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INTEREST: Google Improving Chrome for OS X Performance to Better Rival Safari

by Wayne Billing

…from: http://www.macrumors.com/2015/06/12/chrome-os-x-performance-improvements-sa… Google Improving Chrome for OS X Performance to Better Rival Safari Friday June 12, 2015 4:52 AM PDT by Joe Rossignol Google senior software engineer Peter Kasting this week announced<https://plus.google.com/+PeterKasting/posts/GpL63A1K2TF> that his team has been working to address Chrome for OS X battery hog complaints by improving the performance of the browser on Mac, especially in areas where Safari appears to do better (via iPhoneHacks<http://www.iphonehacks.com/2015/06/google-working-improvements-address-chro…>). Chrome for OS X has received multiple under the hood improvements that should result in faster performance and longer battery life while browsing. The browser, for example, now requires significantly less CPU usage when loading the Google search results page and various other websites. The other technical changes to Chrome for OS X are outlined as follows: "The team has been working on addressing this; here are some cases that have recently been improved on trunk: http://crbug.com/460102 Before: Renderers for background tabs had the same priority as for foreground tabs. Now: Renderers for background tabs get a lower priority, reducing idle wakeups on various perf test, in some cases by significant amounts (e.g. 50% on one test). http://crbug.com/485371 Before: On a Google search results page, using Safari's user agent to get the same content that Safari would, Chrome incurs ~390 wakes over 30s and 0.3% CPU usage vs. Safari’s 120 wakes over 30s and 0.1% CPU usage. Now: 66% reduction in both timer firings and CPU use. Chrome is now incurring ~120 wakes over 30s and 0.1% CPU use, on par with Safari. http://crbug.com/489936 Before: On capitalone.com, Chromium incurs ~1010 wakeups over 30s vs. Safari's ~490 wakes. Now: ~30% reduction in timer firings. Chrome is now incurring ~721 wakeups over 30s. http://crbug.com/493350 Before: On amazon.com, Chromium incurs 768 wakups over 30s and consumes ~0.7% CPU vs. Safari's 312 wakes over 30s and ~0.1% CPU. Now: ~59% reduction in timer firings and ~70% reduction in CPU use. Chrome is now incurring ~316 wakeups over 30s, and 0.2% CPU use, on par with Safari at 312 wakes, and 0.1% CPU use." Many of the changes will first appear in Chromium before going live on Chrome for OS X.

8 years, 11 months

Apple's WWDC Keynote: what hardware support new announcements

by Wayne Billing

This year’s World Wide Developer Conference (WWDC) Keynote saw Apple emphasize “consolidation” around Continuity and related items more than “1001 new capabilities”. Make everything work better rather than make many new things. With that thought, however, there were three new OS announcements: OS X El Capitan, iOS9, and watchOS. The important point was that these new OS announcements all focus on extending the Apple ecosystem across all of it’s devices. Previous announcements have seen OS X start to gather the look and feel of iOS. Now iOS is starting to get some of the feel of OS X. watchOS is getting a bit of both. You can watch the entire keynote at: http://www.apple.com/live/2015-june-event/ ….but, probably the most important bit from WWDC so far is that Apple intends to ensure the widest array of hardware will run the new OS releases. Here’s the list …from: http://arstechnica.com/apple/2015/06/if-your-mac-or-ithing-runs-yosemite-or… If your Mac or iThing runs Yosemite or iOS 8, it can run El Capitan and iOS 9 Apple doesn't drop hardware for the first time in a long time. by Andrew Cunningham<http://arstechnica.com/author/andrew_cunningham/> - Jun 8, 2015 2:48pm CDT If your Mac can run Yosemite, it can run El Capitan. Here's some good news for just about everyone: For the first time in many years, neither iOS nor OS X drops any current hardware from the system requirements list. If your device can run OS X Yosemite (or Mavericks, or Mountain Lion), it can run OS X El Capitan. If it can run iOS 8, it can run iOS 9. For your convenience, here's the complete list of Macs supported, pulled from this developer support page<https://developer.apple.com/library/prerelease/mac/releasenotes/General/rn-…>: * iMac (Mid-2007 or later) * MacBook (13-inch Aluminum, Late 2008), (13-inch, Early 2009 or later) * MacBook Pro (13-inch, Mid-2009 or later), (15-inch, Mid/Late 2007 or later), (17-inch, Late 2007 or later) * MacBook Air (Late 2008 or later) * Mac Mini (Early 2009 or later) * Mac Pro (Early 2008 or later) * Xserve (Early 2009) And here's the support list for iOS 9: * iPhone 4S, 5, 5C, 5S, 6, and 6 Plus * iPad 2, third- and fourth-gen Retina iPads, iPad Air, iPad Air 2 * All iPad Mini models * Fifth-generation iPod Touch

