If you're tired of making up passwords to access sites or worried that your passwords are not secure enough, it really is invaluable. 1Password creates strong, unique passwords for you, then remembers and restores them all within your web browser. At first glance, you may be concerned by the potential security risks of having one program manage all your passwords, but the number of users that rely and praise this program illustrates that you have little to worry about.

Using 1Password is very simple. On startup you have to configure one master password, which should be as tough as possible. After that, 1Password detects when you are visiting sites that require passwords and stores them automatically. You can set up time locks so that your Mac is protected while you're away from it and even synchronize it with your iPhone, .Mac account and Palm devices, although it doesn't work with other mobile phones. If you encounter any problems, the developer is also widely praised for their swift response time although I had problems accessing some of their online tutorials.

1Password is a powerful and effective application to manage all your passwords from one place. Highly recommended to protect your identity on the web.

Download 1Password 3.8.15 in Softonic

This open source program makes smart use of both motion sensor and iSight to protect your MacBook. Once activated, it will trigger an alarm as soon as your MacBook is moved or your keyboard/trackpad is touched.
It can also automatically take a snapshot of the robber with the iSight camera and send it automatically by email.
iAlertU is very easy to use and can be activated just by using the Apple Remote.
You can access all it's settings directly from the menu bar and choose what sort of alarm to trigger.
Obviously you'll have to choose well when to activate it, as you don't want the alarm to go off every time someone gets close to your Mac.

Download iAlertU 0.77 in Softonic

The latest version benefits from a significant redesign, which makes the information much more clearer and accessible. You can see what connection has been allowed or denied for each application, giving you a quick overview of outgoing connections. You can block applications from phoning home, which means contacting the internet without your consent.

Little Snitch lets you give permissions to certain programs, create rules and filters, add notes and search directly from the Little Snitch window. If you want more specific information on a particular connection you can even use the new Network Monitor. This will show all recent connections and the path to the given application.

In all, Little Snitch, is a very useful tool to monitor connections from applications on your Mac.

Download Little Snitch 2.4.3 in Softonic

The Blowfish protection system is enough to stop all but the most determined hackers from accessing your database or passwords. Data Guardian allows you to create multiple databases based on different themes e.g. an address book, customer database, journal, password manager, or even notepad. With 448-bit encryption employed on each of these however, they'll be pretty safe even if they're not stored locally.

The program prides itself on its customization support - i.e. you can create just about any kind of database you require with any category or color coding of your choice. The program also employs Keychain integration which basically autofills passwords. Although Firefox and IE also do this now, you're probably much safer using Data Guardian because of the encryption protection that surrounds your data. However, it would be better if Data Guardian provided secure integration with browsers too as it may be a bit inconvenient for some for keep going through Keychain.

It also offers a few other useful shortcuts such as one-click calling based on auto recognition of phone numbers, instant access to your email client via auto recognition of email addresses and generation of secure passwords. Although Data Guardian is a handy tool, it doesn't really match up to 1Password in terms of speed, ease of use and security.

A well designed a super secure database/productivity enhancement application, Data Guardian still gives you more than one less thing to worry about.

Download Data Guardian 2.0.8 in Softonic

Protecting data from interception is a difficult task with so many trojans and hackers willing to exploit data holes. SecureCRT also provides secure remote access, file transfers, and data tunneling within an organization or company. SecureCRT also offers session management and customization features, for those that need to work in multiple sessions.

SecureCRT emulates a number of major terminal consoles such as VT100, VT102, VT220, ANSI, SCO ANSI, Wyse 50/60, Xterm, and even Linux. SecureCRT can also help you automate routines so that you don't have to worry about executing them manually.

SecureCRT was originally designed for Windows and it's not exactly as necessary or as tailored for OS X. However, once mastered, it can be an excellent tool to keep your data encrypted.

SecureCRT is a great terminal manager and secure authenticator that can help protect your most sensitive data.

Download SecureCRT 6.7.1 in Softonic

MacKeeper is an all-in-one solution that includes hard drive cleaning tools as well as backup, shredder and even online features such as anti-theft registration and real time assistance.

