Everything you need to know about Surfshark One VPN bundle for Apple devices
If you're looking for a private and fast VPN for Mac, along with an antivirus and leak notification tool, Surfshark One has it bundled together to help reduce your digital footprint online.Surfshark One - Image credit: SurfsharkThe internet is a hazardous place these days. Users have to go out of their way to avoid unnecessary tracking, keep malware off their systems, and learn about potentially harmful data breaches.Thankfully there's a single service that does it all called Surfshark One. You might have heard of Surfshark VPN, one AppleInsider has rated the best VPN for iPhone in 2025, and it is bundled with other industry-leading products. Continue Reading on AppleInsider

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Apple Invites has Sherlocked party organizing app Partiful
Add another one to Apple's list of third-party apps that it has endangered, as Apple Invites threatens the livelihood of event planning app Partiful.Partiful (rear) and Apple Invites on the App StoreIt happens so often that there is a name for it, based on one of the earliest examples of Apple releasing an app or a feature to compete with a third-party rival. Developers know it as Sherlocking, and they know very well that it can be the end of their business.With a glass half-full kind of view, though, there is a way to argue that Apple producing an app to rival yours will actually grow the market. There is even some logic to that, in two ways. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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Price drop: Use your iPhone to scan and fax documents with this multipurpose scanning app
SwiftScan VIP turns your iPhone into a document-scanning multitool. It's on sale for for just $42, the best price online. (via Cult of Mac - Apple news, rumors, reviews and how-tos)

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macOS 15.3 fixes backup bugs affecting multiple apps
Update: SuperDuper developer Dave Nanian reports that Apple has fixed the issue in macOS 15.3. One or more backup bugs in macOS 15.2 Sequoia is affecting Apple’s own Time Machine utility, as well as third-party apps SuperDuper and CarbonCopyCloner. Initially the problem appeared to affect bootable backups only, but it now appears that it is either more general than this, or there is more than one bug affecting Mac backups … more…

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Mac malware after your passwords and credit cards will get much worse this year
So-called macOS Stealers – malware that seeks to extract personal data like passwords and credit card numbers from your machine – is expected to be significantly more prevalent this year. A new annual report on the state of malware says that Mac owners could be at almost as much risk as Windows PC users this year … more…

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China considers probe into Apple’s App Store
China's antitrust regulator is preparing for a possible investigation into Apple's App Store developer fees and policies, amid a wider… The post appeared first on MacDailyNews.

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M5 chip enters mass production, ready for MacBook Pro, iPad Pro, Vision Pro
We’re expecting to see an M5 chip powering this year’s MacBook Pro, iPad Pro, and Vision Pro. That chip has now entered mass production, according to a new supply-chain report. Not much is known about it for sure, though it is expected to have enhanced AI performance, and it’s also been suggested that it may have a somewhat different design to previous M-series chips … more…

