Intego Mac Podcast

Silver Sparrow malware has been found targeting Macs, including Apple's new M1 models, but we don't know what the malware is trying to do. Apple has started going after App Store subscription scams, patches an iCloud website vulnerability, will make "zero-click" attacks harder to carry out in iOS. And, yes, we have some good news for Android users. Show Notes: Galaxy products launched since 2019, including the Z, S, Note, A, M, XCover and Tab series, will now receive at least four years of security updates New browser-tracking hack works even when you flush caches or go incognito Firefox 86 Introduces Total Cookie Protection Apple cracks down on apps with ‘irrationally high prices’ as App Store scams are exposed How to manage iTunes Store and App Store Subscriptions Apple Is Going to Make It Harder to Hack iPhones With Zero-Click Attacks Stored XSS bug in Apple iCloud domain disclosed by bug bounty hunter Clipping Silver Sparrow’s wings: Outing macOS malware before it takes flight Shakuhachi Intego Mac Premium Bundle X9 is the ultimate protection and utility suite for your Mac. Download a free trial now at intego.com, and use this link for a special discount when you're ready to buy.

A new Amazon phishing scam doesn't include links to click, but rather a telephone number to call: beware! Malvertizing takes advantage of a zero-day WebKit vulnerability to display deceptive ads, and serve malware. And Apple has set up a website for people to request the removal of activation lock on devices they own. Show Notes: Fraudulent Website Warning gets privacy boost in iOS 14.5 Hash function (Wikipedia) Apple fixes bug that let users begin macOS Big Sur installation without enough space available Apple iBook Commercial circa 2000 (YouTube) Malvertiser abused WebKit zero-day to redirect iOS & macOS users to shady sites Spy pixels in emails have become endemic Gmail will now display images by default (2013) Apple Launches Self-Serve Portal for Initiating Activation Lock Removal Requests Microsoft to add 'Kids Mode' to Chromium-based Edge browser Intego Mac Premium Bundle X9 is the ultimate protection and utility suite for your Mac. Download a free trial now at intego.com, and use this link for a special discount when you're ready to buy.

There were a number of important security updates to key software this week: macOS, Chrome, Edge, and even Plex. We discuss how upgrading a Mac to Big Sur without enough space can cause data loss, we look at scam apps on the iOS app store, and we talk about using Safari browser extensions on the Mac Show Notes: macOS 11.2.1 update Latest Chrome 88 Update Includes Important Fix for Zero-Day Vulnerability Plex Media servers are being abused for DDoS attacks Big Sur Upgrade not Enough Free Space = Serious Issue & Possible Data Loss! Scam iOS Apps Still Raking in Millions in Revenue on App Store A Spyware Vendor Seemingly Made a Fake WhatsApp to Hack Targets How to Use Safari Extensions to Enhance Your Browser Intego Mac Premium Bundle X9 is the ultimate protection and utility suite for your Mac. Download a free trial now at intego.com, and use this link for a special discount when you're ready to buy.

Apple is testing a new feature allowing users with Face ID iPhones to unlock them with their Apple Watch, if they're wearing masks. There's a vulnerability with the sudo command in various Unix distributions, including macOS. And we discuss how Apple's privacy labels have been abused already by developers. Show Notes: iOS 14.5 adds support for unlocking your iPhone with Apple Watch while wearing a face mask About the security content of macOS Big Sur 11.2, Security Update 2021-001 Catalina, Security Update 2021-001 Mojave 10-year-old Sudo bug lets Linux users gain root-level access Recent root-giving Sudo bug also impacts macOS I checked Apple’s new privacy ‘nutrition labels.’ Many were false. Episode 166: Understanding Apple’s App Privacy Information Facebook prompt will encourage ad tracking opt-in ahead of Apple’s privacy push Google apps will stop using tracking ID that would require upcoming iOS 14 permission prompt Intego Mac Premium Bundle X9 is the ultimate protection and utility suite for your Mac. Download a free trial now at intego.com, and use this link for a special discount when you're ready to buy.

Apple updated most of its operating system, and these updates are important because they patch vulnerabilities that are exploited in the wild. We talk about some web browsers and Flash, and we discuss ergonomics and how you can make your workstation healthier. Show Notes: iOS 14.4 Patches Vulnerabilities That May Have Been Actively Exploited Race Condition Apple Seeds Second Release Candidate Version of macOS Big Sur 11.2 to Developers The blink tag Firefox 85 removes Flash and adds protection against supercookies South African government releases its own browser just to re-enable Flash support Chrome is Bad Google Chrome might be bad, but it’s not slowing down your Mac 10 Steps to Improve Your Computer Ergonomics Erg (Wikipedia) Intego Mac Premium Bundle X9 is the ultimate protection and utility suite for your Mac. Download a free trial now at intego.com, and use this link for a special discount when you're ready to buy.

