Protecting Your Information

March 20 , 2017

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Naples MacFriends User Group

Areas to Cover• Trolling the Internet

• Email & the Internet

• Securing your data

• Lock up your Wi-Fi

• Physical considerations

• Recovering from loss of data

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Trolling the Internet• Know where you will land BEFORE clicking on a link

Don’t Click on links (in email {or web}) without inspecting first

Hover your Mouse over link (or press / hold link on iDevice)

The real URL destination will be displayed

• Access to web sites

Only https sites are secure https://xxx.xx.yy/

Use DIFFERENT User Identity and Passwords for each site

Use STRONG, complex Passwords

Save the User Identity and Passwords in Encrypted files

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Trolling the Internet (Mac example)

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A Series of emails on 2/21/13 to NMUG email

Hover over Links to see Where you would go

Trolling the Internet (iPad example)

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An email on 3/11/17

Press & HOLD Linksto see

Where you would go

Email and the Internet

• Create Many, Different Email identities

One (or more) for shopping on eBay, Amazon, etc

One (or more) for surfing interesting web sites

One (or more) for quasi business activity

• Keep those worlds from interacting with your personal world

• Your @me, @mac account (or @icloud.com) might have several aliases. Aliases dump into same email account

• Many free email accounts available (e.g. @gmail.com, @AOL.COM,)

Free means they are selling what they learn about you

• Discard email identity if spam gets bothersome

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Protecting your Mac

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Gatekeeper

• Each checkbox tightens

May slow or degrade your experience

There are always tradeoffs, no hard and fast rules

Security, File Vault• Disclaimer

I don’t Use for my computers in retirement. But have tested it. It works! My Security gurus like it

If I used a Laptop I WOULD use it

Uses LogIn Password to open, thus only as safe as your LogIn.

Master Password (Recovery key) can overcome forgotten Login Passwords

• BenefitsAll files in User Accounts are encrypted on the hard drive

No performance impact except for 1st set up that takes a long time

Sell / Give away computer after deleting files without worrying

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• Compatible with Time Machine• Compatible with SuperDuper

Security, Firewall

Default status is Off

Click Turn Off / On button

If you have NAT* in router you may not need this firewall

Firewall On can affect some applications

* NAT Network Address Translation9

Securing your Data

• OS X prevents user (Jerry) from seeing the contents of user (NMAC’s) Folders

This is the strength of OS X

• BUT

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Securing your Data (2)

• However, your drive can be viewed (via another computer)

This is, essentially, the drive from the Club’s computer

• e.g. in Target Disk Mode

All the User Account files are accessible

• Do you have information worth protecting

Theft of your computer?, Loss of your laptop in Starbucks?

Remember those stories about lost computers with thousands of employee records?11

Securing your Data (3)

• If FileVault is Too Much, an Encrypted Disk Image can work

• Password protected Encryption of Just your Important data

Size the Disk Image to the Amount of your data

Can be duplicated to a Flash Drive for traveling

• Create the container in Disk Utility

• NDN Article <http://tinyurl.com/gsqszoy>

Disk Utility has changed in Sierra, so some guidance has changed

• USE Apple Guidance <http://tinyurl.com/lzbja7o>

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Wi-Fi Considerations

Reference URLs

• Airport + Time Capsule & Wi-Fi Support

<http://www.apple.com/support/airport/>

• Search on Designing Airport Networks

<http://tinyurl.com/y9qn9ur>

• Setup and configure an extended wireless network

<http://tinyurl.com/bambg7e>

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Click on Wi-Fi fan

Option Click on Wi-Fi fan

Option Click on Wi-Fi fan

Use Airport Utility (who’s there?)• Airport Utility 6.3.7

Lots of Info!