8 years, 11 months

INTEREST: Windows 10 (mostly) Available on July 29 & Rumors point to different kind of launch for Windows 10

by Wayne Billing

<https://r4---sn-j5o5gpx-tfbe.googlevideo.com/videoplayback?initcwndbps=6207…>You can see Windows 10 features in action in the video about 1/2 way down the blog article below …..compare OS X Yosemite features demo can be found at (demo starts around 12 minutes but the interesting bits are around 24 minutes and on): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w87fOAG8fjk …from: http://blogs.windows.com/bloggingwindows/2015/06/01/hello-world-windows-10-… Hello World: Windows 10 Available on July 29 June 1, 2015 by Terry Myerson<http://blogs.windows.com/bloggingwindows/author/terrymyerson/> // PC<http://blogs.windows.com/bloggingwindows/category/pc/>, Tablet<http://blogs.windows.com/bloggingwindows/category/tablet/> // 0 Comments<http://blogs.windows.com/bloggingwindows/2015/06/01/hello-world-windows-10-…> * 129<http://blogs.windows.com/bloggingwindows/2015/06/01/hello-world-windows-10-…> * 84<http://blogs.windows.com/bloggingwindows/2015/06/01/hello-world-windows-10-…> * 1201<http://blogs.windows.com/bloggingwindows/2015/06/01/hello-world-windows-10-…> Today, I’m excited to share the availability date for Windows 10. In fact, I thought I’d let Cortana, the world’s most personal digital assistant, share the news. You can ask Cortana for the answer, or if you don’t have a Windows phone or a PC running the Windows 10 Insider Preview handy….. Through the feedback and testing of over four million Windows Insiders, we’ve made great progress on Windows 10 and we’re nearly ready to deliver this free upgrade to all of our Windows customers*. Do Great Things with Windows 10 We designed Windows 10 to create a new generation of Windows for the 1.5 billion people using Windows today in 190 countries around the world. With Windows 10, we start delivering on our vision of more personal computing, defined by trust in how we protect and respect your personal information, mobility of the experience across your devices, and natural interactions with your Windows devices, including speech, touch, ink, and holograms. We designed Windows 10 to run our broadest device family ever, including Windows PCs, Windows tablets, Windows phones, Windows for the Internet of Things, Microsoft Surface Hub, Xbox One and Microsoft HoloLens—all working together to empower you to do great things. Familiar, yet better than ever, Windows 10 brings back the Start menu you know and love. Windows 10 is faster than ever before, with quick startup and resume. And Windows 10 provides the most secure platform ever, including Windows Defender for free anti-malware protection, and being the only platform with a commitment to deliver free ongoing security updates for the supported lifetime of the device. [….rest of article at link above….] * Initial release will be for PC and tablets. See Windows.com/windows10upgrade<http://www.windows.com/windows10upgrade> for availability and other details. ** Specific features may not be available in certain markets, some features require specified hardware, and Continuum for phone available on select premium models at launch. More details at Windows.com/windows10specs <http://www.windows.com/windows10specs%20> and xbox.com/windows-10<http://www.xbox.com/windows-10>. …from: http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2015/05/rumors-point-to-diffe… Rumors point to different kind of launch for Windows 10 in July by Peter Bright<http://arstechnica.com/author/peter-bright/> - May 29, 2015 4:37pm CDT AMD's Lisa Su let slip in April that the Windows 10 release is scheduled for late July<http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2015/04/amd-claims-windows-10…>. The Verge is now reporting<http://www.theverge.com/2015/5/29/8685243/windows-10-july-launch-date> that Microsoft is still on track to hit a July date, according to sources "familiar with the matter." The Verge's sources give a little more structure to the timeline. They claim that Microsoft was originally considering announcing a July 29 launch date on April 29 at its Build conference, putting three months between the announcement and the launch. The company didn't go forward with the announcement for fear of not hitting the date. The report says that the company is aiming to finalize the Windows 10 code by the end of June. This point would traditionally be known as "release to manufacturing" (RTM), and historically there has been a gap of several months between RTM and actual end-user availability. This time was used by OEMs to prepare new machines and get them into sales channels in time for the official launch. That timeline is greatly condensed compared to the past, a reflection of the new approach to development and releasing that Microsoft has used with Windows 10. The Windows 10 release should be a usable operating system, but in some sense it isn't feature complete: we know that, for example, Microsoft is going to add extension support<http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2015/05/all-about-edge-extens…> to its new Edge browser, but the initial Windows 10 release won't include that support. It will be delivered in the coming months as Microsoft continues to update the operating system as part of its new "Windows as a service<http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2015/01/what-windows-as-a-ser…>" approach. This means that the stream of preview releases will continue even after launch. The previews aren't merely a feature of the beta period; instead, Microsoft will be offering early access to Windows 10 features on an ongoing basis. The "RTM" version is a point-in-time snapshot of Windows 10's development. It should be a stable, production-ready snapshot, but it's a snapshot all the same. The process that created it will continue. The new approach to releasing also means that users of the Insider Preview likely won't have to wait until the formal release date to get their hands on the RTM build. We'd expect that Microsoft will still have some kind of event or marketing blitz to mark the launch (and, with it, the availability of hardware with Windows 10 preinstalled), but Windows 10 should be in people's hands already.

