Macs are thought to be far more secure than Windows PCs. But, this can be very far from the actual truth!
According to the 2020 Malwarebytes “State of Malware Report” that took a deep dive into the real-world threats faced by both Mac and Windows users, the average number of Mac threats increased by more than 400% year-on-year in 2019, surpassing the window attacks by a ratio of nearly two to one.
Digging deeper into the threats themselves, the report suggested that most of the Mac threats were adware variety, which included Adware.NewTab, PUP.PCVARK, PUP.MacKeeper, PUP.JDI, PUP.MacBooster, OSX.Genieo, PUP.Kromtech, PUP.TuneupMyMac, PUP.MacReviver, Adware.OperatorMac, OSX.VSearch, PUP.MegaBackup, Adware.Mindspark, Adware.Crossrider and Adware.Conduit.
The statistics are enough to tell you that protecting the documents is the need of the hour, especially if you own a device like Mac. However, it needs proper planning so that you can safeguard the data from being stolen. So what steps can we take to ensure that your Mac has kept your files securely? Let us start!
Encrypt documents and files – File sharing is riskier as you never know when these files can be misused. So, you need to protect the documents. You can always refer to https://setapp.com/how-to/password-protect-folder-on-mac for more information. Let us give you an example here. You can use a preview application to encrypt pdf files on your system before sharing.
Here are the steps that you can follow:
- Open Preview.
- Choose the file that you want to protect.
- Select “File” from the menu bar.
- Choose “Export”
- You will come across the ensuing menu. Check the “encrypt” box from here.
- Now you can add and verify the password. Save it, and you are good to go.
Watermark the files – Watermarking was developed in the 13th century. Initially, it was used to claim ownership of the documents. But with the advent of modern technology, its applications have become manifold.
For instance – to safeguard confidential information and files, you can watermark the digital documents with the recipient’s email address. This would give you the source of the leak if it happened.
Digital watermarking is also used in video authentication, ID card security, and content management on social networks.
Encrypt external drives – If you have more than one external drive, encrypt them. Before doing this, ensure that you have a current backup to avoid any sudden drive failure.
Now, the steps of encryption:-
- There is a drive icon on the desktop in a finder window. Right-click on it.
- Select “encrypt.” Type a password in the dialog box. Do not forget to type a password hint. Whenever you connect the drive or restart your Mac, you will need to type the password. So, there are fewer chances of forgetting the password.
- Now click on “encrypt the disk.” You have protected your external drives.
Create a cloud storage account – Does carrying the physical USB stick seem difficult to you? Or is it hard to manage the SD card in your MacBook? Then here is the solution. You can make a cloud storage account from iCloud in the system preferences of the Apple menu.
Send the files securely – If you want to share the files, then do it securely. It depends on the size of the file you want to send. You can use encrypted disk images. They are highly secure, and the receiver needs a password to access them, which you can only give. You can also use cloud services to send the files.
Wrapping up
We have loaded you with enough tips to ensure that the data and files on your Mac are safe. Sometimes you will feel that you have to put in a lot of effort, but once you have developed the habit of securing the files, it is easy to do. After all, you can’t compromise the security of your data!
