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Tom Briant

The MacValley blog

Editor: Tom Briant

 

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Sunday, March 12, 2017

Senior Correspondent Arnold Woodworth's Weekly Web Wrap-up for Sunday, 3-12-2017

Apple's iOS 10.3 update could result in you losing all of your data if you do not perform a back up
 
This article has instructions on how to do the backup.  It is possible to backup to Apple iCloud or by using iTunes on your Mac.
 
 
 
 
How to back up your Apple Watch: Keep music, settings, Health & Activity fitness data safe
 
Backing up an Apple Watch is relatively straightforward, fortunately, and it is definitely a good idea.
 
Here's the easy bit: the Apple Watch constantly and automatically backs up to its companion iPhone, and it's easy to restore from the iPhone if the Apple Watch gets wiped for whatever reason.
 
 
 
 
How to Force Close an App on Apple Watch Running watchOS 3
 
This article contains a step-by-step tutorial.
 
 
 
 
How to Use Theater Mode on Apple Watch
 
Theater Mode, as the new feature is called, lets users mute the volume and disable Raise to Wake on their Apple Watch in one easy tap.
 
 
 
 
33 photos of the rise and fall of Apple in its earliest days
 
 
 
 
Apple still destroys all other PC makers in one important way
 
Customer Service.
 
Laptop Mag said that “Apple offers the best tech support in the business, year after year. The company’s website and mobile app are loaded with helpful, step-by-step tutorials and, whether you reach them via phone or live chat, support reps are knowledgeable and friendly. Apple also answered Twitter messages quickly and accurately.”
 
 
 
 
Apple Tops 'Tech Support Showdown' List for Third Consecutive Year
 
Apple has topped Laptop Mag's Tech Support Showdown list for the third year in a row, receiving praise as "the best tech support in the business," and beating out nine other computer-making companies in the process.
 
 
 
 
 
 
The saga of the strange love-hate relationship between Bill Gates and Steve Jobs
 
 
 
 
iPhone Browser Showdown: Chrome vs. Safari
 
The Verdict: Chrome Is Great If You’re Deep In Google’s Ecosystem, Safari Is Best for Everyone Else.
 
 
 
 
Follow this guide to learn how to delete, and recover, notes on your iPhone

 
 
 
Apple's iPhone-destroying robots are 'operating' in California and Europe
 
Way superior to shredding obsolete iPhones.
 
Neat video too.
 
 
 
 
Developers Continue to Revolt Against The New Macbook Pro
 
Apple unveiled its brand new MacBook Pro lineup in October 2016.
 
The new MacBook Pros have received a great deal of backlash from developers and creative professionals as well as Apple fans in general. The Mac has long been the computer that professionals flock to, but the new laptops are definitely the exception. 
 
 
 
 
Battery Explosion Utterly Destroys 2015 MacBook Pro
 
The unfortunate reality, however, as seldom as it occurs, is that Lithium-Ion (Li-Ion) batteries are simply prone to this type of demise. From time to time, though not very often, a mobile device will succumb to a self-invoked fiery inferno — simply because it ‘just so happens’, as the result of internal glitches, manufacturing defects, or simply because the battery, itself, is just worn out.
 
 
 
 
 
The 20 best smartphones in the world
 
According to this article, Apple’s iPhone 7 Plus is in third place and iPhone 7 is in fourth.
 
The article awards first place to Google Pixel and second place to Google Pixel XL.
 
 
 
 
Hands On: BusyCal's long development benefits feature set for Mac, iPhone
 
For experienced Mac and IPhone users, Busy Cal is a big improvement over Apple’s iCal.
 
 
 
 
You should only ever buy Apple accessories that have this sticker on their box — here’s why
 
MFi stands for Made For iPod, iPhone and iPad; it's a certification program that was originally started in 2005 for iPod docks and cables.
 
Once certified, MFi products are guaranteed to be compatible with Apple's products. But not all accessory makers join the program.

The reason why is because joining the MFi program requires the company to apply for a license, which it has to pay for. The benefits are guaranteed compatibility and being able to put an MFi tag on their product boxes. But in a market like cables where profit margins are razor thin, it can be seen as an unnecessary expense. Larger companies can afford to pay the licensing fee and keep their prices low, but there are a bunch of uncertified accessories out there.
 
Bluetooth is an open standard, so Bluetooth headphones and speakers wouldn't need to be certified to be compatible with your devices. Docks and headphones that use the Lightning connector, though, would need to be certified, since that port was created by Apple. This is going to be more important going forward, now that new iPhones don't have the standard headphone port.
 
The next time you're accessory shopping, keep an eye out for MFi certified products. They're typically a couple of bucks more expensive, but they won't give you any compatibility issues. That goes double for headphones.
 
 
 
 
These are the top 100 websites of the internet, according to web traffic

http://www.businessinsider.com/top-100-websites-web-traffic-2017-3

http://www.visualcapitalist.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/top-100-websites.html



These 10 online courses will teach you skills you didn’t learn in college
 
 


A Visual Search Engine for the Entire Planet
 
At this moment in history, there are more satellites photographing Earth from orbit than just about anyone knows what to do with.
 
What should we do with all that imagery? How can we search it and process it? Descartes Labs, a startup that uses machine learning to identify crop health and other economic indicators in satellite imagery, has created a tool to better index and surf through it. They call it Geovisual Search.
 
It’s free and available online right now.
 
 
 
 
Republicans are moving to kill rules that'd make internet providers get your consent before selling your Web browsing data
 
Republicans in the U.S. Congress are moving to repeal regulations adopted by the Obama administration in October that would have subjected internet service providers to stricter scrutiny than websites to protect customers' private data.
 
