Jul 11 2011

Mac OS X Security: An Overview

Security on the Mac has always been a hot topic up for debate, A lot of security critics suggest that security is not Apple’s number one priority as the Mac is not subjected to the same level of attacks that plague Microsoft Windows. This is far from the true Apple has put a lot of work into integrating the best security features and frameworks into Mac OS X.


The reason Mac OS X security is often overlooked is because it is integrated at the heart of the OS meaning it isn’t in your face it does everything behind the scenes so you don’t have to worry as it is just providing protection for itself and your data.

Perfect integration is the key to the best features of any OS this is the biggest downside to security on Windows it isn’t integrated at a root level it sort of feels like an after thought that has been bolted on so it is always in your face and never seems to work the way it should. This isn’t completely Microsoft’s fault as they have to support so many legacy users so they are unable to completely rewrite the underpinnings that are required to integrate security right at the heart of Windows.

Safari the Browser built with security in mind

Apple’s Web Browser Safari has some great features built-in that protect you while you surf the web. One feature that a lot of us Mac users don’t really take much notice of but that makes our browsing experience so great is safari’s built-in popup blocker, This is a feature that we all assume is just standard across web browsers but that sometimes is not always the case, Browsing the web on a PC can still have issues as popups still sometimes manage to sneak through, This is one of the biggest security threats that faces software developers and computer users, Users can inadvertently think that a popup advert is actually alerting them to a threat on there system when it is actually just tricking you into downloading malicious content.

 

This setting can be found within Safari’s preferences and by clicking on the security tab

If you do download potentially malicious content safari has that covered to, Tucked away in safari’s preferences is the ‘open safe files after downloading’ setting, This feature is really smart, When you download a file from a website, safari will automatically check that file against an ‘unsafe’ files list that is built into Mac OS X, If the file has been flagged as harmful safari will not open it. This feature has had some press attention of late after the recent ‘Mac Defender’ trojan horse threat that has effected some Mac users. This list was only updated periodically when you updated your Mac with the latest security updates from Apple but Apple has since improved this feature so that the list is updated daily so if a threat becomes known to Apple they can protect users within hours.

 

Open “safe” files after downloading is switched on by default, But if you prefer safari not to open files automatically you can switch it off in Safari’s preferences. (Recommended if you download files you do not trust) The ‘Automatically update safe downloads list’ setting can be found in System preferences Security Pane

 

Mac OS X also has a really cool system wide feature built-in for App’s you have downloaded. When you download an App from the internet and you open it for the first time Mac OS X will ask you to confirm that you want to open it and it will give you specific details on when and where it was downloaded from so it’s always good to check these details to make sure it is an App that you recognize and trust.

 

You are presented with this pop-up allowing you to check the details of an App you are opening for the first time.

Phishing websites pose a really big risk to all of us as a lot of phishing websites pose as legitimate popular websites sometimes even mimicking well known websites such as PayPal and online banking sites. Safari has a feature that helps protect you from these kind of websites. This feature checks with Apple and Google as you are browsing that the website you are visiting has not been reported as potentially fraudulent, If you visit a website that has been flagged as potentially unsafe or fraudulent you will be warned by safari that it is unsafe and that you are advised to navigate away from the site.

 

This setting can also be found within Safari’s preferences and by clicking on the security tab

For most users the web browser is the place we spend most of our time so it is really important to make sure you have these basic features switched on as they really do help protect you and your data online.

 

Keeping your Mac up to date

Making sure that you regularly update your Mac is very important to, Apple regularly updates there software to fix bugs and improve stability and security. Keeping your Mac up to date is really easy.

You can find ‘Software Update’ in the Apple Menu in the Menu Bar at the top of your screen. There is even a feature within ‘Software updates System Preference’ pane that will allow your Mac to check for updates ‘Daily, Weekly or Monthly’ and you can even ask it to download the updates automatically for you.

 

You can find these settings in System Preferences and by clicking on the ‘Software Update Preferences icon’ (i would recommend checking at least weekly)

 

Summing it Up

Don’t make the mistake of believing that Apple isn’t serious about security they really are! They just implement these cool features in such a way that the OS just takes care of everything for you. Its the old Apple saying ‘It just works’.  That being said there are a few simple steps that every Mac user should follow, so take a look at the follow up to this post:
10 Tips to Make Your Mac More Secure.

By Chris • Mac Os X • 1 • Tags: mac os, security, windows