Mac OSX 10.10 Yosemite

According to Wikipedia Yosemite is “OS X Yosemite (version 10.10) is the eleventh major release of OS X, Apple Inc.’s desktop and server operating system for Macintosh computers”.

Applications

It is suggested to keep the /Applications/ directory as clean as possible, and having a separate directory for your personal apps lets you do that easily. Just create a folder named “Applications” in your home directory (or where you like).

Allow only signed apps

It is suggested to never run untrusted code not signed with a proper key. To allow only apps signed by an authorized developer, go to:

System Preferences ⇒ Security & Privacy ⇒ General

Set “Allow apps download from” to “Mac App Store and identified developers”.

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Disable Diagnostics

It is suggested to disable diagnostic data and usage data sending to Apple. Go to:

System Preferences ⇒ Security & Privacy ⇒ Privacy ⇒ Diagnostics & Usage

Uncheck “Send diagnostic & usage data to Apple”. Uncheck “Share crash data with app developers”.

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Disable Handoff

Handoff is a great feature to keep your work in sync but it needs to send some data to Apple to work. It is suggested to disable it. Go to:

System Preferences ⇒ General

Uncheck “Allow Handoff between this Mac and your iCloud devices”.

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Disable recent items

Do not track last recently used items. Go to:

System Preferences ⇒ General

Set “Recent items” to “None”.

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Disable Spotlight localization

By default Spotlight is allowed to use localization services to help you offering localized results. Go to:

System Preferences ⇒ Security & Privacy ⇒ Privacy ⇒ Location Services

Select “System Services” and click “Details…”. Uncheck “Spotlight Suggestions”.

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Enable FileVault

It is suggested to enable FileVault to enable full disk encryption on your device. It should be already enabled by default. Go to:

System Preferences ⇒ Security & Privacy ⇒ FileVault

Enable FileVault.

Enable Firewall

It is suggested to enable the Firewall and always have one running. Go to:

System Preferences ⇒ Security & Privacy ⇒ Firewall

Click on “Turn On Firewall”.

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Now click on “Firewall options”, a new panel will appear. Click on “Block all incoming connections”.

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Enable screen saver

It is suggested to enable the screen saver to automatically lock your screen after a while. Go to:

System Preferences ⇒ Desktop & Screen Saver ⇒ Screen Saver

Set “Start after” to “5 Minutes”.

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Empty trash securely

It is a good practice to always empty your trash securely. Start Finder app. Go to:

Preferences ⇒ Advanced

Check “Empty trash securely”.

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Require an administration password

Always require an administration password to access system settings. Go to:

System Preferences ⇒ Security & Privacy ⇒ Advanced

Check “Require an administrator password to access system-wide preferences”.

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Require password to un-lock

Requires password to un-lock from sleep or screen saver. Go to:

System Preferences ⇒ Security & Privacy ⇒ General

Set “Require password immediately after sleep or screen saver begins”.

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Show all filename extensions

It is a good practice to always show file names extensions. Start Finder app. Go to:

Preferences ⇒ Advanced

Check “Show all filename extensions”.

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Users privilege separation

It is suggested to use different accounts for administration and daily activities. Create an account with admin privileges for special tasks and maintenance and a normal user for your daily use.