DNS is in the news, following a warning from the NSA and new malware. We discuss how common it is for law enforcement to crack smartphones, and how this should prompt you to choose a more secure passcode for your device. We look another bitcoin owner who's lost millions. And we discuss the new Control Center in macOS Big Sur. Show Notes: Brave becomes first browser to add native support for the IPFS protocol InterPlanetary File System The NSA warns enterprises to beware of third-party DNS resolver DNSpooq lets attackers poison DNS cache records 1.1.1.1 Quad9 OpenDNS Private Internet Access How law enforcement gets around your smartphone’s encryption If Hackers Crack a Six-Digit iPhone Passcode, They Can Get All Your Passwords Android One Man offers Newport council £50m if it helps find bitcoins in landfill How to Configure and Use Control Center in macOS Big Sur Bartender Control Strip Intego Mac Premium Bundle X9 is the ultimate protection and utility suite for your Mac. Download a free trial now at intego.com, and use this link for a special discount when you're ready to buy.

iTunes is 20 years old. Even if, on the Mac, that name has been eclipsed, the iTunes brand still exists, and iTunes is one of the reasons that Apple is such a strong services company. We also look at some new AppleScript malware, how some millionaires are losing Bitcoin because they forgot their passwords, and discuss "brushing," a new semi-scam where people received Amazon deliveries they never ordered. Show Notes: macOS malware used run-only AppleScripts to avoid detection for five years How to Uninstall Flash Player Lost Passwords Lock Millionaires Out of Their Bitcoin Fortunes Mysterious Packages Showing Up on Doorsteps How to Spot Fake Product Reviews Getting unordered seeds and stuff in the mail? iTunes at 20: How One App Changed Apple’s Course Intego Mac Premium Bundle X9 is the ultimate protection and utility suite for your Mac. Download a free trial now at intego.com, and use this link for a special discount when you're ready to buy.

There's new malware attacking cryptocurrency apps, WhatsApp warns users about data it is sharing with Facebook, and Apple loses a copyright fight with a company that virtualizes iOS so security researchers can look for vulnerabilities. We also look at how you can manage and secure notifications on your devices, so you don't get too distracted, and also so personal information isn't visible when your devices are locks. Show Notes: Operation ElectroRAT: Attacker Creates Fake Companies to Drain Your Crypto Wallets Patrick Wardle’s ElectroRAT write-up Mandatory WhatsApp Privacy Policy Update Allows User Data to be Shared With Facebook Apple loses copyright battle against security start-up Corellium Apple begins shipping ‘rooted’ iPhones to members of the Security Research Device Program Manage and Secure Notifications on Your iPhone, iPad, and Mac Intego Mac Premium Bundle X9 is the ultimate protection and utility suite for your Mac. Download a free trial now at intego.com, and use this link for a special discount when you're ready to buy.

On December 31, 2020, Adobe Flash Player is officially dead. This browser plugin, which provided multimedia content for the early internet, has been plagued by security issues, and became the most exploited vector for malware on the Mac. We look back on 25 years of Flash. Show Notes: The History of Adobe Flash Player: From Multimedia to Malware Articles about Flash on the Intego Mac Security Blog Intego Mac Premium Bundle X9 is the ultimate protection and utility suite for your Mac. Download a free trial now at intego.com, and use this link for a special discount when you're ready to buy.

As the year ends, we look back on the security issues that arose in 2020, including malware that bypassed Apple's checks, Flash Player malware, and malware that specifically targeted Mac developers. Show Notes: Apple security in 2019: year in review Apple Security 2020: The Year in Review Intego Mac Premium Bundle X9 is the ultimate protection and utility suite for your Mac. Download a free trial now at intego.com, and use this link for a special discount when you're ready to buy.

Apple has introduced new app privacy information on its app stores, explaining how developers collect data. We also look at this week's Apple updates, including one for iOS 12, and even iCloud for Windows. And we discuss how Google is manipulating links in emails, ostensibly to protect users. Show Notes: Apple releases iOS 12.5 for older iPhones with support for COVID-19 exposure notifications Gmail Click-time Link Protections PayPal introduces new fee for dormant accounts App privacy details on the App Store Understanding Apple’s New App Privacy Information Intego Mac Premium Bundle X9 is the ultimate protection and utility suite for your Mac. Download a free trial now at intego.com, and use this link for a special discount when you're ready to buy.

