| Cult of Mac

Guardian Firewall is the first true privacy-protecting firewall for iOS

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A partial visual pun for a firewall.
A partial visual pun for a firewall.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

Guardian Firewall claims to be the first proper firewall app for iOS. It works by routing all the network connections from your iPhone or iPad through a VPN, and then filtering out privacy-invading trackers on Guardian’s own servers.

The idea is that all the heavy lifting is done on those servers, so you don’t have to worry about battery drain, or on the iOS security features that prevent an app from futzing with your internet connection.

Sounds good, but should you trust Guardian Firewall?

Famous jailbreaker says WikiLeaks CIA dump is overhyped

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The CIA has been hoarding zero day exploits.
The CIA has been hoarding zero day exploits.
Photo: US Gov.

WikiLeak’s trove of CIA cyber documents is being hyped as one of the biggest leaks since Edward Snowden blew the whistle on the NSA. But according to one of the world’s top jailbreakers, you shouldn’t believe the hype.

Cyber security expert Will Strafach, who gained notoriety under the name Chronic for finding zero-day exploits used for jailbreaking, says iOS users don’t need to be worried.

Popular iOS apps vulnerable to spilling your sensitive data

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iPhone 7 front
Be wary when using Wi-Fi.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Dozens of popular iOS apps are vulnerable to spilling your sensitive data through silent “man-in-the-middle” attacks, according to a reliable mobile security expert.

During testing, Will Strafach, one of the first to hack open the iOS platform, found 76 apps that were guilty of accepting invalid certificates that could be used to intercept data.

Famed iPhone hacker explains why FBI’s backdoor request is such a bad idea

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iPhone-5
Apple shouldn't give into the FBI's demands.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

When it comes to hacking the iPhone, it’s hard to find anyone with more experience breaking into Apple’s software than Will Strafach, aka Chronic.

The legendary hacker has spent years reverse engineering each version of iOS to give jailbreakers full control of the iPhone and he’s got some very important insight into the FBI’s demands that Apple hack the iPhone. 

Mainly, don’t do it!