Checklist 108: Hotel Wi-Fi How-To

This week on The Checklist, we’re going on vacation! No, wait — it’s a business trip. Maybe… the house is being fumigated! Whatever the reason is, we have to check into a hotel, leaving our home network behind. Good news, though: the hotel has free Wi-Fi for us to use! The bad news: we weren’t the ones to set up the security for the hotel’s wireless network. We don’t know who’s staying in the room next door, or what they might be up to… and then to top it …

Checklist 107: Newegg, Old Issues

This week, we’re looking at a slew of security issues, from a good old-fashioned data breach, to Apple’s latest way to make sure that the person using your device is really you! Those stories, plus a look at California’s attempts to rein in problems with the Internet of Things, will give us a glimpse into what’s going on in the world of security recently. On our checklist for today’s discussion:

Security concerns break for Newegg
California considers laws for Internet of Things things
Using phone call data to protect your iPhone

If …

Breach of Spyware Company mSpy Exposes iCloud Account Information for Millions

Apple users should consider changing their iCloud passwords after a recent breach reportedly exposed the account information of millions of people. The breach involved a company called mSpy, a spyware-as-a-service business. mSpy sells mobile and computer software that allows users to spy on their friends or family members. The software is also marketed to allow parents to see what their children are doing on their devices. However, this type of software is technically illegal and mSpy has a shady reputation.

At the end of August, security researchers Brian Krebs …

Checklist 106: Breaking Down Breakdowns in the Mac App Store

This week, we’re taking a bit of a different approach to our show. Instead of presenting you with a list of topics and running down several separate stories, this week we’re focusing in on one major story that’s developed over the last week or two: breaches within Apple’s walled garden, the App Store. If you’ve heard disturbing stories about apps stealing your data and sending it off to China, or rumors about a major tech company (Trend Micro) fumbling the ball and mishandling user data, chances are good you’ve …

Checklist 105: Products and Byproducts

In this week’s discussion, we’re looking at some stories that strike a similar tone to several of our recent episodes. With Google figuring out how to use your spending habits to make money, spyware apps that end up being compromised, and a look at the web’s privacy-friendly search engine, we’ve got plenty to tackle today. Here’s what we’ve got on our list:

You’re still the product
Your kids are the byproduct
A look at how things are going for DuckDuckGo

Have you ever heard the saying, “If you aren’t paying for a …

Checklist 104: Guess Again! And Again! And Again!

It might seem like we have a thousand new security issues to talk about each week — but if you’ve been listening for a while, you know that’s pretty much par for the course these days. This week we have a plethora of stories about telcos (and their partners) dropping the ball when it comes to user privacy, followed by yet another Facebook story that leaves us wondering “When is enough enough?” and wrapping up with a big problem where parental spyware proves once again that actions can have …

Hacking Fax Machines? It Can Happen, and Mac Users Could Be Vulnerable

The average person, when they think about fax machines, probably puts them into the same class of technology as dial-up Internet — old, obsolete, and supplanted by more advanced technology. That last component, though, isn’t really true for the humble fax. In fact, many industries, including the medical sector, still rely heavily on fax machines for sending huge volumes of information daily. However, many of the fax machines in use today are not standalone devices, as they were in the 1980s; instead, they’re a component of all-in-one printers and scanners. …

Major macOS Mail App Harbors Major Vulnerabilities

How do you manage your email? For those who receive a high volume of messages every day and depend on their email for work purposes, answering this question is essential. Most stock mail clients don’t always offer the capabilities you need from them; for that reason, many people choose to use third-party email management programs. macOS users are no exception. However, it is important to be aware that this software, like any other, can put your data at risk if the developers fail to take appropriate security measures. That appears …

Checklist 103 Always Look a Gift Horse in the Mouth

Last week, we spent most of our discussion shaking our heads. This week, we’ve got an update on one of those stories, a look at a frankly quite scary USB device that doubles as malware, and a look at just how much the government doesn’t like apps that let you encrypt all your conversations. As we head into the “dog days of summer,” the security threats and the big stories keep adding up — but maybe we should be thankful we don’t have a multi-million-person data leak to discuss …

Security Researcher Accidentally Stumbles on a Way for Malware to Click...