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Lufthansa now embraces AirTags, since it couldn't ban them
Despite the airline previously banning AirTags for reasons understood only by itself, Lufthansa has now support for them in its app and is celebrating the integration.AirTag on a bag. Officially, AirTags were somehow dangerous and somehow in contravention of some laws somewhere, said Lufthansa in 2022 as it tried to find any excuse to ban them. This was not in any way a response to how all airlines were being caught out with luggage going missing or, say, baggage handlers stealing from passengers.Lufthansa's ban lasted a whole three days before the airline said enough already, AirTags are fine. This was less from some technical testing and less from some actual reading of FCC regulations, though the airline tried to safe face by rustling up someone to say the words "risk assessment." Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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Apple Silicon M5 chips are probably in mass production now
South Korean media claims that Apple Silicon M5 chips are in mass production, which makes a lot of sense considering that the first devices that will use them are expected ship before the end of 2025.TSMC logoA report on Wednesday morning by South Korean venue ETnews says that TSMC is in the process of packaging early M5 chip production. Packaging is the last step before a new chip can be put in devices, meaning that the M5 chip is now officially in mass production.Rumors have already laid out the timetable for the M5 chip, and appearance in Apple products. The M5 iPad Pro is expected in late 2025, Macs will get M5 late in the year, and another rumor places it in a second-generation Apple Vision Pro product before the end of the year. Rumor Score: 🤯 Likely Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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Do Macs need antivirus software?
Macworld Do Macs get viruses? The answers to these questions aren’t as simple as they might seem. In this article, we look at the dangers faced by Mac users, and the pros and cons of using Mac antivirus software. Historically, the Mac has been considered safe and secure for a number of reasons that we will go into below, but in recent years the consensus has fluctuated. The number of Mac viruses is growing each year. In 2021, according to security expert Patrick Wardle, eight new Mac malware families were identified. Then, in 2022, 13 new Mac malware families were discovered. That number grew again in 2023, when a total of 21 new Mac-targetting malware families were discovered. And in 2024 22 new Mac malware families were seen. That might not doesn’t sound a lot, compared to the world of Windows, but the number is growing and that is a good reason not to ignore it. Indeed, with the advent of AI the threat of malware is only going t get worse. In its 2025 State of Malware report, Malwarebytes highlights that the next iteration of AI (agentic AI) will be able to act autonomously to solve complex, multi-tiered problems, removing the need for human labor and scaling up the number and speed of attacks. On the other hand, Agentic AI may be a line of defence against malware attacks as these autonomous agents can proactively check for vulnerabilities, monitor systems, and ensure that security patches are in place. More here: Hackers are using AI to attack your Mac and it’s only going to get worse. We list the various Mac malware instances in our log of all the Mac viruses. According to Malwarebytes 2025 State of Malware report, in recent times there has been an increase in macOS Stealers, malware that is designed to find information such as authentication cookies, credit card numbers, passwords, and more. The Atomic Stealer malware (which emerged in 2023) continues to be updated by its creators and has been used in attacks. Even Apple software boss Craig Federighi acknowledged (back in May 2021) that Mac malware is a problem, although it’s worth bearing in mind that at the time he was trying to make the case for iOS’s very different approach to security. He said: “We have a level of malware on the Mac that we don’t find acceptable,” Federighi revealed that 130 different cases had been documented since May 2020, and that one of these had affected more than 300,000 Macs. He even admitted that members of his family had got malware on their Macs. When the judge asked about the fact that Mac users can purchase and download software from various places on the Mac, rather than being limited to the Mac App Store, Federighi said: “Yeah, it’s certainly how we’ve done it on the Mac and it’s regularly exploited on the Mac. iOS has established a dramatically higher bar for customer protection. The Mac is not meeting that bar today.” Federighi noted that Mac users don’t download as much software as iOS users, and argued that if iOS was as open to third-party downloads there would be a real problem for that platform. “If you took Mac security techniques and applied them to the iOS ecosystem, with all those devices, all that value,” he said, “it would get run over to a degree dramatically worse than is already happening on the Mac.” Do I need antivirus for Mac? So should Mac users start panicking? No. Mac malware does pose a risk that users should be aware of, but it doesn’t follow that Mac users must arm themselves with antivirus software. Such products have their advantages and you may choose to install one for more peace of mind, but we don’t view them as essential for the Mac. For one thing, there are measures put in place by Apple at the operating system level that should protect Mac users from the worst malware threats. Macs come with antivirus and other built-in security features make attacking a Mac particularly challenging. They include Gatekeeper, which blocks software that hasn’t been digitally approved by Apple from running on your Mac without your agreement, and XProtect, which is Apple’s own antivirus built into macOS and inspects every app for malware. Apple goes to great lengths to protect you from malware by making it almost impossible to install it. Before you can install an app, your Mac will check it against a list of malware, and even if there is no reason for concern it will not make it easy for you to open an application from a developer that hasn’t been approved by Apple. Additionally, Apple does a pretty good job of keeping on top of vulnerabilities and exploits; if your Mac needs to be protected from these, a patch will quickly be pushed out over auto-update. These features and other protections built into macOS (which we will discuss in more detail below) mean it’s not an essential requirement to install antivirus software on your Mac. However, as good as these protections are, there have been occasions when malware has managed to infiltrate the Mac platform, and times when Apple hasn’t responded to a threat as quickly as Mac users might hope. If you want the very best protection from threats, therefore, consider adding a dedicated Mac security suite such as our top pick Intego Mac Internet Security. You’ll find Intego in our roundup of the best antivirus for Mac, among other free and paid-for antivirus apps that might give you some peace of mind, including McAfee and Norton. Get Intego Mac Security X9 here Read on to find out more about how Apple’s security measures work–and why they may not be enough to keep your Mac secure. How Apple protects Macs from viruses Macs are generally safer than PCs, but with threats to the Mac growing due to the platform’s increasing popularity, Apple has had to build in protections for macOS and the Mac hardware itself.  In this section, we will look at the built-in protections in macOS to establish whether they are enough, or if you should also install antivirus software on your Mac. Gatekeeper and XProtect are two elements of Apple’s macOS security. How XProtect works Apple has its own antivirus software built in. The Mac’s malware scanning tool, XProtect, works invisibly and automatically in the background and requires no user configuration. Apple has a list of malicious applications that it checks against when you open downloaded applications. XProtect is regularly updated by Apple, and it updates in the background, so you should always be protected. The presence of XProtect is similar to having antivirus software from a third-party software developer running on your Mac, with the bonus of being written into the operating system and therefore not hampering performance. With XProtect running, if you download and try to open files contaminated with malware, you may see an explicit warning that the files will “damage your computer,” along with a reference to the type of malware. In that case, you should delete the file immediately. This is great news for Mac users, but is it enough? How does XProtect compare to the antivirus solutions out there? Well, XProtect may not be as up-to-date as some third-party products and it tends to focus on known malware threats and doesn’t look for as many strains of malware. But updates to XProtect do happen regularly to include cover to macOS malware, for example on October 12, 2023 Apple updated XProtect adding cover for Atomic Stealer and Adload malware. There was another update to XProtect Remediator in October 2024. This is why it is important to keep your Mac software up-to-date. macOS checks for new updates every day and starts applying them in the background, it will send you a notification to confirm that the update is ready to install – so make sure you do Read our roundup of the Best Mac antivirus apps for an in-depth evaluation of the options out there. How Gatekeeper works Gatekeeper on your Mac ensures that all apps from the internet have already been checked by Apple for known malicious code. Thanks to Gatekeeper, macOS blocks downloaded software that hasn’t been digitally signed, a process whereby Apple approves the developer and issues a certificate. This certificate tells Apple who the developer is and if it’s blacklisted, and if the software has been tampered with since leaving the developer for distribution.If you try to install unsigned software you will see the message: “[This app] can’t be opened because it is from an unidentified developer.” One change to Gatekeeper that arrived in macOS Catalina a few years back was that software is checked for malware and other issues every time it runs, rather than just the first time you install it. For maximum protection, GateKeeper can be set to only allow software to be installed if it was downloaded from the Mac App Store. Or you can set it to allow you to install software from the web, but from verified developers only. You can adjust these settings via the Privacy & Security section of System Settings (previously System Preferences > Security & Privacy > General): Open System Settings. Select Privacy & Security. Scroll down to the Security section.  