Apple has hired Cisco’s Stella Low to be its new Vice President of worldwide corporate communications.
Court Finds NSA Collects Innocent Americans’ Data Anyway
The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC) found that the NSA doesn’t follow the law and collections the data of innocent Americans. This is according to a recently declassified document [PDF] from November 2020.
From where we sit, it seems clear that the FISC continues to suffer from a massive case of national security constitutional-itis. That is the affliction (not really, we made it up) where ordinarily careful judges sworn to defend the Constitution effectively ignore the flagrant Fourth Amendment violations that occur when the NSA, FBI, (and to a lesser extent, the CIA, and NCTC) misuse the justification of national security to spy on Americans en mass.
128 Million Apple Users Unknowingly Downloaded Malware in 2015
Emails published in the Epic v Apple trial on Friday revealed that 128 million users downloaded malware from the App Store in 2015.
Security Friday and Facebook's Relationships – TMO Daily Observations 2021-05-07
Andrew Orr joins host Kelly Guimont for Security Friday’s news, including Facebook’s latest move involving your data.
Apple Music 'First Listen' Events Provide Surprisingly Intimate Insight Into New Albums
Apple Music offers ‘First Listen’ events with Zane Lowe discussing a soon-to-be-released album with the artists, and they work really well.
Over 29,000 Databases Expose 19 Petabytes of Data
Many companies aren’t properly securing their databases, like the one I wrote about this morning. But we have some numbers. CyberNews quotes “29,000 unprotected databases worldwide exposing 19 petabytes (19,000 terabytes, 19,000,000 gigabytes, etc) of data.
To conduct this investigation, we used a specialized search engine to scan for open databases of three of the most popular database types: Hadoop, MongoDB, and Elasticsearch. While performing the search, we made sure that the open databases we found required no authentication whatsoever and were open for anyone to access, as opposed to those that had default credentials enabled.
Apple Card Family Features, Restrictions Revealed in Support Document
Apple has released a support document outlining the features of the recently launched Apple Card Family. AppleInsider published a breakdown of what it says.
Detailed in a support document, Apple Card Family is available to one cardholder and one member of their Family Sharing group who is 18 or older. Touted as a rethinking of traditional credit cards, the new service enables both members of an account to share a credit line while simultaneously building credit. A total of six people, including owners or co-owners, can be assigned to a particular Apple Card account. Participants must be 13 or older. Co-owners share full responsibility for account balance and payments, and have their credit reported equally in their own name, Apple says.
'Ghostwriter' Season Two on Apple TV+
The full second season of the children’s show Ghostwriter is now available on Apple TV+. Apple also released a new video going over the clues that have been left behind in season one.
How to Set up Face ID to Unlock Your iPhone With Apple Watch When Wearing a Mask
Many Top VPN Apps Have Inaccurate Privacy Labels
An analysis of 49 VPN apps in the App Store shows that many of them have inaccurate privacy labels, and others didn’t have a label at all.
Report Shows Only 4% of iOS 14.5 Users Opt Into Ad Tracking
Finnish Mental Health Startup Vastaamo Leaked Patient Data
Vastaamo ran the largest network of private mental-health providers in Finland. William Ralston tells the story on WIRED, and how hackers used the data to threaten patients.
A security flaw in the company’s IT systems had exposed its entire patient database to the open internet—not just email addresses and social security numbers, but the actual written notes that therapists had taken. A group of hackers, or one masquerading as many, had gotten hold of the data.
What an incompetent company. No anonymization of patient records, no encryption of data. In other words, unfortunately common. Two developers hired at Vastaamo were even arrested in a previous security breach.
'Mythic Quest' Season Two Arrives on Apple TV+
Mythic Quest season two is here! The first two episodes of the follow-up season are now available to Apple TV+ subscribers, with new episodes being released every Friday. The comedy series follows the trials and tribulations of a company behind a very popular game. I’ve recently been catching up on season one and thoroughly enjoying it, so I can’t wait to see what this next one has to offer.
This Person Turned an AirTag Into a Slim Card
YouTuber Andrew Ngai made a video where he deconstructed an AirTag and turned it into a slim, wallet-friendly card.
EBO is a Friendly Remote Robot for Families
EBO is a mobile, self-charging, family-friendly robotic companion that allows you to connect with your loved ones at all times. Equipped with Wi-Fi connectivity, full 1080p HD camera, a pair of powerful speakers and microphone and motorized wheels, EBO can be controlled remotely with a simple touch of a screen. Using the EBO app, you can access your home and communicate with your family at all times. It’s your roam away from home. Featuring advanced AI technology, EBO can be programmed to keep your loved ones company, from your children to your pet, whenever you’re away. Its surveillance features make EBO a perfect home security robot that monitors every corner of your house and lets you know when suspicious activities are detected. You can back it on Kickstarter.
Apple's Unified Platform: Vision for a New Era
Dr. Brooks argues that Apple’s newly unified platform based around its M-series SOC is really a vision for a brand new era.
Wallet Security 101: How to Store Your Cryptocurrency
In March a wrote a roundup of various wallets you can use to store your cryptocurrency. This guide from experts at Kraken Intelligence and Kraken Security Labs goes into more detail. It tells you how wallets work, the different components of a wallet, a reminder to “don’t let your coins die with you” and more.
iOS 14.5 Adds Beats Headphones Into the ‘Find My’ App
Apple expanded its Find My app in iOS 14.5 to include support for third-party accessories, but also added first-party products like Beats.
Pre-Order ScoutPro Ultimate All-in-One Charger: $99
We have a pre-order deal on the ScoutPro, an all-in-one charger that ships in July. This device features a large 24,000mAh internal battery and it can charge up to five devices simultaneously. It has two USB-C charging ports and a USB-A charging port. It also has magnetic wirelesss charging for iPhone 12 devices and a spot to charge your Apple Watch. The pre-order deal is $99.
Thursdays with Bob: Travel Philosophies – TMO Daily Observations 2021-05-06
Dr. Mac drops by to chat about prepping for travel and things to keep in mind as we all venture out into the world again (with a love note to libraries).
