If you’re a T-Mobile customer, the Uncarrier is doing something that might not bother you if they asked. The problem is, they didn’t. We’ll tell you what they’re up to. Also - if a service requires a username and password, should it require the use of two-factor authentication as well? We’ll kick that idea around on this edition of The Checklist, brought to you by SecureMac.
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A VPN provider has tried to size up the safety of AI Chatbots based on App Store Privacy Labels. Is that enough? We’ll talk it over. Then - a data breach at LexisNexis as well as over 184 million login credentials just… sitting someplace - are great reasons to revisit some security basics. That’s all ahead on this edition of The Checklist, brought to you by SecureMac.
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Democrats and Republicans have gotten together on legislation in the U.S. that has free speech advocates a bit concerned - we’ll tell you of worries around the Take It Down Act. Plus - 23andMe has found a buyer - we’ll look at what that means for the data it holds. And an update on last week’s iPadOS 17.7.7 removal on this edition of The Checklist, brought to you by SecureMac.
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The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s changed its mind about protecting consumers from data brokers - we’ll tell you more. Plus a look at the security side of this week’s OS updates from Apple on this edition of The Checklist, brought to you by SecureMac.
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123456. If you just broke into a sweat because that’s your password, this show is for you. And if you didn’t - it’s still for someone you know. It may also apply to a very important person - and once you hear who that is, you’ll break into a cold sweat. We’ll tell you more on this edition of The Checklist, brought to you by SecureMac.
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Word of vulnerabilities found in Apple’s AirPlay protocol. We’ll tell you more. Then, we’ll look at ways to keep your TV from watching you! That’s all on this Checklist No. 421, brought to you by SecureMac.
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Apple hit with important security updates last week - we’ll tell you a bit about those. Also - we’ll look at simple steps for protecting your privacy on your Mac. First though - how does one hack a crosswalk? It’s way easier than it should be. We’ll tell you more on this edition of The Checklist, brought to you by SecureMac.
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Tax day is next Tuesday here in the U.S. We’re looking at last minute scams and ways to avoid them. Plus - we’re revisiting last month’s US intelligence Signal snafu. Who does the government say is to blame? Find out on this edition of The Checklist, brought to you by SecureMac.
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Did you hear about the VPNs with ties to the Chinese military found in Apple’s App Store? While VPNs are supposed to be safe and the App Store is supposed to be safe - this is an unsafe mix. We’ll hit some basic VPN information, discuss times VPNs have been misused, and talk about finding the right VPN for you on this edition of The Checklist, brought to you by SecureMac.
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23andMe has filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. One California lawmaker says it’s time to have your DNA scrubbed from the company. We’ll tell you why and how to do it. Plus - What’s wrong with the end-to-end encrypted messaging app Signal? Nothing. But not everyone should use it. We’ll tell you more on this edition of The Checklist, brought to you by SecureMac.
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We’ve talked in the past about security risks tied to the China-based LLM DeepSeek, but we totally missed one we should have seen coming. We’ll tell you more. Plus - a guy in Norway found out he’d killed his kids by asking ChatGPT (spoiler: no he hadn’t). We’ll talk getting annoybed with hallucinations on this edition of The Checklist, brought to you by SecureMac.
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We’re catching up on the Lee Enterprises issue. Roughly 70 U.S. newspapers were under cyberattack - we’ll see how they’re doing now. Plus - Consumer Reports has looked into voice cloning scams and they’ve got good news… for people running the scams. We’ll talk about staying guarded on this edition of The Checklist, brought to you by SecureMac.
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This week we’re looking at the child protection changes for apps and developers announced recently by Apple. Plus - another case of attempted cyberattacks being sent through the physical mail. It’s all ahead on this edition of The Checklist, brought to you by SecureMac.
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When’s the last time you heard anybody say anything nice about Google? Surprisingly, we’re doing it today! Google is making making your Gmail safer even safer and they’re letting you hide search results about you. We’ll tell you more on Checklist No. 413 - brought to you by SecureMac.
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Have you heard about the 70+ newspaper across the U.S. being held for ransom? We’ll talk about the cyberattack that’s gripped publisher Lee Enterprises. Plus - DeepSeek is the hottest thing in A.I. right now. From a privacy and security standpoint - it also looks to be the most dangerous. We’ll dig into it on Checklist 412 - brought to you by SecureMac
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Valentine’s Day comes once a year, but romance scams are constant. We’ll look at some of those and ways to avoid them. Plus - a look at Apple’s OS updates from earlier this week. That’s all on Checklist No. 411, brought to you by SecureMac.
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News of troubling malware in apps in Apple’s App Store. We’ll tell the tale of SparkCat, what it's trying to steal, and how to stay protected. Also - If you use, drive for, or work with Grubhub, your info may have been stolen. We'll tell you more on Checklist No. 410 - brought to you by SecureMac.
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Have you heard the latest on the Change Healthcare hack? Checklist 409’s got it. Plus - a lot of Apple operating systems got updates this week. Most of those got a fix for a vulnerability under active exploit - but what about the ones that didn’t? We’ll look into that on this edition of The Checklist, brought to you by SecureMac.
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We’re talking about family passwords. What are they? Why are they important? What should you consider when considering one? Plus - we’ll revisit the toll road smishing scams and why they’re so prevalent today. That’s all on this edition of The Checklist, brought to you by SecureMac.
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The destructive fires in Southern California are sparking activity from scammers. We’ll look at who’s being targeted and how to stay protected. Plus - How many scam text messages do you get in a week? If you’ve got an iPhone, Apple’s built in a protection against some of them - but it’s pretty easy to break. We’ll tell you more on this edition of The Checklist, brought to you by SecureMac.
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This week, we’ll look at a new initiative by the U.S. Government to raise awareness around security and IoT devices. First though - the carriers that didn’t know for months that their networks had been pwned by Chinese hackers say they now see no signs of Chinese hackers on their networks! It is news you can feel about on this edition of The Checklist, brought to you by SecureMac.
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Artificial Intelligence - creator of super-users and (in fiction at least) destroyer of worlds. A.I. is the greatest thing since sliced bread, according to Silicon Valley. In the movies though, it’s a source of soulless control that will eventually kill us all.
Speaking of killing - you may have some time to kill this holiday season. So we decided to fill it with films! We’ll look at three of our favorite A.I. films, what they got right, and what we should learn from them on this edition of The Checklist, brought to you by SecureMac.
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Public wifi is everywhere when we're traveling, but is it safe? We're looking at ways to make sure. Plus - security updates in Apple's OS updates on Checklist No. 404, brought to you by SecureMac.
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The FBI is suggesting that people use communications tools that employ end-to-end-encryption. That's due to hackers from China accessing major telecoms in the U.S., using a backdoor built for "good guys." We’ll look at the Salt Typhoon attack, the FBI’s change of heart on encryption, and consider a few end-to-end-encrypted communication options on this edition of The Checklist, brought to you by SecureMac.
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Bad guys and A.I. may try to wreck our holiday shopping. From deepfake celebrity endorsements to more convincing phishing messages to imitation sites that look like the real thing - there are tons of scams out there, aided by A.I. Good news though - they can be thwarted using the same practices we’ve used for years. We’ll revisit those on this edition of The Checklist, brought to you by SecureMac.
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