CA (formerly Computer Associates) has put out an excellent Internet security white paper, entitled “Protect Your Family

Against Today’s Internet Threats.” The paper does contain a common misleading statement about Mac OS X, but its advice is right on for the Mac anyway.

As far as Mac OS X, the paper says:

1. Conventional wisdom holds that the MacOS X operating system is more secure than the Windows platform, yet that confidence may crumble when you take a closer look at the numbers. Vulnerabilities are being reported at even a higher rate than the Microsoft platforms.
   

Of course the rate of reporting of theoretical vulnerabilities is pretty much irrelevant to what happens in the real world, where “conventional wisdom” is often, if not always reasonably accurate.

The excellent and highly important section of the paper is the last one, “Ways to Keep Your Family Safe.” It enumerates a large number of items, many of which of course echo those from our top 10 list and book. Each item goes into significant detail, so you should check out the full section yourself. But here’s the list:

Let the Technology Work For You 

1. 1.All computers in your house should be protected with good antivirus, anti-spyware, and anti-spam software [in the Mac world, antivirus includes anti-spyware]
   

2. 2.Use a personal firewall.
   

3. 3.Secure your network router.
   

4. 4.Keep all of your software updated.
   

5. 5.Adjust your browser for increased security.
   

6. 6.Backup your data.
   

7. 7.Use an anti-phishing toolbar [in the Mac world, Firefox has a similar feature].
   

Practice Safe Internet Surfing [does this title ring a bell?] 

1. Don’t open e-mails from people you don’t know.

2. Make sure banking, webmail, and financial sites are secure.

3. Use encryption to protect sensitive data, especially on laptops.

4. Be cautious about instant messaging.

5. 5.Avoid P2P networks if possible.
   

6. 6.Be wary about letting people you don’t know use your computer
   

7. 7.When using public computers, be extra alert
   

For the Kids

1. 1.Tell your children not to respond to messages that are threatening, suggestive, or otherwise make them uncomfortable.
   

2. 2.Teach your children to protect their privacy.
   

3. 3.Make the Internet a family activity.
   

4. 4.Install parental controls with Web filtering and optional time restrictions [Leopard has new features here].
   

5. 5.Explain to your child that not everything they read online is true.