Understanding macOS Catalina Security and Privacy Features

It’s official: macOS 10.15 Catalina has now been released to the public. 

The latest Mac OS has a number of new features, including several key enhancements to security and privacy. But Apple’s release notes can sometimes be a bit heavy on jargon, leading users to wonder what the latest, greatest macOS updates actually mean!

In this article, we’ll take you on a tour of Catalina’s security and privacy features, explaining their significance and letting you know how they keep you safe.

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iOS 13 security and privacy features

It’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 …

Apple announces new iPhones—and the next generation of Apple Watch

This 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 …

The Great iOS Jailbreak of 2019—and why you should update to 12.4.1 right now!

Apple 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.

Sign in with Apple: Digital privacy at last?

At 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 …

The DataSpii Privacy Disaster: How Browser Extensions Resulted in a Huge Sensitive Data Leak

If you use Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox as your go-to web browser, and you regularly make use of browser extensions, then some of your browsing data may have been compromised. According to a detailed Ars Technica report on the matter—which is being referred to as “DataSpii’—more than four million users have likely been affected. 

The fault lies with eight different browser extensions, meant for everything from getting past paywalls to zooming in on web content. The way these extensions were set up allowed them to access and collect a wide …

Introducing MacScan 3.2 from SecureMac

New version improves privacy in Safari, offers significant UI/UX upgrades

Las Vegas, Nevada — SecureMac is pleased to announce the latest version of its award-winning security software for macOS: MacScan 3.2. This release offers some significant improvements, including UI/UX enhancements as well as a big change for Safari users concerned about privacy.

We’ve seen some seriously disturbing cybersecurity news of late, from entire cities crippled by ransomware to 12-year-olds on dating apps. And unfortunately, there doesn’t seem to be much good news on the macOS front. At a recent Mac …

AirPort Base Stations Receive Important Firmware Upgrade

Do you rely on an Apple AirPort for your home Wi-Fi needs, or an AirPort Time Capsule to keep your Mac always backed up? If so, you’ll want to make sure you’ve updated your device to the latest version. On May 30th, Apple released a substantial firmware update for these devices, comprised of several high-priority security fixes. Upgrading will ensure your network remains secure while allowing you to continue enjoying the devices with plenty of peace of mind.

The new software version, 7.9.1, includes eight security fixes in total. Of these, …

Highlights from the 2019 Worldwide Developers Conference

On Monday morning, Apple’s 2019 Worldwide Developers Conference kicked off in San Jose. As is tradition, WWDC began with a keynote presentation from Apple highlighting long-awaited updates, important announcements, and a vision of the road ahead.

Here’s our roundup of the biggest news from the keynote, along with a few comments on what this means for Mac security as well.

macOS

As expected, macOS 10.15 is here. Named “Catalina”, the newest version of macOS features a few important changes and a bittersweet farewell.

Goodbye iTunes

Maybe the biggest news—and something that’s been a long time …

Objective by the Sea 2.0

Tthis weekend the glamourous Mediterranean enclave was all about Mac security, as it played host to the Objective by the Sea 2.0 conference. Billed as the world’s only conference dedicated to macOS and iOS security, OBTS is a two-day gathering of researchers and developers from around the globe.

Checklist 140: To Track or Not to Track?

On this week’s Checklist by SecureMac: Apps are talking in your sleep, A case against tracking software for kids, A followup on ZombieLoad, and Automatic updates and. FileVault.

Is your phone talking behind your back? It might seem like an odd question, but the answer might be as surprising to you as it recently was to some security researchers. Here’s another question: how closely should you monitor your kids? Despite the popularity of child tracking apps, today we’ll be making a case for why you shouldn’t rush out to install them. Those …

Apple Releases iOS 12.3 and Security Updates to Its Products

The newest array of updates from Apple has arrived, with an array of updates for a variety of products addressing numerous security concerns, some of them serious. While these updates, particularly iOS 12.3, also add several new and exciting features that are sure to please users, there are also new layers of security and fresh bug fixes going into place behind the scenes to keep iPhone users safe. Here’s how the updates break down:

iOS 12.3

More than 40 separate flaws were patched and fixed in this latest version of iOS, though …