Lock it up

Could you be the biggest threat to your Mac’s safety?

Illustrations by John Ueland

When it comes to security, you may be your own worst enemy. What puts you at risk is not so much the firewall, antivirus, or other security software you do (or don’t) use as much as the bad habits you may have picked up. Careless computing puts your data, and even your identity, at risk. Our Lock It Up series will offers tips aimed to make your computing life more secure, starting today with ways to prevent others from getting at your private data.

So what are you supposed to do about it? Start developing some new habits. That’s why we’ve assembled the following security manifesto for Mac users: five promises you should make to yourself to avoid compromising your security.

We’ve also included some concrete steps that’ll help you keep those promises. Some of those steps might seem familiar or obvious. But you’d be surprised how many savvy Mac users still avoid them. (For your convenience, we’ve graded each one on a scale of one to four for the amount of security it provides and the hassle it entails.)

Take our Mac security pledge:

Lock it up

Could you be the biggest threat to your Mac's safety?

I will keep my Mac safe from other users

I know that anyone can access my computer whenever I’m not looking, so I’ll try to prevent others from getting at my private data.
I will use good passwords

I will make life difficult for anyone trying to break into my Mac or my online accounts by choosing excellent passwords and protecting them properly.
I will be careful when using a wireless network

Wireless networks are easily hacked, and public networks are the least secure. I won’t take any chances; I’ll always encrypt my wireless connection.
I will behave cautiously online

I can’t always know when I can trust a Web site to guard my private data. So I will take steps to keep personal information personal.
I will be smarter about how I handle e-mail

Safer e-mailing requires not just spam filtering but greater care in sending, reading, and responding to messages.
Walking the walk

It’s one thing to recommend safe computing habits. It’s entirely another to implement those recommendations. We asked Senior Editor Rob Griffiths to spend a couple of days implementing some of the suggestions in our series.

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