Fear of the virus? Here are three steps to put your Mac safe – Il Sole 24 Ore

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This article was published March 11, 2016 at 16:13 hours.
the last change is the March 11, 2016 at 16:29.

a few days ago we wrote about KeRanger first malware for Mac OS X. a ransomware systems, to be precise. That is a malicious software that is installed illegally on a user’s computer, it takes over and stops him, then asking for payment of a ransom to unlock the machine. The news was reported a little ‘in all the media, because the Apple world had always been protected from such attacks. A little ‘because the OS made in Cupertino is notoriously a closed system, that ill-digested external intrusion. A little ‘because the still small number of Mac in circulation (less than 7% of the market, compared to 91% of Windows) has always driven hackers to produce virus for Microsoft’s system. But if KeRanger put fear, what they can do really Apple users to stay away from infections? There are three important steps that should not be overlooked.

Know the applications you download
The spread of KeRanger occurred through a third software (Transmission, used to download in torrent mode). For this, the number one rule is to use common sense when downloading new applications. But you can also set your Mac so that it can prevent the installation of unknown or unsafe applications. The path is: System Preferences & gt; Security and Privacy & gt; General. Below appears the area called “Allow apps downloaded from:”. And here are three options: Mac App Store; Mac App Store and identified developers; Anywhere. If you select “Mac App Store”, the Mac will be able to automatically run applications that have been approved and distributed by Apple. If you select “Mac App Store and identified developers”, the Mac will be allowed to run applications created by developers whose identity was confirmed by Apple, but a few more risks it runs because Apple does not test in real time their safety. And that’s what has happened in the case of KeRanger with Transmission. Then, in the latter case, Apple’s intervention may be – as it happened – just next to the infection. Finally, if you select “Anywhere”, the Mac does not block any running software downloaded from the Internet. Therefore, the risk is very high.

Keep your system up to date
reminders that appear in the top right corner to update the Mac may seem a bit ‘boring and annoying, but ignoring them is a mistake that could result fatal. The update downloads is the most immediate way to make the most effective operating system against viruses. To check for pending updates: open the App Store, select the Updates tab, and then click Update All. If you want to turn on automatic updating, go into System Preferences & gt; App Store and select. “Download available updates in the background”

Malware Scan
although according to professional opinion “antivirus is dead”, the system scans for the presence of malware is still a good practice. The Mac OS X come with a called XProtect anti-malware protection. However, if you want to be sure you have on your hard drive for dangerous files, you can download other scanning software such as Malwarebytes.

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