The Checklist by SecureMac

We're going a day early this week because Friday might be too late. The holiday shopping season kicks off in earnest this Friday. We're looking at tips for safe shopping both online and in lines this holiday season. Plus - a look back at nine years of this show. It's all ahead on Checklist No. 451, brought to you by SecureMac. Check out our show notes: SecureMac.com/Checklist And get in touch with us: [email protected]

It is that time of year. Time to reflect… to look back… to realize how little we've learned, and shake our heads in sadness. 123456 is still the most used password according to a new study - and people still think that Taylor Swift is trying to sell them stuff on social media. We're looking at weak passwords and deepfake celebrities for 2025 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: [email protected]

Apple's brought back an old safety feature. We'll look at Background Security Improvements, what happened to the thing it replaced, and who should have it turned on. Plus - reasons to avoid shopping on Meta platforms 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: [email protected]

We're looking at a child safety feature and the over 400 security fixes in this week's 26.1 OS updates from Apple. Plus - Texas is exerting control over smartphone parental controls. We'll talk about Apple and the Texas App Store Accountability Act 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: [email protected]

It's Halloween! There's a guy with an axe who wants to get into your iPhone! We'll talk about keeping him out. Plus - ghosts may not be real, but ghost accounts are. We'll tell you how to be a ghost account buster 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: [email protected]

Meta's WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger are taking proactive steps to warn users of scammers on those services. We'll tell you more. Plus - Scouting America has new merit badges for A.I. and cybersecurity. We'll talk about those 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: [email protected]

Apple is increasing bug bounties for good guys, in theory. We'll talk about how much white hats might be able to get outta Cupertino. First though, Japan's beer bungle was a ransomware attack. An update on that and the changing state of cyberattacks 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: [email protected]

A bit of a boo-hiss story about a medical imaging group losing personally identifiable information on tens of thousands of patients. That's not the boo-hiss part. We'll tell you what is. First though - the FBI says someone's impersonating the FBI. And you know it's true because… it came from the FBI? Good advice from the Federal Bureau of Investigation 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: [email protected]

We're doing the ransomware thing again - checking on the folks at Jaguar Land Rover, plus what may be a ransomware attack at Japanese brewery Asahi. Then - why isn't the anti-phishing training at your work working? UC San Diego has some thoughts. All of that plus tiny updates from Apple 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: [email protected]

Whether trying to hit the road or soar through the skies - ransomware is providing speed bumps and delays. We'll talk about a couple of huge ongoing ransomware attacks. Plus - how does ransomware happen, and how are organizations dealing? Believe it or not there's some survey data that's kind of encouraging. We'll hit that 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: [email protected]

We're highlighting privacy and security features in macOS Tahoe 26 this week, including changes for consumers and changes for developers. Plus - tons of security fixes across a range of Apple operating systems 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: [email protected]

Longterm and short-term security work from Apple on this week's Checklist. First, the company's warning individuals in France of potential spyware attacks. We'll look at what they're looking for and advice for staying safe. Plus - the iPhones Apple announced this week are bringing a new memory safety feature. We'll familiarize ourselves with Memory Integrity Enforcement 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: [email protected]

You've heard of single extortion and double extortion ransomware attacks - but the number goes higher. Do you know how high? You will after this week's show. Plus - checking in on the state of the State of Nevada - because we just can't help ourselves! It'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: [email protected]

What do the city of St. Paul and the state of Nevada have in common? Both have fallen victim to ransomware attacks. Of course - states are bigger than cities and the Silver State's headaches seem much bigger than St. Paul's. We'll look at what's happened, what's affected, and how things are now 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: [email protected]

LLMs are great at answering questions - even if they don't know the answers. Throw in bad guys forcing in the wrong answers, and you've got a new front in the scammer wars. We'll talk prompt injection attacks today plus this week's security updates from Apple 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: [email protected]

It's week three of the Saint Paul cyberattack. There's a known culprit now, and an operation underway to secure the city's information infrastructure. All of that plus mitigation tips everyone can use 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: [email protected]

Apple's making a very slight change to the Wi-Fi picker in iOS and iPadOS 26 that should make it easier to spot secure versus open wi-fi networks. We'll look into it. First though, we'll check in on the Saint Paul cyberattack, as well as the other cyberattack in the other Saint Paul. It'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: [email protected]

