Chapter 24: Securing Your Mac
In This Chapter
Understanding security threats
Securing Mac, data, and application access via passwords
Using the Keychain Access management utility
Remote-locking and remote-wiping your Mac
Protecting disks with encryption
Safeguarding your location, contacts, and other information
Protecting against network intrusions and Internet-based threats
It's a sad but true fact that there are people out there who steal or cause mischief. In the Internet Age, they now have incredible reach, able to damage thousands and even millions of computers by using all sorts of technology collectively known as malware: viruses, Trojan horses, worms, spyware, and more. Some of these folks even reach over the Internet or via other networks directly into your Mac to steal or damage data. And then there's the old-fashioned thief who simply steals your Mac, making all its private contents accessible—and some of that information could be valuable for identity thieves or business competitors.
Fortunately, there are many ways to protect your Mac. OS X comes with some protection tools, and simply by setting various functions correctly you can secure many parts of your Mac as well. For those security areas not addressed within OS X itself, there are applications available to protect you.
You should take security seriously, using the capabilities Apple provides in OS X to keep your Mac safe. But don't panic: Macs are safer than Windows PCs, partly because OS X is more secure ...
