security - page 16

Who knew that those free charging stations at airports could be such disgusting repositories of viral filth? Not me, that’s for sure. I’m the kind of guy who sticks his things into any available hole at the slightest invite, and airports have the extra bonus of always seeming so anonymous. What happens in LAS stays in LAS, if you know what I mean.

Except you might be leaving behind more than just bad memories and hangovers; according to the folks behind the LockedUSB, “identity theft, government surveillance, ‘rogue’ and unstable chargers, are also on the rise,” meaning that those innocent and attractive-looking USB ports could be festering hives of malware, ready to suck your data right out of your iPhone.

While there’s no dearth of choice when it comes to picking a security cam that can viewed over an iPhone, finding one with the ability to pan and zoom remotely is a trickier proposition. And finding one with pan-and-zoom for under $100 is even rarer.

But that’s exactly what D-Link’s new DCS-5010L is: a pan-and-zoom, app-paired security camera, with all the fixings, for $100.

One of Apple’s most-touted features in Maps is Flyover, a mode that lets you see a city in stunning 3D imagery. The feature is limited to select metropolitan areas around the globe, but Apple continues to add more locations as Maps matures.

The Norwegian government is currently blocking Apple from taking aerial photography of the country’s capital city, Oslo, due to privacy concerns.

Twitter announced today that it is bringing a new verification process to its iOS and Android apps to improve security. The new feature allows you to protect your account with two-factor authentication that can be turned on and managed directly from the app, rather than having to depend on third-party SMS clients.

Along with beefing up security, Twitter also added a new gallery view that can be seen when you tap “view more photos’ from a profile, or by doing a photo search. Lists can be managed from within the app now, too.

You can read about all the engineering details that went into the new two-factor authentication on Twitter’s blog and grab the free update right now on the App Store.

Here are the release notes:

Last month, security researchers figured out there was a Trojan horse built into an iOS device: the charger. If a hacker wanted to, they could use a modified charger (which costs less than $45) that would install malware onto any device running iOS.

True, the hack required physical proximity — not to mention specialized hardware — to work. But it was a universal hack that worked on any device, and it could make a victim out of anyone doing something as simple as asking to borrow someone’s iPhone charger at the local Starbucks.

A bad hack indeed. But Apple’s on the case.

One of Apple’s biggest antagonist regarding smartphone theft says that he’s pretty happy with the improved security features of iOS 7.

After announcing his efforts last week to test Apple’s new security lock, San Francisco District Attorney, George Gascón says that Apple’s Activation Lock is a “clear improvement” over previous solutions aimed at deterring thieves from stealing smartphones. 

Apple’s Dev Center mysteriously went down for several days last week, and the Cupertino company revealed over the weekend that “an intruder attempted to secure personal information of our registered developers.” The site was closed immediately so that the potential for further threats could be eliminated.

It looked like Apple’s website had been hacked by someone trying to obtain our personal data, but according to one security researcher, it was his discovery of 13 bugs in the system which prompted the company to take action.

Manything turns a spare iOS device into a cloud-connected security camera. Install the app, sign up for an account and leave the iPhone, iPad or iPod touch with its camera pointing at your desk, your yard or hidden in a plastic bag and pointing up from the bowl of your toilet.

For any unsuspecting visitors, it will be too late. You’ll have seen everything.

Lenstag is hoping to give evil camera thieves second thoughts before they steal your gear. It’s a brand-new database by Google engineer Trevor Sehrer which aims to make it harder for thieves to sell their ill-gotten wares.

Apple made it super easy to upgrade the RAM in its latest 27-inch iMac — so easy that hotels, schools, and corporations are now trying to prevent guests from stealing the RAM from their machines. But thanks to the new iMac lock and security kit from Maclocks, it’s no longer an issue.

For just $50, iMac owners can add a protective plate to the back of their machine that prevents the power cord from being removed, which in turn prevents the RAM panel from being ejected from the machine.

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.

BlackBerry has today launched its Secure Work Space service for Android and iOS, allowing enterprises to manage their fleet of devices through the BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10 administration console — regardless of the platform they’re running.

The service promises a higher level of control and security on Android and iOS, and the ability to secure and separate managed applications and data from personal content.