Choose from the options underneath Allow Applications Downloaded From. Choose App Store or App Store and Identified Developers. The safest option is App Store only, but if you also want to be able to install legitimate software from the web then App Store and Identified Developers is the best plan. There used to be a further option to disable the feature by choosing ‘Anywhere,’ but this option is no longer available. All software downloaded via the App Store is signed, but should you attempt to open an app you’ve downloaded from the web that isn’t signed, you’ll see a Gatekeeper warning like the one below: This may mean you’ve almost installed malware. On the other hand, of course, it may be a legitimate app. In which case (and if you’re sure) you can bypass Gatekeeper’s protection and install it. To do so, go to the Finder and locate the app there. Now hold down Ctrl when you click on the app, and then select Open. This will mark it as being trusted. For more details, read how to open an app from an unidentified developer. Being able to download unsigned software might sound like a benefit, but it essentially enables you to bypass the protections offered by Gatekeeper. That’s a mixed blessing, and more and more malicious apps are instructing users to do exactly this when they are installed. Lockdown Mode Lockdown Mode is a feature that arrived in macOS Sonoma in 2023 that makes it easy to protect your Apple devices and your data if you are the victim of a cyberattack. Just activate Lockdown Mode and all your Apple devices will be protected and the hacker will find it a lot harder to steal your data. You’ll find Lockdown Mode in the Security section of System Settings > Privacy & Security. Read: How to turn on Lockdown Mode and protect your iPhone or Mac from a cyber attack. Foundry Sandboxing and related protections Software that is approved by Apple is also sandboxed. App sandboxing isolates apps from the critical system components of your Mac, your data and your other apps, so they shouldn’t be able to modify other apps without permission. It doesn’t protect you from malware getting into the system, but it does limit the extent of what the malware can do once it’s in there. The main problem here is that while apps sold on the Mac App Store have to be sandboxed, other Mac apps don’t. Another issue with Sandboxing was highlighted in August 2023 when software developer Jeff Johnson released details about a flaw in App Management that involves the Sandbox. App Management is a security feature introduced in macOS Ventura that is intended to prevent malicious software modifications by keeping an eye out for attempts by software to modify other apps on the Mac. Should this happen, App Management will block the modification and alert the user. The concern was that users could grant permission for such a change without being warned that it is a sandboxed app, thereby bypassing a check by App Management. Since macOS 10.15 Catalina arrived in 2019 it has been a requirement for all Mac apps to get your permission before they can access your files. macOS will also ask for your permission before an app can access the camera or microphone, or log what you type. A potential issue here is that users see these alerts so frequently it becomes second nature to approve them without consideration. Another change that arrived with macOS Catalina is that macOS itself is now stored on a separate disk volume. This means that your important system files are all completely separate and therefore more challenging to access. Apps can’t get to your system files where they could cause problems. Background Task Manager With macOS Ventura in October 2022, Apple added Background Task Manager, a tool used by macOS to monitor for “persistent” software and notify the user of any suspicious activity. In August 2023, Mac security researcher Patrick Wardle criticized the tool suggesting that it can easily be bypassed so that malicious software can run without the user knowing it. Wardle discovered ways to disable the notifications that Background Task Manager sends to the user when a persistence event is recognized. One method requires root access, which means that the threat agent needs full control of the Mac to disable the alert, but Wardle found two other methods that can be deployed remotely. So an attacker could disable the notifications and allow the malware to run unnoticed. Wardle wrote: “[Background Task Manager is] a good thing for Apple to have added, but the implementation was done so poorly that any malware that’s somewhat sophisticated can trivially bypass the monitoring”. Security updates Apple regularly issues security updates for the Mac. While these can serve to demonstrate that the Mac isn’t infallible, with Apple all too frequently having security flaws pointed out to it, they are generally issued promptly. These security updates have generally been issued as part of a larger macOS update: for example, macOS Monterey 12.2.1 closed a security vulnerability in WebKit that would have made it possible to execute malicious code. Because these security fixes were issued as part of a macOS update, which often requires the computer to reboot during the installation process, Mac users may be less likely to install the update promptly, even though these updates can be set to install automatically. Since the launch of Ventura, however, Apple has started separating out the security updates from wider macOS updates and rolling them out automatically. This way the update can happen in the background, without a restart. Generally, Apple can respond quickly as it makes the software and the hardware. But the problem is more prevalent when Apple has less control over the issue, as with Intel’s Downfall processor vulnerability that affected Macs with Intel chips built between 2016 to 2020. Intel patched the issue, but released that its Downfall patch could slow some CPUs. If you have a Mac that uses Apple Silicon (an M1 or M2-based processor), you have nothing to worry about. It’s a good reason to consider upgrading if you have an Intel-powered Mac. This is why it is important to instal updates from Apple – but not just Apple. It’s important to install updates for all your apps regularly. Developers fix security issues via updates. The Mac App Store usually does a good job of keeping apps updated automatically, but we recommend checking at least once a month for any updates that might not have been installed. When it comes to apps you’ve downloaded from outside the App Store, you need to check for updates in the app’s menu bar option. Password protection and Passkeys Apple’s iCloud Keychain is a password manager that was introduced in 2011 with Mac OS X Mavericks (and iOS 7). It was an evolution of Apple’s Keychain software for managing passwords and login information that arrived with MacOS 8.6 in 1999, but brought this capability to all Apple devices, allowing for passwords to be synced and used across devices. So password management is nothing new on the Mac. However, Apple is moving it up a notch in macOS Sequoia. The main change that arrived with Sequoia is how easy it will be to find your passwords. Currently users have to look in Settings: go to System Settings (System Preferences) > Passwords. There it is possible to unlock with the main password to see every other password ever used. (View this same information on an iPhone in Settings > Passwords.) With the arrival of Sequoia (and iOS 18) users will see a dedicated app for password management, rather than it being hidden in Settings (which will probably help some people discover it). The benefit of iCloud Keychain and the Password app is that it is only necessary to remember one password to unlock all the passwords you need. No need to memorize a lot of different passwords – or more likely use one easy-to-remember (and crack) password for everything. Apple will also help you create a strong password and will warn you if your password is easy to hack, if you have reused a password, and if it has appeared in a leak. If it ever detects a security concern, Password Monitoring will alert you. Over the years Apple’s password protections have improved. For example, in Monterey a new authenticator was added, so you can set up verification codes instead of using an authentication app. To add a setup key you need to click on a password and then choose Enter Setup Key, which you should be able to obtain from the provider. Once input the 2FA verification codes should automatically fill. In macOS Ventura Apple introduced Passkeys. Apple explains: “Passkeys use iCloud Keychain public key credentials, eliminating the need for passwords. Instead, they rely on biometric identification such as Touch ID and Face ID in iOS, or a specific confirmation in macOS for generating and authenticating accounts.” Passkeys are more secure, according to Apple. Essentially your device will hold one part of a cryptographic key pair and the other part will be stored by the website or service you’re logging into. Your device will authenticate you biometrically (with Touch ID or Face ID) and log you in. For more information, read How to use Passkeys. In macOS Sonoma, Apple simplified the use of 2FA. Safari automatically fills in the code you are sent (as a text or email) and automatically deletes the email or text afterwards. Another new feature added in Sonoma is a simplification of the process for sharing passwords with friends and family. Users can create a group and share a set of passwords to that group. It’s end-to-end encrypted. Recording alerts In macOS Monterey Apple added a Recording indicator in the menu bar so you’ll know if an app is recording you. A bit like the light that indicates the mic is in use on your iPhone. Pasteboard alerts Similarly, as of macOS Ventura, any app that wants access to your pasteboard has to request permission. Safari protections Anti-phishing technology in Safari will detect fraudulent websites. It will disable the page and display an alert if you visit a suspect website. Anti-phishing isn’t the only way that Safari protects you when you’re surfing. Apple also allows users to prevent advertisers tracking them around the web. You can see a Privacy Report including details of all the cross-site trackers Apple has stopped from profiling you. You’ll also notice that plug-ins such as Silverlight, QuickTime, and Oracle Java won’t run if they aren’t updated to the latest version, another way of ensuring your Mac is safe. And of course now that Adobe has discontinued Flash people should hopefully no longer fall for malware hidden in Flash Player. Safari will also flag up weak passwords and make strong password suggestions when you open an account on a website. This strong password will be saved in your iCloud Keychain so you won’t have to remember it. It’s a lot safer than using the same password you always use. For more on this subject, read about How Apple plans to retire passwords. In the past, one issue with Apple’s suggested passwords has been that sometimes they don’t match the website’s requirements. For example, a website may require one upper-case letter, one special character, one number and so on. As of the launch of Ventura, macOS allows users to edit suggested passwords so they meet these requirements. New in Safari 15 were improvements to the Intelligent Tracing Prevention that arrived in Safari 14. Now web trackers won’t be able to see your IP address so they won’t be able to create a profile about you. Check this by choosing Safari from the Safari menu > Preferences > Privacy > Hide IP address from trackers. The Safari Private Browsing feature improved with macOS Sonoma. You can set a new Private Browsing Lock to appear on the screen to stop onlookers from viewing your screen when you aren’t present. Private Browsing also stops web-based trackers from recording data about you via tracking codes by removing those codes. Tracking information is even removed if you links via Messages or Mail. Photo privacy A few years ago there was a lot of bad publicity for Apple when celebrities reported that their iCloud photos had been stolen. (For more on this, read How to stop photo hacks on iPhone.) There have been a number of security enhancements in iCloud since this happened, and Apple has given users other ways to protect their photo privacy: for example, the ability to hide photos and albums. In Ventura, Apple expanded this so that hidden albums, and the Recently Deleted album, are locked by default, and only authenticated by Touch ID or Face ID. Mail protections macOS Monterey brought a new feature in Mail on the Mac. Mail Privacy Protection improves privacy for users. For example, it stops email senders from being able to track whether you’ve opened an email, or even determine your location from your IP address. Check that the feature is working for you by opening Mail > Click on Mail in the menu > choose Preferences > Privacy > and make sure Protect Mail Activity is selected. It should be by default. There are additional Mail protections if you’re an iCloud subscriber. Hide My Email allows you to create an alternative email address that you can give out. The email will still be delivered to your inbox, but you can easily delete the alternative email later. You can turn this on in System Preferences > click on Apple ID > and select Private Relay (currently in Beta).  In Ventura Hide My Email was extended to third-party apps. iCloud+ protections If you’re an iCloud subscriber, you’ll be interested in a feature that arrived in Monterey (part of the upgrade from iCloud to iCloud+) called Private Relay. It’s a bit like a VPN in that it encrypts your network traffic and routes your DNS lookup requests through two servers, one of which is not controlled by Apple. However, it’s not a VPN, because it only works in Safari and obviously it lacks the other usual features of a VPN. (If you want a VPN, by the way, check out our roundup of the best VPNs for Mac. You may even be able to save some money if you take a look at our roundup of VPN deals, or try one of these free VPNs.) You can manage your Private Relay settings in System Preferences > Apple ID > click on Options beside Hide my email. Here you will see any fake email addresses you’re using; just click on Turn Off if you want to stop those emails arriving. You can also change which email address they are forwarded to.  