‘PDF Expert’ for iOS Lets You Convert PDFs to Word, More
Cool Stuff Found

'PDF Expert' for iOS Lets You Convert PDFs to Word, More

Andrew Orr ·

PDF Expert’s latest update lets you convert PDFs to Word, Excel, PowerPoint, JPG, PNG, TXT, and other formats. The built-in PDF converter is a part of the PDF Expert PRO subscription at US$49.99/year. The PRO subscription also allows you to edit the text and images in PDFs, sign documents, redact sensitive data, and more. The current PDF Expert PRO subscribers get the new converting functionality at no extra cost.

Link

Norton Antivirus Now Includes a Crypto Miner in its Software

Andrew Orr ·

Norton antivirus has added a cryptocurrency miner to its software that it takes a 15% commission on. The link to the FAQ can be found below.

Update: This has been updated to include a quote from a NortonLifeLock spokesperson. They want to mention that it’s an opt-in feature: “Norton Crypto is an opt-in feature only and is not enabled without user permission.”

There is also a way to opt-out if you let it mine crypto but you changed your mind. However, it’s a bit more complicated than turning a toggle off:

“If users have turned on Norton Crypto but no longer wish to use the feature, it can be disabled through Norton 360 by temporarily shutting off “tamper protection” (which allows users to modify the Norton installation) and deleting NCrypt.exe from your computer.”

Today on The Mac Observer‘s Daily Observations podcast, we mentioned several free alternatives to Norton that don’t include a crypto miner.

Link

Details of Meta Appeal Against GIPHY Ruling Emerge

Charlotte Henry ·

Documents have revealed the basis of Meta’s appeal against a British regulator’s decision that it should sell GIPHY. Reuters has summed up the key points raised by Facebook’s parent company in appeal against the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) decision.

The Competition Appeal Tribunal on Wednesday published a summary of Meta’s application, outlining its challenge on six grounds. The U.S company, which owns Instagram and WhatsApp as well as Facebook, said the CMA had failed to assess its offer to ensure Giphy could continue to provide services to competitors like Snapchat and TikTok on the same terms. The regulator’s decision was also procedurally flawed, Meta said. The CMA ordered Meta to sell Giphy, which it acquired for a reported $400 million in May 2020, in November after it decided the remedies offered by the U.S. company did not answer its concerns.

Link

Video Piracy Site 'Popcorn Time' Shuts Down

Andrew Orr ·

Popcorn Time, a popular piracy website for movies and TV shows that once put Netflix on alert, has shut down.

On Tuesday, the group behind the app emailed reporters declaring its end. A goodbye note posted by Popcorn Time, with an illustration of a bag of movie-theater popcorn with X marks for eyes, proclaims “R.I.P.” at the top of the page. The site also contains a chart of interest over time measured in online searches for the app, similar to the one Netflix sent to investors in 2015.

Link

Recap: Here is the Mac Malware List for 2021

Andrew Orr ·

Security researcher Patrick Wardle made a list of the Mac malware we saw in 2021. It’s a timeline with information on each.

While the specimens may have been reported on before (i.e. by the AV company that discovered them), this blog aims to cumulatively and comprehensively cover all the new Mac malware of 2021 – in one place …yes, with samples of each malware available for download!

After reading this blog post, you should have a thorough understanding of recent threats targeting macOS. This is especially important as Apple continues to make significant inroads into the enterprise.

Link

Support For BlackBerry Comes to an End

Charlotte Henry ·

Blackberry ended support for its smartphone on Tuesday. It was the first smartphone I ever had, so I confess to feeling a little nostalgic about it all! Reuters looked back on the life of the previously indispensable device.

Former U.S. President Barack Obama, one of its most celebrated users, made headlines in 2016 when he was asked to give up his BlackBerry and replace it with an unnamed smartphone. Blackberry lost favor with users with the advent of Apple’s touchscreen iPhones and rival Android devices. In recent years, the company pivoted to making cybersecurity software and embedded operating systems for cars. Social media was alight with tributes. One Twitter user reminisced it was a “fabulous machine” and hoped the company’s phones would be resurrected. In a document published in 2020, the company said it would take steps to decommission legacy services for BlackBerry 10 and BlackBerry OS operating systems and added devices running on them would no longer be supported and may not be able to receive or send data, make phone calls or send messages reliably.

[Image credit: Hafez Husin / Shutterstock.com]