Security of Mac's - Fact vs Fiction

Mac's Can't Get Virus - Well if you want to be very "precise" that is true. A Virus is a specific form of attack that causes the pundits to make the statement honestly. Albeit in what I consider a very misleading way.

Truth is any computerized piece of hardware you own is subject to attack. Be it by virus, trojan, malware (the industry catch all for bad items on your device) and adware (still malware, but primarily an annoyance).

Apple is very good about keeping Mac OS current and up to date. If your machine is supported. Your machine is supported if you are able to use the current OS. Today the current OS is High Sierra. If you are not eligible for the recent OS then you are not getting updates by Apple. They however, will patch applications that are still supported on your OS. That is where the confusion comes into play. Users will see updates to iTunes and claim "I'm still still getting updates on my 2008 machine." To which I respond "When was the last time a OS update was pushed for your system?" response 2014...... So they haven't updated the OS since 2014. They have updated select applications, but it can still leave your system vulnerable. In this case, there is no easy fix. It is up to the user to maintain the system and it's integrity as well as it's security. Same with if you use iPhone 4s or 5. You can't get to the current version of IOS therefore you can be considered vulnerable as well.

Does that mean you will get malware? Not at all... If you use some common sense.

#1 BACKUP BACKUP BACKUP.

This isn't a time machine, but a full image HDD backup that you update periodically throughout the year.

(I do one monthly and I have 2 backups at any given time) Both need to be able to be booted by itself.

Assume your HDD in your computer is scorched earth. And you need to bring it back from the dead

a bootable full image backup can do just that. Unfortunately, time machine can't do it reliably.

#2 TWO backups is best. If you operate a business you should have 3 or 4.

1 is every quarter and is kept off site. Safe Deposit Box is a good place for this.

2 for rotating monthly backups.

1 is a daily backup, just in case something fails during a system end of day process etc.

(still have time machine running, this will allow recovery of data, the backup is to recover the system)

#3 A user should be signed in for day to day work.

Admin user level is only used to complete updates, maintenance, and backups. If you are a user and

are asked for an admin password, you IMMEDIATELY should question why? What is installing? Why

is admin access required. Remember your not doing updates, maintenance, or backups as a user. So

there should be no need for admin. Seeing this is a RED FLAG that a website is trying to do something

outside of the box. Blindly putting in the admin user id and password is not the right action. It's also why

you have a different user id with a password you have to look at a password sheet to sign in.

#4 There is no free lunch. Download adobe creative suite free..... etc etc. There is always a string and

it comes with malware. Same with the free movies they also are trying to masquerade as movies but

really it's a program. You try to watch "movie" & an admin password is required. Hmm a clue?

Yet I saw one of my friends start to do just that to watch a movie on my old laptop. Can I get your admin

password? Why? Because this movie says it needs admin user id and password. DUH, it's not a movie!

In a nutshell a lot of MAC OS, IOS, WATCH OS, or TVOS is not from within the Mac system, it's when a user attempts to bypass the security built in. Like running in admin user instead of standard user or worse running as root! Running as root screams take advantage of me now! If you use a virtual machine with windows or another OS operating. Then you need a mac antimalware as well as a antimalware for your virtual OS. If you don't have current MacOS, and must run virtual OS, I would not be online. It's one too many risk factors for my taste. As it is I keep all sensitive data in an external HDD that is only connected to the computer when that sensitive data is needed. (such as tax time) Other than that it is not connected to a computer or the network.

Think of sensitive data as your personal underwear (briefs, boxers, brassiere, etc) and the internet as your nosey neighbors. The ones who want to know everything your doing and broadcast it to anyone and everyone in the community. So... if you don't want your underwear on display you keep it away from the internet, the most sensitive data you don't even connect to your computer except when it's vital to be connected. Keep this point of view and you'll keep those nosey neighbors out of your "business"

Happy trails.