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!
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.
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.
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.
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.”
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.”
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.
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!