8 years, 11 months

INTEREST: Researchers find Android factory reset faulty and reversible

by Wayne Billing

[complete research paper at: http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/~rja14/Papers/fr_most15.pdf]<http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/~rja14/Papers/fr_most15.pdf%5D> …from: http://www.engadget.com/2015/05/22/android-factory-reset-flaw/ Researchers find Android factory reset faulty and reversible by Mariella Moon<http://www.engadget.com/about/editors/mariella-moon/> | @mariella_moon<http://twitter.com/mariella_moon> | May 22nd 2015 at 11:10 pm [cid:5E25E452-1ADD-4266-8E6F-1FA6D57AB041]<http://www.engadget.com/2015/05/22/android-factory-reset-flaw/> Android's factory reset <http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/29/google-wallet-factory-reset-problem/> function isn't as effective as we'd all like it to be, according to a team of Cambridge University researchers. The group estimates that as many as 500 to 630 million Android devices might not be capable of completely wiping the data saved in their internal disks and SD cards. They came to that conclusion after testing 21 devices<http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/~rja14/Papers/fr_most15.pdf> running Android 2.3 to 4.3 from five different manufacturers that already went through factory reset. During their tests, they were able to recover at least part of the data stored in each sample device -- even if it was protected with full-disk encryption. The data they recovered includes contacts, images and videos, texts, emails and log-ins for third-party apps like Facebook and WhatsApp. They were also able to retrieve the master token needed to access all Google user data in 80 percent of the phones. There are many possible reasons for reset failure: according to the researchers, manufacturers sometimes don't load a phone's software with the drivers needed to completely wipe its internal disk or SD card add-on. Also, flash drives are notoriously difficult to erase. It's unclear at the moment if Google or any of the manufacturers whose phones were tested are doing anything about this issue. But if you really want to protect your info before tossing, selling or giving away an old phone, use the most complicated password you can whip up<http://www.engadget.com/discuss/do-you-use-a-password-manager-1q5j/>... or, you know, go to town on it with a hammer. Hide Comments 37Comments

8 years, 11 months

INTEREST: Apple Announces New Environmental Initiatives in China

by Wayne Billing

…from: http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2015/05/11Apple-Announces-New-Environmental… Summary - BEIJING—May 11, 2015 - Apple starting multi-year effort to achieve net-zero impact by Apple Inc. on world’s supply of sustainable pulp, paper, wood products as well as to use 100% renewable energy in worldwide operations - working with World Wildlife Fund - working to bring renewable energy to manufacturing facilities in China after announcing solar project in Sichuan province which will generate more energy than needed for Apple’s Chinese 19 corporate offices and 22 retail stores - partnering with Leshan Electric, Sichuan Development Holding Co, Tianjin Tsinlien Investement Holding Co., Tianjin Zhonguan Semiconductor, and SunPower Corporation to construct two 20 Megawatt solar farms - solar projects designed to minimize ecological impact and protect the grasslands that support the yak population, which is also important to the local economy - Tim Cook, Apple CEO, “it’s important work that has to happen...It’s a responsibility we accept."

