Checklist 195: Attacks on the 2020 Election with Nick Leon
The 2020 U.S. election is under attack. Who’s doing it? Why? How? And what can we do stop it? SecureMac’s Nick Leon joins us to talk it over.
August 20, 2020 • 12 min readSearch
Results for
XCSSET: New Mac malware infects Xcode projects
Security researchers have discovered an interesting new variety of macOS malware that spreads by attacking Xcode projects. It’s called XCSSET, and in this article, we’ll tell you what you need to know about this unusual threat in order to stay safe. What is XCSSET? XCSSET…
August 18, 2020 • 5 min read
DEF CON Safe Mode Highlights
DEF CON, a major annual event in the world of cybersecurity, was held just last week. This year, the organizers decided to go virtual, calling the event “DEF CON Safe Mode”. There were a number of great talks and panels at the conference, and while…
August 14, 2020 • 5 min read
Checklist 194: YouTube Hijacking Bitcoin Blues with Stephen Warwick
This week, The Checklist takes you inside yet another high-profile Bitcoin scam, this time affecting YouTube. We’ll talk about what happened, and then discuss the technical details of the compromise.
August 14, 2020 • 15 min read
Disinformation in the age of social media: Renée DiResta’s Black Hat 2020 keynote
Black Hat USA is a major event in the world of information security. This year, due to the ongoing pandemic, the conference went virtual — and the organizers offered open access to many of the most important talks and sessions. Among these were two timely…
August 12, 2020 • 8 min readElection security in a pandemic: Matt Blaze’s Black Hat 2020 keynote
Black Hat USA is one of the biggest events in the world of cybersecurity, bringing the infosec community together once a year for several days of trainings, briefings, and demos. Due to COVID-19, Black Hat 2020 went fully remote, and offered free access to some…
August 11, 2020 • 8 min read
ThiefQuest malware for macOS is a triple threat
In this piece, we’ll discuss ThiefQuest’s key capabilities, and we’ll also tell you how to protect yourself from an infection.
August 6, 2020 • 7 min read
Checklist WWDC20 Outtake
We’re bringing you a WWDC outtake: an off-the-cuff, practically off-mic discussion of WWDCs past — as well as the roles Apple execs play.
August 6, 2020 • 3 min readChris Hadnagy on social engineering
Chris Hadnagy is one of the world’s foremost authorities on social engineering. He has written four books on the topic, including Social Engineering: The Science of Human Hacking and Unmasking the Social Engineer: The Human Element of Security. Hadnagy has been a prominent figure in…
August 3, 2020 • 27 min read
What is key-based 2FA?
Standard 2FA has some important limitations, which is why many security experts believe that key-based 2FA is the wave of the future — especially now that Apple has made changes to make it much more accessible to iPhone and iPad users.
July 31, 2020 • 6 min read
Checklist 193: A Look at Apple Silicon with Nick Leon
Starting this year, Apple will begin making its own, ARM-based processors for the Mac. In this episode of The Checklist, we take a look at the background to this change, as well as what it means for Mac users: Intel vs ARMApple Silicon Macs and…
July 30, 2020 • 12 min read
Government issues alert about cyberattacks on critical infrastructure
The U.S. government has issued an alert warning that there is an increased danger of cyberattacks on civilian infrastructure. The alert comes from the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the National Security Agency (NSA).
July 30, 2020 • 5 min read
Checklist 192: Twitter Hack 2020
A week behind us, the great Twitter hack is still unfolding. We’ll look at what we think we know so far and why the hack itself matters on this edition of The Checklist, brought to you by SecureMac.
July 23, 2020 • 6 min read
ARM Macs FAQ
Apple will soon begin transitioning away from Intel CPUs and switching to ARM processors instead. In this article, we’ll try to answer frequently asked questions about the change, offering some context to Apple’s decision and explaining what it all means for Mac users — especially…
July 17, 2020 • 10 min read
Checklist 191: TikTok Talk with Patrick Wardle
TikTok. Harmless fun? Or existential threat to the United States? The answer you get depends on who you ask. This week we have a special guest to help us discuss the question in depth — and we’ll get into the larger issues with apps, user…
July 17, 2020 • 19 min readTwitter hack was an inside job, sources say
On Wednesday, multiple verified, high-profile Twitter accounts were compromised, including the accounts of Barack Obama, Elon Musk, and Apple. Hackers made tweets requesting charitable donations in the form of Bitcoin, promising to double any contribution made within the next 30 minutes. The tweets were, of…
July 16, 2020 • 2 min read
EARN IT Act moves forward, worrying privacy advocates
The “EARN IT” Act is slowly making its way through the U.S. Senate. Despite strong public criticism, an amended version of the bill was unanimously approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee in early July, setting the stage for full hearings in the near future. In…
July 15, 2020 • 4 min read
Is Mac malware evolving?
Mac malware is increasing in quantity, and many security researchers say it’s becoming more sophisticated as well. While some Mac users are still a bit blasé about the threats facing the platform, the last few weeks have provided two great examples of the evolution of…
July 13, 2020 • 5 min read
Checklist 190: WWDC20, iOS, and Safari with Brett Terpstra
This week, we dive a bit deeper into some WWDC20 announcements with developer Brett Terpstra
July 9, 2020 • 10 min read
Browser extensions and your privacy
afari is getting a major overhaul in macOS 11 Big Sur, and one of the most important privacy enhancements has to do with browser extensions
July 8, 2020 • 8 min read