How To Protect My Mac From Malware

Now that Apple has introduced an all-new lineup of impressive machines, its market share will no doubt continue to expand. That's good news for Apple, bad news for the security of our devices. The more users make the switch to Apple products, the more we can expect criminal malware to follow.

Protect your Mac from malware. MacOS has many features that help protect your Mac and your personal information from malicious software, or malware. One common way malware is distributed is by embedding it in a harmless-looking app. You can reduce this risk by using software only from reliable sources.

• FileVault 2 encrypts the entire drive on your Mac, protecting your data with XTS-AES 128 encryption. Mac computers built on the Apple M1 chip take data protection even further by using dedicated hardware to protect your.
• Features of Avira Free Antivirus for Mac. Being one of the best malware removal software for Mac, it also helps you protect your Windows, Android, and iOS devices. It scans all files with system accesses in.
• A video about some easy tips you can follow to make sure your machine is safe from any malware and viruses on Mac OS X. Links discussed in the video can be f.

We've gathered up a few simple tips and updates to be aware of when protecting your Mac from its now-uncertain security. In short, pay attention to operating system updates, improved app features and antivirus protection.

But also, be aware that a combination of all three cannot necessarily protect you from the latest viruses. You'll have to be diligent about your own safe clicking habits and stay up to date on the latest security news, too.

That said, here are three security improvements that will help protect your Mac in the future.

Apple knows that it must protect the influx of users it's bringing on. The next version of OS X will surely help protect susceptible computers better and more efficiently. Since its beefed-up OS X 10.5 Leopard, Apple has been making security a top priority. Now, OX S 10.8 Mountain Lion contains a sturdy security feature called Gatekeeper, which helps prevent users from downloading malicious software.

To do: Keep your OS up to date.

Preventing exploits is not just about the operating system. Apple is also taking steps to bolster Safari by sandboxing parts of the browser to prevent applications from accessing unnecessary data on your computer.

Apple is also taking a lesson from iOS, which has never experienced a widespread malware attack. Going forward, Apple is requiring all App Store applications to be sandboxed and certified. However, applications existing before June 2012 are not necessarily sandboxed and secure.

Apple is setting a rigorous standard, which makes for greater security, but also has some users wondering whether the heavier hand will negatively affect developer flexibility.

To do: Stick with Mac apps that have been approved by Apple so as to avoid security holes.

Just hearing the phrase makes us want to take a big old nap. Emule client mac. But the software continues to be a viable option for casual and sophisticated users alike.

VirusBarrier X6 is a great antivirus software made specifically for Mac, and costs $49.95 for one year and two devices worth of protection.

Norton Antivirus 12 for Mac provides one-year protection for $49.99. And the latest version of McAfee Internet Security software protects one Mac for one year at a cost of $79.99.

It's worth noting that some Mac antivirus software costs significantly more money than PC versions. For instance, Norton Antivirus retails at $39.99 for one PC over one year, as does McAfee Internet Security.

To do: Find the Mac anitvirus program that works for your budget and system setup.

Freelance technology writer Glenn Fleishman contributes regularly to the Economist, Macworld, and TidBITS. He is still on the fence about what he recommends to Mac users in terms of security measures. The aforementioned antivirus software, for example, mainly protects against already known malware; it won't be able to catch new exploits, like the widespread Flashback virus that ran malicious JavaScript on sites around the web.

'With the Java exploit that hit hundreds of thousands of Mac users, it didn't matter whether or not you had some kind of protective software installed. None of it detected the Java bug or blocked it,' says Fleishman.

But he still thinks that more casual users (whether Mac or PC) could benefit from an antivirus program. Even if they never update their systems, the software can protect against threats already out there.

And even sophisticated users who are conscious of their clicks and cookies might find antivirus protection worthwhile. 'I had McAfee's suite installed on my MacBook Air for several months after writing a review for Macworld, and it was interesting to see which programs launched and which software wanted Internet access,' he says. 'But it never caught anything malicious.'

So, the rest is up to you. What measures do you take to ensure you and your computer are protected?

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, PashaIgnatov

Malware

During the past few weeks the MacOS has been the target of fake antivirus malware in the forms of MACDefender, MacProtector, and MacGuard.

By Vic Hargrave

While those of us who use Macs have felt safe from virus attacks, recent security news should give us all cause for concern. During the past few weeks the MacOS has been the target of fake antivirus malware in the forms of MACDefender, MacProtector, and MacGuard.

To make a long story short, victims were led to malicious sites that tricked them into downloading fake AV malware ̶ to get rid of viruses they didn’t have ̶ and paying for the fake AV malware online that enabled the bad guys to steal their credit card numbers. Fake AV scams like this have existed for years in the Windows world but were comparatively rare for the MacOS, until now.

MACDefender and MacProtector both require users to enter their passwords to install. MacGuard on the other hand installs itself when users clicked on the “Open safe files after downloading” option in Safari. It’s not a good idea to open downloads automatically so you should disable this option. But this is just a first step. There are other precautions you can and should take to help protect your Mac and your wallet from fake AV threats.

Most MacOS users login to their systems with a single “Administrator” level account that has full and unrestricted access to all system resources. In addition, many users login automatically to their systems as administrators without providing user name or password. Convenient though this may be, it is not a secure arrangement.

The first thing you should do is disable automatic logins. Here’s how:

1. Open your System Preferences panel.
2. Click on the Security icon in the Personal section.
3. Click on Disable automatic login.

From now on you’ll have to provide your user name and password to use your Mac.

Next you’ll want to create another user that has limited system privileges, more specifically, a “standard” user who cannot install software automatically without authentication. Here’s how you do this:

1. Open your System Preferences panel.
2. Click on the Accounts icon in the System section.
3. Click on the + symbol under the Login Options portion of the accounts section.
4. Enter the full name, account name, password and password for the new account. Remember to choose a good password.
5. Make sure the New Account field is set to “Standard”.
6. Click on the Create Account button.
7. When you return to the Accounts screen make sure the “Allow user to administer this computer” is unchecked for the new user account.

Now you can login with the new standard account you just created. When you try to install software as a standard user, either intentionally or accidentally, the MacOS will prompt you for your Administrator account’s credentials. This effectively blocks malware like MacGuard from sneaking onto your system without your knowledge.

Of course, if you log in with your administrator account, you can still install bad stuff, but at least with another login you are given a chance to think twice about it.

Apple posts frequent security updates to the MacOS, but they don’t always get downloaded to your system in a timely fashion. You can manually check for updates as frequently as you like by following this procedure:

1. Click on the Apple icon in the upper left hand corner of your desktop.
2. Select “Software Update…”
3. If you are doing this from the standard account you set up in the previous section, enter you Administrator login credentials.

The Apple update server will send back any updates available and you can either apply them immediately or wait until later.

Let’s not forget that if the victims of the MACDefender, MacProtector and MacGuard hadn’t gone to the sites that hosted the malware, they wouldn’t have gotten in trouble in the first place. Avoiding malicious websites is always an effective strategy for staying safe in cyberspace.

Trend Micro™ Smart Surfing for Mac provides the capabilities to block links to dangerous websites and perform regular malware scans on your Mac to keep it free from viruses and spyware.