Last week, we talked about moves Apple's making to fight smishing. Now some political types are fighting against that fight. We'll tell you more. Plus - Apple updated all of its current operating systems earlier this week. We'll fill you in. We start though in Saint Paul, Minnesota - a city under cyberattack. It'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: [email protected]

It wasn't just a bad password that brought down a 158-year-old company, but the password didn't help. We'll talk about the fate of a British trucking concern and the lessons we can learn from it. Plus - Apple's got tools to fight smishing coming in the OS 26 updates. We'll familiarize ourselves with those 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: [email protected]

The FBI has issued a warning - phishing with a medical theme is on the rise. The problem is healthcare providers keep losing client info and sending out warnings. What is a patient to do? We'll talk it over 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: [email protected]

We're looking today at how a fake McDonald's led security researchers to real sensitive info on 64 million real people. It's a lesson on how NOT to do it. Then, is it smart to buy smart devices? As Belkin prepares to kill support for most of its Wemo line, we'll revisit the topic. That's all 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: [email protected]

Headphones that listen to you? Modern listening devices are a two-way street and bad guys are driving the wrong way on it. We'll tell you how to stop them. Also, a security bother with Brother printers - one they cannot fix. We'll tell you how to protect against it. And AT&T has a new security protection and some great messaging for its customers. We'll check into that 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: [email protected]

Making your voice heard in public is a First Amendment right here in the US. We'll talk about doing so safely in the age of surveillance. Plus - just because the App Store is safe doesn't mean every app is trustworthy. We'll look at the difference on this edition of The 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: [email protected]

This week on The Checklist, brought to you by SecureMac - Using two-factor authentication is a great idea. Using SMS for 2FA is about the worst way to do it. We'll tell you why. Plus - plot twist for 23andMe. You may think you know the latest, but do you? Listen in and find out 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: [email protected]

If you want to know what's going on in the world, do not ask A.I. chatbots. We'll tell you why. Plus - while WWDC didn't go huge on privacy and security, it did bring some tweaks to Parental Controls and child accounts. We'll look into those 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: [email protected]

If you're a T-Mobile customer, the Uncarrier is doing something that might not bother you if they asked. The problem is, they didn't. We'll tell you what they're up to. Also - if a service requires a username and password, should it require the use of two-factor authentication as well? We'll kick that idea around 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: [email protected]

A VPN provider has tried to size up the safety of AI Chatbots based on App Store Privacy Labels. Is that enough? We'll talk it over. Then - a data breach at LexisNexis as well as over 184 million login credentials just… sitting someplace - are great reasons to revisit some security basics. 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: [email protected]

Democrats and Republicans have gotten together on legislation in the U.S. that has free speech advocates a bit concerned - we'll tell you of worries around the Take It Down Act. Plus - 23andMe has found a buyer - we'll look at what that means for the data it holds. And an update on last week's iPadOS 17.7.7 removal 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: [email protected]

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's changed its mind about protecting consumers from data brokers - we'll tell you more. Plus a look at the security side of this week's OS updates from Apple 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: [email protected]

123456. If you just broke into a sweat because that's your password, this show is for you. And if you didn't - it's still for someone you know. It may also apply to a very important person - and once you hear who that is, you'll break into a cold sweat. 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: [email protected]

Word of vulnerabilities found in Apple's AirPlay protocol. We'll tell you more. Then, we'll look at ways to keep your TV from watching you! That's all on this Checklist No. 421, brought to you by SecureMac. Check out our show notes: SecureMac.com/Checklist And get in touch with us: [email protected]

Apple hit with important security updates last week - we'll tell you a bit about those. Also - we'll look at simple steps for protecting your privacy on your Mac. First though - how does one hack a crosswalk? It's way easier than it should be. 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: [email protected]

Tax day is next Tuesday here in the U.S. We're looking at last minute scams and ways to avoid them. Plus - we're revisiting last month's US intelligence Signal snafu. Who does the government say is to blame? Find out 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: [email protected]

Did you hear about the VPNs with ties to the Chinese military found in Apple's App Store? While VPNs are supposed to be safe and the App Store is supposed to be safe - this is an unsafe mix. We'll hit some basic VPN information, discuss times VPNs have been misused, and talk about finding the right VPN for you 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: [email protected]

23andMe has filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. One California lawmaker says it's time to have your DNA scrubbed from the company. We'll tell you why and how to do it. Plus - What's wrong with the end-to-end encrypted messaging app Signal? Nothing. But not everyone should use it. 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: [email protected]