9 years

FYI: MacKeeper (anti-virus) celebrates birthday under cloud of class action lawsuit

by Wayne Billing

…from: http://www.macworld.com/article/2919292/apple-security-program-mackeeper-ce… “Executive Summary” - MacKeeper makes “anti-virus” software which it advertises using 60 million ad impressions a month - a class-action suit - near $2M settlement - was brought against MacKeeper contending that MacKeeper software and advertising falsely flagged security and performance problems in order to coax consumers into buying the full version - AV Comparatives, an Austrian company that evaluates antivirus programs, recently tested MacKeeper on a fresh, fully installed and patched version of OS X Yosemite. MacKeeper marked the system as having “serious” problems stemming from more than 500 MB of “junk” files. - the free version fixed 85 files and indicated that a further 1,500 files could be fixed if the full version of MacKeeper was purchased - many of the tools in the MacKeeper bundle, which includes an antivirus (AV) scanner and 15 other utilities, are already in OS X or are available for free - MacWorld (and other Internet sites) have instructions on uninstalling MacKeeper (see link in article below) MacKeeper celebrates a difficult birthday under the cloud of a class action lawsuit [mackeeper 1] MacKeeper<http://mackeeper.com/>, a utility and security program for Apple computers, celebrated its fifth birthday in April. But its gift to U.S. consumers who bought the application may be a slice of a $2 million class-action settlement. Released in 2010, MacKeeper has been dogged by accusations that it exaggerates security threats in order to convince customers to buy. Its aggressive marketing has splashed MacKeeper pop-up ads all over the web. The program was originally created by a company called ZeoBIT<http://zeobit.com/> in Kiev, Ukraine. The country—full of young, smart programmers—has long been a hub for lower-cost software development and outsourcing. The class-action suit<https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/2071537-zeobit-class-action-complai…>, filed in May 2014 on behalf of Pennsylvania resident Holly Yencha, contends that MacKeeper falsely flagged security and performance problems in order to coax consumers into paying $39.95 for the full version. The suit sought $5 million in damages. It is close to being settled, according to recent documents filed in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania. Under the settlement terms<https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/2071538-zeobit-class-action-settlem…>, ZeoBIT would put $2 million into a fund for those who want a refund, but admit no fault, which is customary in such settlements. It has yet to be approved by a judge. MacKeeper was wildly lucrative for ZeoBIT. As many as 650,000 consumers bought it in the U.S., according to documents filed in the suit. At $39.95 per copy, ZeoBIT would have made $26 million in revenue in the U.S. alone. New owners. Same problems? In April 2013, ZeoBIT, which now lists its headquarters as Sunnyvale, California, sold MacKeeper to a company called Kromtech Alliance Corp. Kromtech was closely affiliated with ZeoBIT in Ukraine, and many employees of ZeoBIT transferred to the company, which lists its headquarters as Cologne, Germany. [mackeeper 2]<http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2015/05/mackeeper-2-100583591-ori…> MacKeeper evaluates a computer’s health as “serious” even if it is a freshly installed and patched version of OS X Yosemite. (Click to enlarge.) An effort has been under way by Kromtech to rehabilitate the image of MacKeeper to keep the franchise going. But concerns remain over how MacKeeper diagnoses a computer’s health. AV Comparatives<http://www.av-comparatives.org/>, an Austrian company that evaluates antivirus programs, recently tested the latest trial version of MacKeeper at the request of IDG News Service. It was installed on a fresh, fully patched version of OS X Yosemite, Apple’s latest operating system. In theory, the system should have had no problems. MacKeeper warned in red in several places with exclamation points that the computer’s condition was “serious” due to more than 500MB of “junk” files. After fixing 85 files for free, it warned more than 1,500 need cleaning—but only if the full version of the program was purchased. Those that supposedly need cleaning up included language files. [mackeeper 3]<http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2015/05/mackeeper-3-100583592-ori…> MacKeeper justifies its “serious” evaluation of a computer saying it is not in danger, but contends that junk files could eventually affect its performance. (Click to enlarge.) Jeremiah Fowler, MacKeeper’s U.S.