 
 
Honeypot catches social engineering scams on social media
Research company investigates 40,000 fake accounts to find impersonator tactics.
 
“Social media is no longer used solely as a personal communication tool. It has evolved into a critical business application – helping businesses dramatically increase revenue and productivity – while strengthening and growing customer relationships. As businesses increasingly look to leverage social media – so are cybercriminals.,” said ZeroFOX’s Evan Blair.
 
 
 
 
WikiLeaks documents show CIA struggling to crack Apple gear, little danger to everyday folk
 
Any penetration requires four major factors to be effective —a vector of attack, a deployable payload compromising the system, invisibility, and exfiltration of gathered data. Failure of any of the four makes the effort pointless. 

Initial review of documentation revealed in the WikiLeaks publication of the "Vault 7" program documentsshows a CIA having problems with combining all four factors on the newest Apple gear and software at the same time.
 
None of the exploits are mass-deployable, or pose any significant mass-surveillance threat. It remains far easier in most cases for the CIA or other intelligence gathering or law enforcement agencies to collect location and call data for iPhone users from wireless carriers, and perform some old-school legwork to suss out information about a target.
 
 
 
 
WikiLeaks claims the CIA built special tools for hacking iPhones and other Apple products
 
According to the WikiLeaks files, it appears that the CIA has teams specifically dedicated to breaking into Apple products, including iOS, the software that runs on iPhones and iPads, and even Apple's line of routers, AirPort.
 
 
 
 
WikiLeaks claims the CIA hacked into Samsung smart TVs and used them as secret microphones

... US spy agency is able to hack into Samsung smart TVs and use them as covert microphones.

http://www.businessinsider.com/wikileaks-claims-cia-mi5-hacked-samsung-smart-tvs-microphones-vault-7-2017-3


 
WikiLeaks release likely to drive deeper wedge between spies, tech companies

The release of documents that purportedly describe hacking of consumer gadgets by the Central Intelligence Agency fueled new concern in the technology industry that U.S. intelligence agencies are working at odds with tech companies.

One expert who examined the dump, Rendition Infosec founder Jake Williams, told Business Insider it appeared legitimate.

The leak follows other incidents in recent years that have driven a wedge between the tech industry and the U.S. national security apparatus — most notably Edward Snowden’s 2013 revelations of U.S. surveillance programs. Those episodes have made tech companies wary of cooperating with the federal government on issues involving customer privacy.

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/wikileaks-release-likely-to-drive-deeper-wedge-between-spies-tech-companies-2017-03-07



Video:
Hackers and governments can see you through your phone’s camera — here’s how to protect yourself

Exploits for iPhones cost about $1.5 Million each.

Exploits for Android phones are much cheaper — about $200,000 each — because it’s much easier to exploit an Android phone.

To protect yourself, always make sure you’re using the latest version of Apple’s iOS.

http://www.businessinsider.com/hackers-governments-smartphone-iphone-camera-wikileaks-2017-3


 
Government Spooks Can Use the Mic and Camera on Trump’s Phone Even When He Thinks It’s Turned OFF

Last year, Hollywood released a biographical political thriller based on the life of Edward Snowden that had one particularly creepy scene.  
In that scene, a government spook used a program to remotely activate the microphone and camera on a laptop, and by doing so he was able to watch a woman as she got undressed.  Sadly, as you will see below, this kind of thing is happening constantly.  Any digital device can potentially be accessed and used to spy on you even if it appears to be turned off.

https://www.infowars.com/government-spooks-can-use-the-mic-and-camera-on-trumps-phone-even-when-he-thinks-it-is-turned-off/


 
8 tips to encrypt your entire life in less than an hour

"If one would give me six lines written by the hand of the most honest man, I would find something in them to have him hanged.”
 — Cardinal Richelieu in 1641
 
What do you have to worry about? As the motto of the United Kingdom's surveillance program reminds us, "If you've got nothing to hide, you've got nothing to fear."

Well, law-abiding citizens do have reason to fear. They do have reasons to secure their devices, their files, and their communications with loved ones.
 
This article has 8 tips you can use to keep your life private.
 
 
 
 
Here are 7 password tips to help improve your online security
 
 
 
 
5 ways to keep the government from spying on you
 
Use encrypted communication
Cover up your webcams (including in your computer and in your TV)
Secure your smart TV (or don’t buy one)
Update your devices
Cover your tracks on social media
 
 
 
 
Ransomware picks off broader targets with greater severity
 
According to SonicWall’s most recent Annual Threat Report, “ransomware attacks grew 167 times since 2015, from 3.8 million in 2015 to 638 million in 2016.”
 
“Data breaches have become so prevalent that cyber criminals have had difficulty finding buyers of data on the Dark Web. So, they are turning back to the victims themselves to sell back their stolen or encrypted data,” says Justin Fier.
 
“The next generation of ransomware will focus on denying basic resources such as clean water, electricity, gas, and sewer systems,” says Brandon Gunter. Some degree of societal breakdown is foreseeable here.
 
 
 
 
Why the Ukraine power grid attacks should raise alarm
 
The hackers who struck utilities in Ukraine, which is the first confirmed hack to degrade a power grid, weren’t opportunists who just stumbled across the networks and launched an attack to test their abilities.
 
The attackers staged a well-coordinated attack that relied on deep reconnaissance over a six-month period.

This unprecedented attack is a wake-up call for North American utilities.
 
 
 
 
Video:
Star Trek - Elaan of Troyius - effects comparison
 
The special effects in "Star Trek — The Original Series" have been upgraded.
 
This video compares the original special effects to the new upgraded ones.
 
Posted by Thomas Briant at 11:54 PM

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