Mac users believe their systems are invincible and viruses cannot penetrate the line of defense. While it might be true that Mac computers don’t get infected with malware and viruses as much as Windows computers, there’s that occasional malware or viruses that break through the security once in a while. For example, the Search Marquis redirect virus is a frustrating one. No matter what URL you type in your browser, the virus will redirect you to the searchmarquis.com page. It would be best if you beefed up security to get rid of the virus from your system.
Securing your Mac may seem daunting, but it doesn’t have to be. You can protect your Mac from some of the most prominent threats with a few simple yet effective steps. However, it would be best to remember that there’s no one-size-fits-all solution to MacBook security, and you may have to tweak them according to your requirements.
Don’t Click and Install Anything from the Web without Verifying
It is critical to learn how to spot scams to protect yourself online. You must recognize phishing attempts and be mindful of what you are downloading. If you receive an email, text message, social media message or any message that looks suspicious, you must not click any links or images. These messages could trick you into revealing personal information like passwords or credit card numbers.
For instance, you may receive an email claiming to be from your bank asking you to provide and verify your login information. You must look carefully at the sender’s details and verify the message from your bank. If the message appears odd or suspicious, do not click on the links, images or document. When you click on anything in the email, you might be downloading malware on your computer. The malware may steal your personal information or damage the functioning of your system.
Turn on Automatic Updates
Most modern Macs have automatic updates enabled by default. However, it is good practice to check that your system is downloading all the updates appropriately and that the automatic update box is ticked. These updates are not only new features or bug fixes, but they also include security patches.
To ensure your updates are running correctly:
- Go to System Preferences > Software Update and click the Advanced button.
- Ensure all the boxes are checked.
- Restart your system to let the changes take place.
Turn on FileVault
FileVault is software for encrypting your system, typically enabled by default. You need to check and confirm if the feature is enabled on your system. FileVault helps encrypt all the data on your storage drive and jumbles up the data so that it becomes incomprehensible without your password. If you lose your Mac system, the person who finds it will not be able to access anything on your storage drive.
Go to System Preferences > click Security & Privacy > choose the FileVault tab > click Turn on FileVault and follow the instructions on the screen.
Use the in-built Firewall Option
MacBooks come with a firewall, which blocks all incoming connections to the computer. If someone is on your network and trying to access your system, their efforts will be denied. So, you need to enable a firewall when browsing the Internet. In most cases, enabling this option does not negatively impact day-to-day computer use.
Go to System Preferences > Security & Privacy > click on the Firewall tab > click Turn On Firewall.
However, there might be websites you are trying to access the firewall option on your computer is blocking that. One solution is to avoid accessing such websites because they’re unsafe. But if required, you can disable the firewall for a few minutes, browse the website and turn on the firewall after you have quit the window.
Create a Guest Account
If someone else is accessing your computer, creating a guest account is a good idea. The guest account is separate from your primary account, and whenever someone has logged into the guest account, they won’t be able to access any of your basic information. They won’t stumble upon your private data like your chat or browser history.
Navigate to the System Preferences app > click Users & Groups > select Guest User and tick the box for Allow guests to log in to this computer.
With FileVault enabled on your system, the guest account will access Safari for Internet browsing. But the guest account cannot access your critical information and steal your data.
The Bottom Line
Maintaining computer security is your utmost priority, especially if you are using it to complete official projects and tasks. These are some ways to safeguard your device against possible attacks and threats. Additionally, you must be careful of spam emails and learn to recognize phishing attacks. You must not download items from unsecured resources and must not click on links from suspicious senders.