The Facebook-owned WhatsApp messaging service is now testing end-to-end encryption for iCloud backups. The feature was designed to protect your chat archive while it's being uploaded to or downloaded from iCloud and stored on Apple's servers (at rest).
You can now choose between a trio of different duration presets for WhatsApp's disappearing messages, such as 24 hours and 90 days, instead of the default 7-day timer.
In a major reversal, the App Store's Report a Problem link is back after being removed without explanation a few years ago. This time around, however, the feature includes a pair of significant improvements that are aimed at better tackling scams and fraud on the platform.
Apple has boosted the security and privacy of iCloud services further by switching end-to-end encryption for Safari bookmarks, preventing anyone but you from accessing them.
Apple has acknowledged that it's aware of a serious vulnerability plaguing its personal item tracker, dubbed AirTag. The nasty bug allows nefarious actors to redirect the person who finds and scans a lost AirTag to a phishing website instead of the Apple one. The company has confirmed it is working on a fix, saying the solution will be arriving in the next software update.
Advanced fraud protection for Apple Card owners is now available as part of the iOS 15 update, which automatically rotates the card's three-digit security code every now and then.
While Apple does a solid enough job of detailing most of the new features baked into software updates, there are typically some elements that miss the big unveilings (or even the press releases soon after). And some aren't necessarily meant to see the bright lights of a stage at all. Instead, they are buried within documentation. But that doesn't make them any less important.
If you plan on installing iOS 15 when it releases publicly, you may want to temporarily turn off the new iCloud Private Relay feature because it's currently in beta and Apple says that people using it may experience various website issues.
The latest round of Apple software updates brings fixes for vulnerabilities making possible recent zero-click attacks that bypassed Apple's BlastDoor security in Messages. iOS 14.8 includes security fixes for two bugs that have been actively exploited in the wild. Do yourself a big favor and install the latest updates to close this particularly dangerous attack vector.
Apple has had a bug bounty program in place for years now. It's meant to give altruistic hackers and security researchers a means to weed out potential issues for Apple's software and platforms. Doing that usually means a big payout. But it turns out there are some issues and some researchers are none too pleased.
Earlier this month, it was confirmed that T-Mobile, the magenta un-carrier, had suffered a major data breach. Now, two weeks later, the chief executive officer of the wireless carrier has penned a letter to customers apologizing for the incident. But, what's more, the CEO outlines what comes next.
Recently, T-Mobile underwent a massive security breach that resulted in the data of millions of customers being accessed and, in some cases, sold off by the hacker who stole the data. Now, the person behind that breach has come forward. And, according to them, the wireless carrier's security is . . . not great.