OS X Security

Updated: 6 months ago

In Short

Apple employs advanced security technology: Gatekeeper, for example, which makes it safer to download software for your Mac by making sure the developer passes muster. FileVault 2, which protects your Mac's data by using XTS-AES 128 encryption. iCloud Keychain, which stores unique, strong and encrypted passwords, making it easier for you to visit web sites that require you to log in. And sandboxing, a requirement of apps sold through the Mac App Store — isolating apps from critical system components, keeping your data safe.

I am the Gatekeeper

How to open apps from unidentified developers on Mac

09 December 2016 1 By Lory Gil What happened to the Gatekeeper setting that let me open apps from anywhere? It's not gone, it's just hidden.

freak no more

Apple releases OS X security update to fix 'FREAK attack'

10 March 2015 7 By Joseph Keller Apple has issued a number of new security updates for OS X. The issues addressed in the update include iCloud Keychain and the recent "FREAK attack" SSL/TLS vulnerability....

Gatekeeper isn't foolproof

Adware sneaks through OS X Gatekeeper loophole

06 March 2015 9 By Peter Cohen Gatekeeper is OS X's security against malware and adware, but it isn't foolproof. A new warning shows how it can be exploited. Since OS X 10.7.5 Lion Apple has had a security feature called Gatekeeper. Gatekeeper tries to keep the Mac safe from malware and adware. It isn't foolproof, though...

Mac Help

Do I need Mac anti-virus software?

24 February 2015 21 By Peter Cohen The Mac has grown popular enough that nefarious hackers are paying attention. Do you need anti-virus software?

Who can you trust

Got adware problems? Blame free software download sites

23 February 2015 24 By Peter Cohen Mac adware is bad. Windows is worse. Who's to blame? Free software download sites....

Keep adware off your Mac

Get rid of Genio and Installmac

22 February 2015 4 By Peter Cohen Sluggish page loading, redirected web searches, popups you can't explain? Your Mac may be infected with adware, says a retail Mac expert....

Switching to Mac

Yes, you can still download free Mac apps from the web

19 February 2015 12 By Peter Cohen Windows PC owners are used to downloading an inordinate amount of free — and sometimes suspect — software from the web. One of our readers, and new Mac owner, B.N., writes in to ask if it's possible to do the same thing on OS X....

Mac Help

Master Yosemite's Privacy settings

17 February 2015 By Peter Cohen Security is on everyone's mind these days. How secure is your Mac? Can other people figure out where you are? What apps have access to your most important data? Read on to understand how Yosemite's Privacy settings are configured, and how to master them....

Security

Spotlight, spam, tracking pixels, and what you need to know!

12 January 2015 4 By Rene Ritchie By default, OS X Yosemite's Mail app won't "load remote content" such as the types of images typically requested by marketing emails and spam...

Mac Security

Open apps from an unidentified developer in Yosemite

05 December 2014 2 By Serenity Caldwell Are you having trouble opening an app from an unidentified developer? Here's how to override your Mac's security.

Keep clam

Apple is fixing Rootpipe, even if you're not a target

06 November 2014 9 By Rene Ritchie Apple has confirmed to iMore that they're working on a fix for Rootpipe, an OS X exploit that's gotten a lot of attention recently. Rootpipe doesn't seem much different than other security bugs that are routinely discovered, disclosed, and dealt with during the normal course of Mac updates...

Apple's malware definitions updated to protect Macs against iWorm

Xprotect

Apple's malware definitions updated to protect against iWorm

05 October 2014 10 By Joseph Keller Apple has updated its malware definitions for OS X so as to defend Macs against a botnet that allowed a piece of malware called Mac.BackDoor.iWorm to install on systems. iWorm had made its way onto 17,000 machines by the time it was disclosed last week...