Items tagged with OS X
It seems like a day doesn't go by that we don't hear about some piece of malware that's harassing computer users. In 2017, you would expect that most people would be hesitant to download and extract random, rogue zip files, but sadly, that's not the case. There's a reason these pieces of malware still exist -- just...
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WikiLeaks dropped a huge bombshell over two weeks ago when it revealed that it gained access to a treasure trove of the Central Intelligence Agency’s (CIA’s) hacking tools. Documents detailed numerous tools at the agency’s disposal including viruses, trojans, zero-day exploits and other avenues to monitor or...
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Apple's been keeping itself busy patching up security holes in its software, both for mobile and on the desktop. Just last week, Apple rolled out an update for iOS—version 9.3.5—that patched up several critical security and privacy exploits, and now there's a pair of updates for OS X that addresses the same security...
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If you’re one of those folks that lollygags around when it comes to updating your iPhone to the latest version of iOS, you might want rethink that strategy. Apple released iOS 9.3.3 last week, and tucked inside the software update were some operating system tweaks and the usual bevy of security patches.
One...
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Apple has been served by the OS X name for the past 15 years, but the company is looking to change things up with a rebranding. Its desktop/notebook-centric operating system is now being called macOS, and given that Apple has recently been naming its desktop OSes after places in California, it’s called macOS...
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If you’re heavily invested in the Apple ecosystem, there could be a new convenience feature headed to OS X 10.12 that would allow you to forget about entering a password to login to your Mac. A new report making the rounds suggests that the next major operating system release from Apple will gain the ability to use a...
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There's nothing wrong with showing up fashionably late to the party, and at long last, WhatsApp has decided to don the desktop with its presence. The wildly popular messaging application that's owned by Facebook announced the availability of its first desktop app for PCs running Windows 8 and higher and Macs running...
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Over the past few years, ransomware has become an ever growing threat to enterprise and personal users alike. If you’re unfamiliar with ransomware, it’s a piece of malware that infects a system, usually encrypts a user’s personal data – like photos, office documents, PDFs and the like – and then forces the user to pay...
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It’s been a while since we’ve seen direct Windows vs Mac PCs ads make the rounds, but it looks like Microsoft is looking to renew the efforts with its new ‘Do More’ advertising campaign. The first commercial introduces us to Christie and Jess, who call themselves The Bug Chicks. The duo’s mission is to introduce...
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If you're surfing the Internet with a browser (a rarity, we know), there's a new bug to be cautious of. With a bit of simple JavaScript, a browser's HTML5 History API can be called upon thousands of times, ultimately causing a meltdown. Of course, a dedicated website (CrashSafari.com) exists to act as a proof of...
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In an effort to thwart malicious software from wreaking havoc on Mac computers, Apple introduced Gatekeeper in OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion and was also integrated into its predecessor, OS X 10.7.5 Lion. Apple maintains that the most secure way to download apps for your Mac is to go through the App Store, but for apps...
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If you were hoping to see some sort of hybrid iPad/MacBook computing device in the future, similar in concept to Microsoft’s Surface Book, keep dreaming. Building on past comments related to the subject, Apple CEO Tim Cook doubled down, saying there’s no place for a hybrid iPad/MacBook in the marketplace.
“We feel...
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Those calling on Apple to unify its mobile and desktop operating systems might be in for a long wait. During a discussion with Aaron Levie, CEO of Box, Apple boss Tim Cook made it clear that he has no intention of combining iOS with OS X, which probably means a touchscreen iMac or MacBook isn't in the cards either.
"We don't believe in
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When Apple announced OS X El Capitan and iOS 9 at the Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) in early June, it promised to make available public betas of both operating systems this summer. True to its word, Apple opened the floodgates today by giving everyday consumers a taste of test versions of both operating...
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"Xara" might sound like a cool name for an exploit, but according to researchers at three different US universities, it's one that should cause some alarm. At its root, if Xara is properly exploited, attackers would be able to procure passwords stored in OS X's Keychain, which could be used for most or all of...
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Chrome on OS X is a battery hog. It’s been known for a while that compared to Apple’s stock Safari browser, Chrome has a tendency to eat up CPU cycles and use excess amounts of memory. Google took a step earlier this month to combat this problem by reining in the much-hated Adobe Flash Player plugin. Using what Google...
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Apple kicked off its Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) with updates to its PC operating system: OS X. This wouldn’t be Apple if it didn’t brag a bit, so the company reported that the most recent release of OS X, Yosemite, is currently being used on 55 percent of Macs (Apple claims that this is the fastest adoption...
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After mainboard vendors began adopting EFI en masse in recent years, security researchers all over have dissected the many different implementations out there to find that elusive crippling bug. Sometimes, though, such bugs are not actually elusive at all, like one just discovered by reverse engineering enthusiast...
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Apple's OS X "Yosemite" brought a lot to the table, and while almost all of it has been good, there has been a stick in the mud. That stick is called "discoveryd", and relates to how the OS handles its networking duties. Since the release of Yosemite, many users have dealt with serious network stability issues, such...
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Last week learned that the Oculus Rift will be delivered to paying customers starting in Q1 2016. Oculus also took the time to show us what the final version of the Rift will look like once it begins shipping. During the reveal, the company stated, “In the weeks ahead, we’ll be revealing the details around hardware...
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Apple has today announced that it will be kicking off the 26th iteration of its WWDC on June 8, and as usual, it'll be held at the Moscone Center in San Francisco.
As was the case last year, Apple will be choosing developers to purchase tickets at random, and also like last year, those tickets will cost $1,599...
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It's not often that we learn of a DDoS attack that can be sourced from mobile devices, but as it happens, it's something that's possible on iOS devices not running the latest 8.3 software.
The bug isn't exclusive to iOS, however. Because the 'Darwin Nuke' flaw exists in the Darwin kernel, the desktop OS X is also...
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