Macs All-in-One For Dummies, 6th Edition

Chapter 2

Protecting Your Mac against Local and Remote Threats

IN THIS CHAPTER

Safeguarding your Mac with a password

Locking your Mac

Using a fingerprint to log in to your Mac

Encrypting your documents

Configuring firewall and privacy settings

One of the sad facts of modern life is that all computers are vulnerable to attacks of various kinds. Yep, Windows PCs are the target of most malicious hacks, but Mac users shouldn’t be complacent: Miscreants would love to break into your Mac and steal or trash your data or use your Mac to attack other computers. Macs, like all computers, can fall prey to two kinds of threat.

The first kind of threat is the type that gets all the publicity these days: remote exploits from internet-based rapscallions who try to trick you into installing malicious software (malware, for short) or giving away personal data such as your credit card, government ID, or website password by spoofing legit emails and websites (a practice known as phishing).

But a second ...