Although Apple’s operating system is one of the most secure, it is still vulnerable to cyber attacks. Here are some tricks to protect yourself
Still there are some who persist in thinking that computers made by Apple are completely immune to viruses and malware. Nothing more dangerous. They were, perhaps, until some time ago. But today, as many experts in computer security repeat, no object that has an internet connection is inviolable.
And among these devices, potential victims of hackers, there are also Macs, recently hit several times. Let’s take an example. A few weeks ago, Apple PCs were infected by a virus contained in Handbrake, one of the most popular applications among Apple users. Then, as proof of the above, there is also a report, compiled by McAfee, a well-known company expert in computer security, according to which in 2016 the number of malware on Macs would have increased by 750%. So, even users of Apple computers should keep in mind that there is a risk of their machines being infected by malware.
The most dangerous threat: ransomware
The most dangerous threat, which recently infected more than 300 thousand computers in a few hours, is called ransomware. It is a particular and insidious malware, also known as ransomware virus, which encrypts data of affected machines and asks victims to pay a ransom to get decryption keys in return. The best weapon against this type of computer infection is prevention. If you own a Mac, here is what you could do to protect yourself from ransomware.
Update your operating system
To reduce the chances of a PC being hit by ransomware, you need to update your operating system. The reason is quite simple. Updates fix any vulnerabilities, which if discovered can be used by hackers as a “trojan horse” to infect devices. As it happened with Windows computers, which were hit a few weeks ago by WannaCry. So, make sure you have installed the latest version of macOS. Same goes for macOS Server, a parallel version of macOS, developed specifically for companies to manage servers.
Update applications
In addition to the operating system, it is important to update applications as well. As we saw above, when we talked about Handbrake, outdated software risks being exploited by hackers, skilled in discovering a flaw, to infect a Mac with ransomware. Updates, in fact, besides adding and optimizing some features of an app, include security patches that cover any vulnerabilities.
Check your security systems
Although this point will sound almost like an insult to many, one way to protect yourself from hackers is to improve the security of your Macs with an antivirus. It’s true that macOS is a closed system and, therefore, less pierceable by malware and viruses, but as mentioned, it’s not completely immune. An antivirus could help reduce the chances of being hit by ransomware. Apple’s operating system also includes numerous security solutions: make sure they are active.
Protect Data
Another way to prevent a ransomware attack from compromising the data on a Mac is to anticipate the virus by fully encrypting the computer’s hard drive. Numerous software solutions can be found on the internet. A virus often strikes by wedging itself inside Internet connections, especially during transmission between multiple devices. It is therefore important to make sure that your Internet connection is sufficiently secure.
Beware of installing two operating systems
For a number of reasons – especially for work – many users need to install a second operating system on their Macs. Be careful: you risk that the security guaranteed by macOS to your machine will be invalidated by the flaws present on another operating system.
Back up
Last but not least, the last piece of advice to protect yourself from ransomware is to remember to frequently make a backup of all the data saved on your Mac. The ransomware virus, as mentioned, encrypts and threatens victims to never return their files again if they do not pay. If you have a copy of the information “stolen” by the cybercriminals, you can safely do without submitting to the hackers’ blackmail.