Chapter 21

Safety First: Backups and Other Security Issues

IN THIS CHAPTER

Bullet Backing up: It’s easy

Bullet Discovering why you should back up

Bullet Finding out what happens to you if you don’t back up

Bullet Keeping your Mac safe from rogue viruses and malicious attacks

Bullet Protecting your data from prying eyes

Although Macs are generally reliable, someday your Mac’s drive will die, whether it’s a hard drive with spinning platters or a solid-state drive (SSD). The drive’s death isn’t an if; it’s a when. All disks will die someday. And if you don’t back up your drive (or at least back up any files that you can’t afford to lose) before that day comes, chances are good that those files will be gone forever.

In other words, you absolutely, positively, without question must back up your files if you don’t want to risk losing them. Just as you adopt the Shut Down command and make it a habit before turning off your Mac, you must remember to back up important files stored on your Mac to another disk or device — and ...

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