Evernote, one of our favorite digital trunks for our virtual documents and notes have just announced that they are taking security on their service to the next level, rolling out two step authentication to all users, along with a couple other features to make sure that you’re the only person accessing your Evernote account.

As you may know, Siri is backed by the seriously amazing knowledge web site, Wolfram Alpha, which makes dynamic computations about your search terms based on a its own collection of built-in data, special algorithms, and other secret fancy methods. Or, to put it another way: magic.

Anyway, Siri taps into Wolfram Alpha and can come up with some great stuff, like calculating tips for you, for example. Siri’s connection to Wolfram can do even more than that, like generating a secure password for you. Here’s how.

If you hate remembering and entering passwords, then you’re probably intimately familiar with 1Password. If you’re not, then you really should give the app a try because it just got a meaty update in the App Store.

1Password 4.2 was just released on the Apple Store today and it comes with a ton of new features, including the ability to share items through Messages, search for vault items by URL, lots of bug fixes, and more. The app will set you back $17.99 but the peace of mind it will bring you is well worth it.

Here are the release notes:

The security features built into Apple’s iOS software are so good that the police are unable to gain access to defendant’s iPhones when they need to. Apple itself is able to bypass the security software and decrypt locked devices — and it do so when the police request it. But the company has so many requests that it has to add police to a lengthy waiting list.

We’re living in a particularly insecure digital age right now. It seems like every other day, a major internet company is getting hacked, or having its database of user passwords liberated by groups of hackers.

It’s pretty obvious at this point that we need something better than passwords to secure us from increasingly sophisticated hackers and data thieves. Many sites are rolling out 2-Step authentication — access the site on a new computer, and you have to enter a code sent to you by text message — but that implementation can be a pain. There’s got to be an easier way.

Michael Barrett, PayPal’s chief information security officer, thinks there’s a better way. It’s called the iPhone 5S.

On a vacation with his wife and kids recently, Paul Deas opened his suitcase and found a rude surprise: his MacBook had been stolen. Not only that, but the thief had helpfully left him a note inside, telling him exactly who had robbed him: TSA Agent 5414.

Somehow, Apple managed to cram in a ton of web browsing functionality into a teeny, tiny package called Safari. To distinguish the mobile web browser from the one of the same name on OS X, we’ll call it Mobile Safari and be done with it.

Regardless of the name, the mobile version of Safari is chock full of features both subtle and hidden. Here are five great tips and tricks to help you master Mobile Safari on your own iOS device, whether that be an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch.

The Galaxy S4 has been cleared for government use by the U.S. Department of Defense, with Samsung’s new Knox security software deemed safe for military use. It’s the first Android-powered smartphone to ever win DoD approval, and it gets it ahead of Apple’s iPhone.

Hackers want your web logins, especially ones that have sensitive banking info, like your Apple ID. A fresh round of phishing attacks that ask for Apple IDs and passwords has surfaced.

“Phishers appear to have concentrated their fire on a relatively new target: Apple IDs,” according to Trend Micro. “In recent days, we’ve seen a spike in phishing sites that try to steal Apple IDs.”

Another advantage of the Mac App Store, besides pausing downloads, safe uninstalls, and easy re-downloads of Mac OS X apps, is the safety of knowing that anything in the Mac App Store has been vetted by Apple.

One way your Mac makes sure you’re (relatively safe) from rogue apps is what’s called Gatekeeper. By default, this bit of software only allows you to install verified apps from the Mac App Store on your Mac. What if, however, you want to download software from a Mac developer who doesn’t distribute their software on the Mac App Store? You’ll need to bypass Gatekeeper in order to do so.

Here’s how to do that safely.

If you think that last week’s huge security hole that allowed anyone with your Apple ID email address and birth date to reset your password was just a fluke, this damning report by Tim Carmody over at The Verge might just change your mind.

It’s a compelling argument that says that Apple is being extremely negligent and sloppy when it comes to your iCloud data’s security.

Apple made its iOS 6.1.3 update available to the public last week, quashing a lock screen security flaw that allowed a passcode lock to be bypassed with a few simple taps. But the update also introduced a number of problems of its own. Not only do we now have a new lock screen security flaw, but some users are also suffering battery life issues.

The Bikespike is a GPS-enabled cellular device which lets you track your bike. And while you can use it as an iPhone-connected bike computer, complete with speed, calorie and location stats, its main purpose is as a security device.