The presence of the Carrier IQ Logging Software in iOS has recently caused quite a stir among consumers, bloggers and privacy advocates because of its ability to track everything that you do on your iPhone.
In this podcast AnonyMouse shows you how to disable Carrier IQ with just 4 double-taps.
Read more about the Carrier IQ Logging Software on MacRumors
How to disable Carrier IQ on your iPhone
AppleVis
Mon, 05 Dec 2011 10:05:38 GMT
More and more parents are giving their kids tablets, game consoles, laptops, and other Internet-connected devices as special holiday gifts. But how do you keep Junior safe as he's downloading apps, playing games online and exploring the World Wide Web?
Putting the iPod Touch on lock-down
Dear Maggie, My 10-year-old daughter wants an iPod Touch for Christmas. I'm sure it's because all of her friends have one and are playing games and other apps on it. But I am nervous about getting her one. I trust her, but I do not think she needs all of the technologies that come on an iPod Touch. I really do not want the outside world getting in touch with her! Is there some type of other technology or device I can get her so she can play apps and at the same time not have a Skype phone, camera, video, GPS, etc.? I feel so old school, but I do not think a 10-year-old needs to be texting, etc!!! All and any advice would really be helpful!
Thanks, Paula
Dear Paula, I think you are absolutely right that a 10-year-old doesn't need instant access to the Internet at all times on her iPod Touch. But as you allude to in your question, it's getting harder for parents to find gadgets for their kids that aren't connected to the Internet. I've got some news for you. There are ways to turn the iPod Touch into a safe device for a child. But it will require you to make a few changes to the settings on the device.
Apple does a pretty good job ... [Read more]
Child proofing your Internet-enabled gadgets
Marguerite Reardon
Fri, 02 Dec 2011 08:00:00 GMT
Carrier IQ, a company practically none of us knew about a few weeks ago, sure is making a name for itself this week.
With Carrier IQ having now been found in iOS, you may feel more comfortable knowing you can disable any logging or reporting done by the service on your iPad, iPod Touch, or iPhone in just a few steps.
Update: As pointed out in the comments below, it looks like the ability to disable these logs from automatically being sent is restricted to iOS 5.
Update 2: A comment from elmnt925 reminds us Apple did indeed request permission to share diagnostic logs during device set up-- in iTunes, not on the actual device prior to iOS 5. So, if you are stuck on iOS 4 or below, restoring and setting up your device as new should do the trick. During the set up process you will be prompted to authorize logs and reports to be sent to Apple, opt-out and you should be worry free going forward.
In the comment elmnt925 states to back up, restore, set up as new, opt-out and then restore to your back up. We can't say for certain if restoring from a back up after having opted-out won't restore the original settings, presumably when you had opted in. To be sure, it's best you set up as new and start fresh, this will leave no question of your diagn... [Read more]
How to disable Carrier IQ on your iOS device
Jason Cipriani
Thu, 01 Dec 2011 18:43:56 GMT
Carrier IQ has made quite a stir with its ability to track everything you do on your Android phone, and it turns out that it comes preinstalled on the iPhone as well—albeit a less dastardly version. Here's what it can do and how to turn it off. More »
Carrier IQ Is Tracking Your iPhone Too, But It's Easy to Turn Off [Security]
Whitson Gordon
Thu, 01 Dec 2011 16:30:00 GMT
Since the last time I mentioned this list over 60 new products have been added, with new updates virtually every day. Thankfully the editors have flagged the recent additions for you on the first page.
Full marks to editors Ako who originally compiled this list and his colleague J_L who helps Ako keep this extraordinary resource fully up-to-date. This list is truly one of the gems of the internet; compiled as a labor of love and made available to all free of charge. No wonder it is consistently one of the most popular pages at Gizmo's Freeware and the highest rated by our users.
http://www.techsupportalert.com/content/probably-best-free-security-list-world.htm
Updated: The Best Free Security List in the World
Wed, 30 Nov 2011 07:23:26 GMT
A new, rough extension for Google Chrome allows you to toggle Facebook app permissions during installation, providing tighter security when playing with potentially risky apps.