Apple announces new over-the-ear headphones, AirPods Max, and we discuss whether these meet the needs of our hosts. Apple doubles down on anti-tracking rules, and WhatsApps complains about Apple's coming "nutrition labels" about data collection in apps. And Apple and Cloudflare have come up with a new way of sending DNS requests that protects privacy. Show Notes: Apple AirPods Max Apple Could Ban Apps That Don't Follow iOS 14 Anti-Tracking Rules, Says Software Chief Craig Federighi U.S. and States Say Facebook Illegally Crushed Competition WhatsApp Protests Apple's App Store Privacy Requirements After we recorded this episode, Apple announced that they will publish privacy labels for preinstalled iOS apps, which was one of the complaints that WhatsApp had. Apple to Publish Privacy Labels for Preinstalled iOS Apps on Website Unpacking WhatsApp’s privacy label in the Apple App Store Apple and Cloudflare Develop New Privacy-Focused Internet Protocol Domain Name System (Wikipedia) Telephone exchange names (Wikipedia) 867-5309 Intego Mac Premium Bundle X9 is the ultimate protection and utility suite for your Mac. Download a free trial now at intego.com, and use this link for a special discount when you're ready to buy.

We discuss how new security features in macOS Big Sur can make it difficult to install certain apps. We talk about Amazon Sidewalk, a feature that will share your bandwidth from Amazon devices. We look at an astounding remote wi-fi exploit that could have let hackers access your iPhone. And Kirk discusses his first week with the new MacBook Air, which has surprised him. Show Notes: Black Friday; Securely Dispose of Your Old Mac; The HomePod mini – Intego Mac Podcast Episode 163 Protecting data at multiple layers (Apple developer document) Installing ACE on M chip-based Macs (Audio Hijack) Amazon Sidewalk will be enabled by default on Echo devices iOS Wi-Fi Exploit Could Have Let Hackers Remotely Access Nearby iPhones A Week with the New Apple M1 MacBook Air Intego Mac Premium Bundle X9 is the ultimate protection and utility suite for your Mac. Cyber Week 2020 special offer: save up to an incredible 65% off Mac Premium Bundle X9 (through this Saturday only) via this link. Share it with your friends and family to help them save, too! Intego Antivirus for Windows keeps your Boot Camp, VM, or PC protected from the latest malware threats. Download a free trial now, and use this link for a special discount when you're ready to buy.

With Black Friday and Cyber Monday coming up, we give some tips on buying older devices that may be insecure. We discuss how to audit your subscriptions with Apple, so you don't pay for what you're no longer using. We look at how to securely dispose of a Mac when you're selling or giving it away. And we talk about the new HomePod mini: is it the right smart speaker for you? Show Notes: Caution! These Black Friday “deals” may be bad for your security Identify your iPad model How to manage iTunes Store and App Store Subscriptions How to Securely Dispose of Your Old Mac How to securely dispose of old hard drives and SSDs Apple HomePod mini Review: Siri in a Compact Speaker Intego Mac Premium Bundle X9 is the ultimate protection and utility suite for your Mac. Black Friday/Cyber Monday 2020 special offer: save up to an incredible 65% off Mac Premium Bundle X9 via this link. Share it with your friends and family to help them save, too! Intego Antivirus for Windows keeps your Boot Camp, VM, or PC protected from the latest malware threats. Be sure to use this link for a special discount, and recommend it to your Windows-using family and friends.

Apple released macOS Big Sur last week. On release day, there were a number of issues, including problems launching apps on Macs. We discuss what happened, and how Apple is changing its Gatekeeper security check. We also talk about when you should upgrade to Big Sur and how you should prepare your Mac for the big upgrade. Show Notes: MacBook Pro 2013 and 2014 may get bricked — wait until Apple fixes this Mac users couldn’t launch apps this afternoon after Apple verification server issue Safely open apps on your Mac Does Apple really log every app you run? A technical look How to Prepare Your Mac to Upgrade to macOS Big Sur: the Ultimate Guide Intego Mac Premium Bundle X9 is the ultimate protection and utility suite for your Mac. Download a free trial now at intego.com. First-time buyers can save 40% by using coupon code PODCAST20 at checkout. Intego Antivirus for Windows keeps your Boot Camp, VM, or PC protected from the latest malware threats. Download a free trial now, and use this link for a special discount when you're ready to buy.

