Back in 2014, explicit photographs of about 100 celebrities started showing up on the Internet, and it was discovered that many came from Apple’s iCloud server. At first, folks thought that Apple was hacked, but investigation revealed that the celebrities had been tricked into revealing their iCloud passwords to hackers, a process called social engineering, and then the bad guys just logged in using the username and password to access the photos. A few months ago, one of the men responsible pled guilty, and Engadget reports this week that now a second man has pled guilty. I mention this because this week, Dan Moren of Six Colors published two articles (1, 2) that explain how to turn on Apple’s relatively new two-factor authentication system. I had previously been using a prior Apple system called two-step verification. The point of these systems is that someone cannot access your account with just the password, so even if they trick you into giving it to them, or if they find a piece of paper where you wrote it down, etc., that isn’t sufficient. Logging in also requires physical access to one of your trusted Apple devices, such as your iPhone. For example, if you try to use an iPad to connect to your iCloud account for the first time, not only do you have to enter your password on the iPad, but also you need to enter a number that appears on your iPhone screen. A bad guy might have your password, but hopefully he won’t also have your unlocked iPhone — and if he does, you have bigger problems on your hand. Better yet, when that special number appears on your iPhone, a map shows you the location of the person trying to log in. Thus, if the number appears when you are not intending to authorize a new device, and if the map shows that the request is coming from a different state or a different country, you know that someone else is trying to improperly access your account. I recommend that you turn on the new two-step authentication system, which is what I did this week after reading Dan Moren’s article. It’s quick and easy to turn on, and it gives you some extra security. And now, the other news of note from the past week:
- Florida attorney Rick Georges discusses the Palm Pilot (state of the art in 1998) and links to a PCMag.com history of all of the Palm devices, including the Treo 650 that I used for many years, and really loved when it was in its prime.
- Florida attorney Katie Floyd discusses IFTTT, a useful service for controlling devices and automating actions.
- Brett Burney reviews Grafio, an app that you can use to create visual diagrams and flowcharts.
- If you want to get cable stations without cable TV (or satellite TV), one option is to subscribe to Sling TV, which you can do via an Apple TV. I haven’t tried the service, but when I’ve looked at the offerings in the past I’ve been confused by the packages. Jared Newman wrote a good article for TechHive that explains the pricing. It looks like you need to pay about $40 a month for full basic channel selection, then you pay extra for additional channel packages. By the time you are done, it looks like you might be paying about the same that you pay for cable, but still I like that this option is out there.
- Julie Strietelmeier of The Gadgeteer reviews Automatic, a device that lets your iPhone collect information from your car.
- Strietelmeier also reviews the Ring Smart Video Doorbell, a device that lets you see on your iPhone a video of the person ringing your doorbell.
- Have you ever found that the Messages app on your iPhone has two separate message threads even though they are with the same person? This has happened to me in the past. Dan Moren of Six Colors explains what you can do if this happens — but unfortunately there often isn’t much you can do.
- Michael Simon of Macworld discusses third party keyboards for the iPhone. I have Gboard, the keyboard he recommends, and it is sometimes useful.
- There is an interesting post on the Molly Watt Trust website about a woman who uses her Apple Watch to cope with Usher Syndrome (she was born deaf and has lost most of her sight). It works very well for her to have the Apple Watch tap on her wrist to get her attention.
- Serenity Caldwell of iMore reviews the Apple Music service on its first birthday. I use Apple Music and I really like it.
- Ben Brooks offers advice for choosing between the 9.7″ and the 12.9″ iPad Pro.
- And finally, Dennis Sellers of Apple World Today reports that Apple’s Cookie Monster commercial for Siri was named a Top 10 Breakthrough Ad by Ace Metrix. That’s as good an excuse as any to watch the two videos again: