Items tagged with Mac
No platform is 100 percent secure, and lest anyone need reminding of that, a Mac malware campaign with Xcode developers in its sights has been modified to infect systems outfitted with Apple's fancy new M1 silicon. The end goal of this particular malware is to rob Mac uses of their cryptocurrencies, by stealing login information related to cryptocurrency apps. The malware is called XCSSET, and it gained prominence in August 2020, when Trend Micro warned of its existence. "This scenario is quite unusual; in this case, malicious code is injected into local Xcode projects so that when the project is built, the malicious code is run. This poses a risk for Xcode developers in particular. The threat...
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Apple products were once praised as the most secure ecosystem, either by design of Apple's walled garden, excellent marketing tactics, or otherwise. However, in mid-2020, Apple accidentally approved widespread Mac malware, breaking this reality for many people. Now, another Mac-exclusive malware has been uncovered in Asia, silently mining Monero in the background of macOS user’s devices. The malware, dubbed macOS.OSAMiner, has likely been floating around since at least 2015, packaged with cracked games and software like League of Legends and Microsoft Office. In 2018, SentinelLabs, a cybersecurity firm, caught wind of Chinese forum reports talking about a Monero mining trojan infecting...
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When Apple announced in June that it would start building Macs with processors based on its own silicon that runs the Arm64 Instruction Set Architecture (ISA), that spelled the end for native Windows installations on Apple hardware. Boot Camp may be no more on Apple Silicon Macs built around the company's M1 processor, but Apple included support for hardware virtualization in its new platform regardless. That means a virtual machine could pave the way for Microsoft operating systems on Apple's processors some day. Apple's updated Mac mini, MacBook Air, and MacBook Pro 13" have only been around for a couple of weeks, but one enterprising developer has already gotten the Arm64 Insider Preview for...
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Following a couple of launch events over the past two months, Apple still has one more thing to share before calling it a wrap for 2020. Whatever that might be, it will go down today during Apple's appropriately titled "One More Thing" event. And golly gee, whatever could that one additional thing be? We are completely and utterly stumped! (Quick, someone cue Borat's "Not!" sound byte) Let us go ahead and work things out by process of elimination, shall we? Over the past couple of months, Apple introduced the iPhone 12 family, including an iPhone 12 mini, along with an all-new iPad Air powered by an A14 Bionic processor. It also unveiled a HomePod mini speaker, the Apple Watch Series 6, its Apple...
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In August of 2019, we reported that Apple had finally adjusted some of the draconian rules and regulations to allow independent repair shops to get their hands on genuine Apple parts for iPhones. Only a year later, Apple is now affording the opportunity to get genuine parts for Mac computers. Originally, when the repair program began, Best Buy was partnered with Apple to provide authentic parts and repairs as one of the largest Apple Authorized Service Providers (AASP). After some legal and moral pressure, this official repair program was expanded to make it easier for independent shops to be AASP certified and acquire parts. Now, Reuters is reporting that there has been a further change-in-heart,...
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We’re likely a month away (give or take a week) from the official unveil of Apple’s iPhone 12 family. Analysts are expecting for this to be a Super Cycle upgrade for customers, which means that Apple should see a big increase in sales year-over-year. So, why would there be an iPhone 12 Super Cycle? Well, we’re glad you asked. The iPhone 12 family is supposed to bring 1) an all-new design language, 2) the first 5G support in the iPhone range, and 3) a faster and more efficient A14 Bionic SoC. It’s that last point that is our primary focus today. Reliable leaker Komiya claims to have the inside track on A14 Bionic performance, and says that the new SoC...
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Apple sent a bit of a shock wave through the tech world when it announced plans to phase out the use of Intel processors inside its entire Mac lineup, in favor of its own custom silicon based on ARM. Barring any hiccups, the transition phase will stretch out over the next two years. One of the questions this raised was, what will happen on the GPU side? On that end, it looks like Apple will kick third-party GPUs to the curb as well. The move from a x86 foundation to an ARM-based platform is interesting on a number of levels, not the least of which is how it potentially affects current-generation Macs (some analysts believe the announcement essentially amounts to Apple putting a bullet in current...