LAN IP series

Devices on Wi Fi

ISP Router Address Behind Comcast Router

DNS Service

ISP Domain

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• Also WiFi Guard https://www.softperfect.com/products/wifiguard/ from Mac App Store

Office Items, Representative Physical things

Computer

External Hard Drives

PrinterScanner

Firewire / USB Hubs

Television

Cable / DSL modemWired / Wireless Router

Facsimile

Stereo

Portable & /Speakerphone

Data Su

rge P

rotec

t

AC Surg

e Pro

tect

UPS Po

wered

Power

Strip

off U

PS

Slave

to C

ompu

ter

X? X X

X? X X X

X X X

X X X

X X X

X X

X X

X X

X? X X X

X X X

X X X X

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Power Strips

• I do have Whole House surge protection devices BUT

• I do use Power Strips / Surge Protectors

NOT as primary device between Wall Socket and electronics

Mainly to distribute Battery Backup Outlets on my UPS

• I also use short (~ 4” extensions) to get past the big Square plugs on electronic devices

Also to distribute Surge Protected Outlets of my UPS

• Surge protector devices wear OUT

The Varistor between the power lines opens up, no longer shorts out the lightning voltage surge.

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Uninterruptible Power Supply insight

• AC Power from wall Outlet

is Converted to DC power (AC to DC conversion)

• DC Power charges a large Storage Battery

Uncharged battery will take many hours to charge Initially

• Battery serves as a Big Sponge to soak up Voltage Surges

• DC to AC inverter produces an approximation of AC power

This AC power is isolated from the Wall power

• Normal Surge Protection methods (Varistors, etc.) protect the other outlets of the UPS

• UPS also protects against Brown-out (low primary voltage)

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APC UPS (American Power Conversion) http://www.apc.com/products/family/index.cfm?id=29

2015 web view

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Physical Features

• Output Voltage 120 v, 60 Hz (+/- 3 Hz)

Stepped approximation of a sine wave

• Input Requirements

120 v (88 - 139v) 50 / 60 Hz (+/- 3 Hz)

• Power Output

Capacity 450 Watts / 750 VA

5 - Battery Backup sockets ( one is a “Master”)

5 - Surge Protection sockets

• 3 of the Surge Protection sockets are Master-Controlled

“e.g. Remove power to printer, etc. when computer is off”

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• Master and 4 Battery Backup sockets across top

• 3 Controlled and 2 Uncontrolled Surge Protection sockets across bottom

Controlled outlets power Off if Master is not drawing power

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AC Electrical Ports, (BE750G, or ES 750)

Data Surge Protection

• Coaxial cable surge protection

Signal loss, may affect data service

• Telephone outlet surge protection

Same signal loss considerations21

Don’t Cause a Data Loss• Portable (Laptop) computers are wonderful BUT

Your habits can be the reason the Hard Drive Failed! Or will fail!

• Unless you have a recent MacBook or MacBook Pro

Computer depends upon an internal hard drive. Spinning at high speed

Read and Write heads floating only 3 nanometers above surface

• Human hair is ~ 70,000 nanometers

If they touch the surface the data is destroyed. Farmer plowing field?

• How to cause the heads to plow away your information

Start a colder-than room-temperature computer. (or hotter)

• Wait until computer has warmed up. Remember the drive is buried inside the laptop

Walk around with a running laptop to show your screen

• Sleep stops the hard drive, give it time to retract the heads

Drop or jar the laptop

• Sensors try to detect sudden motion and retract the heads.

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Recovering from Data Loss• OS X offers Time Machine software

Time based storage of computer files

Select which files to NOT duplicate

To External Hard drive (USB or Firewire) Connected to your Router?

• Size Drive to as Large as your Budget. Time Machine grows and grows in used space

• Time Capsule is combination of external drive and Airport Extreme router

Each backup ONLY stores files that have ‘changed’

• SuperDuper is best $28 you can spend for backup

<http://www.shirt-pocket.com/SuperDuper/>

Complete copy of your Entire Hard Drive to external Drive

• Size Drive to match size of your Internal Hard Drive

Scheduled backup OR Initiated by you

You can Boot (run) computer from the SuperDuper clone backup

• Recommend use of both

Separate external hard drives for each backup23

Time Machine panel

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Time Machine what Not (Options)

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SuperDuper

Select the Source (from) Drive Select the Destination (to) Drive

Select the Destination (to) Drive

Using

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SuperDuper (2)

Smart Update takes less time

SuperDuper Quits Down

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Options Choices

SuperDuper (4)

Default Schedule Settings

Customize Schedule

Resultant Schedule

Next Copy will be at

Last Copy was at

SuperDuper will NOT run if Computer is in Sleep mode

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Use“SD / Window/ Scheduled Copies”

to see your schedule