Mac OS X is the latest in the Macintosh operating systems. It is a completely rewritten operating system based on the Unix operating system FreeBSD. To have the latest security features of OS X, you should make sure your operating system is upgraded to the most current version of the operating system.
Set good passwords on all accounts (5 minutes)
Passwords are the first and best line of defense in protecting
any computer. Select a
good password on all accounts and remember remember them.
Install Anti-Virus Software (20 minutes)
Duke provides a site-license for the Virex anti-virus software (from McAfee) which allows all
students, faculty and staff to use it for FREE. Of course, anti-virus software is only
as good as the information it has, so make certain that you keep your DAT files up to date. Virex
can be configured to automatically check for new virus definitions, we strongly suggest configuring
it in this manner.
Create a non-Administrative Account (3 minutes)
Administrative accounts should be used to install system-wide software, but are not
the best choice for day to day work. To create a new account, open System Preferences via the
Apple Menu, then click on the Accounts icon and press the "+" button to create a new account.
New accounts do not have administrative access enabled unless selected in the Security tab.
Software Update (ongoing)
Mac OS X has an application called Software Update which will allow you
to easily keep the software secure and up to date.
When run, the program will look for any updates Apple has available. It will then give you a list
of them and offer to install the updates for you. The update system can be configured to run on
a schedule to automatically check for new updates on a regular basis. We suggest configring the
software on a nightly basis.
Don't enable file sharing (0 minutes)
By default, Mac OS X does not have file or web sharing enabled - this is a Good Thing [tm].
Since file and web sharing do open the computer up, there is a potential for security
problems. Be careful in enabling these services. To disable Guest access to Apple File Sharing, see the
instructions at: http://www.chem.duke.edu/compteam/mac/disable-guest-access.html
Consider using the firewall software built in to OS X
OS X has built-in firewall software that will allow you to restrict
what network traffic can come in to your computer. Configuring the
firewall is beyond the scope of this document, but if you are interested,
you can use the built-in configuration panel in "Sharing" to configure it.
There are more details at http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=151615.