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Apple yesterday confirmed the rumors that we’ve been hearing in tech circles for years; that it would be pushing Intel aside as its chip supplier for Macs. Instead, Apple has decided to pursue its own processor designs based around Arm architecture rather than x86. There should be some pretty sizable costs savings for Apple by bringing processor design in-house, and it allows for broader compatibility across all of its hardware families, including the ability to run iPhone and iPad apps in macOS 11 Big Sur. The folks in Cupertino are also banking on significant performance-per-watt gains over its currently-deployed Intel-based systems, and future Intel processors in the pipeline....
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Is it finally happening? After years and year of speculation and rumors, it looks as though we'll finally hear about Apple's official plans to make the transition to Arm CPU architecture for its Mac desktops and laptops later this month at WWDC 2020. This comes after we heard earlier this year that Apple's first Arm-powered Macs would arrive in 2021. The latest news comes from reliable leaker Mark Gurman, writing for Bloomberg. If Apple is indeed going to launch its first Arm Macs next year, the company's developers need ample time to get their apps ready for the architectural shift. This major shift has only occurred twice in Apple's history, with the Motorola to PowerPC switchover...
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Here we are again, folks; the latest chapter in the ongoing "will they or won't they saga" of Apple's inevitable transition to Arm processors for its Mac computers. Today, we're receiving additional information that Apple's Arm conversion will start in 2021, and it comes from a very reliable source. That source is Mark Gurman, who says that the first Mac Arm chip will be based on Apple's upcoming A14 Bionic SoC destined for the iPhone 12 family of processors. Like the A14 Bionic, the Mac-centric processor will be built on TSMC's 5nm process node and will have a total of 12 cores. 8 of them will be high-performance cores (codename Firestorm), while 4 will be efficiency cores (Icestorm). For...
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We last visited the long-running saga of Apple's rumored switch from Intel x86 chips to its own Arm chips for Macs back in February. At the time, reliable Apple analyst Ming-Ch Kuo alleged that the first of these new machines would arrive during the second half of 2021. Today, however, we're getting some additional insight into these launches, with Kuo further alleging that "several" Arm-based Macs will launch in 2021 including both laptop and desktop models. Arm-powered desktops haven't really been on the radar for PC manufacturers as power consumption for a device that is constantly plugged in isn't usually as much of a concern for regular consumers. However, Kuo is indicating...
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The world around us is quickly turning surreal—wandering the grocery store is slightly reminiscent of scenes from The Walking Dead, especially in the meat and toilet paper sections where goods are largely picked over. It's not just grocery stores, though. Apple has shut down its all of its stores outside of China, and you left an iPhone, Mac, iPad, or other device at one for repair, you might be out of luck for the time being. An spokesperson for Apple told Business Insider the company had contacted customers (by phone and email) who had dropped off devices for repair, and that many of them picked up their gadgets. Apple also said its stores remained open two days past March 14, its shutter...
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The Arm-powered Mac – it’s an elusive hardware beast that has been rumored for around 4 years or so, with new reports resurfacing roughly every six months. It seems inevitable that Apple will ditch Intel as a processor supplier as it strives to bring more hardware design in-house, but it’s always been a question of “When?” Apple analyst Ming Chi Kuo is now the latest to throw his hat in the ring with a prediction on initial availability for an Arm-powered Mac. According to Kuo, the first breakthrough device will land during the second half of 2021, which is more than a year away. The motivation for Apple moving away from Intel processors is obvious...
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“Dark mode” or “night mode” has long been popular with tech users. It is also now increasingly being adopted by major apps and operating systems. However, is dark mode simply an aesthetic preference or can it provide benefits to users? Companies and services like Google, Apple, and Facebook offer or plan to offer dark mode to help reduce eyestrain, increase battery life, and decrease display flickering. Many apps and operating systems tend to prefer light user interfaces (UI). This brighter interface or “dark-on-light color scheme” was originally introduced in word processors to mimic the look of dark ink on light paper. A light UI is generally considered...
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Get a Mac, they said. It will be fun, they said. But what they did not tell you is that Macs are not immune to malware, contrary to what some people might think. It has to be less of a risk though, right? Maybe, maybe not. A new security report indicates that malware threats on the Mac increased a whopping 400 percent in 2019. The exponential increase resulted in Mac systems being twice as susceptible to malware threats as Windows-based PCs. Surprised? Admittedly, so are we. "Mac threats increased exponentially in comparison to those against Windows PCs. While overall volume of Mac threats increased year-over-year by more than 400 percent, that number is somewhat impacted by a larger Malwarebytes...
