Q. My son is starting at a new college this fall. His apartment complex offers free Wi-Fi access. He has a new Mac Book Pro. How can he secure his laptop from dishonest neighbors?

A. Many Mac users believe their machines are impervious to hackers. They're not. Mac users need to take the same precautions as Windows users.

Macs have a relatively small market share. So, t hey haven't traditionally been targeted by criminals. But Macs are becoming more popular. More attackers will probably target them.

Your son needs security software to protect against malware. He needs to use a firewall, an antivirus program and anti-spyware software. My tip will help you find all this software.

There are added dangers when using a public Wi-Fi hotspot. It may not be secure. People nearby might get into your files. They may also intercept what you're sending over the Internet.

A firewall is your first line of defense against intruders. Mac OS X includes a firewall. But you'll need to turn it on; it's off by default. The tip I mentioned above will help.

The Mac's firewall only blocks inbound malware. Anything on your computer will have no difficulty communicating with other computers. The Windows firewall has the same problem. I don't recommend the Windows firewall for that reason. Every crook in town is trying to compromise it. Besides, there are at least three free firewalls that are sufficient.