The Internet is becoming a scarier place with every passing day, and private citizens need to start being more proactive in keeping themselves safe online. Both cybercriminals and big tech companies regularly engage in acts which can compromise your security and cause you harm.

Luckily, there are plenty of things that citizens can do to step up their computer security. Today, we will be focusing on helping out Mac users. Apple does a great job at hyping up their products and the services they offer, but don’t let them fool you into thinking everything is all sunshine and rainbows with their products. 

The first and most obvious step for improving your security is to set up a VPN on your Mac. But there are a ton of other safety precautions as well. We will be going over some of them today.

How to improve your cybersecurity online

Get yourself a VPN immediately

The first, second, and third step that you should take to improve your security online, is getting yourself a VPN. In 2019, using the Internet without one is just asking for privacy invasion and security breaches. 

We have written a ton of VPN guides that you can view to improve your knowledge of VPNs and how they work, but here are a few key points to remember:

• VPNs are a long-term investment. Don’t try to use a free VPN. Premium VPNs get cheaper when you select their longest subscription packages, so the price isn’t bad, and the protection is more than worth it. 

• Make sure your VPN service doesn’t keep logs on your activity. Many VPN services claim that they do not keep logs, but independent Sherlock Holmes work has proved that dozens of their VPN services are lying. The primary point of using a VPN is keeping your business yours. Your VPN service keeping logs kind of defeats this purpose

• Make sure your VPN service works well with Macs. Some VPN services aren’t as good on Mac systems as others are. If Mac is your primary OS, be sure you don’t end up choosing a VPN service that is less than ideal for Mac users. 

Compartmentalization: Use two different accounts. 

Nick Fury believes in compartmentalization, and you should too. Every Mac user should have an administrator account and a standard account for everyday usage. 

If a cybercriminal gains access to your administrator account, then you are screwed since they have clearance to do pretty much anything. A standard account comes with numerous security restrictions, such as preventing automatic downloads of apps or services and file sharing. 

Get rid of all automatic login and autofill options

The benefit of convenience technology is that it allows for faster and easier usage of technology. The problem of convenience technology is that it has a tendency of making people complacent and lazy. 

Users need to always remain vigilant and having automatic login and autofill options for everything you do online can make it pretty hard to be vigilant. And again, if a hacker gets into your system, they won’t even need to do much work to get your private data.

I know it might get annoying having to always input usernames and passwords, but we meant it when we said people will need to be more proactive in securing themselves online. 

Be on top of software updates

You should be going to your System Preferences section and checking for software updates on a regular basis. Maybe there’s an issue with the current version of the OS which leads to a potential privacy leak. If such a thing ever happens, then you will want to update your software as quickly as possible so the problem is patched. 

Get Rid of Adobe Flash

To say that Adobe Flash is obsolete in 2019 is an understatement. Adobe Flash has far too many security risks to warrant using it anymore. If it’s still on your system, uninstall it immediately. 

Get intimate with your Security & Privacy settings

Default security settings on computers are purposefully inadequate. These companies want your data and as such will automatically toggle on options that you might prefer to be turned off. 

For this reason, you will want to get to know your Security and Privacy settings very well. It is here that you can do things like turn on your system’s firewall and limit ad tracking. There is a lot here that you will want to dabble in. The first run of thumb is to only have services turned on when you are using them. If you are not currently using things such as Bluetooth, webcam, or microphone, then turn them on. Do not take an unnecessary security risk. 

You will also want to turn off things such as file sharing, Spotlight Suggestions, and app access to your photos, calendar, contacts, and reminders. The key takeaway from this article is doing things yourself every time. 

Also, be sure to limit ad tracking. Unless of course, you want advertisers to bother you. 

Get an Ad Block service

Even with ad tracking limited, you will still want to use an ad blocker to make your life easier online. It only takes one popup ad redirect to give your system a virus. Utilize whitelisting for websites that you know are safe, and put your guard up for every other website. 

Invest in antivirus software

This should go without saying, but you should definitely be using some form of antivirus protection when you are using your Mac. 

Consider covering up your webcam

Webcams can pose a significant security risk, and even if you have your webcam turned off in your settings, it is better safe than sorry right? 

Have multiple backups of your data in different physical locations

You will want to have backups of your data in numerous physical locations for the same reason you should use more than one account. If you have all your data on one computer and something bad happens, then you’re screwed. Having multiple backups spread about can help prevent this disaster from happening.