How to avoid scam apps in the App Store

How to avoid scam apps in the App Store

App developers are warning that there are lots of scam apps in the App Store — and they say that Apple’s own ratings and review system is a big part of the problem. In this article, we’ll take a look at what’s going on, and tell you how you can stay safe.

A broken ratings system

For the last couple of weeks, iOS app developer Kosta Eleftheriou has been calling out Apple on Twitter. He says there are tons of malicious and scam apps in the App Store — and other devs …

February 19, 2021 • 6 min read
North Dakota law could change the iPhone in a big way

North Dakota law could change the iPhone in a big way

A proposed North Dakota law could force Apple and Google to allow alternative app stores and payment systems on their platforms, potentially ending Apple’s tight control over iPhone apps and sparking major changes in the mobile app market.

February 16, 2021 • 6 min read
Hacker breaches water treatment plant in Florida, tampers with chemical safety settings

Hacker breaches water treatment plant in Florida, tampers with chemical safety settings

Last week, someone breached the computer system of a water treatment plant in Florida. According to public officials, the hacker tampered with critical safety settings, making changes that could have released toxic chemicals into the water supply.

The Oldsmar water treatment plant hack

The incident occured in the city of Oldsmar, Florida, a small municipality (pop. 14,000) just outside of Tampa. According to a press release issued by the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, an unidentified hacker accessed the City of Oldsmar’s computer system twice on February 5.

The first intrusion was brief, and …

February 10, 2021 • 4 min read
How to avoid Valentine’s Day romance scams

How to avoid Valentine’s Day romance scams

Valentine’s Day 2021 is right around the corner, and the FBI is telling people to be on the lookout for romance scams. In this article, we’ll tell you what romance scams are, how they work, and how you can avoid them.

What are romance scams?

Romance scams are a kind of social engineering. In a romance scam, the scammer pretends to be romantically interested in their victim in order to gain their affection and trust. They then use the relationship to ask for money or personal information. In some romance scams, an …

February 4, 2021 • 9 min read
Apple releases macOS Big Sur 11.2

Apple releases macOS Big Sur 11.2

Apple has just released macOS Big Sur 11.2 along with the related Security Update 2021-001 Catalina and Security Update 2021-001 Mojave.

February 2, 2021 • 3 min read
Critical security updates for iOS, iPadOS, and more

Critical security updates for iOS, iPadOS, and more

Apple has just released an important round of updates. The TL;DR is that the iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, and tvOS updates address vulnerabilities that are under active exploitation (according to reports). If you have a device running any of these operating systems, you should update immediately.

In the following article, we’ll give you some additional information about the security content of these updates:

iOS and iPadOS

Apple has just released iOS 14.4 and iPadOS 14.4. The updates address two separate security issues. 

First, the updates contain a fix for a kernel vulnerability. The “kernel” is …

January 27, 2021 • 3 min read