You’ve heard it said a million times. “The Mac doesn’t have much malware because market share is so much smaller than Windows.” That’s known as the Security through Obscurity myth. Techno pundits and Windows apologists tout it as the reason a Mac is more secure.
Hackers don’t care about the Mac’s small numbers. If security is an issue and you’re afraid a thief might make off with your Mac, then maybe security through obscurity is a good idea. Stuff your MacBook into an old pizza box on your desk. That’s secure. Or, hide it inside an old newspaper.
Who steals old newspapers? Tucked inside a case that looks like a newspaper, your Mac is safe and secure, right? Don’t you wish you thought of this great idea for your Mac before Mite Mite?
It’s a simple concept. Hide your MacBook from prying eyes and sticky fingers by actually hiding it where thieves never venture. Notebooks get stolen from office environments all the time because at lunch, when everyone is away, thieves can walk in and play.
Even notebooks that are locked to the desk with a security lock and cable are easy prey. Snip, snip, and your Mac just had a liberating vasectomy from a thief. It’s gone. Unless the MacBook was hiding in plain sight.
The newspaper case is a plastic sleeve that looks like a newspaper. A MacBook just slides into the plastic paper and out of view. The plastic is easier to grip than a newspaper, and there’s a hidden zipper to ensure your MacBook doesn’t slide out.
I’ve seen a few New Yorkers carry their Macs inside the Tyvek FedEx envelopes. There’s also a pizza box that holds a Mac or PC notebook (not exactly like this one).
How simple is the idea of security through obscurity? And how effective is it? Cables and locks don’t do much to dissuade a determined thief, even in a crowded office building or cubicle farm. Ditto for back packs. Thieves know there are valuables inside.
But it the thief doesn’t know that pile of newspapers scattered across a desk contains a MacBook, they’re not going to become a con man for recycling.
I think this kind of security coverage is a good idea. Inexpensive and probably very effective. Hopefully, the thief wandering through you office in search of loose notebooks doesn’t spell very well.
For obvious copyright reasons, the newspaper sleeves are made to look like real newspapers but the masthead is not spelled correctly. If you have to roam around an office building looking for MacBooks without a guardian, chances are good your spelling skills are in need as well.
Since it’s Friday we should provide Mac360 readers with a little humor to end the week. That sleek, slick, and luxurious MacBook or iMac you have is a finely crafted machine, right? So check out these Wacky Computer Case Mods to see what the crazies who don’t steal for a living do with their computers.
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