Safety Check A new feature in macOS Ventura is Safety Check, a feature that will allow anyone who is concerned that they are in danger from a person known to them to revoke any access they have granted to that person. So, for example, that person won’t be able to access their location, their photos, or anything else that could help them to be traced. File encryption with FileVault FileVault–Apple’s name for full-disk encryption–makes sure your data is safe and secure by encrypting it. Intel Macs that featured the T2 Security Chip and all M-series Apple silicon Macs have encryption built in at the bottom level of macOS. The startup internal volume is always encrypted, and you can’t turn it off. FileVault also encrypts external volumes. With FileVault on your Mac’s drive is completely encrypted and encryption keys (protected by your account password) are required to unlock it. If your Mac is encrypted with FileVault, an attacker will be locked out, macOS won’t even unlock your drive for access at startup without a valid account password or an associated Recovery Key (just be aware that if someone hacked your Apple ID they could potentially gain access to the Recovery Key and unlock your Mac’s drive). The main problem is that without that Recovery Key you are also locked out and won’t be able to access your data, so do look after it. See How to find your FileVault recovery key in macOS. Read our tips for keeping your Mac secure, of which using FileVault is one. Warnings about spyware Apple announced in November 2021 that it would warn its users of state-sponsored espionage attacks, such as the well-publicized Pegasus spyware, on their iPhones, iPads and Macs. The notification will come via email or a message. The same warning will be displayed on the user’s Apple ID page at appleid.apple.com. The warning will offer advice about how affected users can protect themselves against attack. There’s more information on Apple’s site. Find My Not every threat to your data comes from malware. Sometimes a criminal might get hold of your Mac, in which case Apple’s Find My service will come into its own. The Find My app can relay the location of your lost or stolen Mac back to you. If you’re concerned that it might not be recoverable, you can wipe the contents of the Mac so that your data can’t be accessed. For more on this, read How to find a lost or stolen iPhone. In addition, every Mac with an M1-series, M2-series, or T2 chip has an Activation Lock feature which means they can be erased remotely and only you can reactivate the Mac. Siri, ID and Apple Intelligence There are new AI features coming to macOS Sequoia and iOS 18. There may be concerns about how this will affect privacy and security as, while in most cases the processing will be done on the device, in some situations tasks that need more processing power will be sent to Apple’s servers. During WWDC 2024 Apple explained that this will all be done securely and that the data will never be accessible to anyone, including Apple. Apple’s Craig Federighi said: “Private Cloud Compute uses your data only to fulfill your request, and never stores it, making sure it’s never accessible to anyone, including Apple. And we’ve designed the system so that independent experts can verify these protections.” When Apple’s security measures aren’t enough… The security measures detailed above are great, but unfortunately, there have been cases when they haven’t been enough. Gatekeeper, for example, has occasionally been bypassed because malware has got an approved developer signature. For example, OSX/CrescentCore was signed by a certificate assigned by Apple to a developer. It took Apple a few days to retract that certificate. In the case of OSX/Linker, meanwhile, a zero-day vulnerability in Gatekeeper was exploited. Apple normally reacts quickly to such threats, although there have been cases where the company has ignored an identified vulnerability; on one occasion a teenager reported a flaw in the group FaceTime feature that meant someone could listen in to a call, and Apple failed to act. Intel-based Macs released between 2018 and 2020 with the T2 security chip had a security flaw that was never fixed. Researchers found a vulnerability in the security chip that could allow someone with physical access to the computer to potentially bypass security features. Silicon Macs do not suffer the T2 vulnerability, but they’re not flawless. The “Augury” and “GoFetch” flaws in M-series chips are hardware issues that cannot be patched without serious performance hits. Nobody has actively exploited these vulnerabilities, and as long as nobody gets their hands on your Mac, you should be safe – but it does emphasis the importance of looking after your Mac, for example, not leaving it on a table in a coffee shop while you visit the bathroom. When Apple is made aware of a threat the company usually issues a security update to the latest version of macOS and to the two versions prior. This way Apple will protect users from vulnerabilities and flaws that could be exploited by hackers. Normally our advice would be to install security-related updates immediately. However, on occasion, these can themselves cause difficulties. A Sierra and High Sierra security update in July 2019, for example, had to be pulled after people experiences problems after installing it. How Apple responds to security threats Apple has its own security research team, but it depends on users and independent researchers to help by reporting any flaws they find in Apple products. To this end, Apple has an incentive program that rewards such discoveries with payments of up to $200,000, depending on the seriousness of the flaw. But it was the last major tech company to set up such a scheme. (Microsoft set up its own bug-reporting incentive program in 2013, and was itself criticized at the time for leaving it so late.) On August 4, 2016, Apple security boss Ivan Krstic announced the Apple Security Bounty Program. “We’ve had great help from researchers in improving iOS security all along,” Krstic said. “[But] we’ve heard pretty consistently… that it’s getting increasingly difficult to find some of those most critical types of security vulnerabilities. So the Apple Security Bounty Program is going to reward researchers who actually share critical vulnerabilities with Apple.” The top reward of $200,000 is given to those who discover vulnerabilities in Apple’s secure boot firmware components; for less critical flaws the bounties drop through a series of smaller figures to a bottom tier of $25,000. Wired has the details. We imagine most Mac users will be pleased to hear that Apple has an incentive program to encourage more widespread reporting of its vulnerabilities. Incentivizing security researchers to let Apple know about a flaw instead of passing it on to hackers (which may still, sadly, be more lucrative) makes Apple products safer for everyone. One such flaw was the High Sierra root bug, discovered on November 28, 2017. This flaw in macOS 10.13 could allow access to settings on a Mac without the need for a password. Apple immediately issued a statement confirming that it was working on a fix and that an update should be issued within days. How to keep your Mac safe from malware Apple does a lot to keep your Mac safe, but you have to do your bit: by installing updates when they arrive, not clicking on suspicious links in emails, not installing Flash, and so on. There are also some third-party antivirus apps you could try. We have a complete guide to the best antivirus for Mac. Here are a few of the things you should do: 1) Keep macOS up to date To reduce the impact of these risks, you should keep regular backups and install security updates as soon as possible. Apple addresses Mac flaws and vulnerabilities by issuing updates to the operating system. It’s therefore important to keep your Mac up to date. Checking regularly for OS updates is a key part of a sound security strategy. You can find out about the latest version of macOS here: macOS Ventura latest version information. You can set your Mac to automatically update as soon as a new version of the operating system is made available. Follow these instructions to set that up: How to automatically install macOS updates Open System Settings. Click on General. Click on Software Update. Click on the (i) beside Automatic Updates. Make sure that the options are selected. Foundry On older versions of macOS you needed to go to System Preferences > Software Update and you could be able to click on Advanced and select precisely which actions you want to happen automatically from Check for updates, Download new updates when available, Install macOS updates, and Install app updates from the App Store. How to manually install macOS software updates If you’d rather not let your Mac automatically update, you should periodically check to see if there is an update to your version. Go to System Settings > General > Software Update and your Mac will check to see if there is an update to install. In macOS Mojave and older the Software Update pane was found in System Preferences and in macOS High Sierra and earlier updates were via the Mac App Store. For our in-depth guide to updating Mac operating systems, see How to update macOS. 2) Be careful about where you download from Downloading software from places like GitHub and other download sites could be a risk. It’s safer to download from the Mac App Store as Apple has vetted software made available there. If you prefer not to use the Mac App Store, then buy software directly from the developer’ and their’s website. 3) Don’t connect to public Wi-Fi networks Beware of connecting to a public Wi-Fi network as there may be someone spying who could gain access to your passwords and other private information, or you could have your session hijacked. Snoopers can set up their own Wi-Fi hotspot, pretending to be your hotel or coffee shop, then once you have connected they can grab any data you send over it. 4) Don’t install Flash Adobe discontinued Flash on 31 December 2020 with good reason. Intego, Malwarebytes and other security companies have recommended that you shouldn’t install Flash Player, because fake Flash Player updates have often been used to trick people into installing malware. You might be looking to download a popular movie or TV series for free, for example, and see a search result that leads to a request to update Flash Player in order to view the content. This is unlikely to be legitimate. There is simply no need to install Flash Player now that HTML5 has made Flash obsolete. Our advice is simple: Don’t use Flash! 5) Keep Java up to date on your Mac If you must use Java (which is also problematic) then make sure it’s up to date. Vulnerabilities in Java have highlighted the fact that there are cross-platform threats that even Mac users need to be aware of. Apple blocks Java by default, leaving it up to the user to decide whether to install those tools. If you do need to update them, be very careful where you download updates from! 6) Avoid falling foul of phishing emails Protect yourself from phishing attacks by not responding to emails that require you to enter a password or install something. You could also use free software such as BlockBlock. That way, even if you were to carry out the steps to launch the malware, it would not be able to write files or mark itself as launching on startup. 7) Don’t fall for Facebook and other social network scams Facebook scams are usually designed to harvest data. If it seems like it might be too good to be true, it probably is, and you’d be wise not to share it on Facebook. At best you’ll look silly and those scammers will start to target you with more scams; at worst they may succeed in accessing your personal data and that of your friends. Don’t click on a link just because a friend shared it, and definitely don’t give out your personal data on Facebook. Why you need to protect Windows users Macs are pretty safe from malware, but one reason to run an antivirus is to protect your Windows-using friends and colleagues. An unprotected (and carelessly used) Mac could become a sort of Typhoid Mary of Windows viruses; in other words, you could be harboring viruses that won’t affect you, but could be problems for Windows users. How to tell if a Mac has a virus Look out for the following signs that your Mac has been infected with malware:  Aggressive web page banners and browser pop-ups recommending software. Web page text turning into hyperlinks. Programs appearing that you haven’t authorized. Mac crashes. Mac runs hot. Mac speeds up for no reason. If you think something suspicious is happening, open Activity Monitor and click on the CPU tab. Check what software is running, especially if something is hogging a lot of your resources. We discuss how to identify and deal with Mac viruses in a separate article: How to remove a virus from a Mac. We also recommend reading How to protect your Mac against attack for more advice on avoiding digital infections.

