TikTok users are seeking alternate platforms to share and view content as the U.S. is set to ban the popular social media app on January 19, 2025. Instead of turning to U.S.-based companies like Facebook or Instagram, users are flocking to another Chinese app called Xiaohongshu, also known as RedNote. The app, which previously
Privacy Tip #419 – Apple Issues Security Updates
By Linn Foster Freedman on
Posted in Privacy Tips
Apple product users—update your new Apple security patches now!
Apple released security patches iOS 17.7.1 and iPadOS 17.7.1 on October 27, 2024, and patches to iOS 18.1 and iPadOS 18.1 on October 28, 2024, to address vulnerabilities and zero day initiatives. These patches should be applied as soon as possible: currently, “an attacker with physical…
Privacy Tip #367 – Update your Apple Operating System to 16.6 NOW
By Linn Foster Freedman on
Posted in Privacy Tips
On Monday, July 24, 2023, Apple issued a security update to address vulnerabilities that have been linked to a spyware campaign. iOS 16.6 fixes 25 iPhone security flaws, several of which are being exploited by threat actors in the wild.
Apple says “This update provides important bug fixes and security updates and is recommended for…
Growing Calls to Ban Chinese Owned TikTok App and Other Software Apps Considered to be National Security Threats
By Kathleen Porter on
Chinese company ByteDance faces growing concerns from governments and regulators that user data from its popular short video-sharing app TikTok could be handed over to the Chinese government. The concern is based on China’s national security laws, which give its government the power to compel Chinese-based companies to hand over any user data. More than…
Court Rules Apple’s Face-ID Does Not Violate BIPA
By Kathryn Rattigan & Robinson+Cole's Data Privacy + Cybersecurity Team on
Posted in Enforcement + Litigation
An Illinois appellate court has ruled that Apple’s biometric unlock features, including Touch ID fingerprint scanning and Face ID facial geometry scanning, do not violate the state’s Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA). The case involved a group of Illinois residents who alleged that Apple’s Face ID feature impermissibly collects facial geometries from pictures stored in…
Apple + Microsoft Release Patches for Identified Vulnerabilities
By Linn Foster Freedman on
Posted in Cybersecurity
This week, both Apple and Microsoft issued patches to fix serious zero-day vulnerabilities that should be applied as soon as possible. That means that if you have an iPhone or iPad, you may want to plug your phone or iPad in and apply the newest iOS 15.0.2, which is what I just did as I…
Apple Issues Patches: Apply Them Now and Alert Your Employees to Do the Same
By Linn Foster Freedman on
Posted in New + Now
Earlier this week, Apple issued another patch—this one is said to address a reported vulnerability that “an application may be able to execute arbitrary code with kernel privileges.” According to Apple, it “is aware of a report that this issue may have been actively exploited.” According to reports, this is the 13th zero-day vulnerability…
Privacy Tip #291 – Cryptomining Apps Offer Fake Services for a Fee
By Linn Foster Freedman on
Posted in Privacy Tips
Although app platforms guard against fake apps, criminals are working hard to get around app platform rules to scam victims out of a cryptobuck. Apple and Google throw apps off their platforms if they don’t play by the rules, yet fake and scam apps have proliferated and continue to scam victims.
Recently, security researchers at…
Privacy Tip #283 – Apple Users: It’s Important to Update to iOS 14.5.1 ASAP
By Linn Foster Freedman on
Posted in Privacy Tips
If you are on top of updating your iPhone patches when a new operating system is released by Apple, you probably updated your iOS to version 14.5 when Apple released it last week. However, even if you did update last week, it is important to update again this week to iOS 14.5.1, which Apple released…
Privacy Tip #282 – Apple’s New iPhone Privacy Controls
By Linn Foster Freedman on
Posted in Privacy Tips
Once again, Apple is leading the pack on privacy and implementing new privacy controls, starting next week. What does this mean for you?
If you are an iPhone user, you will start seeing more pop-ups from apps asking you for permission to collect your data. Apple is requiring apps that it believes are collecting our…