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Anyone whoever required proof that malware didn't have to be sophisticated to be prolific should look at the macOS malware known as Shlayer. The malware found its way onto the victim computers by tricking them into installing a fake Adobe Flash update. The malware lures the users to install the fake Flash Player update by promising pirated videos, which are also said to be fake. Despite the simple attack method, Shlayer continues to be so common that it's the number one threat encountered by macOS users of Kaspersky antivirus software. The malware first surfaced in February 2018. Since that debut, about 32,000 variants have been collected by researchers at Kaspersky, along with 143...
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Is Apple on the cusp of a hardware renaissance? The answer depends, in part, on how much stock you put into various leaks and rumors. One of the persistent rumors we have been hearing for quite some time is Apple making a transition to its own custom processors for its Mac products, rather than continuing to lean on Intel. We know from Apple's past decisions and present strategies that it prefers to use in-house designs wherever possible. The strategy has worked out for the iPhone—the custom processors inside Apple's handsets are designed by Apple and based on ARM's architecture. The same thing could apply to Apple's Mac systems in 2020. To wit, we wrote about this very thing almost exactly...
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Researchers from Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. have discovered a flaw in one of the most widely deployed pieces of software in the world, which also happens to be the backend for the contacts list on Apple devices like the iPhone and iPad. The software resource that Check Point found the flaw in is called SQLite, a database engine that is used in computer operating systems, desktops, mobile phones, and lots more. SQLite is used in Windows, MacOS, iOS, Google Chrome, and Android, among many others. The fact that the SQLite database engine is so widely deployed has made it a rich target for would-be hackers. Hackers could exploit SQLite and gain administrative control of an iPhone,...
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A significant security issue with a popular Mac video conferencing company Zoom has surfaced. The security issue was made public by a researcher named Jonathan Leitschuh after a 90-day grace period to give Zoom time to fix the problem. The vulnerability could impact a variety of browsers running on Mac computers, including Safari, Chrome, and Firefox. The flaw would allow malicious websites to initiate a video call on any Mac that has (and in some cases previously had) the Zoom app installed. Depending on the version of Zoom in use, the nefarious website could trigger the video call with a simple launch action or an iframe exploit. In the proof of concept exploit, Leitschuh demonstrated that...
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Best Buy has announced that it has teamed up with Apple to provide authorized repair services at 1,000 Best Buy locations around the country. Apple says that the expansion will make it easier for customers to access safe and reliable repairs. The Best Buy stores that will offer the Apple repair services are in specific cities; not all locations will have repair services. Cities that offer repairs include Yuma, Arizona; Sioux City, Iowa; Twin Falls, Idaho; Casper, Wyoming and Bismarck, North Dakota. Repairs are made via the Best Buy Geek Squad service and the company has nearly 7,600 newly Apple-certified technicians that can make same-day repairs to iPhones and service other Apple Products. Apple...
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Best Buy is having a big one day sale for Apple gear that has some good deals that hit just in time for graduation season, which only a matter of weeks away for many students. The deals offer significant discounts on Apple MacBook Pro, iPad Pro, iPhone X, and iMac desktops. Discounts on Apple hardware are rare, and the good news is that some of the iPhone and Mac computers can be picked up in person at your local Best Buy store. MacBook Pro deals include: MacBook Pro 13.3-inch with a Core i7, 16GB of RAM, and 512GB of storage for $1,799, a $400 discount off the normal $2,199.99 price. MacBook Pro 13-inch with Core i5 CPU, 8GB RAM, and 256GB of stroage for $1,199.99, a $300 discount off the normal...
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A set of vulnerabilities related to Thunderbolt connectivity leave most Mac systems released in the past several years susceptible to malicious exploits, according to researchers who presented the data at the Network and Distributed Systems Security Symposium in San Diego earlier this week. Dubbed "Thunderclap," the collective vulnerabilities take advantage of how Thunderbolt works, and specifically the privileged, low-level direct memory access (DMA) it affords. The way Thunderbolt is constructed, peripherals have more privileges than regular USB devices. "If no defenses are used on the host, an attacker has unrestricted memory access, and can completely take control of a target computer: they...
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