Checklist 148: Playing Games with Security

On this edition of The Checklist: Games as security threat, August answers a listener email, and Turning on auto-updates, revisited.

Checklist 147: Bill Barr and the Magic Door

On this edition of The Checklist: The AG Asks the Usual Impossible ,Keeping Kids Off of Dating Apps, and Security Fixes in the Latest Apple Updates.

Planning your digital legacy

Estate planning is a sensitive subject. Yet making arrangements for what happens to your estate after you’re gone is important, as it ensures that your loved ones will receive what you intend to leave them without paying burdensome taxes or going through a lengthy legal process. 

As technology permeates our world more and more, it is essential to consider your digital life as part of the estate planning process.

Here are four key things to think about when planning your digital legacy.

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Five ways to keep your kids off dating apps

Being a mom or dad is hard. And these days, it seems like it’s harder than ever.

In addition to all the old challenges of raising happy and healthy kids, we have a host of new things to worry about as well. And one of the biggest of these is how to keep our children safe online.

Unfortunately, with the rise of smartphones and the proliferation of apps, it’s no longer as simple as putting the family computer in the middle of the living room. Some parents found this out the hard …

Securing your IoT home

The Internet of Things (IoT) continues to grow at a remarkable pace—with analysts predicting the global IoT market to be worth a staggering half a trillion dollars by 2021.

But experts have also noticed another IoT trend: dangerously lax security.

In this article, we’ll give you a little background to the security issues affecting the Internet of Things as well as a few simple steps you can take to make your home a safer place both today and in the years to come.

What is an IoT device?

Since we’re talking about the IoT …

Checklist 146: Just Because You Can…

On this edition of The Checklist we talk about: Should YOU be running beta software? Should ANYONE block Apple’s silent updates? And should there REALLY be an app for your flatiron?

Apple Switches Off Apple Watch Walkie-Talkies to Nix Eavesdropping Bug

In response to the discovery of a new critical bug in one of Apple’s own apps, the company has disabled some functionality in Apple Watches to protect users. 

The issue lies with the Walkie-Talkie app, a default app on the Apple Watch designed to let users connect with one of their friends directly for “push to talk” chatting. Once a staple feature on older cell phones, Apple included Walkie-Talkie as a fun addition — yet it seems to have come with a not so fun side-effect of its own. Details are …

7 Cybersecurity Tips for the Family Vacation

Summer’s here! The kids are out of school, the weather is gorgeous, and for many of us that means sun, fun, and family vacations.

Checklist 145: Zooming on Through

On this edition of The Checklist: A look at the Zoom for Mac vulnerability, OpenID raises questions over Sign in with Apple, and The UK issues some big GDPR fine.

Zoom security flaw puts you at risk (even after you uninstall)

Security researcher Jonathan Leitschuh has discovered a major vulnerability in the popular Zoom video conferencing app that could allow malicious actors to turn on your Mac’s camera without your permission.

New Mac Malware Knows When You’re Watching

Security researchers at Intego have discovered a new form of Mac malware—one that shows some surprisingly sneaky behaviour aimed at evading detection by antivirus software and human malware hunters alike.

Checklist 144: Summer Security Blockbusters

This week, we’re going to the movies! It’s our special summer security blockbusters edition of The Checklist, where we take a fun and whimsical look at some of the big technical concerns that pop up in our favorite movies and how they can relate to some real-life issues, too.

Sneaky Gatekeeper Flaw Could Let Hackers Run Malware on Macs

Among the most fundamental security features on Macs, Gatekeeper is near the top of the list. A first line of defense against malicious software, Gatekeeper’s job is to verify code signatures, which ensures that the software you’re running is genuine and hasn’t been tampered with by outside forces. Gatekeeper also helps to keep unauthorized software from running without your permission and provides help to users through warning messages letting you know when something might not be safe. Recently, though, a security researcher named Filippo Cavallarin unveiled a flaw in Gatekeeper …

Checklist 143: Whole Lotta Listenin’ Goin’ ON

On this week’s episode: Samsung takes heat for advising SmartTV security, La Liga: Revisited, and An app hears taps and guesses passwords.

Checklist 142: Panic! at the Drive-Thru

On this week’s episode: A four-year security breach at Checkers and Rally’s, Microsoft suggests killing off killing off passwords, and Apple leaves room to peek into MDM deployments

Introducing MacScan 3.2 from SecureMac

New version improves privacy in Safari, offers significant UI/UX upgrades

Las Vegas, Nevada — SecureMac is pleased to announce the latest version of its award-winning security software for macOS: MacScan 3.2. This release offers some significant improvements, including UI/UX enhancements as well as a big change for Safari users concerned about privacy.

We’ve seen some seriously disturbing cybersecurity news of late, from entire cities crippled by ransomware to 12-year-olds on dating apps. And unfortunately, there doesn’t seem to be much good news on the macOS front. At a recent Mac …

AirPort Base Stations Receive Important Firmware Upgrade

Do you rely on an Apple AirPort for your home Wi-Fi needs, or an AirPort Time Capsule to keep your Mac always backed up? If so, you’ll want to make sure you’ve updated your device to the latest version. On May 30th, Apple released a substantial firmware update for these devices, comprised of several high-priority security fixes. Upgrading will ensure your network remains secure while allowing you to continue enjoying the devices with plenty of peace of mind.

The new software version, 7.9.1, includes eight security fixes in total. Of these, …

Checklist 141: Security Privacy and WWDC

This week, we aren’t tackling an organized list as such — more like a rundown of a ton of events in a free-ranging discussion! We’re talking about WWDC, of course, the Worldwide Developers Conference Apple hosted this week. It’s an annual event where Apple often makes its big software announcements for the year and lays out the road ahead for the company’s technology. We’re looking at some of the security moves Apple made and some of the exciting upcoming changes and new developments. Buckle up — we’ve got a lot …

Highlights from the 2019 Worldwide Developers Conference

On Monday morning, Apple’s 2019 Worldwide Developers Conference kicked off in San Jose. As is tradition, WWDC began with a keynote presentation from Apple highlighting long-awaited updates, important announcements, and a vision of the road ahead.

Here’s our roundup of the biggest news from the keynote, along with a few comments on what this means for Mac security as well.

macOS

As expected, macOS 10.15 is here. Named “Catalina”, the newest version of macOS features a few important changes and a bittersweet farewell.

Goodbye iTunes

Maybe the biggest news—and something that’s been a long time …

Objective by the Sea 2.0

Tthis weekend the glamourous Mediterranean enclave was all about Mac security, as it played host to the Objective by the Sea 2.0 conference. Billed as the world’s only conference dedicated to macOS and iOS security, OBTS is a two-day gathering of researchers and developers from around the globe.