Six Mac OS X Security Shields

12.9. Six Mac OS X Security Shields Mac OS X has a spectacular reputation for stability and security. At this writing, not a single Mac OS X virus has emerged
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Six Mac OS X Security Shields12.9. Six Mac OS X Security ShieldsMac OS X has a spectacular reputation for stability and security. At this writing, not asingle Mac OS X virus has emerged—a spectacular feature that makes Windows looklike a waste of time. Theres no Windows-esque plague of spyware, either (downloadedprograms that do something sneaky behind your back). In fact, there isnt any Macspyware.The usual rap is, Well, thats because Windows is a much bigger target. What viruswriter is going to waste his time on a computer with eight percent market share?That may be part of the reason Mac OS X is virus-free. But Mac OS X has also been builtmore intelligently from the ground up. Listed below are a few of the many drafty cornersof a typical operating system that Apple has solidly plugged: • The original Windows XP came with five of its ports open. Mac OS X has always come from the factory with all of them shut and locked. Ports are channels that remote computers use to connect to services on your computer: one for instant messaging, one for Windows XPs remote-control feature, and so on. Its fine to have them open if youre expecting visitors. But if youve got an open port that exposes the soft underbelly of your computer without your knowledge, youre in for a world of hurt. Open ports are precisely what permitted viruses like Blaster to infiltrate millions of PCs. Microsoft didnt close those ports until the Windows XP Service Pack 2. • Whenever a program tried to install itself in the original Windows XP, the operating system went ahead and installed it, potentially without your awareness. In Mac OS X, that never happens. Youre notified at every juncture when anything is trying to install itself on your Mac. In fact, youre even notified when youre opening a disk image or .zip file that could contain an installable program (Figure 12-15). Figure 12-15. Mac OS X hovers like a stage mother, always informing you when youre at a point where something virusy could be happening. It warns you when you download a compressed file that could contain a runnable program (top), and even when an installer has to run a tiny subprogram before the installation (bottom). • Unlike certain other operating systems, Mac OS X doesnt even let an a dministrator touch the files that drive the operating system itself without pestering you to provide your password and grant it permission to do so. A Mac OS X virus (if there were such a thing) could theoretically wipe out all of your files, but wouldnt be able to access anyone elses stuff—and couldnt touch the operating system itself. • You probably already know about the Finders Secure Empty Trash option (Section 2.6.2). But an option on the Erase tab of the Disk Utility program can do the same super-erasing of all free space on your hard drive. Were talking not just erasing, but recording gibberish over the spots where your files once were—once, seven times, or thirty-five times—utterly shattering any hope any hard-disk recovery firm (or spy) might have had of recovering passwords or files from your hard drive. • Safaris Private Browsing mode means that you can freely visit Web sites without leaving any digital tracks—no history, no nothing (Section 20.1.5). • Every time you try to download something, either in Safari or Mail, that contains executable code (a program, in other words), a dialog box warns you that it could conceivably harbor a virus—even if your download is compressed as a .zip or .sit file (Figure 12-16). Figure 12-16. And still more warnings. This operating system intends to makedarned sure no program ever runs without your knowledge (which is how Windows PCs get viruses and spyware). It tries to protect you, for example, when you double-click a document and therequired program opens for the first time (top). It also warns you the first time you double-click any program that came from the Internet (bottom).Those are only a few tiny examples. Here are a few of Mac OS Xs big-ticket defenses.12.9.1. The FirewallIf you have a broadband, always-on connection, youre open to the Internet 24 hours aday. Its theoretically possible for some cretin to use automated hacking software to floodyou with files or take control of your machine. Mac OS Xs firewall feature puts up abarrier to such mischief.Fortunately, its not a complete barrier. One of the great joys of having a computer is itsability to connect to other computers. Living in a cement crypt is one way to avoidgetting infected, but its not much fun.So if you open the Security panel of System Prefe ...