-based spokesman, said that Kromtech has toned down its warnings, but defended the program’s evaluations. “Sure, it may not be this massive amount of data, but these are things that you’ll never use,” Fowler said. “You’ll probably never activate Chinese.” Fowler pointed out that there is a pop-up window with more information on one of the warning screens. That message justified the warnings and said MacKeeper found “a relatively large amount of unneeded files” that could eventually affect a computer’s performance or security. Ad behavior MacKeeper has also taken heat for aggressive and pervasive advertising. Fowler said the company buys upwards of 60 million ad impressions a month, making it one of the largest buyers of web traffic aimed at Mac users. MacKeeper has even posted a statement<http://mackeeper.com/why> on its website to answer why people see its ads so often. It has also had issues with some affiliate advertisers, who were attracted by the 50 percent commissions<https://affiliates.mackeeper.com/faq#What> Kromtech pays for sales of MacKeeper. Some affiliates have wrapped MacKeeper ads into advertising software programs, or adware. It’s a category of much-loathed tools that offer some functionality such as search but are primarily designed to deliver ads. Thomas Reed, who writes The Safe Mac<http://www.thesafemac.com/> blog, discovered the reach of MacKeeper affiliates. Reed developed a program called AdwareMedic<http://www.adwaremedic.com/index.php>, which removes adware from Macs. The program is free. Reed wrote<http://www.thesafemac.com/ongoing-mackeeper-fraud/> in November that he found an adware program called Downlite that, if installed on a Mac, would redirect someone to MacKeeper’s website site if they tried to download AdwareMedic. Kromtech has taken steps to reign in unethical affiliates, Fowler said. More than 80 percent of ZeoBIT’s affiliate agreements have since been suspended, and the company’s new compliance department closely vets new ones. Still, the bad practices of former affiliates caused damage to MacKeeper’s reputation, Fowler said. [mackeeper icon] MacKeeper wants to be a one-stop shop, but its subscription pricing includes many unnecessary utilities already included in OS X or easily found for free. These days, MacKeeper has gone to a subscription-based pricing model rather than a $39.95 one-off payment. It costs $7.95 a month in the U.S. for the premium, year-long plan. Its latest feature is offering phone support from Apple-certified technicians, which it calls Human Inside. On its website, MacKeeper assigns a value to each of its tools, contending the bundle would be worth $510 if bought individually. “Save up to 97 percent,” it says. But many of the tools in the software bundle, which includes an antivirus (AV) scanner and 15 other utilities, are already in OS X or available for free. For example, MacKeeper licenses technology in its AV scanner from Germany-based Avira, which offers its Mac security product<http://www.avira.com/en/free-antivirus-mac> for free. On its pricing page, MacKeeper estimates the value of an AV scanner at $79. Curiously, MacKeeper doesn’t offer updates or what’s called real-time protection—where files that are downloaded or opened are scanned for malware—unless the customer buys its “premium” version, according to Dennis Technology Labs<http://www.dennistechnologylabs.com/>, which also tested MacKeeper for IDG News Service. Avira’s free Mac AV product “includes updates and real-time protection,” the labs noted. Other MacKeeper tools already have an equivalent in OS X. MacKeeper’s file shredder tool, listed as a $10 value, replicates “secure empty trash,” built into OS X. The “default apps” tool is similar to Apple’s Finder. When asked about the duplication, Fowler contended that MacKeeper is designed to provide one interface for utilities for less technical people who aren’t familiar with Apple computers. For what it’s worth, Macworld has two how-tos on uninstalling MacKeeper<http://www.macworld.com/article/2861435/how-to-uninstall-mackeeper-from-you…> from your Mac and squashing its popups<http://www.macworld.com/article/2861868/how-to-remove-mackeeper-part-ii-the…> too. Kromtech continues to market the program aggressively and participated<http://www.macworld.com/article/2026792/expo-notes-mackeeper-takes-a-more-s…> at the Macworld conference last year and the Consumer Electronics Show in January in Las Vegas. Over five years, 20 million copies of MacKeeper have been sold, Kromtech claims. But ZeoBIT’s proposed settlement over MacKeeper doesn’t include Kromtech as a released party, which means it could be targeted by future lawsuits. Edelson PC, a technology focused law firm that filed the suit, said it could not comment.