The interface is well spread out with all the core features down the left hand side and the actions in the middle. The best thing to do is start with Fast Cleanup which takes a few minutes to scan your entire system for things that might be slowing your system down, bloated files etc. I was amazed by how much junk MacKeeper found particularly in the Binaries Cutter (almost 1GB) Logs Cleaner and Cache Cleaner (over 2GB!). It also revealed almost 1GB of language files I'll probably never need.

However, the scan is rather slow - it took almost 5 minutes - although its a small price to pay considering everything that it finds and reveals on your system. I wasn't sure what the Binaries Cutter would do but a handy explanation of all the different cleaners made me realize that all I would be losing is the ability to use the applications on PPC machines - so I might as well get rid of it!

The Duplicates finder was particularly outstanding. I had almost 15GB of duplicated files and MacKeeper allows you to drill down to see where they are. However, be very careful with this as it can remove iMovie files that have been duplicated by iMovie from the raw footage and thus leave your projects with missing footage. The Old Files feature was not so impressive either as it seemed to take metadata from the files to assess the age rather than the actual time they had been left unused on the system. I strongly recommend that also make a backup of all your media before using MacKeeper because you may find it remove photos and videos that it considers duplicates and leave you with gaps in your media collection.

There are other tools such as a Shredder, Data Encrypter and Undelete tool as well as online help with "Geek on Demand" plus some kind of online registration that tracks your Mac if stolen.

User experiences with MacKeeper are mixed - some find it does a great job while others aren't so impressed especially when it comes to removing it.

Overall, MacKeeper is an elegant and comprehensive maintenance tool which should speed-up your system.

Download MacKeeper 1.0.5 in Softonic

Intego VirusBarrier protects in real time by constantly examining all the files that your computer opens and writes, as well as monitoring for suspicious activity that may be the sign of viruses infecting applications or files. This makes VirusBarrier ideal for detecting Word and Excel macro viruses and even viruses targeting Windows if you are running it in a virtual machine such as Parallels.

Intego's Virus Monitoring Center provides updated virus definitions via the NetUpdate function. However, VirusBarrier does seem to be one of those tools that Mac users either love or hate. Some people report that it does its job efficiently and discreetly while others find that it kicks into action when they least want it to, tends to lock-up their system and may even throw-up alerts that aren't threatening.

In terms of presentation and interface, Intego VirusBarrier scores top marks. Its functionality could be a but hot or miss though.

Download Intego VirusBarrier X6 10.6.13 in Softonic

Download PasswordWallet 4.6.0 in Softonic

Download VPN Tracker 6.3 in Softonic

Hidden Mac software has received a lot of publicity in the media over its ability to help police track down criminals that have stolen Macs. It works very simply by discreetly activating the iSight camera of a MacBook and taking snapshots of whoever has your Mac. Hidden collects photos of the thief and screen shots of the Mac in use as well as lots of technical data which can help you or investigators track down your Mac.

Once installed on your Mac, Hidden will activate when you have logged-onto the Hidden customer site and clicked 'Stolen'. The developer guarantees that it will not send back any anonymous usage stats before then. If you want to uninstall the utility however, you can't just drag it to the trash. You need to use the Terminal which is a bit messy.

The developer behind Hidden claims that it will offer 'recovery assistance' when recovering a stolen Mac. However, in the most famous case of Hidden in action, one user took things into his own hands and posted pictures and snapshots of the criminal on a blog to 'out' him. Hidden is available in a variety of plans - Basic, Home, Business and Ultimate which all offer a slightly differing level of protection and coverage.

Hidden is a hugely popular security application that may one day help you recover your Mac if it gets stolen.

Download Hidden 1.3 in Softonic

Download IceClean 3.4.8 in Softonic

There is however an extensive user guide that's worth studying because it explains in detail how to get to grips with it. Firewall Builder's also ideal for those who need to build than more than one firewall as it allows you to manage multiple instances in once interface. The general interface however looks like it's been translated straight from the Windows version and doesn't really suit OS X. In addition, the amount of technical jargon both in the user guide and developer site make Firewall Builder a rather inaccessible app for those new to firewalls.

Firewall Builder is strictly for those that are already comfortable with the technicalities of firewalls and need a cross-platform solution.

Download Firewall Builder 4.2.2.3541 in Softonic

According to the developers, there are 600,000 laptops stolen every year in the USA alone and about 97% of these are never recovered. However, Undercover offers an extra way to recover your Mac if the worst happens. It makes ingenious use of your Wifi enabling the developer security centre to locate your Mac within a range of 10-20 metres. It also makes ingenious use of your iSight - it takes pictures every 6 minutes of whoever is in front of your Mac and transmits them to the security center so your thief will be completely exposed!

