Taking a look at some of the top advice and troubleshooting tips to help you with Mac virus prevention and dealing with cyber security risks.

Apple products are renowned for both their utility and quality user experience. This is especially true for Mac computers.

While Apple computers are less susceptible to viruses than Windows, it’s not possible for you to get one on your machine. And, not everyone knows the best way to prevent them.

Not sure where to start? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered.

Let’s take a look at everything you need to know about mac virus prevention.

How Can I Recognize If My Mac Computer Has a Virus?

In order to be sure that you’re efficiently preventing viruses, you’ll need to understand how to recognize them.

Perhaps the most common sign is a sudden drop in performance or slowdown on your computer. This is especially true if you are currently running CPU-intensive processes.

Other symptoms of virus infection include experiencing random pop-ups on your computer, notice software from an unknown source, or missing files. If your machine does become infected with Mac virus software, you can learn more here about how to get rid of virus on Mac.

Let’s explore a few of the most notable ways that you can protect yourself.

Keep Your Firewall Turned On

Although it should go without saying, your Mac computer’s firewall provides a significant amount of protection from virus attacks. But, it’s not uncommon for people to accidentally turn it off or forget to turn it back on after manually disabling it.

Leaving it deactivated for an extended period of time can create a significant cyber security risk.

Connecting directly to another computer to play a videogame on a local area network (LAN), for example, may require disabling your firewall temporarily as a troubleshooting option.

Under System Preferences, click on the Security and Privacy tab. Then, choose ‘Firewall.’

You’ll then both be able to see if your firewall is currently enabled and also have the capability to turn it on if it’s not.

Avoid Suspicious Links and Websites

Many users who find themselves victims of a computer virus are unfortunately often the ones to blame. Unsafe browsing habits often lead to a machine becoming infected.

Unsafe links that lead to suspicious downloads or destinations exist all over the Internet. They’re most prominently found on forums, social media, etc.

But, they could also be sent to you directly through email. Fraudulent emails are fairly common, and often involve the sender posing as being from a trustworthy source (such as a financial institution).

Suspicious websites are just as dangerous, and even simply visiting one can cause issues for your computer.

Fortunately, most web browsers will prevent you from accessing a website that’s known to cause issues. Similarly, most email platforms will automatically redirect suspicious emails into a spam folder.

Keep Your Software and Operating System Updated

If you want your computer to function properly, you’ll need to ensure that your software is updated to the most current version. The same can be said about your computer’s operating system.

Cybercriminals are constantly developing new methods in order to infect users’ machines and compromise their personal information. Software publishers provide updates in order to prevent criminals from taking advantage of exploits in their programs.

While it’s not always possible to stop every type of attack, you’ll drastically reduce the chances of you being affected if you make it a priority to update the programs and software on your computer.

You’ll often be prompted when there’s a new version available. It’s in your best interest to install it as soon as you can.

You can also navigate to your computer’s System Preferences and change your settings to install updates automatically.

Encrypt Sensitive Information

It’s not unusual these days to have a large amount of personal information stored on your computer. Some users may not even be aware of how much they actually keep on their machines.

For instance, those who frequently make online purchases on their computer likely have their name, address, and even credit card number stored within their browser in order to make future purchases more convenient.

But, it’s possible to encrypt this information in order to provide an additional layer of protection. Most apps allow you to safely encrypt other sensitive info.

Otherwise, you run the risk of this information becoming compromised if your computer becomes infected with a virus. In extreme scenarios, a criminal could gain access to your Social Security number, name, address, date of birth, and credit card number all at once without you being aware of the situation.

Back up Your Computer’s Data

One of the most common types of malware and 2020 is ransomware. This malicious software seeks to encrypt a computer’s files and then demand payments (usually in the form of cryptocurrency) in order to restore access to them.

If this ransom is not paid within the given time period, the files are most likely deleted. For most users, this can be catastrophic. This is especially true for business owners.

It’s worth noting that, according to the FBI, you should never pay the ransom in the scenario as it will facilitate future attacks.

By having a recent back up of your computers important data, though, The scenario will become only a minor inconvenience compared to what it could be. So, perform regular backups (Time Machine is a great way to do so) to ensure that you don’t encounter any issues in the future.

Proper Mac Virus Prevention Seem Difficult

But it doesn’t have to be.

With the above information about mac virus prevention in mind, you’ll be well on your way toward ensuring that your machine stays as protected as possible.

Want to learn more lifestyle tips that can help you out in the future? Be sure to check out the rest of our blog.