It was sort of surprising when Google announced years ago that it planned to block third-party cookies from its Chrome browser. This prompted a few questions like - what are cookies? Why did Google pledge that? And why did it eventually change its corporate mind? We’ll try to answer those questions of this edition of The Checklist, brought to you by SecureMac.   Check out our show notes: SecureMac.com/Checklist And get in touch with us: Checklist@Securemac.com ..read more

AT&T has lost info on roughly one-third of the US population. Relax! They’ve plugged that hole... now. We’ll look at what was lost, revisit the Ticketmaster hack, and find out if there’s a Snowflake’s chance of fixing any of it on Checklist No. 384, brought to you by Securemac.   Check out our show notes: SecureMac.com/Checklist And get in touch with us: Checklist@Securemac.com ..read more

The ChatGPT app for Mac had a pretty big privacy and security problem, even if parent company OpenAI didn’t think so. They fixed it anyway - we’ll tell you why. Also, some bad guy may have peeked behind the DM screen at user info on Roll20. Make your saving throw! This is The Checklist, brought to you by SecureMac! Check out our show notes: SecureMac.com/Checklist And get in touch with us: Checklist@Securemac.com ..read more

In the movies, bad guys are often taken down by a tech vulnerability. This week, we revisit our look at how best practices could make bad guys better at being bad.  Where Khan went wrong Some of the Empire’s greatest mistakes And who are these aliens messing up our Independence Day? Check out our show notes: SecureMac.com/Checklist And get in touch with us: Checklist@Securemac.com ..read more

Everything old is new again! Calls for tech companies to override end-to-end encryption for CSAM detection, Microsoft recalls Recall for now, and regulators in Canada and the UK think maybe the 23andMe breach is worth investigating. That’s all ahead on this edition of The Checklist… brought to you by SecureMac. Check out our show notes: SecureMac.com/Checklist And get in touch with us: Checklist@Securemac.com ..read more

For years, Apple has built a reputation on privacy and security - and that’s about to be tested in a big way. The company has announced plans to fold A.I. (Apple Intelligence) into its next big round of OS updates. We’ll look at how they plan to keep that secure. Plus - new features coming to protect user privacy and security.  Check out our show notes: SecureMac.com/Checklist And get in touch with us: Checklist@Securemac.com ..read more

Another week - another apparent loss of consumer information. Who’s got tickets to all the hottest shows, info on half-a-billion people, and a seemingly serious security headache? We’ll let you know on this edition of The Checklist brought to you by SecureMac. Check out our show notes: SecureMac.com/Checklist And get in touch with us: Checklist@Securemac.com ..read more

This week on The Checklist brought to you by SecureMac, two tails of misuses of AI tools - each pulled off by individuals, and each with serious ramifications. But - you know… we make it fun! Check out our show notes: SecureMac.com/Checklist And get in touch with us: Checklist@Securemac.com ..read more

Remember those embarrassing pictures you took  and then deleted? They’re back! Oh wait! They’re gone again. We’ll look at a troubling technical issue tied to last week’s OS updates from Apple. First though - spyware as a feature! That’s what some are calling a new offering from Microsoft. We’ll tell you more on this edition of The Checklist… brought to you by SecureMac. Check out our show notes: SecureMac.com/Checklist And get in touch with us: Checklist@Securemac.com ..read more

The dating app Tinder is taking steps to protect its users. We’ll tell you what those are. First though: The world now knows how bad guys were able to steal the medical info of millions from Change Healthcare… and you are not going to believe it. We will fill you in on this edition of The Checklist… brought to you by SecureMac. Check out our show notes: SecureMac.com/Checklist And get in touch with us: Checklist@Securemac.com ..read more