password

How to use a long, alphanumeric iPhone passcode so cops can’t hack it [Update]

By

iPhone passcode
A strong passcode is the next-best thing to keeping your iPhone in a safe.
Photo: Rob Pongsajapan/FlickrCC

It’s time to stop using that useless six-digit passcode on your iPhone. Now that cops around the United States are going crazy for the GrayKey, a little box that can crack your iPhone’s passcode in hours, it has become clear that the iPhone’s regular six-digit numerical code is no longer secure.

Plus, now that GrayKey is available, it won’t be long before they’re in the hands of the bad guys, too, if they’re not already. In fact, instructions on how GrayKey works surfaced online last month.

The good news is, it’s super-easy to change your iPhone passcode to something a lot better. The bad news? There actually isn’t any, unless you already have the cops trying to break into your iPhone — in which case you’ve got plenty of bad news already.

Stop using these terrible, terrible passwords

By

Fraudster steals $16k from victim posing as Apple tech support
“Can you believe this guy’s bank password is ‘password’? I love idiots.”
Photo: Donald Tong/Pexels CC

You lock your house, right? And your car? It’s equally important to lock your data with a secure password. But year after year people insist on using the same easily-guessed passcodes.

The list of “Worst Passwords of 2018” is out, and if your favorite is on there you really need to change it to something more secure.

Streamline and secure your passwords with one app [Deals]

By

This convenient app saves time and effort by securely storing and retrieving your passwords whenever you need them.
This convenient app saves time and effort by securely storing and retrieving your passwords whenever you need them.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Another day, another password to remember. With all the sites and services we use everyday, it can be tough to keep track of the passwords we need to access them. And the more that happens, the less secure we become.

Streamline your keyring, passwords, and lots more [Week’s Best Deals]

By

This week's best deals include a 21st century key keeper, top shelf apps, and more.
This week's best deals include a 21st century key keeper, top shelf apps, and more.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Another week, another round of great deals on top shelf gear, apps, and learning resources. This time, we’ve got a bundle of 5 premium Mac apps, and a keyring designed to never be lost. Additionally, we’ve got a powerful password manager and comprehensive course in iOS 11 development. Read on for more details:

Streamline your calendar, charging, coding skills, and more [Week’s best deals]

By

This week's best deals include tools for keeping all your passwords safe, all your devices charged, and lots more.
This week's best deals include tools for keeping all your passwords safe, all your devices charged, and lots more.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

To celebrate the start of a new week, we do what we do every week: gather up some of the best deals on gear, gadgets, and more. This round, we’ve got a comprehensive course in iOS 11 coding, and a ‘Hiffecient’ USB charging hub. We’ve also got a tool for streamlining online form-filling, and an upgrade for your Mac’s calendar. Everything is discounted by more than 40 percent. Read on for more details:

Yahoo hack hit all 3 billion accounts in 2013

By

Yahoo
The hack was bigger than anyone imagined.
Photo: Yahoo

Yahoo’s huge security breach was already considered the largest hack ever when it was revealed at the end of last year, but it appears to have been even worse than the company originally knew.

In a new filing with the SEC, Yahoo, which is now part of Oath, disclosed that all of its approximately 3 billion accounts were impacted by the breach. If you’re still using an old Yahoo password, now is a really good time to change it.

Teach your kids healthy digital habits [Week’s Best Deals]

By

This week's best new deals include an app for keeping kids on the straight and narrow online, and lots more.
This week's best new deals include an app for keeping kids on the straight and narrow online, and lots more.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Fall is about to drop, and with the new season comes a bunch of great new deals at the Cult of Mac Store. This week, we’ve got a sleek 6-port USB-C hub and a lifetime subscription to Sticky Password. Additionally, we’ve got an amazing glowing guitar instruction tool, and an app for teaching kids more healthy online habits. Everything’s on sale at big discounts, read on for more details:

Russian Mac malware steals passwords and iPhone backups

By

That fancy new Touch Bar could be dead already.
But there's (probably) no need to panic.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Still think your Mac is immune from viruses? Think again.

Just a week after a new strain of Mac malware was found hidden inside malicious Microsoft Word macros, security researchers have discovered sophisticated new software from Russian hackers that targets your saved passwords and iPhone backups.

Hackers can use this tiny $5 device to attack your locked Mac

By

PoisonTap is tiny but deadly.
PoisonTap is tiny but deadly.
Photo: Samy Kamkar

The next time you leave your Mac unattended, make sure to turn it off.

A well-known hacker has created a cheap tool that can steal data off of locked computers in minutes. The clever new device called PoisonTap is created using a $5 Raspberry Pi Zero and some open source code. Attackers can plug PoisonTap into a machine and as long as the victim has a web browser open, it can steal data and leave remote backdoors.

10 things you should know about Google’s Gboard keyboard

By

gboard
Gboard is probably the best third-party keyboard on iOS.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Google now offers its very own keyboard for iOS, and it’s awesome. It’s packed full of useful features like glide typing and built-in search, and it has a clean and simple design that’s a pleasure to type on. It’s probably the best third-party keyboard on iPhone.

