New to making (local) backups on macOS; where to start / what to do?

Tech Support
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21

It looks like SuperDuper backups are/were not encrypted (by default, without manual actions) :cry:

Neither were those of CarbonCopy Cloner 4:

But CCC does seem to support it by now?

Does anyone know whether SuperDuper! supports this (better) by now as well?

(So far I have been using the free version of SuperDuper! and did not find related settings; I might start a CCC trial now)

22

I have been using Carbon Copy Cloner 7 for a couple of days now. It seems to be more similar to how I used Macrium Reflect on my PC than SuperDuper!, so this might be the backup tool for me, going forward.

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23

I decided to go with this:

  • Purchased Carbon CopyCloner 7, which automatically makes an encrypted backup from my Mac’s entire internal SSD to the external SSD, whenever I attach that external SSD.
  • Wrote a script using rclone to back up selected files unencrypted to OneDrive.
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24

SuperDuper does make incremental backups, encrypted or not. The process for creating the first encrypted is a bit unintuitive though. I don’t know if the same is true for CCC.

26

Keep in mind that your Window 10 install won’t suddenly stop working when it hits the EOL date. I run Windows 10 on my gaming PC, and I have no intention of upgrading it to Windows 11 or newer.

I’m going to run it as long as possible!

27

True, but if the PC running Windows 10 is connected to the internet, you’re in trouble as soon as the first vulnerability that Microsoft won’t fix has gone public.

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28

First the threat had to reach your system through an attack vector. You have to download it and execute it , purposely or inadvertently.

Since the most common way of accessing the Internet is via web browser, then keeping that vector secure is likely all you need to do.

In the days before software and hardware firewalls, systems could easily by exploited by errant viruses and exploits. Today, not so much.

Obviously there is always risk, but by being prudent you can reduce the risk to close to a negligible value.

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29

I’m going to very gently disagree with you here: Any system component that processes data that comes from an external source is a potential infection vector. For example, a bug in a system library that processes image data (or any other media) that your browser, or a game, or any other application uses can be exploited no matter how up to date the application itself is kept.

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30

+1

11 of the 89 different vulnerabilities Apple patched in July were for Webkit which is used by Safari, Mail, and the App Store.

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