OS X Mavericks: Protect your Mac
Here are some things you can do to make your Mac use more secure.
Use secure passwords
To keep your information safe, you should use passwords to secure your Mac, and choose passwords that can’t be easily guessed.
Require users to log in
If others can get physical access to your computer, you should set up separate users for each person using the Mac, and require each user to log in. This prevents an unauthorized person from using the computer. It also separates user files, so a user only has access to their own personal files and settings. Users cannot see or modify the files or settings belonging to other users.
Secure your computer when it’s idle
You can set it up to lock when it goes to sleep after being inactive for a certain period of time, and require a password to wake it from sleep. You can also set up a hot corner to click whenever you want to immediately lock your screen.
Require a password after waking your Mac
Limit the number of administrative users
One or more people on the Mac has administrator privileges for a Mac. By default it is the person who initially sets it up.
Administrators can create, manage, and delete other users, install and remove software, and change the computer’s settings. For these reasons, an adminstrator should create a standard user to work in when administrator privileges are not needed. If the security of a standard user is compromised, the potential harm is far more limited than if the user has administrator privileges. If multiple people use your computer, limit the number of users with administrator privileges.
Encrypt the data on your Mac with FileVault
If you have private or confidential information on your computer, you can use FileVault disk encryption to protect that information from being seen or copied. FileVault encodes the information stored on your disk so it is locked and cannot be read unless a password is entered.