by James Beard

Created on: August 09, 2009

Protect Your Mac: A Common Sense Approach

Earlier this year I made the switch from a Windows XP based computer to an Apple iMac. I have a lot of personal financial data on my computer that I want to keep private. In addition I have a lot of music, photo and video files that I certainly do not want to lose. Coming from a Windows environment, data security and protection were ingrained in my basic computer routines; but, I found that a lot of Mac fans just didn't seem to worry about it. I think that's a mistake.

There are two basic threats to the data on your Mac, attack from virus or malware and loss due to a hard disk failure. Many Mac experts point out that most virus and malware is directed at Windows based computers for one simple reason, there are more of them. While you can take some comfort in that fact if you are a Mac owner, given the growth in Mac computers, you can't trust that there will never be malware designed to attack Macs. And, as for hard disk failures, they can and do happen to any computer.

You can protect your Mac from both of these threats. Some protection is free. The amount you decide to fund beyond the free protection depends on how much you value your data, how much you can afford to spend, and the price you place on your peace of mind. From free to the most expensive, protection can be added in stages and is not as costly as you might think.

Let's start with the free protection measures you can take against online threats. First, included with the Mac operating system Leopard 10.5 is a firewall. To turn it on select System Preferences - Security then select firewall. You will see 3 choices. Selecting the third option, Set access for specific services and applications, offers a good compromise between protection and convenience. Another effective free step you can take is to not take action. That is, don't open any e-mail, and particularly e-mail attachments, from sources you do not know to be legitimate and safe. Along the same line be careful where you go on the internet. Don't click on those too good to be true offer links; you could be inviting trouble. Same with porn links; just buy a magazine or something if you really want to go there.

OK, free is good; but, for a small investment you can do more. Start with an antivirus program. There are quite a few out there that will work on a Mac and different computer magazines often review them and rate their effectiveness. When I made my

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