| Cult of Mac

iOS 13 flaw exposes all your contacts data

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Find My Friends
Keep your iPhone close by.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

A newly-discovered flaw in iOS 13 lets anyone access your contacts without your passcode.

It takes just a few simple steps to bypass your iPhone’s lockscreen and see every phone number, email address, and physical address you have saved. But a fix is already on the way.

Does your iPhone XS suffer from s-s-stuttering?

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iPhone XS Max
It's thought every handset has this problem.
Photo: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac

iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max owners are reporting animation stutters after leaving their handsets idle for around 10 seconds.

The problem, which is most obvious when opening or closing apps and scrolling pages, has reportedly been present for several months now. It persists in the latest iOS 12.2 betas, which suggests Apple hasn’t yet found a fix.

Apple may have quietly fixed MacBook Pro’s ‘stage light’ flaw

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MacBook Pro 2018 display cables
It's a small but significant change.
Photo: iFixit

Apple’s latest MacBook Pro lineup may be immune to the “stage light” flaw that has plagued some 2016 and 2017 models.

Slightly longer display cables inside the newer notebooks could help prevent the wear that older units are susceptible to. It’s only a minor change, but it may eliminate nasty $600 repair bills.

Google’s Project Zero discovers ‘high severity’ flaw in macOS kernel

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macOS High Sierra
Apple is said to be working on a fix.
Photo: Apple

Google’s Project Zero team has discovered a “high severity” flaw in the macOS kernel.

The issue, which potentially allows attackers to perform malicious actions on a mounted filesystem, was reported to Apple more than 90 days ago. No fix has been made available yet, but Apple has acknowledged the issue and is working with Project Zero on a patch.

Researcher provides Apple with details (and fix) for Keychain flaw

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macOS Keychain
Apple still won't cough up a reward.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

A security researcher has decided to provide Apple with details — and a patch — for a serious Keychain flaw in macOS Mojave that allows anyone to access your saved usernames and passwords.

Linus Henze previously withheld the information in protest of Apple’s decision not to offer a macOS bug bounty program. He now believes the problem is too serious for the company to ignore.

Apple flaw lets hackers steal business passwords

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The CIA has a team of more than 5,000 hackers.
Businesses beware.
Photo: Brian Klug/Flickr CC

Many businesses choose to spend more on Apple smartphones and computers because they’re supposed to be safer than more affordable alternatives running Android or Windows. But they’re not completely bulletproof.

Researchers have discovered a worrying flaw in one Apple service that allows hackers to steal business passwords from macOS and iOS devices.

Apple vows to zip Siri’s loose lips in future update

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Sorry, Alexa: Siri still the most widespread AI assistant
Sorry, Alexa: Siri still the most widespread AI assistant
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple has promised it will fix Siri’s newly-discovered privacy problem in a future software update.

The flaw allows anyone to read your unread messages and other notifications without your passcode — even those that you’ve chosen to hide. It’s not yet clear if Apple will have the fix ready in time for iOS 11.3, which is already on its sixth beta release.