We've talked in the past about security risks tied to the China-based LLM DeepSeek, but we totally missed one we should have seen coming. We'll tell you more. Plus - a guy in Norway found out he'd killed his kids by asking ChatGPT (spoiler: no he hadn't). We'll talk getting annoybed with hallucinations 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: [email protected]

We're catching up on the Lee Enterprises issue. Roughly 70 U.S. newspapers were under cyberattack - we'll see how they're doing now. Plus - Consumer Reports has looked into voice cloning scams and they've got good news… for people running the scams. We'll talk about staying guarded 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: [email protected]

This week we're looking at the child protection changes for apps and developers announced recently by Apple. Plus - another case of attempted cyberattacks being sent through the physical mail. It'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: [email protected]

When's the last time you heard anybody say anything nice about Google? Surprisingly, we're doing it today! Google is making making your Gmail safer even safer and they're letting you hide search results about you. We'll tell you more on Checklist No. 413 - brought to you by SecureMac. Check out our show notes: SecureMac.com/Checklist And get in touch with us: [email protected]

Have you heard about the 70+ newspaper across the U.S. being held for ransom? We'll talk about the cyberattack that's gripped publisher Lee Enterprises. Plus - DeepSeek is the hottest thing in A.I. right now. From a privacy and security standpoint - it also looks to be the most dangerous. We'll dig into it on Checklist 412 - brought to you by SecureMac Check out our show notes: SecureMac.com/Checklist And get in touch with us: [email protected]

Valentine's Day comes once a year, but romance scams are constant. We'll look at some of those and ways to avoid them. Plus - a look at Apple's OS updates from earlier this week. That's all on Checklist No. 411, brought to you by SecureMac. Check out our show notes: SecureMac.com/Checklist And get in touch with us: [email protected]

News of troubling malware in apps in Apple's App Store. We'll tell the tale of SparkCat, what it's trying to steal, and how to stay protected. Also - If you use, drive for, or work with Grubhub, your info may have been stolen. We'll tell you more on Checklist No. 410 - brought to you by SecureMac.   Check out our show notes: SecureMac.com/Checklist And get in touch with us: [email protected]

Have you heard the latest on the Change Healthcare hack? Checklist 409's got it. Plus - a lot of Apple operating systems got updates this week. Most of those got a fix for a vulnerability under active exploit - but what about the ones that didn't? We'll look into that 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: [email protected]

We're talking about family passwords. What are they? Why are they important? What should you consider when considering one? Plus - we'll revisit the toll road smishing scams and why they're so prevalent today. That's all 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: [email protected]

The destructive fires in Southern California are sparking activity from scammers. We'll look at who's being targeted and how to stay protected. Plus - How many scam text messages do you get in a week? If you've got an iPhone, Apple's built in a protection against some of them - but it's pretty easy to break. 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: [email protected]

This week, we'll look at a new initiative by the U.S. Government to raise awareness around security and IoT devices. First though - the carriers that didn't know for months that their networks had been pwned by Chinese hackers say they now see no signs of Chinese hackers on their networks! It is news you can feel about 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: [email protected]

Artificial Intelligence - creator of super-users and (in fiction at least) destroyer of worlds. A.I. is the greatest thing since sliced bread, according to Silicon Valley. In the movies though, it's a source of soulless control that will eventually kill us all. Speaking of killing - you may have some time to kill this holiday season. So we decided to fill it with films! We'll look at three of our favorite A.I. films, what they got right, and what we should learn from them 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: [email protected]

Public wifi is everywhere when we're traveling, but is it safe? We're looking at ways to make sure. Plus - security updates in Apple's OS updates on Checklist No. 404, brought to you by SecureMac. Check out our show notes: SecureMac.com/Checklist And get in touch with us: [email protected]

The FBI is suggesting that people use communications tools that employ end-to-end-encryption. That's due to hackers from China accessing major telecoms in the U.S., using a backdoor built for "good guys." We'll look at the Salt Typhoon attack, the FBI's change of heart on encryption, and consider a few end-to-end-encrypted communication options 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: [email protected]

Bad guys and A.I. may try to wreck our holiday shopping. From deepfake celebrity endorsements to more convincing phishing messages to imitation sites that look like the real thing - there are tons of scams out there, aided by A.I. Good news though - they can be thwarted using the same practices we've used for years. We'll revisit those 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: [email protected]