6. Securing Mac Workstations 2469

Securing Mac Workstations 2469

  • J

    Ok, this has come up out of left field but is surely going to cause some issues with compliancy, atleast in the domain of network and desktop security, but how in the world can you secure Mac workstations along side a PC environment? Any help would be awesome as i really do not know much about mac security.
    Please, any help would be greatly appreciated.
    JL

    0
  • D

    Presumably you are talking about Macs sitting on the same network as PCs, in which case the Network OS security issues are not significantly different.
    In terms of sceuring the Mac desktop there are a few issues you need to be aware of, a couple of resources you might try would be:

    0
  • H

    Security is more of a ‘process’ rather than being specifically hardware or software related. In other words, you should take the same precautionary protective measure for Apple workstations, just like Windows client PCs.
    For the most part, Apple Mac computers have enjoyed a fairly good track record when it comes to security. There are a fewer in-the-wild threats and the Apple OS X operating system has a Linux-kernel based design, that is fairly secure.
    Still, security is only as strong as it’s weakest link. Thus you want a strong chainlinked fence to keep the fox out of the chicken coop.
    Recommendations:

    1. Keep all operating system, browser, and software products as up-to-date as possible on security patches.
    2. Anti-virus software (anti-spyware might be beneficial also)
    3. Firewall protection is always a must
    4. Authentication to networks (with strong password settings, rotations, and other best practices)
    5. Security policies that include the Mac environment (e.g., discouraging too much personal use, installation of non-business software, etc)
    6. Use of Firefox 3 might be beneficial to look at as a complementary browser to Safari (which has suffered some recent security issues)
    7. Tracking of Apple security exposures and risks as they develop (e.g., monitor Secunia, Internet Storm Center, Apple’s security bulletins, FRSIRT, etc)
      As noted, this list is fairly similar to keeping Windows client PCs secure. These links might help (please paste to browser):
      http-and-#58;//www.google.com/search?hl=en-and-q=corporate macintosh security best practices
      https-and-#58;//security.berkeley.edu/mac.html
      http-and-#58;//www.networkworld.com/news/2007/022707-mac-os-going-corporate.html
    0
Log in to reply