Security News
Mozilla Firefox 84 was released today with a dramatic performance boost after adding native support on macOS devices with Apple Silicon processors. With the release of Firefox 84, all other Firefox development branches have also moved up a version bringing Firefox Beta to version 85 and the Nightly builds to version 86.
Apple has begun spelling out what kinds of personal information is being collected by the digital services displayed in its app stores for iPhones and other products made by the trendsetting company. Apple announced the changes were coming six months ago as part of an effort to help its customers gain a better understanding of how apps monitor their habits, tastes and whereabouts.
Apple on Monday released a major point-upgrade to its flagship iOS and iPadOS mobile operating systems to patch a handful of serious security vulnerabilities. The iOS 14.3 and iPadOS 14.3 release will provide cover for 11 documented security flaws, some serious enough to expose iPhones and iPads to code execution attacks.
Mozilla has shared info on how to fix a known issue leading to errors on multiple video streaming platforms including Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, and Amazon's Prime Video on the Mac version of Firefox 84. "If you're on a Mac with Apple Silicon and are experiencing errors when trying to watch Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, Prime or another streaming service after installing Firefox 84+, you might need to install Rosetta," Mozilla says in a recently published support document.
Foxconn Technology Group confirmed Tuesday that a November cyberattack knocked some of its U.S. operations offline. "We can confirm that an information system in the U.S. that supports some of our operations in the Americas was the focus of a cybersecurity attack on November 29," Foxconn said in a statement on Tuesday.
Apple is stepping up privacy for app users, forcing developers to be more transparent about data collection and warning they could be removed if they don't comply with a new anti-tracking measure, a company executive and regulators said Tuesday. Called App Tracking Transparency, it will require apps to clearly ask for users' permission before tracking them.
Apple's global security director has been charged with bribery for allegedly offering hundreds of iPads to Californian law enforcement officers in exchange for weapons permits for company employees. Chief Security Officer Thomas Moyer promised to give the Santa Clara County sheriff's office 200 iPads, worth about $70,000, in exchange for concealed weapons permits, the county's district attorney alleged in a statement Monday.
Apple's head of global security tried to bung cops hundreds of free iPads in exchange for special gun permits, it is claimed. Thomas Moyer, 50, was last week charged [PDF] with bribing senior officers in Santa Clara county, home to Apple's Cupertino headquarters.
Apple confirmed Thursday it would press ahead with mobile software changes that limit tracking for targeted advertising - a move that has prompted complaints from Facebook and others. The iPhone maker said it was moving ahead with updates to its mobile operating system to give users more information and control on tracking by apps on Apple devices.
Security expert Phil Vachon explained what happened on his blog Security Embedded, writing that an Online Certificate Status Protocol responder checking certificates of each and every application was to blame after an Apple server went down. "In the aftermath of the OCSP responder outage, and the dust settling on the macOS Big Sur release, there are a lot of folks reasonably asking if they can trust Apple to be in the loop of deciding what apps should or should not run on their Macs. My argument is-who better than Apple?".