Hey Mac Users: Get Your Guard Up!
There was a recent news article about a 28-year-old man who allegedly hacked into thousands of computers. Federal prosecutors say he created malware that enabled him to remotely access and turn on the cameras and microphones of the computers.
His malware program is named Fruitfly. It was found in both PCs and Macs. The article reported that many cybersecurity researchers were surprised it was on so many Macs. Why surprised? Because there are far more Windows PCs in the world, so most hackers don't target Macs.
However, as I and my other tech colleagues on island well know, there is plenty of malware out there aimed at Macs. We've seen it and removed it.
The cited article reports a 270 percent increase last year in new strains of malware for Macs.
So what can Mac users do to better protect their systems? Here are some suggestions, most of which pertain to Windows PCs too.
- The primary shield is you. Be careful which sites you visit, which links you click, who you let on your computer, which programs you install, etc.
- Back up all important data frequently, preferably online. For local backup to external hard drive you can use Time Machine. For online backup I recommend Mozy.com (it's free for up to 2 GB backup).
- Make sure to install all Apple updates when they're issued.
- Create an admin account, password protect it, and demote your usual account to standard user level, and password protect it.
- Install anti-malware software. A good free program is Bitdefender, or Malwarebytes. For a paid program, I recommend ESET Cyber Security. If you suspect you're already infected, you can run a scan with the free Malwarebytes program, then download, install, and scan with Bitdefender or ESET as well. [disclosure: I'm reseller of ESET]
- Make sure you are behind a hardware firewall on your network and update it. (This usually means your router.)
- Enable the Mac OS X firewall.
- If you have children using a Mac, enable Parental Controls.
- If you're a mobile professional (using a MacBook) I suggest enabling FileVault, which encrypts your files. And enable Find My Mac.
- Keep up with Mac-specific security news.
Thanks for reading.
Sam
Article referenced above
https://www.npr.org/sections/alltechconsidered/2018/01/12/577761143/ohio-man-charged-with-putting-spyware-on-thousands-of-computers?sc=tw
Here's another article about Mac vulnerabilties to malware infections:
https://www.malwarebytes.com/mac-antivirus/?utm_source=double-opt-in&utm_medium=email-internal-b2c&utm_campaign=EM-B2C-2018-May-newsletter&utm_content=macbookT
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Boost Your Email Security or Suffer
For years now the electronic mail system of the Internet (email) has been a victim of annoying advertising spam and virus attacks.
The latest threats to email include hacking to take control of the account, spam with links that when clicked infect a computer with ransomware, and tracking/spying on email usage by email providers and their affiliates.
Below are some suggestions for boosting email security. Remember though, networking and the Internet were not designed from the ground up to be a secure communication system, nor was email. Whenever you send something via email it can be compromised somewhere along the communication chain.
- Use separate accounts for business and personal use. In my opinion, it's generally more likely a personal email account will be compromised. You don't want your business contacts exposed by a hack.
- Ditch Yahoo email. Use Gmail instead. True, there are privacy concerns with Gmail. But I believe Google does a much better job at security than Yahoo. Just read the recent news on the hacks of Yahoo's system and their failure to take action and disclose.
- Use 2-step verification. This requires that someone trying to access your email from a device you haven't previously used/approved will need to enter a code sent by text to your phone to gain access.
- Use unique, complex passwords for each account, and make sure passwords are not used for any other online accounts.
- Don't send anything confidential by email. As mentioned earlier, email isn't inherently secure. So don't email account numbers, passwords, social security numbers, etc. If you must share this stuff via email, find a means to encrypt the data, such as zipping an attachment with the 7-zip program and using a password/encryption. This is not perfect security, but raises the bar.
- Set your spam scanner on aggressive and check the spam folder often for valid email. You can white-list the wrongly labeled "spam" email so the filter won't screen it out next time.
- Use Antivirus software to scan all email if you use a program like Outlook, Thunderbird, Windows Mail, etc.
- If your email is hacked, changed your password immediately and monitor the account for oddities. If the hacker sent email from you to your contacts, immediately notify your contacts about the hack - tell them to be careful about suspicious content, including asking them to click links.
Bottom line, whenever you check your email, pretend you're walking in a strange city at night. Keep your guard up! Criminals and miscreants are trying every trick in the book to get to you via email.
Wishing you a safe day in cyberspace!
Thanks for reading.
Sam
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