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Apple issues updates for OS X, iOS and Apple TV to address ‘FREAK’ attack

Apple on Monday issued a security update for OS X to address a handful of vulnerabilities, including the high profile SSL flaw known as "FREAK." Spotlighted last week, the bug allows would-be attackers to spy on communications made through Safari.

More specifically, FREAK stands for Factoring RSA Export Keys, and it affects certain embodiments of web encryption technologies SSL and TLS. If used maliciously, the flaw could leave systems open to what are known as man-in-the-middle attacks.

iMovie for Mac gains Photos for OS X integration

iMovie, Apple's consumer-level software for editing video bundled free with every new Mac sold, has been refreshed today with support for the upcoming Photos for OS X application, which launches later this year.

With Photos for OS X integration, iMovie users can add photos to their projects by browsing their Moments, Collections, Favorites and Albums that have been stored in Photos for Mac, without leaving iMovie.

How to sort notifications by arrival time in Notification Center on Mac

I have to admit that I'm not a huge user of Notification Center, and this applies to both iOS and the Mac. One of the reasons that I'm turned off by Notification Center is the disarray that I see when viewing it.

By default, Notification Center is set to sort manually, which means that you can go into its preferences, and sort each app by hand. That's fine and all, but it makes for a less than ideal experience when trying to find the most relevant notifications based on time of arrival.

For me, this results in a less than ideal experience when opening Notification Center. If you have a lot of apps enabled for Notifications, it can be overwhelming, because there's no real logical order to the way they're sorted. To remedy this issue, try this simple tip, and sort your notifications by time of arrival instead.

How to use TextExpander to quickly insert keyboard symbols on Mac

You may have noticed how I like to use keyboard symbols in my posts. You know, things like ⇧, or ⌃, or ⌘, or even ⌥. I use → a lot too, which is helpful when laying out a certain order of steps in my tutorials.

Some of you may think that I've memorized the code for these symbols (I haven't), or that I copy and paste them from a document or keep them on my clipboard somehow (I don't). Instead, I use the venerable TextExpander utility to make inserting these symbols a totally effortless affair.

How to assign a keyboard shortcut to Notification Center on Mac

It might seem fairly obvious, but it might be a good idea to assign a keyboard shortcut to Notification Center on the Mac. Perhaps you already have, or maybe you still haven't. I hadn't, at least not up until a few days ago when a reader suggested that I do so, and I honestly can't come up with a reason as to why I waited so long. I think it's because I just never thought about doing it.

Assigning Notification Center to a keyboard shortcut just makes sense. It especially makes sense if you use a keyboard and mouse combination on your Mac, instead of a trackpad. Granted, MacBook users might not be so easily convinced, because invoking Notification Center can be accomplished via an effortless two-finger swipe on the trackpad.

But if you're working on an iMac, or if you're using a traditional mouse and keyboard combination with your MacBook, as I am, then I definitely recommend that you follow this uber-simple tip.

Apple confirms ‘FREAK Attack’ patch for iOS and OS X due next week

A new exploit dubbed ‘FREAK Attack’ — which stands for “Factoring attack on RSA-EXPORT Keys” — that takes advantage of a security flaw dating back to the 1990s will be patched soon by Apple.

As we speak, the iPhone maker is readying a fix in iOS and OS X that will be available in software updates next week, a spokesperson for the Cupertino firm told iMore.

Plagued by this security flaw, users of Mac, iPhone, iPad, iPod touch and Android devices are at risk when visiting vulnerable websites that downgrade a secure HTTPS connection to a weaker encryption method.

How to add more Notification Center widgets on Mac

Like its iOS counterpart, Notification Center for Mac comes bundled with several stock Today widgets to get you started. However, it's possible to add third-party widgets to Notification Center's Today View by means of the Mac App Store and via direct download. Inside, we'll highlight how to add new widgets to Notification Center along with several widget recommendations.

Yosemite 10.10.3 beta with Photos for Mac now available via OS X Public Beta program

The first beta of the forthcoming OS X Yosemite 10.10.3 software update which contains the long-expected Photos for Mac application, is now available via the AppleSeed Public Beta service.

Participants in the OS X Public Beta program can download the software update right now via the Updates tab of the Mac App Store. The public beta carries a build number of 14D87, the same like the second 10.10.3 beta that the company seeded to its registered Mac developers a week ago.