For any Mac user, whether a business organization or an individual, maintaining privacy and retaining data in a secure manner is imperative. Despite knowing that Mac security is necessary, it is often overlooked. We give scant attention and even fail to do the bare minimum to safeguard our PCs from opportunists, hackers and other malicious things. Thankfully, macOS makes data security extremely easy and effortless, thanks to the abundance of tools that they have in Safari and System Preferences.

The two main places from which you can expect a threat to come from are either through someone who has direct access to your Mac system or from the internet. Something that the experts recommend to ensure 100% Mac security is to keep your macOS software updated. There are several steps that a business can take to protect the security of his Mac and if you’re interested in knowing about them, here are few steps that you can consider following.

Step #1: Utilize VPN

Whenever you use a shared network, don’t ever assume that your Mac is safe, regardless of whether you’re operating inside your office or sitting in a cafe. There are many who prefer using a VPN or a Virtual Private Network which encrypts all routes and data to a specific end point which is used by the people who are using the VPN service. There are varieties of companies which offer VPN services and they’re paid via monthly fees of about $5-$10. I personally believe that Express VPN is the best VPN for Mac and it is worth trying.

Step #2: Firewall needs to be turned on

Turning on firewall is perhaps the first step that you can take to secure any Mac because this blocks any undesired networking connections from entering. Don’t assume that the firewall is turned on by default because most of the times, it is not. Click on the Firewall tab, go to System Preferences, then go to Security & Privacy pane and click on the padlock icon. From there you can turn on the Firewall button. macOS’s firewall protects you only from limited malware because it guards you against inbound traffic as well.

Step #3: Using a password is a MUST

In the General Section, there are 3 settings you should pay attention to. The first one asks you to set a password for your personal account. Understand the dire need of having a password. The next setting asks you whether or not you will need a password to unlock your Mac when it goes into its sleep mode. In case you work with hundred others, consider switching on this setting as well. One more thing to remember is that good passwords are the ones which are difficult to remember and those which aren’t written down anywhere.

Step #4: Automatic login should be disabled

The next setting that you should keep in mind is to disable automatic login. Especially when you’re using a mobile Mac, you should definitely check this. Suppose your Mac gets stolen, would you ever want the thief to login to your Mac and get direct access to all your data? Disable automatic login to prevent this.

Step #5: FileVault should be turned on

If you turn on FileVault, each and every file in your user account will remain encrypted. If a user wants to decrypt them, you will require typing either the password of your account or the recovery key that is generated whenever you turn on FileVault. This step should be done if you have a valid reason to keep your data secured.

It is much unlikely that the amateurs will be successful in spotting any such software flaw but Mac users will be rather happy to know that Apple has arranged incentives for widespread reporting of flaws and vulnerabilities. So, instead of passing flaws to hackers, report them to Apple.