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Apple products could get more expensive in US as Trump imposes 10% import tariffs
Most Apple products sold in the US could see price raises, after Trump imposed 10% import tariffs on all imports from China. While Apple has been working on diversifying its supply chain, the majority of its products are still assembled in China. Trump did a similar thing in his first term, applying tariffs to thousands of products. That time, Apple was successful in lobbying for exceptions, but the new policy appears to be a blanket 10% across all products arriving from China … more…

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China considering antitrust investigation into Apple, likely as leverage in trade war
China is considering opening an antitrust investigation into Apple’s App Store commissions, mirroring those already carried out in the US, EU, and elsewhere. However, it’s likely that the Chinese government is simply raising the possibility as a form of leverage in the latest trade war instigated by the Trump administration … more…

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China threatens App Store probe in retaliation for trade tensions
Following the introduction of trade tariffs by the US, China is said to be considering an antitrust investigation into Apple's App Store practices.Tim Cook (left) and Trump (right)The new US trade tariffs ostensibly imposed on China will be paid by US businesses and consumers, not China or any other foreign country. But they mean higher prices for Americans, which will mean a decrease in sales, so China has been announcing retaliatory measures.According to Bloomberg, those measures may now also include China launching an investigation into Apple's App Store fees and practices. This is despite the country having already investigated the App Store and concluding in May 2024 that Apple was not abusing its market position. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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How to recover a forgotten Mac password
Macworld Apple’s macOS is a secure operating system, and at the heart of its security is your password: you will need your password whenever you install new software or make changes to macOS via System Settings (known as System Preferences pre-macOS Ventura); you’ll need it when logging in to you Mac (even if you log into your Mac with an Apple Watch, and even if you use Touch ID to unlock your Mac you’ll still need to enter your password when your Mac starts up. Sometimes you’ll even need your password when deleting files. But what do you do if you’ve lost or forgotten the password, or it doesn’t work? Maybe you inherited or bought the Mac secondhand and you don’t know the password. Don’t panic. In this article we’re going to look at how to recover and reset a lost Mac password. On a related note, if your Mac is asking you for your iCloud login, or Apple ID, then read about what to do if you forget your Apple ID password. We also have How to find a password on a Mac and tips to make your passwords even stronger. 1. View the password hint Foundry If you are lucky your Mac’s password has been set up with a hint and you can view this on the log in screen. You need to be in the log in screen to be able to access this option–just waking your Mac from sleep will not display the ? icon that you need to click on, you need to restart your Mac. Restart your Mac. When you are on the log in screen select the user you wish to log in as. You should see a ? beside the Enter Password field. Click on the ? and you might see a password hint. If this helps you fix the problem excellent. If not we have more ideas below. 2. Change the password from another account Foundry Do you share the Mac with another person and do they have their own account? Is there an administrator who looks after your work Mac? An IT guy (or girl) who might be able to log on? Or do you have a different user account on the Mac that you do know the password to? The only problem here is that if the other user doesn’t have Admin rights on the Mac they will not be able to change the password for you. If you know (or can find out) the password to another account for the Mac you can use this account to reset your password. Follow these steps to reset your Mac password from another account. Note the process is a little different depending on which version of macOS you are using. In Ventura and later Either restart the Mac, or if it is logged in click on the Apple logo and choose Log Out [name]. Select the account you do know the password to. Enter the password for that account. Open System Settings > Users & Groups. Click on the i beside the account you’ve forgotten the password for. Click Reset Password. Enter the password you are logged in with. Add a new password and verify it. Add a Password hint (so that it doesn’t get forgotten again). Click Change Password. In Monterey or older Either restart the Mac, or if it is logged in click on the Apple logo and choose Log Out [name]. Select the account you do know the password to. Enter the password for that account. In Monterey or older open System Preferences > Users & Groups. In Monterey or older click the lock icon in the bottom left of the window and enter the password again. Select the account you’ve forgotten the password for in the sidebar. Click Reset Password. Fill in the New password, Verify and Password hint fields. Click Change Password. You have now changed the password for that account, and you can log into that account using the new password. Note that this doesn’t change the password for the Keychain and you will be asked when you log into the account if you want to update the keychain password. To do this you’ll need the old password (which you have forgotten) so you’ll have to click Create New Keychain. 3. Reset your password using Recovery Assistant and your Apple ID Foundry When you start up your Mac and select the user you wish to log in as you should see a ? beside the Enter Password field. Click on the ? and you might see a password hint (as we detailed above). Below the password hint you should see the option to “Restart and show password reset options”. If you click on this your Mac will restart with Recovery Assistant open. Follow the steps below to reset your password. When you are on the log in screen click on the ? beside the Enter Password box. Click on Restart and show password reset options. Your Mac will restart in the Recovery assistant. Enter your Apple ID email address. Click on Next. Enter your Apple ID password. You will now get an alert on another Apple product that is signed into your Apple ID. Approve the fact that there has been a login attempt (even if the alert says it happened in a completely different part of the country). You will now see a six number code appear on your device, you should enter this on the the Mac you are trying to log in to. Select the user you want to reset the password for. Click on Next. Enter a new password and then verify it. Add a password hint so that you don’t forget it again (but make sure that someone else couldn’t easily guess it!) If you don’t see the ? this could be because you haven’t started up your Mac from off–so switch the Mac off and turn it on again. If you still don’t see the ? and Recovery Assistant option at start up move to the next step. 4. Use Recovery mode, Terminal and your Apple ID to reset your password Foundry If you didn’t see the option to “restart and show password reset options” detailed above, you can still enter the Recovery mode and use the Recovery Assistant to change your password. The process will depend on whether you have a Mac powered by an Intel processor or one that uses one of Apple’s M-series chips, such as the M1 or M2 or later. On a M-series Mac: Restart the Mac and press and hold the power button until you see the startup options. Click on Options > Continue. On an Intel Mac: Restart the Mac and press and hold Command and R until the Apple logo appears. See How to use Recovery mode on a Mac. Once in Recovery you can change the password for the Mac, even if you don’t know the password. You just need to know your Apple ID and password. In macOS Recovery either choose a user you know the password for, or click on Forgot all passwords. Now enter your Apple ID email and click on Next. Enter your Apple ID password and click Next. If all is good you will see Authentication successful. You now need to click on Exit to Recovery. When you get the the Recovery screen you don’t want any of the options presented to you, such as Restore from Time Machine and Reinstall macOS. Instead click on Utilities in the menu at the top of the screen. Click on Terminal. In Terminal type resetpassword Click on Return. Now the Reset Password options will open on the screen. Choose I forgot my password. Click on Next. Now sign in with your Apple ID email and password. You will see a warning that someone is using your Apple ID flash up on your other Apple devices, approve this and then you will see a six number code. Enter the six number code on the Mac. Choose the user you wish to reset the password for. After you have entered the new password and a hint you can restart your Mac. 5. Use your recovery key to reset your password Apple If your drive is encrypted (either by you or your employer) through FileVault, you will see an option to reset your password using your recovery key. You will of course need that recovery key – which is a string of letters and numbers – so hopefully you haven’t lost it. If you have FileVault set up with a recovery key when you restart your Mac you will see Enter your FileVault recovery key as an option. “Reset it using your recovery key” to use the drive’s recovery key to reset your login password. If you can’t find your FileVault recovery key this may help: How to find your FileVault recovery key in macOS. How to make a Mac password hint appear Now you know your password you might want to make sure that a password hint appears if you forget your password again. Follow these steps to set up a hint: In Ventura or later: Go to System Settings. Scroll down to Users & Groups. Click on the i beside the user’s name. Click on Change Password. Enter the old password and then a new password, and verify that. Add a password hint that makes sense to you but won’t be easily guessed by someone else. In Monterey or older: Open System Preferences. Click on Users & Groups. Click on the lock and enter your password. Click on Login Options. Tick the box that says show password hints. If there is no tip set up click on the user. Click on Change Password. Enter the old password and then a new password, and verify that. Add a password hint that makes sense to you but won’t be easily guessed by someone else. Foundry How to save your passwords so that you don’t forget them A good option is to create secure passwords and save them using a Password Manager such as LastPass or 1Password, which are included in our round up of the Best Password Managers for Mac. You will need to remember your master password as that’s how the password manager is kept secure, but you can look for any other password you use – so you could store your Mac password this way. Apple also offers it’s own Passwords app that stores your passwords – but unfortunately it won’t store the password to your Mac. Apple’s Passwords app can be helpful if you have forgotten your Apple ID though. On an iPhone open the Passwords app search for Apple and you should see one or more Apple ID usernames. Tap on these to find one with a recent date and hopefully that will be the one you are after. Prior to iOS 18 this required iCloud Keychain. So open Settings, find Passwords and search for Apple as above. How to stop someone else resetting your Mac password Now you know how to reset your password you may be worried that if you can use Recovery Mode to reset the password, someone else could do the same thing – and once a person has got access to your Mac, you’ve usually lost control over it. There are some steps you can take to protect your data, though. The best way to protect your data is to turn on FileVault encryption. This encrypts the contents of your Mac, and the Password Reset utility will not show until you unlock it with Disk Utility. When you set up FileVault you can choose to receive a Recovery Key (which you should print out) or you can tie it to your Apple ID. Beware that if you forget or you lose these your data will be lost forever. To turn FileVault on follow these steps (slightly different depending on the macOS version). In Ventura or later: Go to System Settings. Click on Privacy & Security. Scroll down to FileVault. Click on Turn On… Choose Allow my iCloud account to unlock my disk, or Create a recovery key and do not use my iCloud account. We advise using iCloud due to the risk of losing the recovery key. Click on Continue. In Monterey or older: Open System Preferences. Go to Security & Privacy. Click on FileVault. Click the lock and enter your password. Choose Allow my iCloud account to unlock my disk, or Create a recovery key and do not use my iCloud account. We advise using iCloud due to the risk of losing the recovery key. Click on Continue.

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Apple’s new app Invites copycat criticism
Macworld Apple on Tuesday introduced a new app called Invites that lets users create custom invitations and share them with family and friends along with photo albums and playlists. But while the app might have been a surprise, it wasn’t a pleasant one for everyone. Over on X, event app Partiful posted a screenshot of section 4.1(a) of the App Review Guidelines, which refers to Copycats. The section reads, “ Come up with your own ideas. We know you have them, so make yours come to life. Don’t simply copy the latest popular app on the App Store, or make some minor changes to another app’s name or UI and pass it off as your own. In addition to risking an intellectual property infringement claim, it makes the App Store harder to navigate and just isn’t fair to your fellow developers.” The screenshot is a thinly veiled shot at Apple Invites’ somewhat derivative concept and interface. Partiful was a 2024 finalist for Apple’s Cultural Impact award, so it was clearly on its radar. While there are differences, it’s hard not to see distinct similarities between the Apple Invites and Partiful interfaces. Of course, Apple is no stranger to copycat cries. Over the years, the concept of “Sherlocking” has become something of an annual tradition, as Apple releases another app, service, or feature that makes some standalone apps irrelevant. The term gets its name from Apple’s Sherlock 3 app introduced with Mac OS X Jaguar, which all but made the popular Watson app irrelevant with a similar feature set. In a reply to Partiful’s post, Sunshine app founder and former Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer chimed in with similar claims: “At @sunshine, we also took a look at these guidelines today. Gen AI invites and integrated photo sharing, hmm…” These accusations are unlikely to matter as even Apple’s developer guidelines don’t explicitly ban copying and iPhone users will gravitate toward the app due to its integration with Photos and Apple Music. Apple Invites is a free app for the iPhone, but to unlock event creation you need to subscribe to iCloud+, which starts at $0.99 a month.

