Following the discovery by MIT Technology Review that the kernel in iOS 10 beta is unencrypted, Apple has gone on the record to explain why that's the case. Speaking with Dave Mark of The Loop, an Apple spokesperson has officially confirmed that the decision was intentional.
Now, some security experts speculated that leaving the iOS 10 kernel unencrypted would aid anyone, nefarious users included, looking for security weaknesses in the iOS software.
Apple explains why such fears are unfounded.
MIT Technology Review has discovered that the kernel in iOS 10 beta is unencrypted, making it a lot easier for technology-minded users, jailbreak developers and the like to take a peek under iOS's hood and pinpoint any potential vulnerabilities.
For those wondering, kernels in all prior iOS betas used to be encrypted. Is this a bold move meant to help strengthen security in iOS 10 or will this decision actually introduce further security risks and open new attack vectors for hackers to exploit?
Only last month, well-known Italian iOS hacker and developer Luca Todesco teased a really nifty browser-based jailbreak that appeared to work on iOS 9.3.2.
Although the jailbreak would never be released to the public, Todesco says that Apple's upcoming iOS 10 release closes an important exploit used in the jailbreak, which was shown off just last month.
Apple has made some changes to how iOS handles apps that wish to access users' music libraries, with iOS 10 now requiring your explicit permission before any app is allowed to interact with your music.
This new safeguard increases your privacy while ensuring that no app can silently analyze what's in your music library without you knowing it. Additionally, it makes it more difficult, if not downright impossible, for apps to potentially upload your music library to the cloud in order build a profile of your musical tastes for advertising purposes.
Apple announced a major new feature for its upcoming macOS Sierra operating system for Macs on Monday at WWDC 2016, which will let you get into your Mac easier than you ever have before.
Dubbed Auto Unlock, it's an extension of the Continuity feature between your mobile devices and your Mac.
Apple has Find My iPhone and now Google has something called Find Your phone. As announced in a blog post Wednesday, the new feature can be used to find lost devices.
In addition to locating your device directly from Google's recently redesigned My Account page, you can now simply say in the mobile Google app, “OK Google, show me my Google Account”. Soon, you'll also be able to search Google for “I lost my phone”.
After WhatsApp and Viber both introduced end-to-end encryption last month, Facebook Messenger will become the next major messaging app to roll out this essential security feature, reports The Guardian.
Although end-to-end encryption on Messenger will be framed as an optional feature that users will need to manually enable, it will ensure that the contents of communications are hidden from eavesdroppers and that the identities of the participants are concealed.
The popular app for iPhone and iPad that lets you unlock your Mac with your Touch ID sensor over a low-energy Bluetooth connection has received an important update on Tuesday that adds a number of new features to the app and fixes a number of previously-known issues.
The update is free for everyone who owns MacID already for both the iOS and OS X apps, and make the new features and stability available across both platforms immediately following installation.
Apple this month brought back software engineer and top expert in practical cryptography Jon Callas, reports Reuters. The move follows Apple's high-profile battle with the FBI, and amidst a growing war between governments and tech firms over encryption.
Callas worked at Apple in the '90s, and again between 2009 and 2011, when he designed encryption to protect data stored on Mac computers. He rejoined the company in May, to help add more powerful security features to its wide range of consumer products.
Learn how to remove password protection from a locked PDF document so other people can open and read the file without typing the password.
Not everyone wants to have their credit card or debit card linked to their Apple ID. Some people are afraid of having their financial information tied to online merchants and digital content stores because of the unfortunate reality of identity theft and unauthorized purchases.
With that in mind, what should you do if you don't want a credit card that you've already linked to your Apple ID to be there, but the 'None' payment method option isn't showing for you?
We'll talk about that in this post and explain why the option isn't available to you.
There has been some talk recently about Apple potentially launching a new way to unlock your Mac with Touch ID in an upcoming OS X release.
For those who are aware, this can be done already with apps from the App Store, such as MacID, but if Apple brings this feature to the native installation of OS X, what will happen to these premium third-party apps?