The Practical Guide To Mac Security: Part 10, Three Rules To Protect Your Mac

[@loisskiathitis8926]

Excellent video tutorial today! Thanks for the visuals also. Thank you, Gary! 👏👍🏻❤️

[@davemengle4961]

Great course Gary, Thanks! One thing I am wondering about is the MacOS firewall. Thoughts? Is it overkill for most, and if it’s not configured correctly, does it potentially create more problems than it solves for the average user? Thanks again for all the great content! 👍

[@macmost]

Most users don't need it at all. Apps don't just listen in to port communications on a Mac like they do on other operating system.

[@floydthorne6444]

We plan on traveling here soon, by car into Kansas and Missouri. should I turn off completely my MacBook Air until we reach our planned destination?

[@macmost]

No, why?

[@hermes8258]

Comments and questions... C1. Perfect: Yet again, such a direct and useful video Mr. Rosenzweig. I like the way you seldom go on subject detours ( my weakness). C2. 'Trust the site not the app': Very different than physicians, I go by the motto, 'trust the doctor, not the hospital' as there are many excellent MDs working in mediocre hospitals. C3. freedom vs. security: this is always the concern I have. Not sure I completely like the walled garden approach of Mac though I do like the superior hardware and customer service. Questions... Q1. Vocabulary: 'Apps' = applications, but I thought 'apps' are restricted to smartphones, and that software for larger computers such as laptops and desktops are called 'software'. Incorrect? And is there a plural for software? 'Softwares' sounds strange. 'Programs' sounds about right to me. Q2. Do you disagree with the many KZbin who produce somewhat sensational videos saying things (at least for Windows) like 'don't update to version A of OS because now you have less privacy' or 'version B was better for reason Y'? They criticise Microsoft designers and think they know better. Presumably there are Mac OS detractors also. I am not going to listen unless there are major reductions in privacy and/or security. Q3. Is it possible for the everyday user to use a Mac long-term without ever using a third-party application? At least for Windows machines my buddy is always telling me things like, 'the built-in' software for X is cumbersome and so limited, go get X, it is much better'. The Windows equivalent of Finder, which I believe is called 'File explorer' is what he mentioned, for one is clunky. for Mac is 'Finder' good enough? I want to try an experiment, using only built-in software for writing, web publishing and photo editing. Q4. What's the point of getting software anyway? Aren't there web-based programs that do just a good of a job?

[@deveshyadav363]

why my macbook pro fan runs at night when i am just using youtube, and i have lot of storage free i have also cleared cahces, up to date software, so why it just get heat up at night when i am just using the browser not doing any hard cpu or gpu task.

[@iainshirlaw]

Hi Gary. Thanks for the great course. I don’t do automatic updates because I find new Apple updates very buggy - particularly iOS. I prefer to wait at least a couple of weeks to see reports of problems. Do you not find the same problem?

[@macmost]

All software is buggy. The current version of iOS (and macOS) you are using is buggy. I prefer to always use the latest to get all new features and security updates. At least let the security updates go automatic.

[@careydunn8227]

good info as usual. I still have Aperture on my iMac, should I go ahead and uninstall it as well as those apps/programs that are 32bit? Thanks

[@macmost]

If you have 32-bit apps that you can no longer use, then there is no point to keeping them around.

[@theoneD1]

What if your friends or family member gives you a USB with stuff on it, like pictures of their wedding etc etc but they also had other stuff on there that might have malware attached, and you plug it into your computer and it installs malware immediately onto your computer. How would you avoid something like that? =/

[@macmost]

You'd need to launch the installer or drag and drop the app onto your Mac. Apps don't just install themselves. Get the data you want (photos) and don't run anything on the drive.

[@MrSkunky2009]

Brilliant insight !!!

[@countrydancecaller]

I don’t always download iOS updates right away b/c of reading about problems and issues that often get corrected after the initial roll out. What’s your opinion on that? And there are a lot of things about Big Sur that I didn’t like, so I stayed with Catalina. Is that a problem?

[@macmost]

A lot of that comes from many years ago when Apple didn't have a public beta of macOS. But for many years they now release betas for months ahead of time. So by the time a new version of macOS appears, it is well tested. But software will never be perfect. The version you are using right now has bugs, and so will the latest version. Personally I always use the latest version with the latest features.

[@Greguk444]

Thank you. Great advice. Can I ask you what code editor you recommend?

[@macmost]

Code editor for what sort of code? Hard question to answer without more details...

[@Greguk444]

@@macmost Thank you. javascript mostly, but also, python

[@aswinnair101]

@Greg Use Visual Studio Code, best for all programming languages. Has a lot of built in features. Also, lot of extensions which can be installed to improve your workflow

[@briantdaniel9280]

@@Greguk444 Visual Studio Code! Packed with features and auto code completion is great!

[@Greguk444]

@@briantdaniel9280 Many thanks. I didn't know about this utility.

[@kuchh-bhi]

thanks

[@abhikm001]

Excellent as always! ❤️

[@debreale5236]

Thanks so much!

[@desertpatient]

Thank you

[@RT-hh3vl]

auto-updates... no... beta???

[@macmost]

Beta? Beta versions of macOS and software are for developers and reviewers, and maybe some hobbyists too. But I'm not really talking about beta versions here.

[@schadlarry]

Avoid porn, "free" software and movie sites, and you should be good to go. I just have to convince my 80 year old dad of that.

[@michaeldominic3183]

Apple has put many of us users in a tough position. Updating to the latest OS may be great for protection but each new version of the Mac OS is just another cheap copy of iOS. Such as the hatchet job they did to system preferences in the last update. What was on the Mac was just fine and now you can't find anything because it has the iPhone version. Apple has been destroying the Mac for a number of the last OS updates as they take away from what a computer can do and limit it to what an iPhone can do.

[@juicedelemon]

Even if you have an antivirus software, you won't be completely safe. Therefore not very helpful.