This Is The Security Software You Need On Your Mac In 2020
Throughout 2020, we have been made more and more aware of the dangers of the world around us. Wildfires preceded a global pandemic, which preceded more wildfires. Civil unrest made leaving the house even more dangerous. By now, we spend almost all of our time at home.
But it is not just the outside world that comes with its dangers. In fact, since we are using the internet so much more, we are at greater risk than ever of cyberattacks. These attacks may come from opportunistic hackers, but can also come from local or foreign governments with tremendous resources.
Macbooks have had a reputation for great security features for a long time. However, even they need some security software to protect you from modern attacks. This is the security software you need on your Mac in 2020.
A Virtual Private Network (VPN)
Apple puts great protections in place by using a closed system. Basically, they make many decisions for their users on the basic functioning of their devices, making it difficult for you to do anything that compromises the fundamental makeup of the system.
But they cannot and will not stop you from using the internet however you want to. Whenever you’re online, your IP address is easily trackable. Hackers and authorities use this to surveil you or steal your data. A virtual private network (VPN) routes you through an external server, hiding your location and encrypting your data.
Check out the Top 10 Best VPNs For Mac and make a choice as soon as possible. The longer you go without a VPN, the more likely you are to suffer from cyberattacks.
Antivirus Software
As mentioned, Apple does a great job at keeping out viruses. However, even they cannot stop humans from being human.
Recently, I downloaded a too-good-to-be-true free trial of some very expensive software. Against my own better judgement, I installed it. As soon as it started installing, I knew I had messed up. But it was too late.
The good news is that I was able to download antivirus software that dealt with the problem rapidly. Without it, I would have been unable to root out every instance of where the malware had positioned itself.
Antivirus software for Macbooks is a good investment, even if they are much safer than other laptops. It only makes sense to defend against data theft as effectively as possible in 2020.
Password Management
The bad news is that many hacks are still made easy by atrocious password habits. Even the guidelines put in place by most websites are pretty much useless. You need far more than a number and capital letter for your password to be strong.
The good news is that you no longer need to buy password managers to improve your password practices. Rather, start using Apple’s “Strong Password” option to create and store passwords that are almost impossible to crack.
These passwords will look incredibly ugly and impossible to remember, but you don’t need to remember them. Having them in place gives you much more safety than most other measures you can take.
