Securing the MacBook

One of the first things I did when I first booted up my Mac. These are the steps that I did to "secure" my Mac:

1. Create a separate standard user and use that user for your day to day use.
   
2. Click on System Preferences. It's on the toolbar at the bottom, or you can search for it by clicking on the magnifying glass at the top right hand corner.
   
3. Click on Security.
4. If the bottom right hand corner, shows a locked padlock, click on it and enter your administrator user ID and password
5. Ensure "Require password to wake this computer from sleep or screen saver", "Disable automatic login", "Require password to unlock each secure system preference" is checked. I would think the last one should be checked at least so your system preferences can be secured.
6. Click on Show All.
7. Click on Bluetooth.
8. Turn Bluetooth off and ensure that the Show Bluetooth status in the menu bar is checked. Showing the bluetooth status in the menubar will enable the bluetooth icon on the top. This will allow you to turn on and off the bluetooth without going into the System Preference.
   
9. Click on Sharing within the Bluetooth preference.
10. Ensure that the Bluetooth File Transfer is off.
11. Click on Show All.
12. Click on Sharing.
13. If the bottom right hand corner, shows a locked padlock, click on it and enter your administrator user ID and password
14. Click on the Services within Sharing.
    
15. Click on the services you need to be enabled. For a normal user, you can actually uncheck/disable every single service.
16. Click on the Firewall within Sharing.
17. Ensure your firewall is on. For me, the only firewall I have enabled is the Network Time so that my date/time can be synced with the time server.
    
18. Click on the Internet within Sharing.
19. My Internet sharing is off, but this will depend on your usage.
    

This I felt should be the bare minimum. If you are very security conscious, you can also enable File Vault in the security preference, which basically encrypts everything you have. However, you have to take note that if you forget your password and Master password, the files are gone. Some people do check on every checkbox in the Security preference, but I feel that this is overdoing it. I like to balance security with usage. I do not need such high security.

Hope this is useful... I will see if I have time to write about BootCamp. Now, that is interesting... :)