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How to Protect Against Meltdown & Spectre Security Flaws

Jan 5, 2018 - 22 Comments
Meltdown and Spectre vulnerabilities have their own logos

Two major security flaws have been found in modern computer processors, potentially impacting nearly all modern computers in the world. All Macs and iOS devices along with most Windows PC and Android devices are potentially susceptible to the critical security flaws, named Meltdown and Spectre. Theoretically, the vulnerabilities could be used to gain unauthorized access … Read More

How to Open a Link in New Private Browsing Window in Safari for Mac

Dec 22, 2017 - 3 Comments
Safari Technology Preview

You can easily open any link found on the web into a new private browsing window on Safari for Mac, thanks to a helpful albeit little-known trick available in the web browser. For the unfamiliar, Private Browsing mode aims to protect private information and some degree of privacy by preventing websites from tracking search behavior, … Read More

How to Delete Touch Bar Data from MacBook Pro with Touch Bar

Dec 21, 2017 - 6 Comments
Erase Touch Bar Data on Mac

The Touch Bar equipped MacBook Pro stores additional data for the Touch Bar and Touch ID sensor that is not erased by default if you format a Mac or reinstall MacOS system software. Thus, if you want to completely clear out and erase all Touch Bar data, you will need to manually intervene via a … Read More

MacOS High Sierra 17B1003 Fixes File Sharing Bug from Security Update 2017-001

Nov 30, 2017 - 7 Comments
MacOS High Sierra 10.13.1 Supplemental security update 2017-001

A second small supplemental software update has been released for MacOS High Sierra users who installed the prior release of Security Update 2017-001 for High Sierra, which fixed the root login bug but then caused a problem with file sharing. The new small software update, which apparently resolves the file sharing issue along with the … Read More

Critical Security Update for macOS High Sierra Released to Fix Root Bug, Download & Install Now

Nov 29, 2017 - 13 Comments
Security Update for macOS High Sierra root password bug

Apple has issued a critical security update for macOS High Sierra to address the root login bug which allows anyone to login to macOS High Sierra without a password. All macOS High Sierra users should install the security update as soon as possible to protect their Mac, even if they have already used the root … Read More

MacOS High Sierra Security Bug Allows Root Login Without a Password, Here’s a Fix

Nov 28, 2017 - 35 Comments
macOS High Sierra root password bug

A significant security vulnerability has been discovered with macOS High Sierra, potentially allowing any person to log into a Mac with full root administrative capabilities without a password. This is an urgent security problem, and while a software update should arrive to resolve the problem soon, this article will detail how to protect your Mac … Read More

How to Reset Face ID on iPhone & iPad

Nov 27, 2017 - 5 Comments
Face ID

If you discover that Face ID is not reliably unlocking iPhone or iPad, you may want to try resetting Face ID and then setting it up again. Additionally, you can disable Face ID completely by resetting Face ID on a device and then not setting it up again. Resetting Face ID is pretty simple and … Read More

Can You Use iPhone 14, 13, 12, 11, 11 Pro, X, XS, XR Without Face ID? Yes! Face ID Questions, Answered

Nov 10, 2017 - 25 Comments
Use iPhone X without Face ID

There are a lot of questions out there about using iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Pro, iPhone 13, iPhone 13 Pro, iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro, iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, iPhone 11 Pro max, iPhone X, iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, or iPhone XR and the new Face ID feature, which scans your face to … Read More

How to Disable Face ID on iPhone (Temporarily)

Nov 7, 2017 - 3 Comments
Temporarily disable Face ID on iPhone

Want to temporarily disable Face ID on iPhone? For iPhone models with Face ID, like iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro, iPhone 12 Mini, iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, iPhone X, XS, iPhone XR, or iPhone XS Max, you may find yourself wanting to quickly turn off Face ID on iPhone so that it can not … Read More

How to Use TOR on iPhone and iPad with Onion Browser

Aug 12, 2017 - 13 Comments
Tor for iPhone

TOR is a relay network which aims to increase your online privacy by attempting to anonymize web browsing activity. This is achieved by distributing your traffic across a series of TOR servers, which obfuscates your IP behind those Tor servers. While TOR is typically used on the desktop – you can read about using TOR … Read More

How to Check If iPhone You’re Buying is Stolen or Not

Jun 3, 2017 - 29 Comments
iPhone 7 Plus in black

Do not buy used iPhone or phone without doing this first! For anyone shopping for a used iPhone or Android phone, your top priority should be to check to find out if the iPhone or phone has been stolen or reported as lost. The reason is simple; a stolen iPhone or phone that has been … Read More

How to Reveal Hidden Message Previews with Touch ID on iPhone Lock Screen

May 23, 2017 - 8 Comments
The locked screen shows a hidden message preview on iOS

The iPhone defaults to showing message previews on the lock screen of iOS, revealing the sender name and message content text. Because of potential privacy ramifications, many users turn off message previews on the lock screen which hides the message content, but then to read the full message users have to go to the Message … Read More

How to Check XProtect Version in Mac OS

May 1, 2017 - 16 Comments
Check XProtect Version on Mac

Need to know what version of Gatekeeper and Xprotect are installed on a Mac? You can find this information through the command line of Mac OS. GateKeeper, MRT (Malware Removal Tool), and XProtect are all built-in features of Mac OS designed to prevent malware threats and other nefarious software from being installed or used on … Read More

How to SSH on Mac with the Native SSH Client

Apr 28, 2017 - 17 Comments
Using SSH on a Mac

Did you know the Mac has a native SSH client built directly into the command line? This ssh client allows for secured connections and remote logins into other machines. Unlike Windows, you won’t need a third party app to utilize SSH for connections into remote computers and devices, because ssh is built directly into Mac … Read More

How to Disable Webcam / FaceTime Camera on Mac Completely

Mar 1, 2017 - 38 Comments
How to disable Mac camera completely

Some of the more privacy conscious Mac users out there might put tape over their webcam or use apps like Oversight to detect camera activity. While either of those approaches can be satisfactory for many users (or considered totally paranoid and overboard to others), many advanced Mac users in the security community go a step … Read More

How to Use Screen Lock on MacBook Pro with Touch Bar

Feb 22, 2017 - 7 Comments
Lock a Mac screen with a Touch Bar button

Locking your Mac screen with password protection when you step away from the computer is always a good idea, but the newer MacBook Pro with Touch Bar models do not support the traditional lock screen keyboard shortcut. This doesn’t mean you can’t lock the screen quickly on a Touch Bar MacBook Pro however, and in … Read More

Detect Webcam & Microphone Activity on Mac with Oversight

Feb 21, 2017 - 13 Comments
Detect camera and microphone access on Mac

Though Mac users don’t usually have to worry excessively about “camfecting” malware and spyware, some security conscious users may find it nice to know if a process or application is attempting to access their computers web camera or microphone. With the help of a free third party security utility called Oversight, you can have your … Read More

How to View FileVault Progress When Encrypting a Mac Disk

Feb 8, 2017 - 3 Comments
Check Filevault encryption progress

Using Filevault on a Mac encrypts the entire hard drive and helps protect personal data from theft or unauthorized snooping. It’s a great security feature that many users enable when they’re first setting up their Mac, but some users may enable it or disable it later as well. There’s certainly nothing wrong with that, but … Read More

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