6 Things to Know about Open Firmware Password Protection

6 Things to Know about Open Firmware Password Protection

Macs are very safe computers, but they’re not immune to attacks — or to theft. Luckily, your Mac has some hidden features that can be enabled for extra security. One of these is Open Firmware Password Protection. Here’s what you need to know about it.

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January 29, 2020 • 5 min read
Apple and the FBI

Apple and the FBI

The government wants Apple to unlock a terrorist’s iPhone. Are they asking the impossible?

In the wake of the December terrorist attack at Naval Air Station Pensacola, in which three service members lost their lives, the federal government has renewed calls for Apple to provide a “backdoor” by which authorities can bypass the encryption on iPhones.

In this brief article, we’ll look at the background to this most recent clash between Apple and the U.S. Department of Justice, and we’ll examine the issue from a technical perspective as …

January 23, 2020 • 8 min read
Checklist 171: Here, FIDO!

Checklist 171: Here, FIDO!

On this week’s Checklist, we’ll see how private your iCloud backups really are; we’ll examine the strange story of how the richest person in the world got hacked; and finally, we’ll look at a technology that promises a better way to do 2FA.

This week on the Checklist:

Considering iCloud and end-to-end encryptionA WhatsApp bromance gone badIf you’ve got an iPhone, here’s FIDO!

 
What happens in your iCloud…

We’ve known for a while that iCloud backup data isn’t protected by end-to-end encryption — meaning that encryption keys aren’t stored only on the user’s device, …

January 23, 2020 • 10 min read
Checklist 170: A Great Big List + Home Insecurity

Checklist 170: A Great Big List + Home Insecurity

On this week’s Checklist, we’ll take a look at someone else’s checklist of security tips, plus we’ll talk about what happens when companies that don’t specialize in security decide to get into the security business.

January 16, 2020 • 10 min read
The California Consumer Privacy Act

The California Consumer Privacy Act

The California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) is legislation designed to protect the digital privacy and consumer rights of residents of the State of California.

January 13, 2020 • 6 min read
Why you should update Firefox right now, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security

Why you should update Firefox right now, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has issued an alert about a “critical vulnerability” affecting Mozilla’s Firefox browser. The DHS has advised all Firefox users to update their browser software immediately.

In this short article, we’ll explain what the vulnerability is, help you parse the language used in the security advisory, tell you who is affected, and let you know how to get your updates and stay safe.

What is the vulnerability?

According to the Mozilla security advisory, the vulnerability was due to a flaw in the “IonMonkey JIT compiler”, which could “lead …

January 11, 2020 • 6 min read
Checklist 169: New Year, New Rules!

Checklist 169: New Year, New Rules!

It’s the first Checklist of 2020, and we’re starting things off with some important privacy news from the great state of California. We’ll also discuss (another) potential issue with Amazon’s Ring doorbell surveillance camera. And finally, we’ll leave you with a decidedly low-tech security tip that you’ll want to remember all year long!

January 9, 2020 • 8 min read
Cybersecurity New Year’s Resolution #2: Turn on 2FA

Cybersecurity New Year’s Resolution #2: Turn on 2FA

Two-factor authentication, or 2FA, is one of the best cybersecurity tools available to you. The main benefit of two-factor authentication is that it adds another layer of protection to your accounts and services, above and beyond passwords

January 8, 2020 • 11 min read
RCS chat: a better SMS for Android?

RCS chat: a better SMS for Android?

Android has started rolling out Rich Communication Services (RCS) chat features to users of its Messages app, touting this as a better, more up-to-date successor to traditional SMS texting. However, there is still some confusion about what RCS is…

January 7, 2020 • 6 min read