Disruptive macOS Malware Takes Over Mail App

Modern malware adopts a huge number of different forms, from the destructive to the secretive. Some will seek to damage your system, while others snoop around for personal information to steal. Because these are the types of malware infections that users most often encounter, it’s easy to think that an anti-malware solution is all you need to stay protected. However, some malware can exploit flaws at a more fundamental level in the system. Such is the case with the emergence of a recent malware threat for Mac users which …

Checklist 20: 5 Things to Know About Physical Security

On this podcast we frequently talk about the various “digital” defenses that you can set up to protect your Mac and iOS devices. Physically securing your devices is equally important, especially when it comes to protecting your data from prying eyes and grabbing hands in the “real world!” In today’s edition, we’ll cover what you need to know about physical security and some things you can do to improve your device’s safety.

Checklist 19: All About VPNs

VPNs (Virtual Private Networks) are one way you can take matters into your own hands and improve your privacy online. On today’s show, we’ll go over exactly what these are plus how you can use them on your Apple devices.

Apple Postpones Mandatory Move to App Transport Security

In a recent article, we covered Apple’s App Transport Security (ATS) feature and the security benefits its implementation brings to users. Apple had set a deadline of January 1, 2017, by which all apps offered through the App Store needed to be ATS-compliant. We noted that the majority of apps — even very popular ones —were currently non-compliant, as well as discussing some developer concerns about the difficulty involved in meeting the deadline.

In a terse statement posted on the Apple Developers website just before the new year, the …

Checklist 18: 016 iOS Security Year In Review

Last week we took a look back at the defining moments in 2016 for Mac security, and this week we’re giving iOS the same treatment! A lot has happened in the past year, and we’ve got plenty to cover in this episode!

Two Activation Lock Vulnerabilities Surface in iOS

Of the most important features built into iOS, the Activation Lock is one which users seldom directly encounter but which benefits everyone. In short, the Activation Lock is a setting which allows you to link your iCloud username and password to the device hardware. This login info is thereafter needed for tasks such as signing out of your iCloud account or disabling Find My iPhone. It even turns off the ability to erase your data without supplying login details. The Activation Lock is an anti-theft measure, and quite an …

Battery Bug in Latest iOS Versions Cause Phones to Power Down at 30%

While Apple is busy contending with iPhone 6S battery degradation and offering replacements to some of their owners; users of the most recent iOS updates on iPhone 6 and 5s models are dealing with battery issues of their own. While there have been some issues with updates affecting battery life in the past, the current bug can disrupt daily functionality. The problem began with iOS 10.1.1 and continues to persist into the recently-released version 10.2.

What does the bug resemble, and what are the issues surrounding it? While using …

Research Reveals Apple’s Efforts to Safeguard User Biometrics in the...

Today, individuals generate a staggering amount of personal data on an annual basis. It’s not just your files and documents, though — it’s everything you leave behind in your digital wake. That includes things such as browsing history, purchasing habits, tracking cookies, and even passwords. Managing the security of that data and protecting it isn’t always easy. As we begin to use physical data about our bodies, like fingerprints, to interact with our devices, that security becomes even more important. With Apple’s introduction of the Touch Bar in the …

Apple Delays Enforcement of Secure In-App Web Connections in 2017

Update: In response to developer concerns about meeting the ATS deadline, Apple has extended the timeframe for compliance. Click here to read more on the latest developments in this process.

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Apps on iOS devices were about to become a lot more secure overall in the approaching new year, but Apple has pushed back its deadline in a late announcement. What’s this about, you might ask? Well, it all has to do with groundwork laid several years ago, way back in iOS 9. In that update, Apple took the …

iPhone Users Beware: New SMS Flaw Can Crash Messages app on all iOS Versions

An issue relating to text message attachments is currently causing severe issues for iPhones across all iOS 10 versions, as well as previous releases. Unlike the infamous 2015 Unicode exploit, in which the body of a message caused a system crash, this new problem creates severe instability in the iPhone’s Messages app. After an initial crash, created by opening a malicious attachment, Messages is unable to recover and restart, even after a hard reboot of the iPhone.

