Lock Down Your Mac

Lifehacker:

Apple
often boasts the security of OS X, but tech web site Ars Technica
suggests that your Mac is no more secure than you make it, rounding up
a handful of security features you should set on your Mac to bolster
its security. Off the bat, for example, the article recommends setting a firmware password for your Mac that prevents anyone from booting your Mac at all without entering the password. Why?

If
someone can get to your computer, the chances of them acquiring your
data just skyrocketed. Physical security is the critical first step in
keeping your Mac safe. A firmware password prevents a user with
physical access to the computer from starting up from an optical disk,
a network boot volume, a separate drive connected in Target Disk Mode,
or into single-user mode.

The article also examines
several other OS X security features that aren’t enabled by default
that can do a lot to enhance your Mac’s security. Got a favorite Mac
security tweak of your own? Let’s hear about it in the comments.”

Keeping your Mac locked down: a Mac OS X security primer [Ars Technica]