Happy Tuesday, everybody - Chad here. I hope your week is off to a trouble-free start. I’ve been informed that it’s officially “the Holidays”, and you know what that means: an uptick in cyber threats, especially things like phishing attempts. Those things can look a lot different on a mobile device or in a text, so keep your ears peeled and stay vigilant out there. Here’s a couple of security stories from this week:
Apple macOS Flaw Allows Kernel-Level Compromise
This may show my age (and my unfortunate allegiance), but I’ve had an Apple computer since 1987. It’s because of that experience that I always practice my “ABCs” when it comes to macOS releases: Always Be Clickingremindmetomorrowuntiltheyvepatchedtheholes – just, you know…they’re becoming pretty infamous for these kinds of OS exploits so just be patient. The new hotness will still be there after the bugs all get squashed.
Signal Now Lets You Report and Block Spam Messages
In related news (because I’m also a Signal user)…huzzah!! I like Signal just fine, but I have a few friends (shockingly, in the Security industry) who refuse to use anything else because “privacy” and this is something I’ve been raging about for a bit. I’m glad they finally added it, but I know it’s too little/too late for some users. Remember: nobody outside of your contacts has your number and the IRS didn’t text you a bunch of typos.
Stay safe out there, y’all!