Cheap iPhone 8 displays should work with iOS 11.3.1. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
Apple just rolled out iOS 11.3.1 with a fix for third-party iPhone displays that stopped working properly after an earlier software update. The release also promises security improvements for iPhone and iPad.
DNS is what sends you to the correct site when you browse the internet, but it is also non-encrypted, and reveals your entire browsing history. Your browser’s private mode does nothing, and the little green lock icon that denotes a secure connection doesn’t help either.
DNS is also slow. So, in order to fix both of these problems, you need to change your DNS provider to one that is both private, and fast. That’s Cloudflare’s new 1.1.1.1 service.
iOS 11.3 Safari doesn't automatically fill in user names and passwords. Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
The just-released iOS 11.3 requires Safari users to tap in web pages to AutoFill their user names and passwords. This means extra work for you, but it’s also more secure.
Another change in the latest version of iOS adds warnings when entering private information onto non-encrypted web pages.
Learn how to stop apps from accessing your iPhone's microphone. Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac
A few months back, we started hearing a lot of creepy stories about folks having real-life, in-person conversations with friends, and then getting Facebook ads on the same subject soon after. Was Facebook using their iPhone/iPad’s microphone to eavesdrop on them, then serving ads based on what it heard? Technically, it’s not much different to Google scanning your email and serving ads based on their content. In reality, it’s a whole ‘nother level of creepy.
Face ID completely changes the way users interact with their iPhone, but imagine if every physical lock could be opened with just a glance.
In Apple’s newest iPhone X ad, the powers of Face ID get unleashed on the real world after a high school girl discovers (or imagines?) she has the power to open anything with her face.
GrayKey can bypass iPhone security. It’s supposed to be only for police but... Photo: Ed Hardy/ Cult of Mac
More details have come to light about the GrayKey iPhone unlocker, and it turns out it’s even more likely to fall into the wrong hands than first thought.
This tool is very expensive, and is intended for use only by law enforcement, but stolen units could someday be available on the black market where they would be a goldmine for identity thieves.
Dashlane reveals the state of password security across America. Photo: Stephen Smith/Cult of Mac
How seriously are people taking password security in your city?
Password management service Dashlane today published its 2018 City Security Rankings, revealing the state of password security in America’s most populous cities — and those that are home to some of the biggest companies and government agencies.
Apple’s home city of Cupertino ranks highly, right behind Fort Meade, MD, home of the National Security Agency (NSA).
According to new lawsuit, airports are searching phones on some flights. Photo: Apple
We’re all used to our bags being searched when we go through airport security, but a number of reports claim that the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is also searching the electronic devices belonging to passengers on domestic flights within the U.S.
As a result, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has filed a lawsuit against the TSA, requesting records gathered by the fderal agency.
FBI Director Christopher Wray says law enforcement should be able to access any phone. Photo: FBI
The FBI wants the tech industry to help unlock thousands of smartphones and tablets involved in criminal cases each year.
FBI Director Christopher Wray did not single out any companies during his talk at a cybersecurity conference today. Still, Apple certainly sits at the top of his wish list.
Apple is hoping to convince Android users to switch to iPhone with its latest set of short ads that highlight some the iPhone’s best features.
Five new ads were published by Apple this afternoon covering everyone from ease-of-use to customer support. Most of the ads are less than 15 seconds long and similar in style to the simple campaign Apple launched last year.
Apple's putting reliability over big new features. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
Apple is changing up its plans for this year’s mobile software, a new report claims.
As a result of a recent string of criticisms concerning security and quality issues (outlined by my colleague Killian Bell here), Apple will now reportedly delay some of the big iOS features it had planned to 2019.
iOS 11.3 makes iPhone more secure. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
iOS 11.3 landed with a bunch of big features this morning but it looks like Apple added a few small surprises not mentioned in its preview, including a new feature that makes it easier to tell when apps are trying to access your personal data.
Spectre is the worst kind of security flaw. Not only do the partial fixes not even protect against attacks, but they also slow down your iPhone, or other device. But things aren’t quite as bad as they seem. You can take steps to speed up your iPhone once again, and one of the fixes not only makes the web faster, but also fixes Spectre’s biggest attack vector.
Here's how Apple protects our iOS devices. Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac
Apple has updated its iOS security guide to explain the intricacies of its latest security features. Following the release of iOS 11.2, the guide now covers Face ID on iPhone X, Apple Pay Cash, Password AutoFill, and more.
Here's how Apple protects our iOS devices. Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac
Apple “jerks” have been labeled “evil geniuses” by an FBI forensics expert. Stephen Flatley slammed the iPhone-maker this week for making it even more difficult to hack into iOS devices.
Apple is said to be working on a fix. Photo: Apple
Yet another serious security flaw has been discovered in macOS High Sierra.
The bug, which remains present in Apple’s most recent public release, allows anyone to change the App Store settings in System Preferences by entering anything as your password.
Grab the new iOS update while it's hot! Photo: Apple
Apple released a new software update this morning for iPhone and iPad users in the form of iOS 11.2.2.
The new update comes with a number of bug fixes and security enhancements, including a fix for the Spectre vulnerability that was revealed earlier this month.
Apple’s fix came out at the beginning of December with the release of macOS 10.13.2. But according to one developer, the company has a few additional patches for Intel’s blunder in a current beta build.
The Department of Homeland Security carried out the investigation. Photo: Department of Homeland Security
First responder apps may help save your life, but they’re in drastic need of a security overhaul, a new report the Department of Homeland Security says.
Released this week, the Department of Homeland Security’s Science and Technology Directorate “Securing Mobile Applications for First Responders” report said that discovered glaring security flaws on almost every app that it examined.
This Safari content blocker only shuts down sites you personally blacklist. Photo: Cult of Mac/ Salavat Khanov
Most ad blockers block everything. You download the app, tell Safari to use it, and then no longer need to worry about sites serving bandwidth-burning scripts that leech your personal information.
But for many people, the blanket approach of nuking everything is too much. You may instead prefer to block some bad actors, but let most sites serve ads — the ads pay the writers who write for the sites, after all. That’s where the bluntly named Punish Website app comes in. The new app comes configured to block nothing, letting you add the sites you hate to your own personal blacklist.
HomeKit's huge security flaw has been fixed. Photo: Apple
Apple released a brand new iOS 11 update for the iPad and iPhone this morning that makes some big fixes to HomeKit.
iOS 11.2.1 comes a little over a week after Apple dropped iOS 11.2 on the public bringing Apple Pay Cash and a host of bug fixes. The new update is being released along with tvOS 11.2.1 to restore some HomeKit functionality after Apple patched a bug server-side earlier this week.
Moon is the world’s first smart home security camera that levitates for 360-degree vision.
Without any blind spots, it can keep watch over an entire room, with automatic rotation when movement is detected. It also keeps track of temperature and humidity, charges wirelessly, and controls other home appliances.
Face ID makes the iPhone even easier to use. Photo: Ste Smith
Still on the fence about buying the iPhone X with Face ID? Apple’s got a brand new set of ads that will have you ready to take the plunge by showing off how smooth Face ID works on the iPhone X.