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Apple needs to re-discover its weird side
Macworld Over the last couple of decades, Apple has solidified its place at the top of the technology world. Dominant products like the iPod, iPhone, and iPad have made the company a household name, which in turn has elevated the profile of even its more modest businesses, like the Mac and the Apple TV. Apple has gotten the production of its devices down to a science, and while it’s hard to argue that it hasn’t been wildly successful, it seems as though that success should afford it some opportunities to make things that are, well…less successful. (And no, I’m not talking about the Vision Pro.) As Apple basks in its superstardom, something has gotten lost: the weird and wacky Apple. The Apple that is willing to take chances on products that won’t (and maybe never will) set the world on fire, but that might still find a viable home amongst its hundreds of millions of customers. Fortunately, there are some indications that the company may indeed be open to taking some of these risks, possibly even sooner than we think. Home is where your smarts are One area that Apple has only partly explored is the smart home. Yes, Apple’s history with HomeKit stretches back more than a decade, but the company has never really put its money where its ambitions are. The HomePod is the company’s only real smart home device, and while it’s fine for what it is, it doesn’t really show off what the smart home is capable of. Apple has been reported as investigating creating smart home products, such as a security camera.Christopher Phin Recent reports, however, suggest that Apple may finally be diving headfirst into this category, possibly introducing a smart doorbell or a home security camera. While these aren’t necessarily the smart home devices that I’d most like to see, I do appreciate that Apple has identified a couple of places where it feels like it could make a real difference. I’ve long thought that if the company wants to really drive smart home adoption, it should build its own hardware, but it was always hard to see Apple entering commoditized categories like smart bulbs or smart switches. Video, on the other hand, makes sense. Apple’s HomeKit Secure Video, first introduced in 2019, offers real advantages over many of the company’s competitors, such as end-to-end encryption, support across all of Apple’s platforms, and easy sharing with family. It even includes unlimited footage for a specified number of cameras, depending on which iCloud storage plan you use. But third-party implementations of this feature have often felt buggy and unreliable; arguably the best way for Apple to improve HomeKit Secure Video is to have to use it too. I’d love to see a device like this used as a real Continuity Camera, too, as my colleague Jason Snell recently suggested. As it is, Continuity Camera is a great feature that makes video chats easy and high quality, hampered only by requiring you to give up access to your phone, something a small standalone device could do quite well. You’re in command Speaking of the home, Apple’s rumored smart speaker with a screen project–which could debut sometime this year–is another example of the company trying something a little different. This will almost certainly never be a barn-burner, as it appeals predominantly to those who already own and use smart home tech, a self-selecting customer base, for sure. The HomePod started to scratch that itch, and while that product line has had it successes, it’s been hampered by an overpriced initial offering and the continued unreliability of Siri, something that Apple Intelligence might be poised to help correct. But, ultimately, what makes this an ideal category for Apple is that while competitors have attempted this, there’s no clear winner yet. Amazon’s Echo Show and Google’s Nest Hub may have paved the way, but neither of them has proved to be a huge success, and the lack of in-depth integration with Apple’s ecosystems prevents them from delivering the kind of experience that the company’s customers tend to want. Add in the huge number of hobbyist projects that have flirted with bringing your data into a screen you can place around your house–Tidbyt, TRMNL, LaMetric TIME–and it’s clear there’s an appetite for this functionality, even if nobody has quite cracked it yet. Smart glasses are half-full A recent report from Bloomberg suggested that Apple had ended the development of a project to build smart glasses that could connect to a Mac. Given what seem to be fundamental limitations with that specific device (requiring a Mac, for example), that decision hardly seems unreasonable. But it does open the question of what more Apple could be doing in the wearable market. The Apple Watch and AirPods have been reasonably big hits, but surely they aren’t the only options for devices that customers might want to wear. Apple seems to be moving towards smart glasses, but the technology to deliver their idea of the future clearly isn’t ready yet. Meta’s Ray-Bands seem like the type of product Apple could make and be successful with.Jim Martin / Foundry Still, there are other options in that area too: smart rings, wearable fitness bands, and other forms of smart glasses, like Meta’s Ray-Bans, have all proved to have some degree of following, and all of them would seem to be well within Apple’s capability. Would it kill the company to take a couple of flyers on other products, especially when the benefits would accrue not only to this category but also likely to Apple’s Services division and overall bottom line? In fact, one interesting thing linking a lot of these products together: they all fall within the confines of the category on Apple’s balance sheet entitled “Wearables, Home and Accessories.” Which makes sense: among other things, that means they don’t have to be broken out into individual profit & loss statements (externally, at least). It’s the perfect place for Apple to play with products without subjecting them to the weight of the expectations placed on the iPhone, Mac, or iPad.

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Apple repairs possible Replicator bug in macOS Sequoia 15.3 update, eases path for third-party utilities to create bootable backup volumes
Apple seems to be getting closer to fixing a bug that allows for third-party utilities to create bootable backup volumes. Per SuperDuper! developer Dave Nainan, Apple’s recently-released macOS Sequoia 15.3 has corrected a problem that saw the SuperDuper! backup utility fail at a particular step in making a bootable copy of a drive. Nanian reported […] Source

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Apple raises monthly AppleCare+ plan prices for iPhone owners within the United States
It’s not a huge price increase, but your AppleCare+ subscription price for your iPhone just went up. Apple increased the price of the warranty plan for all iPhone models in the United States this week by 50 cents per month. Standard ‌AppleCare‌+ for the iPhone 16 models is now priced at $10.49 per month, for […] Source

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If you’re ready to get all your shopping done in one place, join BJ’s
Macworld You want the best prices for groceries, home decor, and other necessities, but that usually means you’re hitting multiple shops. Does it feel like you spend more time on the road than you should? Join BJ’s Wholesale Club to enjoy one-stop shopping and find the savings you’ve been looking for. You’ll need to join as a member to shop, but you can join for one year with The Club Card for $20—and it comes with Easy Renewal® and a $20 reward after you spend $60 in 30 days. BJ’s has a whole lot to offer, so try not to leave with the entire store. You can find farm-fresh produce (some are locally grown), meats, deli, baked goods, and frozen goods. You could save 25% on what you’d normally buy at a regular supermarket. If you have some room in your cart, take a peek into BJ’s aisles of household staples, garage essentials, electronics, decor, and more. Skip the checkout line using the BJ’s mobile app to scan your items and pay. Or, you can order online and select curbside pickup to restock without setting foot in BJ’s. Don’t forget to swing by BJ’s Gas on the way out to fuel your car for less without making another pitstop. Locations may vary, but there may be a station at a BJ’s Wholesale Club near you. Discover incredible value and one-stop shopping by grabbing this one-year BJ’s The Club Card Membership with Easy Renewal® for $20.    $20 for a 1-year The Club Card Membership with BJ’s Easy Renewal® Only $20 at Macworld StackSocial prices subject to change.

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AppleCare+ for iPhone is now more expensive in the US
Apple is raising AppleCare+ prices for iPhones by 50 cents in the US, as it moves to only offer monthly or annual plans in its retail stores. (via Cult of Mac - Apple news, rumors, reviews and how-tos)

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Bots Now Dominate the Web, and That’s a Problem Copy
Nearly half the traffic on the internet is generated by automated entities called bots, and a large portion of them pose threats to consumers and businesses on the web. The post appeared first on TechNewsWorld.

