6 Cybersecurity Tips to Protect Your Mac Against Threats

When you get a new Mac, you are excited to set up your device and get started with it; at the same time, you must be a little concerned about its security. Nothing to worry about as you only need some time to spend tweaking settings to make your Mac more secure against external threats. 

So, let’s move to the cybersecurity strategy that will prevent your Mac from all kinds of threats and attacks. 

Encrypt Your Network 

If you easily get attracted to that free public WiFi connection available to everyone at a restaurant, fast food outlet, library, or airport, you need to change your habit. Don’t fall prey to such networks as these are heaven spots for hackers. You never know who is accessing your data sitting right in your neighborhood. 

Since public networks do not obey any encryption or filtration algorithms, your device and data are at stake when you connect to these networks. As a result, spoofing on your public traffic to steal your personal information is something that hackers can easily do as they are experts at it. While connecting to a public network, make sure to use Mac VPN as it will prevent your data by encrypting it and transmitting it through a private tunnel. 

Activate FileVault to Encrypt Hard Drive

Cybersecurity Tips to Protect Your Mac

Encryption is at the heart of data security algorithms, and it works beyond the network level. You can use the native encryption technology, called FileVault, that encrypts your hard drive using standard encryption. This prevents others from viewing the data stored in the hard drive, even if they have your computer or laptop. 

You should always keep this feature activated as it will safeguard your sensitive details against unauthorized access even if you lose your laptop or it gets stolen. FileVault encrypts your data behind the password by using XTS-AES-128 encryption with a 256-bit key that nosedives all attempts of illegal access. 

Use HTTPS Instead of HTTP

HTTPS is the same HTTP with encryption. HTTPS uses TLS (SSL) encryption to encrypt HTTP requests as well as responses. So, HTTPS is significantly more secure than HTTP, so keep in mind that S stands for security. In an HTTP website, the requests and responses can easily be accessed by someone who is monitoring the session on a particular instance of time. 

In HTTP, hackers can read the text to determine what information the user is looking for, whereas that’s not possible when you are using HTTPS. In simple words, HTTPS helps authenticate the web servers to stop instances of a data breach, unauthorized access, online cheatings, and spoofing. Check the URL bar to identify if you are browsing a safe website or not. 

Keep Your System Optimized & Up-to-Date

This is essential to stay away from thousands of performance and productivity problems that arise only when you do not optimize your computer regularly. Your computer can’t clean its hard drive on its own, you have to instruct it to do so. There are advanced security vulnerabilities that attack millions of computers every day; so, make sure to keep track of what you are saving on your storage drive. 

Delete all unnecessary or outmoded files to clean up and speed up your Mac. Well, this is a bit time-consuming, but necessary as well, else it will degrade the system performance manifold. Also, check the source information before you install any app from the online websites to stay safe and secure your valuable data.

Install AntiVirus Application

best antivirus for pc

Apple integrates the top-performing security algorithms that keep your device safe by preventing it from viruses. However, Apple devices, similar to any other device, are computers that demand the same level of protection against security threats as any other device would do. 

Make sure to install a reliable antivirus application, but that from a trusted source only. An antivirus app can protect your computer against viruses, Trojan, or malware attacks, but you have to be cautious while you browse the web. Never click the links coming from unreliable or unknown senders over the emails. 

Don’t Enable Auto Login

On setting up a new Mac or while doing a clean installation of new macOS, you need to create a user account. In the majority of cases, users set this account to log in automatically on startup for the sake of comfort and to bypass multiple steps involved in the login process. Have you ever thought about what will happen if your Mac gets stolen? 

Anyone who will find your device can log in directly without putting up any effort. You can disable the automatic login feature by navigating to Users & Groups under System Preferences. However, this option is not available and is greyed out if you have enabled FileVault on your system. It will protect your system against all major kinds of threats and security risks.