivirus program is updated as often as the developer has something available. This is something that is a lot more important than what many believe.
Use Extra Hard Drives And Encryption
Disk Utility allows you to encrypt the hard disk drives you use on your MAC. This includes both computer files and files on external hard drives. Also, you can easily clean MAC hard drive used for backup purposes. Encrypting is really useful as it makes the disk require a password for file access. Be sure that the password you set up is strong and that you only use the backup drives when absolutely necessary.
Avoid Downloads From Untrusted Sources
Most of the MAC security problems that appear are caused by downloading an infected file. Unfortunately, there are countless websites that offer free software with infections. Also, some programs are malicious by default and will include questionable programming. If you download software from a source you do not trust you open the doors towards programs that can dig for personal information or copy images on your computer. Always use just software coming from reputable vendors if you care about the data on your MAC.
Constantly Update Your MAC System
The last thing that is always recommended is to be sure that your entire system is updated and uses the last available version. Apple will often roll out updates that increase security and make life very hard for the hacker. The exact same thing is true for software you use on your MAC. If the program has an auto update option, it has to be activated. Just one vulnerability is enough to ruin your day.
Leave a Reply