Macintosh platform is now becoming the target of the same sort of organized crime that affects Windows users,

these attacks are still very limited in scope and in impact. Nonetheless, we Mac users

cannot afford to be complacent. The success of many data theft attacks depends more on

the target system’s user and the way in which they work with their computer, than on

which operating system they have chosen to install.

Laptops are more prone to physical attack than desktop systems by their nature – being

portable they are often taken out of the office to work from home, on the train or even in

the local Starbucks. When you take your machine out on the road, you also take the data

it contains away from the safety of the corporate environment with its security controls

and into new environments with new risks and threats. Home users too must realize that

when taking their MacBook out of the front door, more of their identity is on display than

simply their preferred laptop brand.

In this paper I describe 10 steps that can improve the security of a Mac system, paying

particular attention to laptop considerations. I concentrate on improving physical security

– that is, protecting the system from attackers who can get their hands onto the

computer.

Tags: apple, mac-security, Macintosh-security