Learning a few tips will help you securely shield your Mac against potential online threats. Activating firewalls or downloading antivirus apps are some sure-shot ways to combat cyber threats; let’s explore more security tips for securing your Mac and data.
Disable Automatic Login
First things first, disabling automatic login features will provide a strong layer of security, especially for MacBooks. Regardless of the operating system you use, all laptops, due to the portability feature, are vulnerable to theft attempts.
Automatic logins can let anyone access your sensitive information, including emails, financial details, and similar info. Disabling automatic login will prevent unauthorized people from accessing your data.
To disable the automatic login feature on your MacBook, click on the Apple menu, tap System Preferences, select Users & Groups, click on Login options, and then enable Turn off automatic login.
Create Separate Accounts
If you are sharing your computer with siblings and other family members, take control of the device through an administrative account. Create separate accounts for all the users so That they can store all their data in a dedicated folder.
Not only will this prevent unpermitted access to other users’ data, but it will also help organize files more intelligently. All the users can access their respective files and folders, which is a great way to protect data.
To add users on Mac, click on the Apple menu, navigate to the System Preferences, click Users & Groups, tap on the padlock sign to unlock, type in the administrator’s credentials, click the Add button, then click on the New Account menu, choose user type or group, and set up a user account or the group.
Turn Off WiFi Auto-Join
Prevent your computer from connecting automatically to open WiFi networks as they can be the cybercriminal’s doorway to your computer ecosystem. Hackers can use SSID (same service set identifier) to capture your entire data and traffic. Using a VPN is highly recommended as a must-have security measure as it encrypts your IP address to prevent others from accessing your information. Whether or not you are using public WiFi, make it a habit to enable VPN all the time.
To turn off the WiFi Auto-Join feature, click on the Apple menu, select System Preferences, tap Networks, and select the WiFi that you want to stop joining automatically.
Delete Redundant Apps
Software is not meant to last forever; you need to update or delete them from your computer to ensure security. When no updates are available, the app turns redundant and fails to integrate with the new applications.
Not only do they make your computer vulnerable to security threats, but they hinder the overall performance and consume storage. Old apps are not the only components consuming space on the hard drive; duplicate files, cache, and junk adds to the list.
Deleting such apps from the computer is the only way to combat associated security threats and optimize storage. Before these apps degrade your system performance, spend time to find them and delete them by navigating to the Finder or the Launchpad.
Set Up App Download Preferences
Hackers sometimes utilize illegitimate apps that compel you to enter your personal information for downloading the third-party programs on the computer. To circumvent the risks that app downloads bring along, make sure to download apps from the Apple Store only.
Apple stores include apps after reviewing them carefully and removing them immediately on finding anything suspicious. Before you download a professional app from a third-party website, make sure to review the app’s privacy policy.
To set up app download preferences on your MacBook, click on the Apple menu, click System Preferences, select Security & Privacy, and tap General. Next, select if you wish to allow the apps to download from the Apple App Store or if you want apps from authenticated developers only.
Use a VPN
Set up a VPN on your Mac to secure and encrypt your internet connection. It will prevent the network from eavesdropping. VPN acts like a security shield and encrypts your outgoing and incoming data while you are using public WiFi.
Due to the robust security that VPN provides to the data and device, many corporate organizations across the world ask their employees to connect via VPN when working remotely or attending meetings.
To set up a VPN on your Mac computer, click on the Apple menu icon, click on System Preferences, and select Network. Click on the Add button, then select the Interface pop-up menu, pick a VPN, and click on the VPN Type menu. Next, choose a VPN to set up and click on the Create button.
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