Checklist 67: The Latest Security Features in iOS 11: Part Two

Recently, in episode 66, we looked at the latest security features Apple has built into macOS. Last week, we began to explore what’s new and different in iOS 11. While the basics of iOS haven’t changed in some time, time and different development approaches mean that all kinds of features transform behind the scenes with every update. We looked at the innovative FaceID system, improvements to backup security, and new physical security features. This week, we’re returning to the topic of iOS 11 for one more dive into what’s …

Quick Tweaks to Improve Your Privacy on iOS 11

iOS 11 has been out for a few months now, and Apple’s latest flagship iPhone versions have also launched in its wake. By now, you should hopefully have made the upgrade to this newer software platform. Whether you’re just upgrading now, or you’ve been getting comfortable with iOS 11 for a few months now, you’ll find that iOS 11 puts plenty of tools within your reach to improve your device’s security and privacy. Here’s what you can do to make your device even safer.

Checklist 66: The Latest Security Features in iOS 11: Part One

Have we ever talked about the security features built into iOS itself? Of course — we’ve covered that subject in many previous episodes, but things change. When The Checklist began, users were still walking around with iOS 9. Now we’re up to iOS 11, and Apple continues to make things more secure as they go. Even before iOS 11, Apple’s mobile system had some serious security protections and features, but they’ve added some new ones and refined others, so it’s time to revisit the topic.

“Trusted Devices” Can Create a False Sense of Security

In the enterprise world, device security is of paramount importance. We’ve seen no end to the number of stories where companies have suffered breaches due to inadequate internal security, suffering substantial business and financial consequences in the process. As a result, securing the technology used by employees and offices is an important step undertaken by many companies today. With the “walled garden” Apple offers in iOS combined with its track record for very rigorous security, many companies have made the switch. More than three-quarters of all enterprises have some …

Elcomsoft Focuses on Apple’s 2 Factor Authentication in Latest Release

The security built into our phones enables us to use them with confidence and peace of mind; after all, it is vital that we prevent unauthorized access to devices that contain so much personal information about our lives. However, these same safeguards also prevent barriers to law enforcement and important criminal investigations that may center around what data resides on the device. We’ve already seen several issues like this in the past few years, and Apple’s stance remains firm: it will not help law enforcement break into a user’s device.

While …

5 Handy “Hacks” to Get More Functionality Out of Your iPhone

Not every “hack” is a bad thing — in the true sense of the word, a “hack” means a clever and ingenious method for accomplishing something. You might know this from popular articles about “lifehacks.” Did you know that your iPhone has all kinds of built-in functionality that Apple doesn’t always advertise directly? Try out some of these handy “hacks” on your phone to see what you can accomplish.

New Phishing Scam Targets iPhone Users over the Phone

Scams that put Apple users in the crosshairs are nothing new, but the scammers are always looking for new ways to try to trick us into forking over access to our data. Based on the amount of information we store on our phones these days, it’s not hard to see why they make enticing targets for theft. With that said, it’s important to remember that the phishing attempts of today seldom stay only in the digital world. It isn’t just about avoiding suspicious emails or shady websites. In the state …

Checklist 65: An Overview of the Mac’s Most Important Built-in Security...

For this week’s show, we’re back to talking about the Mac — more specifically, addressing some of the most important security features baked directly into macOS. What steps has Apple taken to keep users safe, and what tools are there to make sure we’re all enjoying our Macs safely and securely? Perhaps you know someone who is about to get a new Mac, or maybe you’re even the one giving it as a gift for the holidays! Being able to learn about staying safe on a new machine is important. …

Apple Patches MacOS High Sierra Login Vulnerability

“Is Apple getting sloppy?”

That was the headline of a BBC article published on Wednesday, November 29th, 2017, reporting the discovery of a major security issue in Apple’s MacOS High Sierra operating system. It seems that a bug within the OS made it possible for anyone to access a High Sierra computer by exploiting a simple login loophole.

Usually, when you login as a user on a Mac, you must enter your username and password. On machines running High Sierra, though, it was possible to enter “root” as the username, …

Checklist 64: Safely Shopping for Technology This Holiday Season

The holiday shopping season has arrived again — and with this episode, we’re turning our attention to some security issues specific to this time of year. With Christmas coming up, you might be looking at all kinds of electronic gadgets for your friends and family. From tech-based toys to Internet of Things products, retailers have more web-connected devices available for us every year.

While it’s certainly a fun time of year, opening some of these gifts during the holidays could also mean opening up your loved ones to a …

Checklist 63: Your Guide to Securing Your Parents’ Computer

During last week’s episode, our discussion centered around talking to your parents about the importance of computer security, and how to educate them on essential steps to take. This week, we’re going to move beyond the parents and look at their computers ourselves —with their permission of course! After your pep talk about strong passwords, you should hope to find their computer protected with a password you can’t guess.