Opt-out of Facebook permissions via new add-on
Tue, 29 Nov 2011 01:38:33 GMT
Pro tip: choosing “password” as your online password is not a good idea. In fact, unless you’re hoping to be an easy target for hackers, it’s the worst password you can possibly choose.
“Password” ranks first on password management application provider SplashData’s annual list of worst internet passwords, which are ordered by how common they are. (“Passw0rd,” with a numeral zero, isn’t much smarter, ranking 18th on the list.)
The list is somewhat predictable: Sequences of adjacent numbers or letters on the keyboard, such as “qwerty” and “123456,” and popular names, such as “ashley” and “michael,” all are common choices. Other common choices, such as “monkey” and “shadow,” are harder to explain.
SEE ALSO: HOW TO: Protect Your Company’s Passwords
As some websites have begun to require passwords to include both numbers and letters, it makes sense varied choices, such as “abc123″ and “trustno1,” are popular choices.
SplashData created the rankings based on millions of stolen passwords posted online by hackers. Here is the complete list:
- 1. password
- 2. 123456
- 3.12345678
- 4. qwerty
- 5. abc123
- 6. monkey
- 7. 1234567
- 8. letmein
- 9. trustno1
- 10. dragon
- 11. baseball
- 12. 111111
- 13. iloveyou
- 14. master
- 15. sunshine
- 16. ashley
- 17. bailey
- 18. passw0rd
- 19. shadow
- 20. 123123
- 21. 654321
- 22. superman
- 23. qazwsx
- 24. michael
- 25. football
SplashData CEO Morgan Slain urges businesses and consumers using any password on the list to change them immediately.
“Hackers can easily break into many accounts just by repeatedly trying common passwords,” Slain says. “Even though people are encouraged to select secure, strong passwords, many people continue to choose weak, easy-to-guess ones, placing themselves at risk from fraud and identity theft.”
SEE ALSO: 5 Tools for Keeping Track of Your Passwords
The company provided some tips for choosing secure passwords in a statement:
- 1. Vary different types of characters in your passwords; include numbers, letters and special characters when possible.
- 2. Choose passwords of eight characters or more. Separate short words with spaces or underscores.
- 3. Don’t use the same password and username combination for multiple websites. Use an online password manager to keep track of your different accounts.
Image courtesy of iStockphoto, peepo
25 Worst Passwords of 2011 [STUDY]
Zoe Fox
Fri, 18 Nov 2011 03:34:30 GMT
There's one thing you can do to avoid being the victim of identity theft: follow this 10-step PC security plan.
Encrypt your network connection Most popular sites offer HTTPS connections at least some of the time. In Gmail, click the gear icon in the top-right corner and select "Always use https" under the General tab.
To select Facebook's HTTPS setting, click the down arrow in the top-right corner and choose Account settings. Select Security in the left pane and Edit in the Secure Browsing section of the main window. Check "Browse Facebook on a secure connection (https) when possible" and click Save Changes to activate the feature.
Choose Facebook's HTTPS option by clicking "Browse Facebook on a secure connection (https) when possible."
(Credit: Screenshot by Dennis O'Reilly)
The Electronic Frontier Foundation's HTTPS Everywhere extension for Firefox doesn't encrypt every page you browse to, but it automatically requests an encrypted connection for those sites that support HTTPS and that have been added to the program's rules.
After you install HTTPS Everywhere, the extension's icon appears in the top-right corner of Firefox. Click it to view the encrypted and nonencrypted content served by the current page.
The Electronic Frontier Foundation's HTTPS Everywher... [Read more]
How to secure your PC in 10 easy steps
Dennis O'Reilly
Tue, 15 Nov 2011 21:46:48 GMT
