Amateur's Perspective
I am a total amateur at computer things, so I rely on this user group for advice. Trust me, this is the place to be for honest, cheerful, helpful and knowledgable assistance!
This is what I do to protect my precious data, based on things I have learned here-
But, be sure to read replies, if any, to this message. just in case I have stuff wrong or overkill.
Background-
I never worried about security with my mac (beyond normal firewall settings) until one day when the next door neighbor asked me something very specific about my aged mother-in-law's recent medical test. Nothing about this had ever been discussed with him,nor anyone else outside my wife and myself in person. Not even on the phone.However, the test results & some other data was stored on my computer. A few days after that, he asked me of he could borrow the jackhammer I gave to my brother. Never mentioned the tool nor that I had brothers, just some e-mails to my brother about the tool. I found out later, he is some kind of spiffy computer programmer guy for the government. Maybe he was experimenting and got into my stuff by accident. I will never know, but it woke me up.
Step One- Internet connection.
I have the firewall in System Preferences turned on. I also have the internet gateway's firewall on. The gateway is in stealth mode.
Step Two- Lock Down Data
All my private data (such as the account number for the health insurance, the bank account, and so forth) are in an encrypted sparseimage folder. The password is complex and is NOT stored in my keychain.
Step Three- Lock The Keychain
I keep my keychain locked. There is an icon on my menu bar so I can lock it when I turn the computer on. If you do this, check it often. it magically unlocks itself once in a while. (There is a padlock picture that opens & closes.)
The downside? When I open Mail, I have to type the password. No big deal to me.
Step Four- Onyx
Just like suggested in this chain of messages, I use Onyx. It is very useful.
Step Five- Keep Windows In A Cage
I'm sure Windows is fine if you keep up on security updates & run anti virus software. I do this instead-
I have my hard drive partitioned into two volumes. One has the Windows Virtual Hard Drives from Virtual Box on it. There is nothing else there. This way, if something attacks Windows, I can erase the drive & begin again. I do take 'snapshots' of the virtual machine so erasing & restoring is a two minute process. Bonus? I can experiment my brains out and if I destroy something, I can fix it.
Part Two is that I do not connect to the internet or my home network from Windows (only because I don't run AV nor get the updates like a good boy should)
PS- WIth Virtual Box, I don't have to boot back & forth to get to Windows. I just start Windows from V-Box in OS X and it finds the other volume's Windows Virtual Machine.
Step Six- Scary E-Mails
Don't open goofy looking e-mails. I sincerely doubt that OS X can be harmed by anything in the nefarious e-mails, but why risk it? If I think it is legitimate, I go directly to the site in question. Example- I get tons of e-mails from my bank telling me I am overdrawn. They are not legitimate because both of my dollars are still there. If I want to see what is up, I don't click- I go straight to Poor Man's Bank dot com (Or use the telephone instead)
Step Seven- Anti Virus Program
This may not be necessary, as mentioned here. I have ClamX AV. I run it manually once in a while. I don't leave it running all the time. Like another poster mentioned, for me it only finds suspicious e-mails (and does a good job). Be sure to read their directions before you delete these e-mails. It can goof up your index if done incorrectly.
After reading this set of messages today, I may re-think having AV at all.
Step Eight- Activity Monitor
Look at Activity Monitor once in a while to see if something is running that you don't recognize. i don't know if this is at all helpful, but I don't think it can hurt to check.
Step Nine- Public Internet
I have not used to a public internet, so if I do, my Step Nine will be study this user group for advice.
Step Ten- Use This Forum!
Ask Search Here & Ask Questions Here. You will, I promise, get good information. This is the place to learn.
Conclusion-
I hope some of this is helpful, but...
Remember I am an amateur. If someone here contradicts something in my list, we both get to learn something new. Any day we get the chance to learn anything is a good day!
Have fun with your Mac. I love mine!
Enjoy Today,
Paul
