Intro to Mac security
You can use security and privacy features in macOS to protect users and keep organizational data secure. FileVault, Gatekeeper, System Integrity Protection, and XProtect all help keep organizational data on a Mac safe and secure. Together, these features create a robust security environment that safeguards user data against unauthorized access, malware, and other security threats while offering tools for recovery and data protection in case a device is lost or stolen.
Note: Through device management, organizations can restrict what the user can configure on their devices.
macOS protects users and their data
Help users understand the following security and privacy settings that can keep their personal and organizational data secure:
Location Services: Users can configure Location Services to allow apps access to location data only when they’re in use or disable entirely. This minimizes tracking and reduces the risk of exposing sensitive location data. Controlling access prevents unauthorized apps from gathering location data that could be used for malicious purposes.
Privacy and app access: macOS requires apps to request permission to access sensitive information, such as contacts, calendars, photos, and more. This feature ensures that only apps with explicit user consent can access sensitive data, reducing the risk of data breaches.
Find My and Activation Lock: Find My helps locate lost or stolen devices, while Activation Lock prevents anyone else from using a Mac without the owner’s password, deterring theft. Find My is available for use only with a personal Apple Account and can’t be used with Managed Apple Accounts. A device management service may use Managed Lost Mode or remote lock as an alternative. Find My isn’t available on organization-owned devices. These features help recover devices and protect the data on them by rendering the devices less attractive to thieves.
Passwords and passkeys: The use of strong, unique passwords and provided built-in tools like the Passwords app to generate and store them securely keep data secure. Passkeys replace traditional passwords with cryptographic keys for enhanced security against phishing and other attacks.
Malware defense in macOS
Malware defenses in macOS are structured to help in three layers:
Prevent launch or execution of malware.
Block malware from running on user systems.
Remediate malware that has executed.
The first layer of defense is designed to inhibit the distribution of malware and prevent it from launching even once—this is the goal of the App Store, and Gatekeeper, combined with Notarization.
The next layer of defense helps ensure that if malware appears on any Mac, it’s quickly identified and blocked, both to halt spread and to remediate the Mac systems it’s already gained a foothold on. XProtect adds to this defense, along with Gatekeeper and Notarization.
Finally, XProtect acts to remediate malware that has managed to successfully execute.