Senior Correspondent Arnold Woodworth's Weekly Web Wrap-up for August 9th

Apple launches redesigned website, kills old Apple Store

Apple also baked in buy buttons and purchase options into every product page, so shoppers no longer have to peruse items on Apple.com but essentially navigate over to the Store side. The result: not only does the Apple.com user experience just make more sense as a result, the entire shopping experience is a noticeably smoother and faster one.

http://mashable.com/2015/08/06/apple-launches-redesigned-website/



How to hide photos on your iPhone

http://www.techinsider.io/iphone-photo-privacy-2015-7



Apple Watch heart rate monitoring helps man diagnose disease

Usually a patient would need to wear a heart rate monitor for a week to confirm what was going on but Robson presented the two weeks’ of data on his iPhone. The hospital checked the Watch’s accuracy by measuring Robson’s heart rate on a medical-grade monitor and comparing it to the Watch. They decided he needed a pacemaker and operated to fit one almost immediately.

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/apple-watch-heart-rate-monitoring-helps-man-diagnose-disease-10445713.html



Why I'm no longer wearing my Apple Watch

I simply didn't have a compelling reason to wear it. And it turns out I didn't miss it.

the Apple Watch seems much like other novelties that shine bright for a moment only to gather dust in the drawer.

http://www.mercurynews.com/troy-wolverton/ci_28601766/wolverton-why-im-no-longer-wearing-my-apple



Your MacBook Is Not As Secure As You Thought

Researchers successfully hack into Macs that are not connected to the Internet.

Researchers have created the first firmware worm that targets Mac computers, in a move that gives corporate security teams a sharp new headache and pokes holes in one of Apple's top selling points. A proof-of-concept worm from Xeno Kovah of LegbaCore and Trammell Hudson of Two Sigma Investments jumps from MacBook to MacBook, even if the computers are not connected to the Internet or on a network with each other.

According to Wired's Kim Zetter, who broke the story, "If a victim, thinking his or her computer is infected, wipes the computer's operating system and reinstalls it to eliminate malicious code, the malicious firmware code will remain intact."

http://www.fastcompany.com/3049358/fast-feed/your-macbook-is-not-as-secure-as-you-thought



Why you shouldn't freak out about this week's scary-sounding Mac exploits
Researchers document two OS X security flaws that shouldn't cause you to lose sleep, as severe as they sound.

http://www.macworld.com/article/2956628/security/why-you-shouldnt-freak-out-about-this-weeks-scary-sounding-mac-exploits.html



Apple PR recently hired a few reporters and journalists

http://9to5mac.com/2015/08/06/techcrunch-apple-reporter-darrell-etherington-hired-by-apple-for-pr/



This month, the Malwarebytes company released its namesake Anti-Malware for Mac product to help people who toil behind that glowing Apple logo keep their data safe. The software sniffs out and removes malware, adware, and potentially unwanted programs that often skirt the line between legitimate software and intrusive code.

The free consumer version is available now.

http://www.smallbusinesscomputing.com/News/Security/malwarebytes-stops-hackers-from-taking-a-bite-out-of-apple.html



A massive security bug lets criminals install bogus apps on your iPhone — and they look like the real thing

The attacks work by duping smartphone users into installing the malicious apps without their knowledge. If a user clicks on an infected link while browsing the web, then Masque can download an app onto an iPhone without the users knowing. That app will look and behave like the real thing — except that hackers will be controlling and monitoring it, and watching what you do on it.

The attacks are currently have a "small" undisclosed number of victims. Mullis said he expects to see the attacks expand their target-base in the near future.

http://www.techinsider.io/fresh-masque-ios-security-flaw-puts-iphone-users-at-risk-2015-8



The bad news on Apple's stock is only beginning

Things are going to get worse for Apple before they get better.

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/the-bad-news-on-apples-stock-is-only-beginning-2015-08-04



Stop panicking about Apple's stock decline

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/it-seems-weve-lost-our-mind-over-apples-stock-decline-2015-08-05



Here's how a video artist made this actress look 30 years younger

http://www.techinsider.io/how-technology-makes-actors-look-younger-2015-8



Researchers have found the perfect way to help addicts from relapsing

An innovative new app.

http://www.techinsider.io/new-app-recovering-addicts-heroin-ohio-state-2015-8



Microsoft's Windows 10 is a privacy nightmare. Here's how to protect yourself.

