Jun 05, 2018 The way macOS works now, apps need to ask for explicit permission before accessing certain kinds of data or features. This, obviously, is a great boon for privacy. For example, an app simply can’t track your current location unless you’ve given it permission to do so. People appreciate the security of macOS and expect their apps to be equally secure. When you take advantage of system-provided security technologies, you can securely store information locally, authorize a user for specific operations, and transport information across a network. Avoid relying solely on passwords for authentication.
The Security & Privacy group of the System Preferences window on your MacBook are where you protect your MacBook from unwanted users or where you can choose to turn off your firewall protection (not advised!).
Settings here are divided into three tabs:
General: To add an extra layer of password security for your MacBook, select the Require Password After Sleep or Screen Saver Begins check box. Mac OS X then requires that you enter your login password before the system returns from a sleep state or exits a screen saver.
Click the pop-up delay menu to specify when the password requirement will kick in (it’s immediate by default). If you’re an admin-level user, you can set the global security features in the For All Accounts on This Computer section, which affect all user accounts.
You can choose to do the following: disable the automatic login feature; force Mac OS X to require a login password each time that a System Preference pane is opened; automatically log off any user after a certain amount of inactivity; and display a message when the screen is locked.
You can also specify whether Lion should update Safari’s safe download list automatically. Acer mechanical keyboard mac software free. (Safari uses this list to determine what files should be opened after downloading, which helps you prevent attacks by viruses and malware.)
Don’t want small fingers accidentally controlling your MacBook with the Apple Remote? If you don’t need the Remote on a regular basis, click the Disable Remote Control Infrared Receiver check box to select it. (But don’t forget to turn your IR receiver back on for your next movie night!)
FileVault: These controls allow you to turn on FileVault hard drive encryption, which makes it virtually impossible for others to access files on your Mac. Click the Turn On FileVault button to enter the passwords for each user, because even if you’re using an Admin account, each user on your Mac must enter her password to enable her account for use with FileVault, which allows her access to data on the hard drive.
Click Continue to display the recovery key — go ahead and write that key down and store it in a very safe place — and then click Continue to enable FileVault encryption for the user who’s currently logged in; the user’s Login password becomes his FileVault password as well.
If you forget both your login password and the recovery key, not even the technical experts at Apple can retrieve your data!
Firewall: Mac OS X includes a built-in firewall, which you can enable from this pane.
To turn the firewall off entirely, simply click the Stop button. This is the very definition of Not a Good Thing; any MacBook hooked up to a network or the Internet should have the system firewall turned on.
(The only exception is if you’re using a network that you know to be secure and your access to the Internet is through a router or sharing device with its own built-in firewall.)
When the firewall is enabled, click the Advanced button to set firewall options.
To turn the firewall on with only Mac OS X application exclusions, click Block All Incoming Connections — only the sharing services you select on the Sharing pane in System Preferences are allowed through your firewall.) This is a good choice for the most security-conscious MacBook owner, but your firewall will block third-party applications that try to access your network or the Internet.
To turn the firewall on with exclusions, click Automatically Allow Signed Software to Receive Incoming Connections. (Yep, this is the correct option for just about every MacBook owner.) Any connection to a service (such as Web Sharing) or an application (such as iChat) that isn’t listed is blocked, but you can enable access for third-party applications on an as-needed basis.
In firewall-speak, these entries are rules because they determine what’s allowed to pass through to your MacBook.
It’s easy to enable communications with a Mac OS X service: Just use the Sharing pane within System Preferences to turn on a service, and Lion automatically configures your firewall to allow communications. I describe the Sharing pane in detail later in this chapter.
To add a third-party application, click the Advanced button at the bottom of the Firewall pane, then click the button with the plus sign. Navigate to the application that needs to communicate with the outside world. Click the application to select it and then click Add. To delete an application, select it in the list and click the button with the minus sign.
Remember, you don’t have to add any of the applications provided by Apple with Lion, such as Apple Mail, iChat, or Safari; only third-party applications that you install yourself need a firewall rule.
You can edit the rule for a specific service or application by clicking the rule at the right side of the entry. By default, the rule reads Allow Incoming Connections (including both your local network and the Internet); however, when you click the rule, you can also choose Block Incoming Connections to temporarily deny access to that application.
For heightened security, click the Enable Stealth Mode check box, which prevents your Mac from responding to attempts to identify it across your network and the Internet.
If you suddenly can’t connect to other computers or share files that you originally could share, review the rules that you’ve enabled from this pane. You can also verify that everything’s shipshape in the Sharing pane in System Preferences.