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How to install and use the beta VirtualBox for Apple Silicon Macs
VirtualBox is now available for Apple Silicon-based Macs, although with spotty x86 support. Here's how to use it.Oracle's VirtualBox emulator now runs on Apple Silicon Macs.Oracle's VirtualBox emulator is a free app which allows you to run other OS'es on your Mac, PC, or Linux computer. Until this past August VirtualBox only ran on Intel x86-based Macs.Now a "work in progress" Apple Silicon version of VirtualBox is available for download from the VirtualBox website. Continue Reading on AppleInsider

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Cardiobot health app gets new Activity Coaching and interactive charts
CardioBot is a health companion app for iPhone and Apple Watch that shows users how they can live a healthier life. The app has now been updated with new features, including “Activity Coaching” and fully interactive graphics. Read on as we detail everything that’s new with the update. more…

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AppleCare+ for iPhone just got a little more expensive
Macworld Apple is making its AppleCare+ extended warranty plan a little more expensive for some users. For all current models in the United States, Apple is raising the monthly subscription price by 50 cents. That means the monthly cost of standard AppleCare+ for an iPhone 16 is now $8.49 instead of $7.99. The price increase applies to all current iPhone models and to both AppleCare+ and AppleCare+ with Theft and Loss. AppleCare+ provides repairs for up to 2 incidents of theft or loss coverage every 12 months for a deductible (Screen or back glass damage, $29; other accidental damage, $99). What’s more, Apple seems to be encouraging consumers to pay this monthly fee more often. While you can still buy the standard full up-front 2 years of AppleCare+ coverage at the point of purchase if you buy online, the same is not true of retail purchases. As reported by Mark Gurman at Bloomberg, the company will no longer allow the up-front 2-year purchase option at retail or in the AppleCare menu option on the iPhone itself. Gurman says Apple Store employees have been instructed to tell customers the change is “designed to lower upfront costs and prevent future gaps in coverage.” What’s more, they are instructed to push the pricier Theft & Loss version of AppleCare+, which provides a replacement iPhone for $149 and costs as much as $13.99 a month depending on the iPhone model. Note that the price increase for AppleCare+ appears to only apply to iPhones, and not yet to other Apple products. The monthly cost of AppleCare+ for the Mac ranges from $6.49 to $17.99 a month, while the iPad costs between $3.49 and $8.49 depending on the model.

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Apple Announces 'Invites' App, Raises AppleCare+ Subscription Prices For iPhone
Apple has announced Apple Invites, a new iPhone app designed to help you manage your social life. Engadget reports: The idea behind Apple Invites is that you can create and share custom invitations for any event or occasion. You can use your own photos or backgrounds in the app as an image for the invite. Image Playground is built into Invites and you can use that to generate an images for the invitation instead. Other Apple Intelligence features such as Writing Tools are baked in as well, in case you need a hand to craft the right message for your invitation. The tech giant also said it was increasing AppleCare+ subscription prices for the iPhone, "raising the cost by 50 cents for all models in the United States," according to MacRumors. From the report: Standard AppleCare+ for the iPhone 16 models is now priced at $10.49 per month, for example, up from the prior $9.99 per month price. The 50 cent price increase applies to all available AppleCare+ plans for Apple's current iPhone lineup, and it includes both the standard plan and the Theft and Loss plan. The two-year AppleCare+ subscription prices have not changed, nor have the service fees and deductibles. The increased prices are only applicable when paying for AppleCare+ on a monthly basis. Apple has not raised the prices of AppleCare+ subscription plans for the iPad, Mac, or Apple Watch. Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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'Doom' can even be played on Apple's Lightning to HDMI adapter
Developers and enthusiasts continue to find new ways of running Doom on increasingly unusual hardware, the latest of which is an Apple HDMI adapter cable.Doom can run on an Apple Lightning to HDMI adapter.In a video uploaded on February 2, first shared by MacRumors, developer nyan_satan showed off a port of the classic video game Doom running on Apple's Lightning to HDMI adapter. The YouTuber is known for their work in creating tools and dual-booting different versions of iOS.This is only possible because the Lightning to HDMI adapter features a dedicated system-on-chip with a processor inside. It also runs a basic version of iOS, stripped down to only the most basic of features, allowing the dongle to process video signals but not much else. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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New macOS malware disguises itself as Chrome & Zoom installers
North Korean hackers are using fake job offers and disguised app updates to sneak malware onto Macs, and while Apple's latest XProtect update blocks some threats, others are still slipping through.MacBook ProSecurity researchers from SentinelLabs have identified fresh variants of a North Korean malware family, dubbed "FlexibleFerret," which is actively exploiting macOS users. The malware is part of a broader campaign known as "Contagious Interview," where attackers pose as recruiters to trick job seekers into installing malicious software.Apple responded with an XProtect signature update to counter these threats, blocking several variants, including FROSTYFERRET_UI, FRIENDLYFERRET_SECD, and MULTI_FROSTYFERRET_CMDCODES. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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Threads now lets users share their custom feeds with others
Meta last year introduced significant enhancements to the Threads timeline, as users gained the option to create custom feeds and choose which feed they want to see by default. Now Meta is announcing another new feature for Threads: the ability to share custom feeds with others. more…

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Severance stars face hot ‘Wings of Death’ [Video]
Ready to see if "Severance" stars on "Hot Ones Versus" can take the heat? Watch Adam Scott vs. Patricia Arquette in a hot-wing contest. (via Cult of Mac - Apple news, rumors, reviews and how-tos)

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President Trump’s new tariffs on China could push up iPhone prices
President Donald Trump announced over the weekend that he would be implementing 10% tariffs on China - which could affect Apple - and… The post appeared first on MacDailyNews.

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Who’s Behind the Seized Forums ‘Cracked’ & ‘Nulled’?
The FBI joined authorities across Europe last week in seizing domain names for Cracked and Nulled, English-language cybercrime forums with millions of users that trafficked in stolen data, hacking tools and malware. An investigation into the history of these communities shows their apparent co-founders quite openly operate an Internet service provider and a pair of e-commerce platforms catering to buyers and sellers on both forums.

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FBI, Dutch Police Disrupt ‘Manipulaters’ Phishing Gang
The FBI and authorities in The Netherlands this week seized a number of servers and domains for a hugely popular spam and malware dissemination service operating out of Pakistan. The proprietors of the service, who use the collective nickname "The Manipulaters," have been the subject of three stories published here since 2015. The FBI said the main clientele are organized crime groups that try to trick victim companies into making payments to a third party.

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Infrastructure Laundering: Blending in with the Cloud
In an effort to blend in and make their malicious traffic tougher to block, hosting firms catering to cybercriminals in China and Russia increasingly are funneling their operations through major U.S. cloud providers. Research published this week on one such outfit -- a sprawling network tied to Chinese organized crime gangs and aptly named "Funnull" -- highlights a persistent whac-a-mole problem facing cloud services.

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A Tumultuous Week for Federal Cybersecurity Efforts
President Trump last week issued a flurry of executive orders that upended a number of government initiatives focused on improving the nation's cybersecurity posture. The president fired all advisors from the Department of Homeland Security's Cyber Safety Review Board, called for the creation of a strategic cryptocurrency reserve, and voided a Biden administration action that sought to reduce the risks that artificial intelligence poses to consumers, workers and national security.

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MasterCard DNS Error Went Unnoticed for Years
The payment card giant MasterCard just fixed a glaring error in its domain name server settings that could have allowed anyone to intercept or divert Internet traffic for the company by registering an unused domain name. The misconfiguration persisted for nearly five years until a security researcher spent $300 to register the domain and prevent it from being grabbed by cybercriminals.

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Chinese Innovations Spawn Wave of Toll Phishing Via SMS
Residents across the United States are being inundated with text messages purporting to come from toll road operators like E-ZPass, warning that recipients face fines if a delinquent toll fee remains unpaid. Researchers say the surge in SMS spam coincides with new features added to a popular commercial phishing kit sold in China that makes it simple to set up convincing lures spoofing toll road operators in multiple U.S. states.

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Microsoft: Happy 2025. Here’s 161 Security Updates
Microsoft today unleashed updates to plug a whopping 161 security vulnerabilities in Windows and related software, including three "zero-day" weaknesses that are already under active attack. Redmond's inaugural Patch Tuesday of 2025 bundles more fixes than the company has shipped in one go since 2017.

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A Day in the Life of a Prolific Voice Phishing Crew
Besieged by scammers seeking to phish user accounts over the telephone, Apple and Google frequently caution that they will never reach out unbidden to users this way. However, new details about the internal operations of a prolific voice phishing gang show the group routinely abuses legitimate services at Apple and Google to force a variety of outbound communications to their users, including emails, automated phone calls and system-level messages sent to all signed-in devices.

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Get a clearance 16-inch M3 Max MacBook Pro at Apple for $700 off original MSRP
Apple has a full line of clearance 16" M3 Max MacBook Pros available, Certified Refurbished, starting at $2889 and ranging up to $700 off original MSRP. Each model features a new outer case, shipping is free, and an Apple 1-year warranty is standard. These models are the cheapest 16-inch M3 Max MacBook Pros currently for sale at Apple: - 16" M3 Max MacBook Pro (14-Core/36GB/1TB/Black): $2889 $610 off - 16" M3 Max MacBook Pro (16-Core/48GB/1TB/Black): $3299 $700 off - 16" M3 Max MacBook Pro (14-Core/36GB/1TB/Silver): $2889 $610 off - 16" M3 Max MacBook Pro (16-Core/48GB/1TB/Silver): $3299 $700 off See our 16" MacBook Pro Price Tracker for the latest prices & deals from Apple's retailers, updated daily.