While it’s easy enough to explain how to do things like create strong passwords and to run security software as …

Checklist 62: Talking to Your Parents About Computer Security

Remember back when you were a kid, and someone sat you down to have “The Talk”? It might have been your parents, or it could have been a teacher, but we’ve all been through the experience of learning about “the birds and the bees.” It’s a pivotal moment, and learning about the facts of life can be, well, life-changing. It’s also essential for keeping you safe as you continue to grow up. Well, now you’re grown — you’re older and definitely a little wiser. It might be time to sit down with your parents and have your own version of The Talk with them.

Checklist 61: App Stores, Malware, and How Security Firms Do Their Jobs

For years, people laboured under the misconceptions that Apple hardware and operating systems were immune to the threats and malware faced by the people who use Windows. While macOS may be stronger in some respects, what made the Mac the safest was the fact that relatively few people used it compared to Windows. But times have changed! For most of the past decade, growth for Apple machines has outpaced that of Windows machines. General consumers “saw the light” through the iPod and the iPhone and decided to give the …

iPhone Apps with Camera Permissions Could Secretly Take Your Picture

When is your phone able to take a picture? Put that question to the average user and chances are they will say something about having the actual camera viewfinder on screen. Whether it’s from the default camera app, Instagram, or Facebook, we all expect that the camera isn’t at work when we can’t see ourselves on the screen. As one Google researcher, Felix Krause, recently uncovered, however, that is not actually the case. In fact, when users grant permissions to apps for the use of the camera, it turns …

Apple Releases iOS 11.1 and Other Important Security Updates

The latest round of Apple security updates arrived on Halloween, delivering everything from iOS 11.1 to updates that affect macOS, watchOS, and more. As is often the case with large patch days, these updates address a wide variety of security flaws affecting different parts of the systems in question. From WebKit vulnerabilities to memory handling issues on the Apple Watch and in macOS, Apple squashed plenty of bugs with this batch of updates. Perhaps one of the most important issues addressed in this round of updates, however, is Apple’s …

Recent Downloads from Eltima Software Were Infected with Malware

If you recently downloaded Elmedia Player or Folx—two Mac OS X programs from German-based developer Eltima Software—then your Mac may be infected with malware. According to a report from ZDNet, hackers recently managed to breach the Eltima Software servers. The hackers bundled Elmedia Player and Folx with a Mac OS X Trojan called Proton.

Elmedia Player is a popular media player app that Eltima says is capable of recognizing “any file format you probably may think of.” The app also allows for HD video playback with no slowdowns and …

Checklist 60: Safety in the App Store

Our lives are on our computers and our phones: there’s no getting around that fact. One day, we might look back on that and view it as a mistake, but for now, our finances, health records, communications, family photos, videos, and more all live on these devices. Keeping that information safe is important, and there are several layers of complexity to that challenge. From password practices to two-factor authentication and even to merely protecting your screen from prying eyes, we’ve covered a lot of these tactics on this show. …

Ransomware Attacks Target Apple Users Via iCloud

A recent rash of ransomware attacks has left some Apple users locked out of their Mac computers and iOS devices. The nature of the attacks led some users to wonder if Apple itself had suffered some kind of hack. The good news is that the situation does not appear to be an Apple hack. The bad news is that hackers have somehow managed to get their hands-on login credentials for some users.

Hackers are attacking users by logging into their iCloud accounts and enabling the “Find My iPhone” function. …

Apple Acknowledges U.S. Senate’s Request for Details about iPhone X Face ID...

As in previous years, Apple’s 2017 September keynote brought device announcements, new feature introductions, and other headline-worthy events. What’s different this year, though, is that it also prompted the United States Senate to contact Apple about security and privacy concerns.

Those concerns surrounded the announcement of Apple’s revolutionary iPhone X, the first iPhone ever to ditch the commonplace home button. Specifically, the Senate had questions about the new iPhone’s Face ID feature, which will replace Touch ID as the primary way to unlock the iPhone.

The letter, …

Checklist 59: Bitcoin and the Blockchain: Understanding Cryptocurrency and Its...

Today, we’ll be tackling a couple of buzzwords in the tech industry today: blockchains and Bitcoins. Not unlike HTTPS and botnets, blockchain and Bitcoin are terms that are starting to seep into everyday use. Before we all start using them, though, we should figure out what they mean and how they work! In fact, the blockchain concept has even begun to garner its own “buzzword” status in the security community regarding how secure it can be for storing and accessing information. So, for all our listeners who aren’t even …