Tag Archive for: ios

Apple Hurriedly Patches Security Flaws in Latest iOS / Digital Information World


Whenever Apple releases a new version of iOS, there is often a frenzy of activity as people try their best to figure out what kind of new features are going to be coming into play. With all of that having been said and out of the way, it is important to note that the release of the latest version of iOS, iOS 14 to be precise, has not gone quite as smoothly as Apple had hoped since Google discovered three zero day security risks that might have made it impossible for users to feel secure while using this particular version of the operating system.

Because of the fact that this is the sort of thing that could potentially end up undermining Apple’s ability to remain competitive in the market, the tech giant has decided to patch these security issues immediately with a new update to the operating system. All Apple users are strongly recommended to update to the latest version of their mobile operating system lest something goes wrong that prevents Apple from being able to protect you from the various security threats that many people are forced to end up facing out there.

The way the code has been laid out in the latest version of iOS has made it rather easy for someone to hack into your device. While the duration during which the initial version of iOS 14 was operational was actually quite small, thereby making it unlikely that any hacker might have learned about them and tried to exploit them in any way, shape or form, at the same time the fact that such a vulnerability was rolled out in the first place is the sort of thing that might shake the trust that some people have when it comes to companies like Apple.

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Update iOS Right Now to Fix Some Bad Security Bugs


Congratulations, the week that somehow lasted four months is finally over. At the time of writing this post, the Associated Press still hadn’t called a winner in the United States presidential election. (Donald Trump tried to declare victory early Wednesday morning, but it doesn’t work like that. At all.) While you wait, let’s get you caught up some security news you might have missed while you were watching maps change color on cable news.

Earlier this week, the cryptocurrency had a mystery on its hands when someone emptied a billion dollars from a bitcoin wallet that had sat untouched for years. (Yes, billion.) The sleuthing was short-lived; it turned out that the IRS had tracked down the wallet’s owner after establishing that so-called Individual X had amassed the trove in the first place by hacking the Silk Road seven years ago. It’s the biggest cryptocurrency seizure in US history, and it’s not even close. Law enforcement also shut down a West Virginia man who was allegedly selling 3D-printed machine gun components—barely disguised as wall hangers—to so-called Boogaloo Boys extremists.

Some privacy strides were made this week in various corners. Zoom has finally added real end-to-end encryption, so we walked through how to turn it on and what you have to give up to do so. WhatsApp added disappearing messages, although with less flexibility than other encrypted platforms give you. And while the presidential race remains in doubt, privacy-friendly ballot initiatives comfortably passed in both Michigan and California.

To round out the election news, we took a look at how smoothly Election Day itself went, and how you can thank years of overdue investment and smart decisions for it. We also enjoyed this livestream of ballot-counting in Philadelphia—and explained how every step of the process works.

And there’s more! Every Saturday we round up the security and privacy stories that we didn’t break or report on in depth but think you should know about. Click on the headlines to read them, and stay safe out there.

Apple released its latest iOS update this week, and while the new emojis it comes with are exciting, you’ll also want it to fix a raft of security issues for iPhone and…

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Top 5 security hacks for iOS 14 and Android 11 – Tech Observer


If you have updated your Apple phone or your Android to the latest version – iOS 14 or Android 11 respectively – you may have noticed that they come with enhanced privacy controls. These new versions allow you to more easily check, and change, the personal information and phone features that individual apps can access. 

So how about taking this opportunity to give your personal and work phones a mobile privacy health check? Even if you are running earlier OS versions – or do not have a smartphone at all – it’s still worth taking a few minutes to check the privacy settings in your digital life and ensure that they are where you want them to be.

Before you start

If you have loads of apps installed, don’t worry: you can check some of the most important permissions for all of them in one go. Alternatively, focus on the apps you use most. (If you do forget to check up on old apps, Android 11 will reset all “sensitive” permissions automatically if an app is not used for a few months.) 

Watch out for apps that are asking for access to features or information that they very clearly don’t need – a calculator that’s insisting on using your camera and knowing your location, for instance.

If you have any apps like this, then you should be asking yourself, “Do I want this app on my phone at all?” It could be an overtly malicious app or overly-aggressive adware that’s out to collect as much information as possible for monetization through a data broker. If in doubt, don’t bother trying to tune up its privacy settings – get rid of it.

Top five things to check on iOS 14 and Android 11 to pep up privacy

For iOS 14 you can manage all your privacy settings through Settings > Privacy. On Android 11, the location of the Privacy section varies from device to device, so you may need to look around for the settings pages. However, the Android Permission manager page lets you see all app permissions in one place.

1) Location services

This is one of the most important permissions to check and both iOS and Android offer a centralized one-click block option that covers all apps. They have also made it easier to find out which apps already have permission to know…

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Former NSA Hacker Reveals 5 Ways To Protect Yourself Online