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14-inch M4 Pro/M4 Max MacBook Pros on sale for up to $320 off MSRP at B&H
B&H Photo is offering 14-inch MacBook Pros with M4 Pro or M4 Max CPUs for up to $320 off Apple's MSRP right now. B&H offers free 1-2 day shipping to most US addresses: - 14" M4 Pro MacBook Pro (24GB/512GB/Black): $1789, $210 off MSRP - 14" M4 Pro MacBook Pro (24GB/512GB/Silver): $1749, $250 off MSRP - 14" M4 Pro MacBook Pro (24GB/1TB/Black): $2149, $250 off MSRP - 14" M4 Pro MacBook Pro (24GB/1TB/Silver): $2169, $240 off MSRP - 14" M4 Max MacBook Pro (36GB/1TB/Black): $2889, $320 off MSRP - 14" M4 Max MacBook Pro (36GB/1TB/Silver): $3049, $150 off MSRP Their prices are the lowest available today for new 14" M4 Pro/Max MacBook Pros among the Apple retailers we track. For the latest sales and prices, keep an eye on our 14-inch MacBook Pro Price Tracker, updated daily.

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16-inch M4 Pro/M4 Max MacBook Pros on sale for $260-$360 off MSRP at B&H
B&H Photo is offering a $260-$360 discount on new, Space Black, 16-inch MacBook Pros with M4 Pro or M4 Max MacBook Pros right now. B&H offers free 1-2 day shipping to most US addresses: - 16" M4 Pro MacBook Pro (24GB/512GB): $2239, $260 off MSRP - 16" M4 Pro MacBook Pro (48GB/512GB): $2629, $270 off MSRP - 16" M4 Max MacBook Pro (36GB/1TB): $3139, $360 off MSRP - 16" M4 Max MacBook Pro (48GB/1TB): $3699, $300 off MSRP Their prices are the lowest available today for new 16" MacBook Pros among the Apple retailers we track. For the latest sales and prices, keep an eye on our 16-inch MacBook Pro Price Tracker, updated daily.

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Buy an Apple Watch right now, on sale for $70-$90 off MSRP, before tariffs force price increases
Amazon has Apple Watch Series 10 models on sale for $70-$90 off MSRP today. If you are in the market for a new Apple Watch, but one right now before new tariffs (potentially) force price increases. Shipping is free: - 42mm Apple Watch Series 10 GPS: $329, save $70 - 46mm Apple Watch Series 10 GPS: $359, save $70 - 42mm Apple Watch Series 10 GPS + 5G: $429, save $70 - 46mm Apple Watch Series 10 GPS + 5G: $459, save $70 - 42mm Apple Watch Series 10 GPS + 5G (Titanium): $629, save $70 - 46mm Apple Watch Series 10 GPS + 5G (Titanium): $659, save $90 Amazon has Apple Watch SE models on sale for $80 off MSRP, each including free shipping. Their prices are the lowest currently available for SE Watches: - 40mm Apple Watch SE GPS: $169, save $80 - 44mm Apple Watch SE GPS: $199, save $80 - 40mm Apple Watch SE GPS + Cellular: $219, save $80 - 44mm Apple Watch SE GPS + Cellular: $249, save $80 Note that their sale prices may be restricted to certain band colors (see their site for details), and stock is likely to come and go. For the latest prices & sales, keep an eye on our Apple Watch Price Tracker, updated daily.

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27-inch 5K Apple Studio Displays on sale for $300 off MSRP
Amazon has Apple Studio Displays on sale this week for $300 off MSRP. Shipping is free: - Studio Display (Standard glass): $1299.99 $300 off MSRP - Studio Display (Nano glass): $1599.99 $300 off MSRP Their prices are among the lowest available for Studio Displays among the retailers we track. For the latest prices and sales, see our Studio Display Price Tracker, updated daily.

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Get these Apple AirPods on sale today for up to $80 off MSRP, before prices go up
Amazon has Apple AirPods in stock and sale today for up to $80 off MSRP including free shipping. Their prices are the lowest price available for AirPods right now, noting that some of these prices may go up with new potential tariffs: - AirPods 4: $99.99, $30 off - AirPods 4 with ANC: $148.99, $30 off - AirPods Pro 2 with USB-C: $169, $80 off - AirPods Max with USB-C: $529.99, $20 off Keep an eye on our AirPods Price Tracker for the latest prices and deals, updated daily.

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Apple continues to offer a $50 discount on HomePods when buying Certified Refurbished
Apple continues to have Certified Refurbished White and Midnight HomePods available for $249, Certified Refurbished. That's $50 off MSRP and the lowest price currently available for a full-size Apple HomePod today. Shipping is free, and each HomePod includes Apple's standard 1-year warranty. The outer case is new. According to Apple, "Each Apple Certified Refurbished Product: - Undergoes full functionality testing and any defective modules identified in testing are replaced. - Is put through a thorough cleaning process and inspection. - Is repackaged (including appropriate manuals, cables, new boxes). - Includes either the Operating System originally shipped with the unit or, in some cases, a more recent version. - Is placed into a Final QA inspection prior to being added to sellable refurbished stock." For the latest prices & sales, see our HomePod Price Tracker, updated daily.

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Magic Keyboard (White) for 10th-generation iPad on sale for $199, save $50
Amazon has White Magic Keyboards for 10th-generation Apple iPads on sale today for $199 shipped. Their price is $50 off Apple's MSRP, and it's the lowest price available for this model, equalling Best Buy's price. This is a limited-time only price, so act now if you're interested! For the latest prices & sales, keep an eye on our iPad Keyboard Price Tracker, updated daily.

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Apple has M2 Mac minis available starting at only $419, the cheapest Mac you can buy
Apple has clearance M2-powered Mac minis available in their Certified Refurbished section starting at only $419. Each mini comes with Apple's one-year warranty, and shipping is free. The following models are in stock today: - M2 Mac mini (8GB RAM/256GB SSD): $419 was $599 - M2 Mac mini (8GB RAM/512GB SSD): $589 was $799 These are the cheapest Macs for sale today at Apple. For the latest prices and sales, keep an eye on our Mac mini Price Tracker, updated daily.

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Sunday Sale: Apple AirPods for up to $80 off MSRP, from $99
Best Buy has AirPods on sale today for $20-$80 off MSRP, depending on the model. Sale prices for online orders only, in-store prices may vary. Order online, and choose free shipping or free local store pickup (if available): - AirPods 4: $99.99, $30 off - AirPods 4 with ANC: $149.99, $30 off - AirPods Pro 2 with USB-C: $169.99, $80 off - AirPods Max with USB-C: $529.99, $20 off These are the lowest prices for Apple AirPods among the Apple retailers we track. Keep an eye on our AirPods Price Tracker for the latest prices and deals, updated daily.

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10th-generation Apple iPads back on sale for $70 off MSRP, prices start at $279
Best Buy has Apple's 10th-generation iPads back on sale today for $70 off MSRP on their online store, starting at $279. Sale prices for online orders only, in-store prices may vary. Order online and choose free shipping or free local store pickup (if available): - 10" 10th-generation 64GB WiFi iPads: $279 $70 off MSRP - 10" 10th-generation 256GB WiFi iPads: $429 $70 off MSRP - 10" 10th-generation 64GB WiFi + Cellular iPads: $429 $70 off MSRP - 10" 10th-generation 256GB WiFi + Cellular iPads: $579 $70 off MSRP These are the lowest prices available for base-model iPads among the Apple retailers we track. For the latest prices & deals, keep an eye on our iPad Price Tracker, updated daily.

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Weekend Sale: $80 off Apple Watch Series 10 models at Sams Club
Sams Club has dropped prices on Apple Watch Series 10 models by $80 off Apple's MSRP from now through Feb 2, 2025. $45 Sams Club Membership required. Note that sale prices are for online orders only, in-store prices may vary. Choose free shipping or free local store pickup (if available): - 42mm Apple Watch Series 10 GPS + Cellular: $419 $80 off MSRP - 46mm Apple Watch Series 10 GPS + Cellular: $449 $80 off MSRP - 42mm Apple Watch Series 10 GPS: $319 $80 off MSRP - 46mm Apple Watch Series 10 GPS: $349 $80 off MSRP Sams' prices are currently among the lowest for Series 10 Watches anywhere. For the latest prices and sales, keep an eye on our Apple Watch Price Tracker, updated daily.

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