nacrheum

Q: Am I correct that the Time Machine does not protect against ransom ware?

Am I correct that Time Machine (iMac desktop OSX v. 10.9.5) does not protect against random ware (since it is always connected to the computer)?

 

If so, how do I back up Time Machine to another external drive (Eg. Seagate Slim), which I can remove and backup on a, say, weekly basis? I tried to drag and drop the Time Machine icon to the Seagate icon, but that does not work.

 

   Thanks.

 

Nacrheum

iMac, OS X Mavericks (10.9.5)

Posted on Apr 26, 2016 10:43 AM

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Q: Am I correct that the Time Machine does not protect against ransom ware?

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  • Helpful answers

  • by macjack,Apple recommended

    macjack macjack Apr 26, 2016 10:49 AM in response to nacrheum
    Level 9 (55,682 points)
    Mac OS X
    Apr 26, 2016 10:49 AM in response to nacrheum

    Yes, that is correct.

    nacrheum wrote:

     

    Am I correct that Time Machine (iMac desktop OSX v. 10.9.5) does not protect against random ware (since it is always connected to the computer)?

     

     

    Yes, that is correct.



    nacrheum wrote:

     

    If so, how do I back up Time Machine to another external drive (Eg. Seagate Slim), which I can remove and backup on a, say, weekly basis? I tried to drag and drop the Time Machine icon to the Seagate icon, but that does not work.

    Time Machine: How to transfer backups from a current backup drive to a new backup drive - Apple Support

  • by VikingOSX,

    VikingOSX VikingOSX Apr 26, 2016 10:57 AM in response to nacrheum
    Level 7 (20,606 points)
    Mac OS X
    Apr 26, 2016 10:57 AM in response to nacrheum
  • by Tony T1,

    Tony T1 Tony T1 Apr 26, 2016 12:07 PM in response to macjack
    Level 6 (9,232 points)
    Mac OS X
    Apr 26, 2016 12:07 PM in response to macjack

    If you're able to determine when the system was hit, couldn't you use TM to restore OS X to a time prior to the date it was hit?

  • by Linc Davis,Apple recommended

    Linc Davis Linc Davis Apr 27, 2016 7:54 AM in response to nacrheum
    Level 10 (207,926 points)
    Applications
    Apr 27, 2016 7:54 AM in response to nacrheum

    You don't have to do anything special. Just connect the external drive and add it as a backup destination in the Time Machine preference pane. When it's connected, it will be used in rotation with the other backup devices (if any.) When it's not connected, the connected devices will still be used.

     

    And to avoid confusion, ransomware could potentially destroy all data on all connected storage devices, including Time Machine backups. You do need at least one offline backup to be safe.

  • by nacrheum,

    nacrheum nacrheum Apr 28, 2016 7:31 AM in response to Linc Davis
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Mac OS X
    Apr 28, 2016 7:31 AM in response to Linc Davis

    I really appreciate your help. However I don't want to have my Mac provide more than 1 Time Machine, or alternate or rotate backups between 2 drives, or transfer the Time Machine function to an alternate drive. I was looking (it now seems naively) for a simple way to backup the mirror image of my computer (i.e, the Time Machine drive) to another drive , every week or so, which I would then promptly eject to keep it offline. In that way I could always have an extra drive on hand which would always serve as an emergency Time Machine, should the (always connected) Time Machine be corrupted by ransom ware or other mishaps.

     

      By the way, I sincerely meant it when I said I appreciate your helpful suggestions. This support community is super, especially for non-experts like me.

  • by Linc Davis,

    Linc Davis Linc Davis Apr 28, 2016 8:04 AM in response to nacrheum
    Level 10 (207,926 points)
    Applications
    Apr 28, 2016 8:04 AM in response to nacrheum

    I don't recommend backing up a backup. All backups should be made directly from the original data. The suggestion I made earlier is what I do myself, and it works fine.

  • by Keith Barkley,Apple recommended

    Keith Barkley Keith Barkley Apr 28, 2016 3:10 PM in response to Linc Davis
    Level 5 (6,382 points)
    Apr 28, 2016 3:10 PM in response to Linc Davis

    I suggest getting another external and using SuperDuper or CarbonCopyCloner to create a  bootable clone of your hard drive. While it will not save old versions of your files, it can get you back up and running very quickly.