Proactive Protection
In 2006, more than 223,000 new phishing sites appeared, according to the Anti-Phishing Working Group. Given each new scam's average lifespan of five days, it would take 24-hour surveillance to keep up on new threats. That's why Symantec developed Norton Confidential for Macintosh ($49.99). Confidential safeguards your Mac and your Internet activities by locking down sensitive system files and proactively guarding your information from identity thieves.

The last thing you want is to have someone else make things insecure. Lock up System Preferences, don't give users admin privileges, and consider utilities that prevent network users from risky activities.

Intego's comprehensive Internet Security Barrier X4 Antispam Edition ($89.95) includes firewall, antivirus, and antispam protection. Since Intel-based Macs can run Windows (via Apple's Boot Camp or Parallels Desktop for Mac), they become susceptible to an entire range of Windows threats. Virus Barrier x4 Dual Protection ($79.95) can protect both environments simultaneously.

Meanwhile, Open Door Networks' DoorStop X Security Suite 2.0 ($79), enhances OS X's built-in firewall by making it much easier for mere mortals to manage and interpret potential security threats. The suite combines the DoorStop X Firewall (available on its own for $49), the Who's There? Firewall Advisor ($39), and Internet Security for Your Macintosh ($10), a book in PDF format on Mac security that helps you make better use of the DoorStop software. The Firewall Advisor essentially translates the details of attempted security breaches and other network activity into plain English.

For ongoing Mac security news, check out SecureMac, a site dedicated to all things Mac security. Open Door Networks' blog is another up-to-the-minute source of Mac-centric security news and updates.

See what ports your apps are using in DoorStop X Firewall.

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STRESS-FREE SECURITY

Wi-Fi Should I Care?
We've all felt the thrill of discovering a Wi-Fi hotspot - watching those black bars in the top right of the screen zoom up to full power. While it's not a good idea to let others glom on to on your own Wi-Fi network, temptation is hard to resist when it's the other way around. Beware: The transmissions between your Mac and the wireless router can be picked up by packet sniffers. Packet sniffers are used to monitor and troubleshoot network traffic. System administrators depend on them to keep things running smoothly. But someone intent on stealing information could use a legitimate app or a hacker-created utility to view and record unsecured Wi-Fi traffic.

So it's a good idea to protect the information you send while using a public Wi-Fi network by encrypting it. You can still shop or bank online, since most of those sites safeguard the transmission of your account and credit card info with SSL encryption (look for "https" in the URL, as well as the padlock icon in one corner of your browser window). However, SSL may not cover chat, email, files, or database transactions.

To truly safeguard your data when using a Wi-Fi connection, use VPN (Virtual Private Network) software to create a secure "tunnel" into an office or corporate network. Your Mac came with a built-in VPN client, but it doesn't support standard IPsec (IP security), which means it might not be compatible with your company's VPN gateway.

Equinux's VPN Tracker ($89.90) is a Mac VPN client that supports IPsec and is compatible with more than 300 gateway solutions, including those from Cisco, Sonicwall, and Juniper.

Finally, you can add another layer of protection by making sure that Mac OS X's built-in firewall - or a third-party firewall or Internet security suite - is turned on. In System Preferences' Sharing pane, click the Firewall tab, then click Start to turn it on. If you want to allow some activities, like iTunes Music Sharing, click the boxes in the list under "Allow." To tighten security even more, click Advanced and select Block UDP Traffic and Enable Stealth Mode. Just keep in mind that some applications use UDP (User Datagram Protocol), a networking protocol. So blocking UDP traffic could disable your ability to play online games or to use VoIP (voice over IP) services such as Skype.

OS X's built-in firewall can protect your Mac from incoming threats.

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