Apple announced three new Macs with its own processors, the first of a transition of the complete line of Macs to Apple silicon that should be complete in about two years. At the same time, macOS Big Sur is released. We discuss the new Macs, Apple's M1 "system on a chip", and a two-year old Apple bug that still hasn't been fixed. Show Notes: Apple neglects to fix “fake headlines” bug usable for election interference Apple Announces First Macs with Apple Silicon Apple unleashes M1 Intego Mac Premium Bundle X9 is the ultimate protection and utility suite for your Mac. Download a free trial now at intego.com. First-time buyers can save 40% by using coupon code PODCAST20 at checkout. Intego Antivirus for Windows keeps your Boot Camp, VM, or PC protected from the latest malware threats. Download a free trial now, and use this link for a special discount when you're ready to buy.

Sometimes when things start going wrong on your Mac, you may think you have malware. In this episode, Josh and Kirk discuss the possible signs of a malware attack, and the steps to take if you think that you've been infection. In the introduction, we said we didn't think there would be much Apple-related news this week, but we learned that Apple will be announcing new Macs, and the release date for macOS Big Sur, on November 10, so we'll be covering that in the next episode. Show Notes: What to Do if You Think You Have Malware on Your Mac Kernel panic (Wikipedia) Backblaze Hard Drive Data and Stats Data Backup Plan: How to Implement the 3-2-1 Backup Strategy How to Verify Your Backups are Working Properly 4 Types of Backup Hard Drives for Mac Episode 6: Passwords Are Hard (correcthorsebatterystaple) correcthorsebatterystaple (XKCD) Intego support Intego Mac Premium Bundle X9 is the ultimate protection and utility suite for your Mac. Download a free trial now at intego.com. First-time buyers can save 40% by using coupon code PODCAST20 at checkout. Intego Antivirus for Windows keeps your Boot Camp, VM, or PC protected from the latest malware threats. Download a free trial now, and use this link for a special discount when you're ready to buy.

Quantum computing is just around the corner, and it will affect the way computer security works. Strong passwords and encryption will be cracked, and we'll need new ways to secure our data and identity. We also discuss complaints against Apple's coming anti-tracking protection in iOS, and we revisit the suggestions that Apple may build its own search engine. Show Notes: iOS 14's Upcoming Anti-Tracking Prompt Sparks Antitrust Complaint in France Apple, Google and a Deal That Controls the Internet Episode 152: What if Apple Built a Search Engine? Report: Apple 'Stepping Up Efforts' to Develop Alternative to Google Search How Quantum Computing Will Affect Computer Security and Passwords Intego Mac Premium Bundle X9 is the ultimate protection and utility suite for your Mac. Download a free trial now at intego.com. First-time buyers can save 40% by using coupon code PODCAST20 at checkout. Intego Antivirus for Windows keeps your Boot Camp, VM, or PC protected from the latest malware threats. Download a free trial now, and use this link for a special discount when you're ready to buy.

Josh and Kirk discuss 5G: what it is, how it works, and how fast it is. Is it worth getting a new iPhone 12 for 5G? Also, we look at another case of Apple notarizing malware, and a new RAT that started out on Windows and is now threatening the Mac. Show Notes: Apple notarizes new Mac malware… again Apple notarizes dozens of Mac malware samples (August, 2020) GravityRAT moves from Windows to target Mac and Android GravityRAT: The spy returns IPStorm botnet expands from Windows to Android, Mac, and Linux Apple Event to Unveil First Apple Silicon Macs Could Happen on November 17 What Is 5G, How Does It Work, and How Fast Is It? Apple event 5G supercut Everything You Need to Know About 5G (IEEE) The iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro (Daring Fireball) Intego Mac Premium Bundle X9 is the ultimate protection and utility suite for your Mac. Download a free trial now at intego.com. First-time buyers can save 40% by using coupon code PODCAST20 at checkout. Intego Antivirus for Windows keeps your Boot Camp, VM, or PC protected from the latest malware threats. Download a free trial now, and use this link for a special discount when you're ready to buy.

Josh and Kirk talk about Apple's announcement of the iPhone 12, and whether they plan to upgrade. They explain the point of the HomePod mini, and discuss what Siri can do with this new home device from Apple. We also look at the new MagSafe charging system on the iPhone 12. Show Notes: Apple Announces iPhone 12 and HomePod mini Apple HomePod Review: Superior Sound, but Limited by Siri Apple HomePod compared to Sonos One Everything you can do with the Apple HomePod About HomePod theater mode Intego Mac Premium Bundle X9 is the ultimate protection and utility suite for your Mac. Download a free trial now at intego.com. First-time buyers can save 40% by using coupon code PODCAST20 at checkout. Intego Antivirus for Windows keeps your Boot Camp, VM, or PC protected from the latest malware threats. Download a free trial now, and use this link for a special discount when you're ready to buy.