Apple Security

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Apple Security Reviews

Review: Yubico's 5C NFC YubiKey Works Well With Apple's Security Keys Feature

Friday March 17, 2023 12:10 pm PDT by
With the launch of iOS 16.3 and macOS 13.2 Ventura, Apple added Security Keys for the Apple ID, offering a more robust way to protect your Apple account and everything associated with your Apple account. A Security Key is a physical device that works with two-factor authentication. Instead of using a code generated by a secondary Apple device for authentication, when you log into your Apple...

Apple Security How Tos

How to Enable Stolen Device Protection on iPhone

Thursday May 2, 2024 5:45 am PDT by
When Apple released iOS 17.3 in January, it introduced a Stolen Device Protection feature to provide iPhone users with added security. This article explains what it does, why you might want to turn it on, and how to go about doing so. In 2023, reports began emerging about a new method thieves were using to steal iPhones and access users' highly sensitive data. Thieves would surreptitiously...

iPhone Displays Green and Orange Dots: What Do They Mean?

Monday November 27, 2023 2:58 am PST by
Digital privacy is a perennial hot topic these days, and Apple is regarded as being at the forefront of security when it comes to smartphone and tablet operating systems. For example, for an app to access your iPhone or iPad's camera, camera and microphone access must be enabled for the app in question in the Settings app. Social media apps will often ask you for access to your device's...

How to Share Passwords Among a Group on iPhone and iPad

Thursday October 12, 2023 3:40 am PDT by
In iOS 17 and iPadOS 17, Apple has added the ability to securely share passwords and passkeys with people in your contacts using a new shared password function. It's called Family Passwords, and here's how to use it. Family Passwords allows you to create a group of trusted contacts that you can share passwords and passkeys with across devices. (Passkeys let users sign in to apps and sites...

How to Unlock Your iPhone If You Forget Your New Passcode

Thursday October 12, 2023 1:00 am PDT by
In iOS 17, if you change your iPhone's passcode and forget it soon after, Apple offers you a 72-hour grace period to fix it without getting locked out of your device. Here's how it works. In iOS 17 and iPadOS 17, it is now possible to reset an iPhone or iPad's new passcode with the previous passcode you used for up to three days after the change is made. In other words, Apple lets you use...

How to Share Passwords With Friends and Family on iPhone and iPad

Wednesday September 20, 2023 7:48 am PDT by
In iOS 17 and iPadOS 17, Apple has added the ability to securely share passwords and passkeys with friends and family members using a new shared password function. Here's how to use it. Family Passwords allows you to create a group of trusted contacts that you can share passwords and passkeys with across devices. (Passkeys let users sign in to apps and sites the same way they unlock their...

How to Protect Your Apple ID With Security Keys

Wednesday May 10, 2023 1:48 pm PDT by
Apple has introduced security keys as an additional step to help users protect their Apple ID accounts. Keep reading to learn why the alternative authentication method is the most secure method available and what you need to do to set it up. What Are Security Keys? With the release of iOS 16.3, iPadOS 16.3, and macOS Ventura 13.2, Apple introduced support for security keys, or physical...

How to Set Up a Stronger Passcode on Your iPhone

Monday February 27, 2023 4:49 pm PST by
Your iPhone's passcode is the first line of defense when it comes to protecting your private data. Here's how to set up a stronger one than the default six-digit passcode that you're likely already using. If someone with malicious intentions finds out the passcode for your iPhone, they could end up causing you all sorts of trouble. With passcode access to your iPhone's contents, they could...

How to Set Up and Use the Built-in 2FA Code Generator in iOS

Wednesday February 22, 2023 4:49 pm PST by
With online account hacking becoming increasingly widespread, all users should make sure they're taking every security measure available to them. If you use Apple devices, consider using Apple verification codes to protect your accounts. Keep reading to learn how it works. One of the best ways to protect any online account is by using two-factor authentication (2FA). 2FA offers hardened...

How to Enable Lockdown Mode for Heightened Security on iPhone and iPad

Friday October 28, 2022 12:32 pm PDT by
With the release of iOS 16 and iPadOS 16, Apple introduced Lockdown Mode, offering users an "extreme" level of security. This article explains who Lockdown Mode is for, what it does, and how to enable it. In iOS 16 and iPadOS 16, Apple brought iPhone and iPad users Lockdown Mode, an optional new security feature that's designed to protect users who may be at risk of highly targeted...

How to Use Automatic Strong Passwords and Password Auditing in iOS 12

Thursday September 20, 2018 2:40 pm PDT by
In iOS 12, Apple has introduced new password-related features that are designed to make it easier for iPhone and iPad users to create strong, secure, and unique passwords for app and website logins. In this guide, we'll show you how to use two of those features: automatic strong passwords and password auditing. Automatic strong passwords ensures that if you're prompted by a website or app...

