AppleApple 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 …
April 14, 2020 •
7 min read
AppleApple has just released a raft of updates, and some of them have important security and privacy implications. In this brief article, we’ll highlight some of the key points from Cupertino’s release notes and explain their significance. Then (in a sign of the times) we’ll offer a special addendum to our update guidance.
macOS 10.15.4
Version 10.15.4 of macOS patches a number of serious vulnerabilities. Related security patches were also issued to support older versions of the operating system; these were named Security Update 2020-002 Mojave and Security Update 2020-002 High Sierra.
One …
March 26, 2020 •
6 min read
AppleApple has released updated versions of its major operating systems, with some important bug fixes and security patches. In this brief article, we’ll take you through the highlights of the release notes and let you know what they mean.
January 30, 2020 •
4 min read
AppleIn recent weeks, several high-profile US organizations have faced controversy due to their ties with China—and due to the actions which they took in order to preserve those ties.
November 3, 2019 •
5 min read
AppleIt’s official: iOS 13 is here, come friday. iPhone users will be able to try out all the new features announced at the WWDC keynote in June: Dark Mode, QuickPath swipe typing, a revamped Maps, and more.
In addition to all of this, iOS 13 also offers a number of security and privacy enhancements— some of which are already making waves. We’ll take you through the most important of these in the following article.
Location, location, location
iOS 13 will allow iPhone users increased control over how they share their location data—and …
September 18, 2019 •
5 min read
AppleOver the last couple of weeks, both on the Checklist and on the news section of our site, we’ve been talking about the story of the big iOS jailbreak that was announced in August. This jailbreak was unusual in that it affected the most up-to-date version of iOS available—something we hadn’t seen in quite a while.
Jailbreaking, as you’ll recall, is the process of removing Apple’s built-in safeguards and limitations on what users and software can do in iOS, essentially allowing them high-level administrative privileges that Apple never intended them to …
September 11, 2019 •
3 min read
AppleThis Tuesday, Apple held its much-anticipated media event. Here are a few key takeaways from the big day.
New iPhones!
The big news on Tuesday was, as expected, the announcement of the next generation of iPhones.
Apple is rolling out three new models: the iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, and iPhone 11 Pro Max. The phones are priced at $699, $999, and $1099, respectively. The new devices will be available for pre-order on Friday and for purchase in Apple Stores by 20 September.
So what’s new?
Not all that much (with a couple of important …
September 10, 2019 •
3 min read
AppleApple has just released a patch to fix the issue discussed below. If you don’t have automatic updates enabled, take a second to update to iOS 12.4.1 now.
August 26, 2019 •
4 min read
AppleiPhone users who frequently use the AirDrop feature to share images, videos, or other files may unwittingly be broadcasting their phone numbers to people nearby. According to a recent Ars Technica report, a hacker would need to have a laptop and a “wireless packet sniffer” dongle to exploit the vulnerability. Armed with those components, a security researcher testing the proof-of-concept software designed to exploit the vulnerability was able to see “details of more than a dozen iPhones and Apple Watches that were within radio range” and use this information to …
August 24, 2019 •
3 min read
AppleThis week on the Checklist podcast, we’ll talk about how to deal with security risks that come from those closest to you (literally). We’ll take you through some bad iOS news from the past week, and also discuss how it relates to a larger issue related to mobile security. And finally, we revisit a familiar topic—passwords—and tell you about some newly released Google research that probably means we’ll have to keep talking about passwords for the foreseeable future. Here’s our weekly Checklist:
Protecting your data from the people – literally – …
August 22, 2019 •
12 min read
AppleAt this year’s Worldwide Developers Conference, Apple announced several forthcoming changes aimed at improving privacy and security for its users. Perhaps the most important of these was “Sign in with Apple”, slated for widespread release later this year.
In this post, we’ll talk about what Sign in with Apple is, why it matters…and whether or not it’s all it’s cracked up to be.
What is Sign in with Apple?
Many apps ask users to sign-in with a social media account, ostensibly in order to offer a more personalized experience. You’ve probably seen or …
August 14, 2019 •
4 min read
AppleThe 22nd annual Black Hat USA conference was held this week in Las Vegas. Black Hat is one of the most important events in cybersecurity, bringing together researchers, developers, and hackers from all over the world for a week of training sessions and briefings. As such, it’s often the stage for major announcements affecting security professionals as well as the general public.
This year’s Black Hat did not disappoint, and featured significant new developments that will interest both macOS and iOS users.
Read on for our roundup of Black Hat 2019…
The macOS …
August 9, 2019 •
4 min read