Windows 10 is currently a privacy morass in dire need of reform.

Microsoft won't treat your local data with any more privacy than it treats your data on its servers and may upload your local data to its servers arbitrarily-unless you stop Microsoft from doing so. For now, it's not easy to restrict what Windows collects, but here's how.

http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/bitwise/2015/08/windows_10_privacy_problems_here_s_how_bad_they_are_and_how_to_plug_them.html



Security, and marketing it, is the key to a Blackberry resurgence

we currently believe they are ahead of the curve with security.

I know if I walked into a store and learned that "this phone was much more secure than others," it would make a material difference in my decision making. The general public doesn't know this. All they know is that BlackBerry was popular, and now Apple rules.

If a consumer was properly educated, that person would learn that by being part of BlackBerry, he is not only securing his phone, but he is part of a much larger security infrastructure that spans the IoT space.

In our opinion, it is all about marketing now.

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/security-and-marketing-it-is-the-key-to-a-blackberry-resurgence-2015-08-06



Online learning site Udemy, which offers classes on a wide range of subjects including programming, photography, Photoshop, writing, and more, is today debuting a new iOS 9 Developer Course that aims to teach students how to use Xcode 7 and Swift 2 to make iOS apps.

Udemy's Complete iOS 9 Developer Course is priced at $199, but Udemy has agreed to give interested MacRumors readers a significant discount.

http://www.macrumors.com/2015/07/30/udemy-developer-course-for-ios-9/



San Francisco police officer gets paid to patrol Instagram

Instagram photos often end up being used as evidence in court.

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/this-san-francisco-police-officer-gets-paid-to-patrol-instagram-2015-08-06



Read this before posting photos of your kids on Facebook

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/read-this-before-posting-photos-of-your-kids-on-facebook-2015-08-05



another unprecedented phenomenon is taking place, in the realm of sex. Hookup culture, which has been percolating for about a hundred years, has collided with dating apps, which have acted like a wayward meteor on the now dinosaur-like rituals of courtship.

People used to meet their partners through proximity, through family and friends, but now Internet meeting is surpassing every other form.

Mobile dating went mainstream about five years ago; by 2012 it was overtaking online dating. In February, one study reported there were nearly 100 million people-perhaps 50 million on Tinder alone-using their phones as a sort of all-day, every-day, handheld singles club, where they might find a sex partner as easily as they'd find a cheap flight to Florida.

Since the emergence of flappers and "moderns" in the 1920s, the debate about what is lost and gained for women in casual sex has been raging, and is raging still-particularly among women.

When there is a surplus of women, or a perceived surplus of women, the whole mating system tends to shift towards short-term dating. Marriages become unstable. Divorces increase. Men don't have to commit, so they pursue a short-term mating strategy. Men are making that shift, and women are forced to go along with it in order to mate at all

http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/2015/08/tinder-hook-up-culture-end-of-dating



The biggest stars on YouTube make huge incomes ... yet they can't keep the vast majority of it

before you buy a videocamera and tell your boss to shove it, consider what it costs to become a YouTube star. Turns out you can be one of the most famous people on the web and still barely get by.

http://www.businessinsider.com/money-youtube-stars-actually-make-2014-2?r=UK&IR=T



5 Ways to Deal with Facebook's New Algorithm Change

Sure, you're not going to be able to spam your audience's News Feeds anymore. But guess what? Spamming was never the most effective way of reaching your audience anyway. If you've been relying on that, your social media marketing strategy has been flawed from the start.

Ditch the Hard Sell
Interact With Your Audience
Provide Value, Not Email List Bait
Provide News, Not Self Praise

http://smallbiztrends.com/2015/07/facebook-algorithm-change-2015.html



Update Firefox now! Fix rushed out for an exploit that steals files off your hard drive

The specific exploit found in the wild was only targeting Windows and Linux PCs; however, Veditz warns that Mac users would be vulnerable if the malware had been crafted differently.