Apple Security Articles

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Apple Warns Users in 92 Countries About Mercenary Spyware Attacks

Thursday April 11, 2024 2:16 am PDT by
Apple on Wednesday sent threat notifications to users in 92 countries warning that they may have been targeted by mercenary spyware attacks, likely because of who they are or what they do. According to TechCrunch, Apple sent the alerts to the individuals at 12 p.m. Pacific Time, delivered via email and iMessage using the contact details associated with the user's Apple ID. A notification...
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Apple Silicon Vulnerability Allows Hackers to Extract Encryption Keys

Friday March 22, 2024 5:19 am PDT by
An unpatchable vulnerability has been discovered in Apple's M-series chips that allows attackers to extract secret encryption keys from Macs under certain conditions, according to a newly published academic research paper (via ArsTechnica). Named "GoFetch," the type of cyber attack described involves Data Memory-Dependent Prefetchers (DMPs), which try to predict what data the computer will...
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Apple Warns Proposed UK Law Could 'Secretly Veto' Global User Protections

Tuesday January 30, 2024 12:13 am PST by
Apple is "deeply concerned" that proposed changes to British surveillance legislation could give the U.K. government unprecedented powers to secretly prevent software updates from being released in any other country (via BBC News). The UK government is planning to update the Investigatory Powers Act (IPA), which came into effect in 2016 and allows the British Home Office to outlaw certain...
iPhone 12 Security Feature

Research Reveals How iPhone Push Notifications Leak User Data

Thursday January 25, 2024 4:00 am PST by
Security researcher Tommy Mysk has demonstrated that iPhone push notifications are being used by popular apps to covertly send data about the user. In a new video outlining the practice, Mysk highlighted how certain iOS apps exploit a feature introduced in iOS 10 that is designed to allow apps to customize push notifications. This feature, initially intended to enable apps to enrich...
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Apple Wins Early Victory Against Spyware Maker NSO Group in Court

Wednesday January 24, 2024 2:51 am PST by
Apple has dealt a blow against spyware maker NSO Group and the Israeli firm's efforts to move Apple's lawsuit against it to its home country. Apple in November 2021 sued the group and its parent company with the aim of holding it accountable for targeting Apple users with spyware used for surveillance purposes. Judge Donato denied NSO's motion to dismiss Apple's case "in all respects," and...
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Apple Silicon Security Flaw Discovered in iPhone 12 and M2 MacBook Air

Wednesday January 17, 2024 6:39 am PST by
A security vulnerability that could allow attackers to access sensitive data has been discovered in some Apple silicon GPUs. A recent investigation by cybersecurity firm Trail of Bits discovered the security flaw, named "LeftoverLocals," which allows attackers with local access to a device to retrieve data processed in the GPU's local memory. The issue is particularly concerning because of...
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Apple Promotes iCloud's Advanced End-to-End Encryption Feature as Data Breaches Increase

Thursday December 7, 2023 7:00 am PST by
Apple today shared a study conducted by MIT professor Dr. Stuart Madnick that found 2.6 billion personal records were compromised by data breaches in the past two years. The study was commissioned by Apple, but the cover page says that the "conclusions and opinions expressed are exclusively those of the author." Apple provided an overview of the study in its press release:The report...
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Apple Shares New 'The Underdogs' Video Focusing on Apple Security Features at Work

Wednesday July 19, 2023 1:42 am PDT by
Apple today shared a humorous new video on its YouTube channel that dramatizes many of the security features available when using Apple products at work. Titled "Swiped," the spot opens with a design team that is shortly about to give a "game-changing" presentation to a client, only for the MacBook Air on which the presentation exists to be swiped by thieves in the street when the team...
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Apple Responds to Report About Thieves Spying on iPhone Passcodes to 'Steal Your Entire Digital Life'

Friday February 24, 2023 10:15 am PST by
An in-depth report published today by The Wall Street Journal's Joanna Stern and Nicole Nguyen highlights instances of thieves spying on a victim's iPhone passcode before stealing the device in order to gain access to the device, data, and money. All of the victims interviewed said their iPhones were stolen while they were out socializing at bars and other public places at night. Some...
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Apple Launches New Security Research Website

Thursday October 27, 2022 12:05 pm PDT by
Apple today introduced Apple Security Research, a new website that is dedicated to improving the methods available to security researchers for reporting issues to Apple. The site offers up tools for sending Apple security reports, getting real-time status updates, and communicating with Apple engineers. In addition to housing information on the Apple Security Bounty program, the website is a ...
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PSA: Safari Security Flaw 'Actively Exploited,' Update Your Apple Devices Now

