Weekly Mac Security and Tech News Roundup: 3/22/13
Posted on
by
Rebecca Kelley
The first day of spring has officially arrived, and for Intego’s headquarters in Seattle, that means it’s snowing. (Seriously.) Weird weather aside, this past week brought some interesting news and tidbits that we included in the roundup. Enjoy!
Security News
- Check out this 17 year review of Java and security. It looks at the number of vulnerabilities that have been released since 1996.
- Mozilla’s third-party cookie policy change continues to spark debate and interest. The latest writeup from ReadWrite.com examines Mozilla’s decision and whether they’re “clamping down on freedom of choice.”
- Andrew Auernheimer, a bit of an “online troll” and “self-admitted jerk,” exposed a serious security hole in AT&T’s servers that allowed anyone to go in and find emails of AT&T iPad owners. He was rewarded with a 41 month jail sentence and has been ordered to pay $73,000 to AT&T. Sure, Auernheimer’s methods were questionable (he called attention to the vulnerability by compiling information on famous people who owned iPads and alerting the press) and he may have gotten a stiffer sentence for being disrespectful to the judge, but this story also raises eyebrows in the security world as people worry about what could happen to them if they identify important and problematic security gaps in a major, public-facing company’s infrastructure.
From the Intego Blog
- Apple surprised us all by releasing Safari 5.1.8 for Snow Leopard.
- A lot of people don’t “believe” in antivirus software. You don’t have to use it, but understand that malware isn’t the only tool in a cybercriminal’s arsenal–there are other security measures you should take seriously, not just antivirus.
- Bit of a rollercoaster for Apple this week. First they fixed a passcode bug in an iOS 6.1.3 update, but then a new passcode flaw was discovered right after that. They also released Mac OS X 10.8.3 and security updates for Apple TV, and they began allowing two-factor authentication.
- We’re seeing a lot of cautionary posts in articles centered around springtime events like March Madness, but it’s important to remember that security concerns aren’t seasonal. You should always follow best security practices year-round to make sure you’re as protected as possible.
- Be on the lookout for an adware program called Yontoo that’s making the rounds. Intego VirusBarrier users with up-to-date virus definitions will see detection of the Yontoo application as OSX/Tonyoo. Apple has also updated XProtect to detect the Yontoo adware.
- Lysa Myers wrote an article for USA Today outlining 10 malware myths that refuse to die, and we followed that up with a companion piece on our blog detailing 5 more Mac malware myths and misconceptions.
Apple News
- Apple removed an iPad game called Sweatshop HD because the App Store was “uncomfortable selling a game based around the theme of running a sweatshop.” The game designers argue that “Sweatshop is a sympathetic examination of the pressures that all participants in the sweatshop system endure.”
- Intertrust Technologies filed a lawsuit against Apple on Wednesday for pretty much everything. According to them, almost all of Apple’s products infringe on security patents they own.
- Kevin Lynch has jumped ship from his CTO position at Adobe and joined Apple as the Vice President of Technology. A former Adobe employee joining the Flash-averse Apple family? Interesting…
- iCloud is reportedly the most-used cloud service in the United States, with a 10% lead over Dropbox.
- Popular Mechanics has an article detailing 4 ways to improve your relationship with Siri. They’re less of the “Tell her she’s beautiful and surprise her with flowers every now and then” variety and more along the lines of “Siri misunderstands what I’m saying.”
- J.D. Power and Associates has awarded Apple the highest rating in customer satisfaction among smartphone manufacturers for the ninth year in a row.
- Apparently Apple gets 75% of its power from renewable energy, a figure that is up from 35% just two years ago. Its data centers use 100% renewable energy.
Notable Tech News
- Drobpox acquired the one-month old email app Mailbox. That was quick!
- It’s a small sample size, but a reddit survey of about 400 jailbreakers yielded an interesting infographic about the demographic and habits of people who are likely to jailbreak their device.
Random Awesomeness
- Starwood Hotels’ Aloft Hotel in Cupertino, California, has installed Apple TVs in all 123 of its rooms. Guests staying there will now be able to choose from thousands of movies and TV shows for their viewing pleasure.
- Humor site Funny or Die is planning to release a 60-75-minute movie called iSteve, a satirical Steve Jobs biopic starring Justin Long (who you may remember as the “Mac” from the “I’m a Mac/I’m a PC’ ads). Meanwhile, the Ashton Kutcher-starring biopic of Steve Jobs called Jobs is reportedly delayed for more marketing.
- Cult of Mac has a somewhat sensationally titled post called “How Apple Has Changed the World in Just 7 Years,” but the images are nonetheless striking. They depict a comparison of crowds of people waiting to see who will be elected Pope in 2005 and again in 2013. There’s a slight difference in the two images — see if you can figure out what it is.
- Bradley Hart creates bubble wrap art by injecting paint into each bubble to form a portrait or painting. Here’s a portrait of Steve Jobs he made (hat tip to Cult of Mac):
- And finally, this doesn’t have anything to do with Mac security or technology, but I can’t stop laughing at the picture so I’ve included it for your viewing pleasure. Apparently this is how zoologists weigh tiny birds:
Share your other favorite stories in the comments section, and don’t forget to follow Intego on Twitter and Facebook to keep the conversation going!