But there are 10 things you should know about Gboard before you get set up.

iOS 9 security update means more passcode unlocks

By

There has to be a safer solution.
It's not just in your head.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

If you’ve found yourself entering your passcode more frequently since you updated to iOS 9 — even though you have Touch ID enabled — it’s thanks to Apple’s latest security measures.

In an update to its Security Guide, published this month, the company confirms that iOS 9 will make you enter your passcode if you haven’t used your iPhone or iPad in at least eight hours.

Get iTunes to stop asking you to authorize your Mac

By

iTunes on Mac
iTunes ain’t dead yet.
Photo: Apple

Trying to play a song in iTunes and getting the same error over and over can be frustrating. If your computer isn’t authorized with your Apple ID via iTunes, it won’t let you play any songs you’ve downloaded from the iTunes Store until it is. Sometimes iTunes will seem to get “stuck” prompting you again and again with the need to authorize.

If you’re having trouble playing your purchased iTunes on your Mac due to the repeated prompts to authorize your computer, there are a few things you can do.

Save 75% on a lifetime of password protection and management with SplashID Pro [Deals]

By

a2bb9b847a949c9d82a107fbaa649a8db9d51303_main_hero_image

Whether you’ve got them jotted down on a yellow notepad, in a document file, or scrawled on a stack of napkins hidden in your mattress, you’ve got to have a way keeping your passwords, financial info and other sensitive data secure and accessible when it’s needed. SplashID Pro’s Lifetime Plan gathers all those errant bits of info, puts them in one place, locks them up and hands you the only key.

Yahoo aims to kill passwords with on-demand codes

By

Yahoo is stepping up its security game. Photo: Yahoo
Yahoo is stepping up its security game. Photo: Yahoo

Passwords are easy to forget. They’re even easier to steal. Now Yahoo has unveiled a new scheme to make permanent passwords as outdated as Morse code.

Yahoo is rolling out its “on-demand” email passwords that utilize phone notifications so you’ll never have to memorize a password again. It works kind of like two-factor authentication, except you don’t ever have to type in your primary password.

Why A Selfie Could Be More Secure Than A Password

By

facecrypt_converted

Brazenly calling itself the “ultimate defense” for protecting passwords, documents, credit cards and all your other private stuff, FaceCrypt is being advertised as one of the most secure ways of controlling access to your iOS device.

Instead of asking for an alphanumeric password — or even Touch ID — FaceCrypt requests that users take a “selfie” to prove they are really the person they say they are.

mSecure: Security Everywhere Made Simple On Your Mac [Deals]

By

CoM - msecure

If you’ve been looking for a way to keep your passwords and information secure, then this Cult of Mac Deals offer is going to end your search. mSecure for Mac is the ultimate bodyguard for securing your accounts and passwords – and it can be yours for only $11.99 during this limited time offer.

Not only will your information be impenetrable, but mSecure is capable of generating “unguessable” and “unhackable” passwords so you can have top-notch protection.

QuickLock Is The Quickest & Most Convenient Way To Lock Your Mac

By

QuickLock

QuickLock is a terrific little tool from ThinkDev that makes it quick and convenient to lock your Mac when you leave your desk. It sits in your menubar out of your way, and a click (or a keyboard shortcut) is all it takes to keep your Mac safe.

With the latest version of QuickLock, users can enjoy a brand new interface and a number of new features. Best of all, it’s completely free.

Mastering iTunes: Use A Password To Protect Shared Music and Movies [OS X Tips]

By

Password iTunes Sharing

If you share your songs and movies via iTunes on your home network, you might not want just any old people to access your shared media or playlists, even if you let them onto your Wi-Fi. While iTunes lets you share all the types of media it can serve up, maybe your kids or office mates don’t need to listen to those hardcore rap tunes.

It’s fairly easy to protect your shared items with a password, using the iTunes Preferences. Here’s how to do just that.

Use A USB Stick Instead Of A Password On Your Mac [OS X Tips]

By

We don't need no stinking passwords!
We don't need no stinking passwords!

CultofMac reader, Ashwin, asks,
“I wanted to know if there is way to use an USB stick as a password for my Mac. One of my friends has it for his Windows (machine). So, is there a way to do it for a Mac?”

The concept here is fairly simple: you install a program on your Mac, and then use it to take any USB stick you have and turn it into a secure password device for your Mac.

AgileBits Teases All-New 1Password 4 For iOS Ahead Of December 13 Release

By

cult_logo_featured_image_missing_default1920x1080

https://youtu.be/Ha_4nrGyGPk

AgileBits has overhauled its 1Password app for iOS for version 4.0, and its begun teasing the release with a new trailer ahead of its December 13 launch. The video doesn’t give away any of 1Password’s new features, but it does show off its new look. Although you will have to keep your eyes peeled if you want to see it; blink and you’ll miss it.