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This password manager will protect all your accounts, on all your devices — and it’s 50% off

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Keep all your accounts protected with this award-winning password manager.
Get 50% off military-grade password manager Dashlane.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

If you’ve been reusing the same old password across multiple websites and accounts, you need to stop what you’re doing and get a password manager immediately. Cybersecurity experts recommend password managers as the best way to protect yourself and your private data.

And right now, you can grab a year’s premium subscription to the top-rated Dashlane — the official password manager of Cult of Mac — while it’s on sale for just $29.99. That’s 50% off the regular price of $59. Or, boost your savings even further by grabbing a one-year subscription to the Dashlane Password Manager Family Plan, which lets you create six premium accounts, on sale for 64% off.

Apple: Ability to skip iOS 15 updates was never meant to be permanent

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iOS 15
It's iOS 15 or it's nothing now.
Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Apple has confirmed that giving users the option to skip iOS 15 updates and stick with iOS 14 was always intended to be temporary.

Its clarification comes after it last week stopped delivering security updates to those who have chosen not to update their devices since iOS 15 made its debut last September. iOS 15.2.1 is now the only upgrade option.

Manage your company’s hardware easily and affordably with Desktop Central

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Manage your company's devices across the workforce and various platforms with Desktop Central from ManageEngine.
Manage your company's devices across the workforce and various platforms with Desktop Central.
Image: ManageEngine

This UEM post is brought to you by ManageEngine.

If you manage technology for a company, you need all the help you can get. Not every business has the resources for a big, well-equipped IT department. Yet you might still need to manage, automate and secure all sorts of devices across a workforce and varied systems.

That’s where ManageEngine’s Desktop Central comes in. Its unified endpoint management system is affordable, feature-rich and easy to use, thanks to a clean, intuitive design.

WhatsApp rolls out encrypted chat backups on iPhone

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WhatsApp encrypted chat backup
Ensuring only you have access to your chat data.
Image: WhatsApp

WhatsApp’s encrypted backups features is now rolling out on iPhone. Users can create a password to prevent unauthorized access to their chat data, while still uploading it to iCloud or Google Drive for their convenience.

The feature ensures that your WhatsApp chats are protected, even if the backup file itself somehow makes it into the wrong hands.

Apple says sideloading apps on iPhone would ‘cripple privacy and security’

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iPhone sideloading isn't safe, Apple says
iOS restrictions make it safer than Android, Apple says.
Image: Apple

iOS is safer than Android because you cannot sideload apps onto an iPhone, Apple says. The company this week published a document in response to the European Commission’s proposal that could force Apple to allow third-party app marketplaces, which points out the many risks (as Apple sees it) with that plan.

Titled “Building a Trusted Ecosystem for Millions of Apps,” the 31-page PDF argues that allowing the sideloading of apps on iPhone “would cripple the privacy and security protections that have made iPhone so secure.”

High-end Zorachka Homam camera ups your HomeKit video quality

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Mount this space-helmet-looking cam in your house and the burglars will know you mean business.
Mount this space-helmet-looking cam in your house and the burglars will know you mean business.
Photo: Zorachka

Not too long ago you didn’t have a whole lot of choices for high-quality cameras to run with Apple’s HomeKit system, but that’s changing all the time. For example, Zorachka has released its new, high-end Homam 64GB camera. It joins recent offerings from the likes of Aquara, Eufy, Eve and others.

Apple issues surprise iOS 14.8 update to fix severe security threats

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Surprise! Apple releases iOS 14.8
Just when you thought Apple’s next software release would be iOS 15…
Graphic: Ed Hardy/Lewis Wallace/Cult of Mac

Apple rushed out updates for iPhones, iPads, Macs and Apple Watches on Monday to patch a pair of critical security vulnerabilities. The updates protect users from arbitrary code execution that can be triggered by maliciously crafted PDFs or web content, Apple said in its release notes.

In both cases, “Apple is aware of a report that this issue may have been actively exploited,” the company said.

The updates include iOS 14.8, iPadOS 14.8, macOS Big Sur 11.6, watchOS 7.6.2 and security patches for Safari and macOS Catalina.

WhatsApp patches security hole that could expose sensitive user data

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Facebook messaging apps
Keep your app up to date to stay safe.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

WhatsApp recently patched a serious security vulnerability that could expose sensitive user data. Security researchers discovered the hole, which could be exploited by opening an attachment that contained a malicious image file.

More recent versions of WhatsApp now check the integrity of image that has been edited with filters to keep users safe.

Apple CEO Tim Cook will discuss cybersecurity with President Biden this week

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Tim Cook congressional antitrust hearing: Should Tim Cook be worried about Congress breaking up Apple?
Cybersecurity is a big concern for many countries.
Photo: C-SPAN

Apple CEO Tim Cook, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, and other tech executives will meet President Biden at the White House this week. The focus of the meeting will be the efforts of private companies to improve cybersecurity following an increase in online attacks, one report claims.