One of the simplest ways to stay safe and secure on your Mac is to pay close attention to the warnings and prompts that the system often pops up when you’re in the middle of things. Many times, you might even expect these prompts to appear. It’s just macOS’s way of saying, “Hey, are you sure about that?” when something involves sensitive files or has extensive permissions. When you aren’t expecting them, they’re even more important: as your first line of defense, they can be a big red flag …

Checklist 102: The Head Shaking Edition

This week, we’ve dubbed our episode the “head shaking edition” because each of our stories today left us shaking our heads for one reason or another. From Google quietly looking over your shoulder to Comcast fumbling the ball with yet another big leak of user data, there’s plenty to discuss — so today we’re diving right in to our discussion. Items we’ll be ticking off the list as we go:

Google’s game of hide and seek
A look at behavioral biometrics
Comcast tells 26.5 million people, “Relax!”

Do you try to stay …

Checklist 101: Picture Imperfect

The summer marches on, and so does the parade of headlines and security concerns. From sneaky websites pretending to be someone they are not, to creepy social media spying thanks to an old and supposedly broken phone, and onward to concerns about requests for your info everywhere you go, we’re looking at a lot this week. We’ll look at those stories, discuss what you should know and what you can do (if anything), and more in today’s recap. Here are the topics we’ll be checking off on today’s list: …

Checklist 100: It’s Episode 100!

It has been a long time coming, but we are proud to celebrate the milestone achievement of 100 episodes of The Checklist, brought to you by SecureMac! We’d like to take this moment to say a big “thank you” to our listeners, especially those who’ve been here from the start. With such a big milestone, it seems appropriate that one of the top stories we have on our list this week concerns another gargantuan trove of personal data— and chances are, at least some of your information will probably …

1Password Implements New Feature to Keep Travelers’ Passwords Safe

Over the past several years, international travel has become fraught with more privacy and security concerns than ever before. At many borders, including those in the United States, customs agents are increasingly asking travelers to unlock their phones and hand over their laptops for inspection. Government agencies claim this is an anti-terrorism measure, as well as being aimed at combating fraud and trafficking in illegal materials. For many, this feels like an invasion of privacy.

For those with password managers on their devices, this is an especially big concern. …

Checklist 99: I Saw What You Did!

It’s time for another look into the world of security news, where we’ll talk about where Apple stores your sensitive data, the latest and strangest anti-spam efforts, and more. This week we’re narrowing our focus to look at how Apple is handling some of the latest speed bumps in its efforts to grow while also trying to maintain its public commitment to customer privacy and data security. We’ve also got the latest nefarious scheme the bad guys are using to try and extort people on the web these days …

Apple’s July Security Updates Correct a Host of Problems

It’s that time again: Apple has pushed out a variety of updates for practically all its products, from iTunes for Windows to multiple flavors of macOS, plus the latest version of iOS 11.4. New security updates are also available for iCloud for Windows, Safari, watchOS, and tvOS. What should you know about these updates?

First, iOS 11.4.1 finally includes the much-discussed USB Restricted Mode, a new security feature that aims at making it more difficult for law enforcement agencies and others from using phone-cracking devices to break past a …

Checklist 97: Privacy Nightmare at 30,000 Feet

In the past, we’ve spent a substantial amount of time talking about the business of security flaws. Usually, it centers around things such as selling personal data on the Dark Web after stealing it using exploits and attacks. Credit card details, names, and addresses, and more — it all makes for a booming black market of data. That’s not the only kind of information sold on the Dark Web, though: sometimes, it’s the exploits that lead to gathering user data in the first place.

On this week’s episode, …

Checklist 96: The Latest Bugs, Flaws, and Privacy Worries

The summer keeps on heating up, so why not stay inside where it’s cool, and relax with the newest edition of The Checklist? As the temperatures outside climb, the headlines in the world of Mac security and beyond keep piling up too. This week, we’re touching on a few security hiccups in Apple products, talking about some welcome patches, and covering the latest creepy information about Facebook’s activities to splash into the news. On our agenda for today’s discussion are these topics:

Quick Look may lead to long looks
Apple code …

Researcher Discloses Potential Brute Force Attack on iPhone; Apple Says...

A strong passcode is one of the most important elements of personal security on iOS devices. While it has been some time since Apple introduced the stronger six-digit passcodes (which they now recommend), many people continue to use the four-digit PIN. According to one recent report by a security researcher, the iPhone could be vulnerable to an extremely simple brute force attack which would render those four digits useless. However, Apple has since taken the public stance that the vulnerability as described does not exist. What’s going on here?

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