Book: The Practical Guide to Mac Security

The Practical Guide to Mac Security is a book from MacMost host and producer Gary Rosenzweig. Learn how to protect your Mac and yourself in an online world. The Practical Guide to Mac Security teaches you how to stay safe online. Learn how to create and use strong passwords to prevent your accounts from being hacked. Find out if you need antivirus software and how you can protect your Mac against malware. Read about scams and cons that try to trick you into granting access to your Mac or installing malware. Learn how to back up your Mac and protect your files and data from disasters.

This book is a guide for the practical Mac user. This is for those who want to buy things online, share over social media and travel with their Mac while maintaining a decent level of security. I’ll show you common sense techniques for staying safe online. The idea is not to build a wall around you, but to learn how to look out for problems and avoid common security pitfalls.

I’m going to give you honest advice. You’ll learn my personal approach to protecting myself, and I’ll share what I recommend to friends and family. Even if you don’t follow every piece of advice I give you, I hope that this book makes your computing life a little more secure and safe.


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    Table of Contents

    1. Online Password Security
         Improving Your Passwords
         Using Different Passwords Everywhere
         Moving Up To Two-Step Verification
         Dealing With Security Questions
         What To Do If Your Accounts Have Been Compromised
         Chapter Actions
    2. Malware and Hackers
         Do You Need Antivirus Software?
         Following Three Simple Rules
         Using OS X Gatekeeper
         Protecting Your Data With Mac User Accounts
         Setting Up Guest User Accounts
         Do You Need OS X Firewall?
         Staying Safe With Secure Connections and VPN
         Chapter Actions
    3. Scams and Tricks
         Recognizing Phishing Scams
         Avoiding Social Engineering Tricks
         Ignoring Misleading Web Ads
         Help Stop False and Misleading Sharing
         Stay Away From Email Scams
    4. Physical Disasters
         Backing Up Your Mac
         Storing Your Files in the Cloud
         Using FileVault and Encrypted Backups
         Backing Up Online
         Cloning Your Hard Drive
         Preventing Problems With a UPS
         Find My Mac
         Chapter Actions
    5. Frequently Asked Questions
         Suspicious Sharing
         Peek-A-Boo
         Stopping Spam
         PIN Problems
         Wi-Fi Passwords
         Exploits Versus Malware
         Keep It Secret
         Keep It Secret 2
         What’s Your Location?
         Selling Your Mac
         Private Web Browsing
         More Help
         More Information