Diane Yee - OS X Security & Privacy, Yosemite Edition

OS X Security & Privacy (Yosemite Edition)
by Diane Yee

Copyright 2015 by Questing Vole Press. All rights reserved.

Editor: Bill Gregory
Proofreader: Pat Kissell
Compositor: Birgitte Lund
Cover: Questing Vole Press

Trademarks. All product names and services identified throughout this book are used in editorial fashion only with no intention of infringing on the trademark. iPad, iPhone, iPod, iOS, iTunes, Siri, iBooks, Keynote, Numbers, Pages, iWork, Mac, and OS X are registered trademarks of Apple Inc.

Related Books

OS X Yosemite by Chris Kennedy

OS X Troubleshooting by Diane Yee

For a complete list of titles, go to questingvolepress.com .

Contents

1. Getting Started

Apple designed OS X with advanced technologies that work together to constantly keep your Mac safe. Some of these features are turned on by default, whereas others are turned off or arent dialed up to full strength. Some features are front-and-center in System Preferences or the Applications folder, whereas others are buried deep in the user interface. This book covers the whole range of OS Xs security and privacy tools and explains the best practices for defending your Mac and data.

Conventions used in this book

A shorthand instruction to navigate to a nested folder or to choose a command looks like this:

Each name between the > symbols refers to an icon, folder, window, dialog box, menu, button, checkbox, option, link, or pane; just look on the screen for a matching label. The refers to the Apple menu, in the top-left corner of the desktop.

Keyboard shortcuts are given in the form Shift+Command+N.

2. User Accounts

OS X lets many people use the same computer without being able to see or change each others files and settings. User accounts , which are central to OS Xs security, identify who has permission to log in to a particular computer (or network). Like the Unix operating system on which its based, OS X is designed from the ground up to be a multiple-user operating system. That is, you can set up OS X so that everyone must log in when the computer starts. The > Log Out command summons the login window, as does the accounts menu described in .

To start an OS X session, you log in to your user account: click your own name (or type the first few letters), and type your password (if any). Logging in identifies you uniquely so that OS X can load your personal settings, grant you certain permissions, and take you to the desktop.

Your user account gives you personalized access to the system. You, like each user, have your own files and settings, including:

• Login items
• Application preferences
• Desktop setup
• System preferences
• Email and internet accounts
• Screen saver
• Apple ID
• iCloud account
• System language
• Files and folders
• Documents
• Internet settings (including bookmarks, home page, history, cookies, and cached webpages)
• User (personal) fonts
• Sharing permissions
• Network connections

Your private files, folders, and preferences generally are stored on the OS X drive in /Users/ user_name your home folder which lets OS X personalize your desktop each time that you log in.

On a new computer or during a clean installation, you create the first user account when you set up OS X. If you upgraded from an earlier version of OS X, your existing accounts migrated to the new installation and appear in the login window. If youre on a large network, ask your network administrator how to log in.

Tip: Even if you dont share your Mac and dont create other user accounts, you should still use accounts to password-protect your computer. Turn off to protect your Mac from unauthorized use when youre away from your desk or if your laptop is stolen.

3. Creating an Account

The Users & Groups panel is the master control center for creating and managing user accounts. To create an account for a new user, choose > System Preferences > Users & Groups > Add button (click if the settings are dimmed).

The Users & Groups panel lists everyone who has an account. From here, you can create new accounts or change passwords. If youre using a new Mac, theres probably only one account listed here: yours. This account was created automatically when you first installed or set up OS X. You, an administrator, must click to authenticate yourself before you can make changes.

Step 1: Choose an Account Type

OS X offers several types of accounts. When you click below the list of accounts in Users & Groups, the Create User panel opens. The first step is choosing which type of account to create for the new user.

Administrator accounts

If this is your own personal Mac, then just below your name on the Users & Groups panel of System Preferences, it probably reads Admin , which stands for Administrator.

Because you originally set up OS X, the Mac assumes that youre its administrator the technical person who will maintain this Mac. Only an administrator is allowed to do the following:

• Create accounts on the Mac.
• Create, move, or delete folders outside of your Home folder.
• Open, edit, or delete anyone elses files.
• Make changes to certain System Preferences panels, including Date & Time, Energy Saver, Network, and Startup Disk.
• Install new programs into the Applications folder.
• Add fonts that everybody can use.
• Use all features of the Disk Utility program.
• Bypass by using a recovery key.

An administrator has sweeping systemwide rights. Youll find certain settings all over OS X that you can change only if youre an administratorincluding many in the Users & Groups panel itself. Administrator status is also required when you want to network your Mac to other kinds of computers.

As you create accounts for other people wholl use your Mac, you can make each one an administrator too. Use discretion. Only trustworthy and technically savvy people should be granted administrative rights.