"I thought Macs don't get viruses." That's what one of my clients said to me as I gave her the grave news that her brand new MacBook was infected with a new variant of virus that only affects Mac users. It's name? Flashback, and it targets exploits left open by Java, software that is needed to run many rich internet applications and software on computers.
The malware isn't usually that bad — but bad practice is. Go ahead and buy a Mac, they are good computers for the most part, but don't let your guard down just because you're on a more robust platform. Good security practices are an excellent defense to secure your personal data, as I have said before on the mobile side. On the desktop side, you can:
- Set a strong, random password
- Use a secure, modern browser, such as Google Chrome (Avoid Internet Explorer)
- Don't go to websites you don't trust
- Avoid downloading files from non-trustworthy sources
- Be careful what email attatchments you open
- Keep up to date
- Have good security software (Will be addressed in a future post)
- Be proactive, simply having lists of sites to block is not enough in an ever changing landscape of security problems.
You can always run into a slippery slope and need help. That's why I'm here to help.
I've launched a free security advisory board, open to the public, on my business's website gavinrozzitechnology.com.
Be sure to be safe in this era of "superviruses" infecting millions of systems. But you can arm yourself with knowledge, and be prepared.
