Checklist 187: Talking Encryption with Patrick Wardle

This week, we sit down with a special guest to discuss the ins and outs of encryption — touching on everything from iPhone passcodes and brute-force attacks to political posturing and quantum computing!

New unc0ver jailbreak works on all modern iOS devices

Just as Apple released iOS 13.5 to the world, hackers at unc0ver announced that they had developed a jailbreak that would work on devices running iOS 11 all the way up to the brand new iOS 13.5.

In what follows, we’ll try to answer some common questions about the unc0ver jailbreak. Along the way, we’ll discuss the whys and whats of jailbreaking, and explain what it all means for average iOS users in terms of security and privacy.

What is unc0ver?

Unc0ver is a jailbreak tool for iOS devices. It can be loaded …

Checklist 186: Catching Up on Contact Tracing

This week, we’ll bring you up to speed on Big Tech’s efforts to fight Covid-19.

iOS 13.5 introduces health and safety features

Apple has just released iOS 13.5, and the update brings several significant changes. In what follows, we’ll touch on the highlights — and tell you what they mean in terms of safety, security, and privacy.

Updated: Apple has now released full security notes for the iOS 13.5 update. 

There were eight separate fixes to kernel vulnerabilities, which is significant: the kernel is the core of the operating system, and bugs there can lead to serious problems. Apple says that the kernel issues patched in this release could have led to arbitrary code …

The Senate votes for warrantless surveillance. Here’s what you can do.

The U.S. Senate recently voted to allow law enforcement and intelligence agencies to access people’s web and search history without a warrant.

In this article, we’ll unpack what that means for people living in or visiting the United States — and we’ll tell you what you can do about it.

The legal background

The vote was part of the debate over the re-extension of the Patriot Act, an Act of Congress passed shortly after the September 11 terrorist attacks. 

The law grants government agencies broad surveillance powers when conducting investigations that bear on matters …

Getting back to security basics

The Covid-19 pandemic has changed the way we live, work, and study — and has created new digital security and privacy issues as well. 

But as they say, sometimes the more things change, the more they stay the same. 

In this short piece, we’ll share three recent news stories about cybersecurity threats brought on by the coronavirus crisis. Then we’ll explain how following “the basics” of good personal security can keep you safe from these threats (and others like them).

Phishing Awareness

More people than ever are working from home — many of them …

Bridgefy: The Hong Kong protest messenger app

The Hong Kong protests have captured the world’s attention for several months now. While we’ll leave the political commentary to others, one noteworthy feature of these events is the way in which technology has played a pivotal role in helping the protesters to organize and to thwart the efforts of a much more powerful adversary.

There are numerous examples of this, but one in particular may be of interest to people who follow cybersecurity (and who are interested in digital privacy generally): Bridgefy.

What is Bridgefy, and why should I care?

Bridgefy is …

Is XProtect enough to keep you safe?

Mac malware threats are now increasing more rapidly than their Windows counterparts. With threats to macOS growing more prevalent and sophisticated, many users are starting to wonder if Apple’s native security features are enough to keep them safe.

In this article, we’ll examine one of these built-in Mac protections: XProtect. We’ll take a look at what XProtect is, how it works, and how it stacks up against third-party anti-malware solutions.

What is XProtect? 

XProtect is Apple’s basic malware detection service for macOS, part of the Gatekeeper security feature. XProtect scans downloaded files for …

The difference between a VPN and a proxy

You’ve heard of VPNs, and you may have come across the term “proxy” or “proxy server” before. If you’re like most people, you may be wondering if there’s actually a difference between the two — and asking yourself whether or not a VPN is more secure than a proxy.

The short answer is that VPNs and proxies perform similar functions, but do so in different ways. Depending on your needs, one of them is probably a better choice than the other. 

In this short article, we’ll explain the differences between VPNs and …

Checklist 185: Real Looking Scams and Fake Looking Help

This week on the Checklist, we cover:

Deeper analysis of Covid-19 scam domainsBank whose letters set off alarm bellsPossible GDPR problem for Germany’s Apple Stores

Coronavirus scam sites: a taxonomy

For the past couple of months, we’ve covered stories related to Covid-19 scams and security threats. One thing we noted early on was a surge in domain name registration for new websites related to the pandemic. While many of these were completely legitimate, initial research indicated that an unusual number of these new domains were malicious. 

In an effort to better understand the threat …

Kaiji malware: a new IoT threat

Security researchers have discovered a new family of malware, dubbed “Kaiji”, that targets Internet of Things (IoT) devices and Linux servers.

Checklist 184: Safe Passwords with Bart Busschots

This week on the Checklist, we sit down with a special guest to talk about passwords — plus we’ll update you on Google’s efforts to build a safer smart home.

Passwords for humans

If you’ve listened to the Checklist before, you know that the importance of good passwords is a favorite theme of ours — because it’s such a fundamental aspect of digital security and privacy.

This week, we sat down to talk with Bart Busschots, creator of xkpasswd, a web-based tool that helps users generate strong, unique passwords that are actually easy …

Google finds zero-click bugs affecting iOS, macOS, and more

his week, Google researchers announced that they had discovered multiple “zero-click” bugs in Apple’s image-processing framework. Such vulnerabilities could potentially be used to develop exploits…

Checklist 183: Tracing the Contact Tracing Story

This week, we’ll highlight some big decisions about mobile contact tracing from around the world — and we’ll also let you know what’s going on over at Apple (spoiler: get ready to update iOS).

Checklist 182: Tech Versus Tech Versus Coronavirus

This week, a special guest talks about the Apple/Google contact tracing tool (and the one proposed by France and Germany), plus we’ll share an important warning about a new text messaging scam.

What is Fleeceware?

The term “fleeceware” was coined by the British security researchers who have been investigating it. It refers to apps that charge an excessive monthly subscription fee after a brief trial period has ended — even if a user has uninstalled the app from their device.

Apple releases new iPhone SE

Apple has just released the new iPhone SE after months of speculation and rumors, and will begin taking pre-orders for the compact and powerful new device on Friday, 17 April. The most affordable iPhone on the market, the iPhone SE starts at just $399 (USD) for an entry-level model. 

In what follows, we’ll give you an overview of the iPhone SE’s major features, including the implications for security and privacy.

Size, storage, pricing, exterior

The iPhone SE has a 4.7-inch Retina HD display, making it almost identical to the iPhone 8 physically. 

The base …

Checklist 181: Tech Takes on Coronavirus

This week, Ken looks at the Apple/Google team-up on contact tracing, Apple’s use of Maps data to fight the spread of COVID-19, and a story about brand phishing that’s not coronavirus related. Mostly.

Apple and Google Develop Covid-19 Contact Tracing Tool

Apple and Google have announced that they’re working together to create a Covid-19 contact tracing framework for mobile devices. In this piece, we’ll tell you what you need to know about this important new technology.

What is it?

The joint project is aimed at developing a Bluetooth-based contact tracing system that will alert iOS and Android users if they’ve come into contact with someone who has been diagnosed with Covid-19.

When will it be available?

The system is being deployed in two stages. In May, Apple and Google plan to release APIs (Application Programming …

Teaching computers to kids

With schools closed indefinitely, many of us are looking for ways to keep our kids engaged and occupied at home (without just plonking them down in front of the TV for hours at a time!).