Apple is building scam detection into the operating system. With iOS 27, a new framework called Trust Insights watches for the behavioral fingerprints of a scam in progress, the odd timing and out-of-character payments that signal someone is being coached. It runs on-device, and…
Continue reading →Posts Tagged → security
When Phishing Stops Looking Like Phishing
Matt Mullenweg, the co-founder of WordPress, almost got hooked by an Apple ID phishing scam in March. He wrote up the whole thing on his blog, and it’s a story everyone using an Apple ID should read. This wasn’t a sloppy email with broken…
Continue reading →Passkey Adoption is Too Slow
We recently hit a milestone in the world of digital security: 200 companies are now using passkeys instead of traditional password systems. It’s progress, sure, but to me, it’s not exactly fireworks-worthy. Frankly, it feels like we should be much further along. I’ve heard from many…
Continue reading →Those Terrible Passwords Aren’t Getting Any Better
NordVPN recently released its annual list of commonly used passwords, and (surprise, surprise!) not much has changed. What’s truly baffling is how many folks still rely on this digital equivalent of leaving their front door wide open. The most common password is “123456” but fear…
Continue reading →Who’s Responsible For Age Verification?
There seems to be a lot of finger-pointing going on about age verification between software and hardware developers. Facebook (and now Tinder) argue that it’s up to the hardware seller to verify a user’s age. (Ben Lovejoy covers this over at 9to5Mac.) In a lot…
Continue reading →Stolen Device Protection
There’s a new feature heading to iOS 17.3 after the New Year that will make it harder for someone to shoulder-surf your passcode and change your Apple ID on you. This is directly aimed at the vulnerability Joanna Stern wrote about in the Wall Street…
Continue reading →The Perils of Shoulder Surfing (MacSparky Labs)
Several MacSparky Labs members have asked about my thoughts on Apple devices and the risks of shoulder surfing, where someone looks over your shoulder and steals your passcode. I do, indeed, have thoughts. Here you go…
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Malicious Email is Getting Smarter
Malicious email is not comically dumb any more. One malicious strain, called Emotet, appears to come from a known contact and looks as if it is replying to an existing thread. If you click on the links or attachments, you are done for. Dan…
Continue reading →1Password and Passkeys
1Password announced on their blog that they’ll be incorporating passkeys into their app by summer. Passkey is a great technology and will help many folks be more secure on the Internet. I love that 1Password is early to the game. My question is about…
Continue reading →This Morning Someone Tried to Phish Me …
Here’s a short video breaking down how this morning I dealt with a Phishing attempt combined with an iCloud outage. That’s exactly the kind of combination that can get people in trouble. Here’s my short video explainer. I made this a public link so you…
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