Undercover doesn't stop there however. If for any reason your Mac can't be recovered, it reverts to "Plan B" which is basically to make your Mac unusable by completely dimming the screen. If the Mac is returned to a shop or Mac dealer for repair, Undercover even detects this and alerts the seller by both text and audio message that the Mac has been stolen.

There's no interface as such to speak-of. When you install it, you're given an Undercover ID that's unique for the Mac you've installed it on. When your Mac is online, Undercover routinely checks whether the Mac is reported as stolen. This is a bit concerning in terms of privacy but the developer's assure that Undercover will not send any identifying information from your Mac to it's server. Of course, the whole service comes at something of a cost although there are differing rates depending on whether you are s student, business user etc.

Undercover is the kind of security application that may be your only hope of ever recovering your Mac if it's stolen. If you don't want to rely on it, then make sure everything is backed up.

Download Undercover 4.1 in Softonic

Despite a lengthy installation, needed so that you can create your own pass phrase, choose your email and enter other user settings, PGP Desktop is easy to work with, even if it may be best suited for the enterprise user.

Create a new key is just a case of dragging and dropping the files you want to encrypt. The interface then display all of your keys, which you can manage easily.

PGP allows you to save files in encrypted zip files and even store them on an encrypted disk. The developers have not omitted the fact that files are mostly exchanged online and provides a safe solution for that too. You'll also notice that it keeps a log of any activity, so you can verify what has been encrypted.

If you work constantly with sensitive material, then PGP Desktop should make your life much easier, encrypting any files quickly.

Download PGP Desktop 10.1.1 in Softonic

Those of you that already use Apple's Keychain Access will find some similarities in Wallet's interface. Items you create can be saved in one of the existing groups like serial numbers, web services or credit cards and you can also create your own.

Wallet includes a handy password generator for when you have trouble finding a good one to use. Just type in where you want numbers or letters, if you want it to be pronounceable or not and let it do it's job. Wallet also works with Apple's Password Assistant to let you create a very solid one.

The application comes with a Dashboard widget which can let you search for any item stored in Wallet.

As expected, Wallet comes with an autofill feature, great for handling forms on the web. I was a bit surprised that this feature only works with Safari, OmniWeb and IE. Surely other browser like Firefox or Opera should have been included.

Despite this slight limitation, Wallet is a great app to store any sort of sensitive data and create strong passwords.

Download Wallet 3.2.2 in Softonic

The program may be a little counter-intuitive, as it lacks any guidance the first time you start it up, but is actually very easy to use.

Pastor has an inbuilt password generator, which you can use to see if your protecting the entry well. Once you're satisfied with the password chosen just lock the entry via the button in Pastor's menu bar.

Download Pastor 1.8.2 in Softonic

Black Hole works via simple box which lists the functions it can clean and clear. When a feature has been cleaned or cleared, a green light will appear next to it. You can define in details exactly which folders you want it to clean by selecting the "..." symbol next to the various categories. Cleaning is fast and simple although it is rather limited compared to more thorough cleaning applications such as Onyx (which maintains your system as well).

However, by the developers own admission, Black Hole may not be 100% perfect at cleaning-up. There is a possibility that some information remains after a cleanup and it cannot replace Private Browsing modes available in most web browsers. The developer also warns that he cannot be help accountable for any data lost while using Black Hole and a backup before using it is highly recommended.

Overall however, as a simple and quick way of cleaning your most important files and folders on your Mac, Black Hole is a quick and easy solution.

Download Black Hole 1.2.1 in Softonic

Knox offers both 128-bit and 256-bit AES encryption, which ensure that any data you put in vaults is safe and sound.

Overall, I did find Knox pretty much similar to creating an encrypted disk image from my Mac's Utilities. Set up your vault, drag the sensitive information and close it. Then make sure you have the right password to open it up.

So what would make you go for Knox? Probably the fact that, apart from protecting data, it will allow you to make good backups and integrates well with your Mac's Spotlight.

Knox is a good one stop solution to protect and backup sensitive information.

Download Knox 2.0.8 in Softonic