At the root of the flaw is an extremely large phone contacts …

Checklist 17: 2016 Mac Security Year In Review

The past year has seen threats new and old targeting Mac users, but it has also seen some significant progress from Apple when it comes to security. On today’s episode, we’ll be covering some of the top Mac security stories that you might have missed over the past year.

Flash’s Decline Continues as Edge and Chrome Move to Block the Software

Once common on websites across the entire Internet, Adobe Flash is today mainly known for its extreme security flaws. At times it has seemed like a new Flash zero-day exploit came out several times each month, always sending Adobe scrambling to issue a quick fix. Earlier this year, Apple took the step of blocking all out-of-date versions of Flash from running in Safari; that position transformed into an even more hardline approach by the early summer. At that point, Apple announced that future versions of Safari would disable Flash …

Mirai Botnet Returns to Menace European Internet Users

Several months ago, Americans on the East Coast awoke to discover that large swathes of the Internet, including major sites like Twitter, were totally inaccessible. The problems continued for hours; the cause was eventually revealed to be a huge DDoS attack launched against Dyn, a major DNS provider in America. The attack, leveraging an army of compromised devices like DVRs and webcams called the Mirai botnet, did no lasting damage but did draw further attention to the growing problem that botnets such as these represent.

Now, Mirai has struck …

Checklist 16: 5 Ways Websites Are Tracking You

There are many different ways that websites and advertisers can track your online browsing habits. In today’s episode, we’re covering 5 ways websites are tracking you, why they’re doing it, and what it means for online privacy.

Apple Moves to Enforce Secure In-App Web Connections in 2017

Apps on iOS devices are about to become a lot more secure overall in the approaching new year, and it all has to do with the groundwork laid by Apple several years ago. Way back in iOS 9, Apple took the step of requiring a secure HTTP connection from apps requesting pages via the Internet. Known as App Transport Security, or ATS, this feature prevents apps from creating insecure connections to the web. These types of connections, as we know, pose a potentially severe security threat and increase the …

Facebook Enters the Online Black Market to Buy Back Passwords

With years of high-profile hacks and huge numbers of stolen passwords already in the history books, it’s no surprise that there’s a black market on the web for dealing with this hacked data. What you might not know, however, is that the purchasers of such information aren’t always those with a malicious purpose. Rather than some spammer or botnet operator buying up your stolen password, it could actually be Facebook. Why would the social media giant head onto the dark web to purchase illegitimately obtained user information, though? The …

Apple Corrects Slew of Security Issues with New Updates

Following a month-long gap after the release of iOS 10.1.1, Apple has finally released its latest round of updates not just for its iOS devices but several other products as well. In addition to iOS 10.2, macOS Sierra received many security updates, as did Safari. iCloud and iTunes for Windows also received minor patches as well. While Apple took the time to add some additional features and tweaks to iOS in its update, these patches were mainly aimed at closing many ongoing system vulnerabilities.

Among the most crucial fixes …

Flash’s Decline Continues as Edge and Chrome Move to Block the Software

Once a staple of websites across the entire Internet, Adobe Flash is today mainly known for its extreme security flaws. At times it seems like a new Flash zero-day exploit comes out several times each month, always sending Adobe scrambling to issue a quick fix. Earlier this year, Apple took the step of blocking all out-of-date versions of Flash from running in Safari; that position transformed into an even more hardline approach by the early summer. At that point, Apple announced that future versions of Safari would disable Flash …

Security Researchers Uncover Massive WordPress Vulnerability

Since the entrance of the word “blog” into our vocabularies in the mid-2000s, the idea of what blogging encompasses has undergone a significant amount of change. What hasn’t changed, however, is a lot of the underlying architecture that powers those blogs. WordPress is among the most popular platforms for creating websites on the Internet. By one estimate, WordPress software is the engine behind nearly 30% of all websites. These aren’t just blogs as such; many other sites run on some variation of the core WordPress software.

Considering the staggering …

Siri Exploit Creates an Avenue for Hackers to Bypass Your Passcodes

Preventing unauthorized access to your iPhone is important; that’s why so many of us lock our phones with secure passcodes and even our fingerprints. These basic features mean that no passerby can pick up your phone and start going through your personal information. However, it’s important for users concerned with privacy and security to keep a close eye on their devices. In some cases, information stored on your phone can still be vulnerable even with a passcode lock. For example, if you have Siri enabled, there is a potential …