Security Certificate Flaw in Some iOS Apps Could Expose User Data

How often do you check the permissions you grant to apps installed on your iPhone? Do you ever enter sensitive information into apps, like emails, passwords, and more? With apps of every type and nature available on smartphones, it’s all too easy to supply these apps with critical data without a second thought. However, a recent find by a security firm CEO reveals that there are a substantial number of apps with a fundamental flaw that could expose this private information to an attacker. How does it work?

The …

Safari Syncing Bug Left User Browsing Histories Accessible Through iCloud

Regularly clearing the history of sites one has visited in a browser is a common habit for many users. It reduces digital clutter while also providing you with a degree of control over your privacy on the web. When you’ve cleared your history, no one can access your device and instantly see where you’ve been online. That’s the idea, at least; unfortunately, an issue within iCloud meant that user histories lingered in the cloud, sometimes including data over a year old. Though wiped from the devices, a well-informed individual …

Emoji Issue Create Crashes in Older iOS Versions

As a cultural phenomenon, emojis seem to be the natural evolution from more “old school” style emoticons. No longer just a small set of pictograms, emojis now compromise several hundred tiny digital images. Users pepper their text messages with them and fill up social media posts with emojis. The iPhone, like many other smartphones, includes its own built-in library of standard emojis. However, a recently uncovered flaw in the way some versions of iOS render a particular emoji can cause instability and inaccessibility for some iPads and iPhones.

What …

Checklist 23: Safeguarding Your Data with Backups and Encryption

The files on your Mac are more than “just data” — they’re your music, your vacation pics, that report that’s due for work or the video of your child’s first steps. On today’s episode, we’re going to cover specific steps you can take to keep your data safe and secure from prying eyes.

Checklist 22: Tor and the Dark Web

Beyond social media and online shopping sites, there’s a whole lot to the Internet that the average user simply can’t see. We’re talking, of course, about the so-called “dark web” which is only accessible with the Tor Browser. On today’s episode, we’ll be discussing this hidden side of the internet, and the special browser needed to access it.

Newly-Discovered “Fruitfly” Backdoor Allows Remote Access to Macs

The latest item of Mac malware to be uncovered is actually not new at all; in fact, it may have been around for several years. Dubbed “Fruitfly” by Apple, this malware has some novel features. In particular, its function depends upon using both an outdated library from the late 90s, libjpeg, as well as pre-OS X system calls. Why the malware was designed to use outdated methods is unknown, but in the wake of the malware’s discovery, Apple promptly issued an update to XProtect to reduce the threat to users. …

Checklist 21: Must-Have Third Party Security Apps for Any Mac User

On today’s episode of the Checklist podcast, we’ll run down some of the security apps which are “must-haves” for any user. We’ll cover what these apps do, what sets them apart, and why you’d be wise to have some of them installed on your Mac.

Patch Available to Correct Privacy Flaw in Skype for Mac Users

For many users, Skype is often used to stay in touch with both friends and family as well as for business communications. Those who rely on Skype for Mac should be aware there was a recent discovery of a vulnerability in the application. Affecting Skype versions as recent as 7.35 (and all previous versions), the flaw could potentially expose user information or allow malware to interact with Skype.

The issue concerns the way Skype handles data interaction.  Researchers uncovered the ability to bypass authentication requirements while while interacting with …

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 …