Mozilla released a security patch for the Firefox browser after finding a  serious vulnerability being exploited in the wild. The vulnerability allows malicious attackers to use some JavaScript magic to "search for and upload potentially sensitive" from your hard drive to their servers. 

Mozilla is asking all Firefox users to upgrade immediately to version 39.0.3.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/2960789/browsers/update-firefox-now-fix-rushed-out-for-an-exploit-that-steals-files-off-your-hard-drive.html

http://fortune.com/2015/08/07/firefox-security-flaw/



Your Fingerprint Could Be Stolen Remotely If Your Android Phone Has A Scanner

researchers presented findings that reveal hackers can remotely obtain fingerprints from Android devices that use biometric sensors.

Apple still has a significant hold on the market. Its Touch ID sensor has proven to be more secure because it encrypts data gleaned from the scanner.

http://www.fastcompany.com/3049553/fast-feed/your-fingerprint-could-be-stolen-remotely-if-your-android-phone-has-a-scanner



Code-Cracking Gadget Lets Hackers Break Into Your Car and Garage Without a Trace

lets an intruder break into cars without a trace, turn off their alarms, and effortlessly access garages.

RollJam, as Kamkar describes it, is meant to be hidden on or near a target vehicle or garage, where it lies in wait for an unsuspecting victim to use his or her key fob within radio range. The victim will notice only that his or her key fob doesn't work on the first try. But after a second, successful button press locks or unlocks a car or garage door, the RollJam attacker can return at any time to retrieve the device, press a small button on it, and replay an intercepted code from the victim's fob to open that car or garage again at will. "Every garage that has a wireless remote, and virtually every car that has a wireless key can be broken into," says Kamkar.

http://www.slate.com/blogs/future_tense/2015/08/07/rolljam_hacker_device_defeats_rolling_codes_security_for_cars_garages.html



The Hip Trend of 2015 Is Designer Government Malware

All of the big countries are using hacking as a tool for espionage, and the smaller countries wish that they were.

Even after it's exposed, state-sponsored malware is powerful because it is generally created by hackers who have an unusual amount of funding and resources at their disposal.

http://www.slate.com/blogs/future_tense/2015/08/07/black_hat_cybersecurity_conference_the_problem_of_government_malware.html



These Researchers Just Hacked an Air-Gapped Computer Using a Simple Cellphone

The most sensitive work environments, like nuclear power plants, demand the strictest security. Usually this is achieved by air-gapping computers from the Internet and preventing workers from inserting USB sticks into computers. When the work is classified or involves sensitive trade secrets, companies often also institute strict rules against bringing smartphones into the workspace, as these could easily be turned into unwitting listening devices.

But researchers in Israel have devised a new method for stealing data that bypasses all of these protections

The attack requires both the targeted computer and the mobile phone to have malware installed on them, but once this is done the attack exploits the natural capabilities of each device to exfiltrate data

http://www.slate.com/blogs/future_tense/2015/07/27/air_gapped_computers_these_israeli_researchers_just_hacked_one_with_a_cell.html



These hackers know how to make you 'officially' dead

The process of having someone officially stamped dead by getting a death certificate issued typically involved a doctor filling out one form and a funeral home filling out another.

A fatal flaw in the system was that people can easily pose as real doctors and funeral directors.

http://www.businessinsider.com/killing-me-digitally-these-hackers-know-how-to-make-you-officially-dead-2015-8



The dream of a free and open Internet is slowly being killed by overregulation, censorship and bad laws that don't stop the right people, a top computer crime defense lawyer says.

No one is murdering the dream of an open Internet, she said, but it's withering away because no one is prioritizing its protection.

http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory/dream-free-open-internet-dying-lawyer-32906959



The Dream Of Internet Freedom Is Dying

So says Jennifer Granick, Director of Civil Liberties at the Stanford Center for Internet and Society.

Granick is a lawyer, and as such, reserves most of her ire for the US government. "We need to get rid of secret law. We have secret law in this country and it is an abomination in the face of democracy," she declaimed.

http://techcrunch.com/2015/08/05/the-dream-of-internet-freedom-is-dying/