What are the benefits of using the free VPN for Mac?Īvira Phantom VPN for Mac makes it more convenient and secure to access your favorite online services even when you’re traveling. Check out our blogpost to learn more about the technology behind a VPN. At the same time, the software swaps your device’s IP address for the VPN server’s address, allowing you to surf anonymously and protect your online privacy. This is done using a virtual tunnel that the VPN client for Mac establishes to the VPN server and through which data is transmitted in an encrypted format. How does the VPN client for Mac work?Ī VPN (short for virtual private network) establishes an encrypted connection between your MacBook, iMac, or other Apple device and a VPN server. With Avira Phantom VPN you can protect your sensitive information, like passwords and credit card details, from falling into the wrong hands and disguise your Mac device’s IP address so you can surf the internet anonymously. That’s because if cybercriminals are on the same network as your Apple device or have set up a fake hotspot, they can access any data you send and receive online - which of course poses a great risk, especially when shopping or banking online. But this is exactly the risk if the hotspot is unsecured or was set up intentionally to spy on people’s data. If you use your macOS device to connect to a public Wi-Fi hotspot at a café or hotel, you obviously don’t want anyone else tracking your online activities or reading your emails. Malware authors have frequently found and exploited weaknesses, such as using obscure file formats or large file sizes that the sandbox can’t process, leaving Mac users at risk of infection.VPN for MacBooks, iMacs, Mac minis & other Apple devices

While sandboxing adds another layer of security for Macs, not even the App Store nor sandboxed apps are 100% safe, as highlighted by the attack on the Chinese version of the App Store by the XCodeGhost Virus. XProtect defends Macs against various types of malware, by scanning downloaded files for signs of infection, but it needs to be regularly updated to recognize new or emerging threats - and it won’t help you if you unwittingly land on an infected or unsafe website.Ī digital certificate is always seen as proof of a file’s security and a surefire sign that the file contains no malicious code, but cybercriminals can still plant malicious code at the file completion stage, exploit security gaps to sign their malicious files with valid digital certificates, and more. The macOS, or Mac OS X system, has existed for 40 years in various forms - it’s robust, and because of its regular updates, malware developers find it hard to keep up with the changes and write viruses that will successfully infect the Mac operating system.Īpple's basic malware detection is built directly into its Mac OS X operating system.

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