We design Mac hardware and software with advanced technologies that work together to run apps more securely, protect your data, and help keep you safe on the web. And with macOS Catalina available as a free upgrade, it’s easy to get the most secure version of macOS for your Mac.*
Dec 23, 2019 The better you are at typing, the faster you can get things done and the more accurate your output will be. So for adults as well as children, to brush up on skills or learn the basics, here are the best free typing apps for your Mac. Apps to type faster on mac. Apr 16, 2015 Type Faster! Features leaderboards, allowing you to track your progress, and compete with friends in Words Per Minute scores. Can be used to benchmark your typing speed on different phones and devices. You can find the keyboard that best works for you, or improve your texting speed. Is a Universal Windows App.
Apple T2 chip.
The next generation of security.
The Apple T2 Security Chip — included with many newer Mac models — keeps your Mac safer than ever. The Secure Enclave coprocessor in the Apple T2 chip provides the foundation for Touch ID, secure boot, and encrypted storage capabilities. Touch ID gives you a seamless way to use your fingerprint to unlock your Mac, fill passwords in Safari, and make purchases with Apple Pay. Secure boot helps ensure that you are running trusted operating system software from Apple, while the Apple T2 chip automatically encrypts the data on your Mac. So you can be confident knowing that security has been designed right into the architecture of your Mac, from the ground up.
Apple helps you keep your Mac secure with software updates.
The best way to keep your Mac secure is to run the latest software. When new updates are available, macOS sends you a notification — or you can opt in to have updates installed automatically when your Mac is not in use. macOS checks for new updates every day, so it’s easy to always have the latest and safest version.
Protection starts at the core.
The technically sophisticated runtime protections in macOS work at the very core of your Mac to keep your system safe from malware. This starts with state-of-the-art antivirus software built in to block and remove malware. Technologies like XD (execute disable), ASLR (address space layout randomization), and SIP (system integrity protection) make it difficult for malware to do harm, and they ensure that processes with root permission cannot change critical system files.
Download apps safely from the Mac App Store. And the internet.
Now apps from both the App Store and the internet can be installed worry-free. App Review makes sure each app in the App Store is reviewed before it’s accepted. Gatekeeper on your Mac ensures that all apps from the internet have already been checked by Apple for known malicious code — before you run them the first time. If there’s ever a problem with an app, Apple can quickly stop new installations and even block the app from launching again.
Stay in control of what data apps can access.
Apps need your permission to access files in your Documents, Downloads, and Desktop folders as well as in iCloud Drive and external volumes. And you’ll be prompted before any app can access the camera or mic, capture keyboard activity, or take a photo or video of your screen.
FileVault 2 encrypts your data.
With FileVault 2, your data is safe and secure — even if your Mac falls into the wrong hands. FileVault 2 encrypts the entire drive on your Mac, protecting your data with XTS-AES 128 encryption. And on Mac systems with an Apple T2 Security Chip, FileVault 2 keys are created and protected by the Secure Enclave for even more security.
Designed to protect your privacy.
The most secure browser for your Mac is the one that comes with your Mac. Built-in privacy features in Safari, like Intelligent Tracking Prevention, help keep your browsing your business. Automatic strong passwords make it easy to create and use unique passwords for all the sites you visit. And iCloud Keychain syncs those passwords securely across all your devices, so you don’t have to remember them. You can also easily find and upgrade any weak passwords you’ve previously used (and reused and reused and reused).
Automatic protections from harmful sites.
Safari also helps safeguard you against fraudulent websites and those that harbor malware — before you visit them. If a website seems suspicious, Safari prevents it from loading and notifies you. And when connecting to unencrypted sites, Safari will warn you. So everything you need to browse without worry is right at your fingertips.
Find your missing Mac with Find My.
The Find My app combines Find My iPhone and Find My Friends into a single, easy-to-use app on Mac, iPad, and iPhone. Find My can help you locate a missing Mac — even if it’s offline or sleeping — by sending out Bluetooth signals that can be detected by nearby Apple devices. These devices then relay the detected location of your Mac to iCloud so you can locate it in the Find My app. It’s all anonymous and encrypted end-to-end so no one — including Apple — knows the identity of any reporting device or the location of your Mac. And it all happens silently using tiny bits of data that piggyback on existing network traffic. So there’s no need to worry about your battery life, your data usage, or your privacy being compromised.
Authorize App Security And Privacy Macos Free
Keep your Mac safe.
Even if it’s in the wrong hands.
All Mac models with the Apple T2 Security Chip support Activation Lock — just like your iPhone or iPad. So if your Mac is ever misplaced or lost, the only person who can erase and reactivate it is you.