Friday August 19, 2022 5:55 am PDT by
This week, Apple released critical software updates for Safari which fix a security flaw that exists in the browser across iPhone, iPad, and Mac platforms. Here's what you need to know. Specifically, the platform-wide fix is for a vulnerability in Safari's WebKit engine that Apple believes may have been "actively exploited" in the wild by hackers. The flaw, according to Apple, could...
iPhone 13 Security

Apple Apologizes to Researcher for Ignoring iOS Vulnerabilities, Says It's 'Still Investigating'

Monday September 27, 2021 12:55 pm PDT by
Last week, security researcher Denis Tokarev made several zero-day iOS vulnerabilities public after he said that Apple had ignored his reports and had failed to fix the issues for several months. Tokarev today told Motherboard that Apple got in touch after he went public with his complaints and after they saw significant media attention. In an email, Apple apologized for the contact delay...
iPhone 13 Security

Researcher Says Apple Ignored Three Zero-Day Security Vulnerabilities Still Present in iOS 15

Friday September 24, 2021 10:42 am PDT by
In 2019, Apple opened its Security Bounty Program to the public, offering payouts up to $1 million to researchers who share critical iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, or watchOS security vulnerabilities with Apple, including the techniques used to exploit them. The program is designed to help Apple keep its software platforms as safe as possible. In the time since, reports have surfaced indicating...
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Apple's iOS 14.8 Update Fixes Zero-Click Exploit Used to Distribute Pegasus Spyware

Monday September 13, 2021 12:51 pm PDT by
Today's iOS 14.8 update addresses a critical vulnerability that Apple engineers have been working around the clock to fix, reports The New York Times. Last week, The Citizen Lab informed Apple about a new zero-click iMessage exploit targeting Apple's image rendering library. Called FORCEDENTRY, the exploit could infect an iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, or Mac with the Pegasus spyware, providing...
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Security Researchers Unhappy With Apple's Bug Bounty Program

Thursday September 9, 2021 10:00 am PDT by
Apple offers a bug bounty program that's designed to pay security researchers for discovering and reporting critical bugs in Apple operating systems, but researchers are not happy with how it operates or Apple's payouts in comparison to other major tech companies, reports The Washington Post. In interviews with more than two dozen security researchers, The Washington Post collected a number...
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Apple Updates Platform Security Guide, Says Kernel Extensions Won't Be Supported on Future Apple Silicon Macs

Thursday February 18, 2021 11:00 am PST by
Apple today shared an updated version of its Platform Security Guide [PDF], providing a comprehensive overview of the latest security advancements across iOS 14, iPadOS 14, macOS Big Sur, tvOS 14, watchOS 7, and more. For example, the guide provides security details about Safari's optional Password Monitoring feature on iOS 14 and macOS Big Sur, which automatically keeps an eye out for any...
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Hackers Discover 55 Apple Vulnerabilities, Awarded Nearly $300,000 in Bounties [Updated]

Thursday October 8, 2020 7:21 am PDT by
A group of hackers has been awarded nearly $300,000 by Apple for discovering 55 vulnerabilities in the company's systems. Sam Curry, Brett Buerhaus, Ben Sadeghipour, Samuel Erb, and Tanner Barnes spent three months hacking Apple platforms and services to discover a range of weaknesses. The 55 vulnerabilities the team discovered were of varying severity, with some being critical. During ...
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Now Patched 'Sign in With Apple' Bug Left Users Open to Attack

Saturday May 30, 2020 12:47 pm PDT by
Researcher Bhavuk Jain in April discovered a critical Sign in With Apple vulnerability that could have resulted in a takeover of some user accounts. The bug was specific to third party apps that used Sign in With Apple and didn't implement additional security measures. Jain notes that Sign in With Apple works by authenticating a user through a JWT (JSON Web Token) or a code that's generated...
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Apple Says Recently Discovered iOS Mail Vulnerabilities Pose No Immediate Threat, But a Patch Is in the Works

Friday April 24, 2020 2:22 am PDT by
Apple has responded to a recent report on vulnerabilities discovered in its iOS Mail app, claiming the issues do not pose an immediate risk to users. Earlier this week, San Francisco-based cybersecurity company ZecOps said it had uncovered two zero-day security vulnerabilities affecting Apple's stock Mail app for iPhones and iPads. One of the vulnerabilities was said to enable an...
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Apple Joins the FIDO Alliance to Help Develop and Promote Authentication Standards

Tuesday February 11, 2020 1:48 am PST by
Apple has joined the Fast Identity Online (FIDO) Alliance, an open industry association whose mission is to develop and promote stronger authentication standards and help reduce the world's over-reliance on passwords. Apple joins existing members Amazon, Facebook, Microsoft, Samsung and others in a common goal to secure online connections and support the adoption of the U2F authentication...