9 years

INTEREST/FYI: Suggestions on cleanly erasing your hard drive under OS X

by Wayne Billing

Securely and completely cleaning your hard drive on your computer has risen in importance as a data integrity concern to the university as more and more breaches elsewhere of confidentiality and security have been published. This concern has been heightened further now that Apple hardware repairs are leaving the U of Manitoba campuses. [NOTE: one proven method of securing the storage local to your computer is to ensure all your data and information are stored externally to the device. Whether it is on to a network server and even just locally attached external drives, this makes it easier to isolate your data and information if the computer itself needs to be taken away for disposal or repair. Keep in mind that even using an external location for your files could still mean that email passwords and the like are still stored with the SYSTEM on the local hard drive so you may wish to delete email account setups, browser history, and such before sending the computer away to ensure they cannot be accessed.] ….from: http://www.macworld.com/article/2906499/mac-911-how-to-erase-your-macs-hard… Mac 911: How to erase your Mac's hard drive the right way [disk utility hero] When you sell or donate a Mac or give it to a family member, it’s best to make a clean break: wipe the puppy clean, reinstall the latest version of OS X, and hand off a system that you’re not worried has remnants of yourself on it. But how can you be sure? Readers have written in with several related questions, so let’s talk this week about erasing a drive, how FileVault 2 encryption can play into it, and out-of-date Recovery Drive partitions. Erase and leave no trace Reader Jim Kay, who asked about migrating from one Mac to another a couple of weeks ago, had a second question as well that opens a delightful can of worms: Since I’m looking to resell my current Mac, how do I reinstall OS X, so as to wipe my hard drive and resell knowing the new buyer has a cleaned-up computer, and my files are nowhere to be found on it? Wiping or erasing a drive has a surprising number of definitions. In the olden days, in the long ago, we ran utility software that often came from third parties, which would simply delete the catalog and related records. Such an erase was, in practice, the best way to create a clean installation. But it doesn’t make all the files on the disk unrecoverable—it just makes them harder to retrieve. To get rid of old data in a thorough fashion, you need use a multi-pass approach, in which every bit of storage in the disk is overwritten with new data (often zeroes). That’s been built into Apple’s Disk Utility for years. When you select a volume in Disk Utility and then the Erase tab, you can click Security Options to pick how many times the drive is overwritten: once, three times, or seven times. Once is considered enough for regular purposes, while three and seven correspond to different U.S. government security guidelines. [mac 911 secure erase options 580] Securely erase your hard drive with Disk Utility. Before Lion, you had to boot from a CD or DVD system disk or a third-party utility, like Disk Warrior, or from an external drive with OS X installed. Then you’d run Disk Utility to erase your startup drive. But this has become easier since OS X Recovery<https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201314> was added in Lion. Restart a Mac and hold down Command-R after the startup chime sounds, and the computer boots into the recovery mode. Select Disk Utility from the startup menu, and you can erase your startup drive securely. [mac 911 erase tab disk utility]<https://cms-images.idgesg.net/images/article/2015/04/mac-911-erase-tab-disk…> You'll save a little time if you do an erase without overwriting, then reinstall OS X, then Erase Free Space with an overwriting option. There’s a slightly different way to accomplish the same goal. First, erase a drive without the overwriting part, and reinstall OS X. After you boot, launch Disk Utility, select the startup volume, and click the Erase tab. Now use the Erase Free Space option, which also offers 1, 3, and 7 passes of erase, and only empties out unused parts of the disk. The advantage is that your computer remains available (though often slow) while this operation is underway. Along with both Secure Erase and the Erase Free Space options, which can take a very, very long time even for a single pass, you’ve got two other options, one of which you don’t need to enable. Even better with SSD and FileVault 2 If your Mac has an Apple-installed or third-party SSD, you can’t use Secure Erase, nor do you necessarily need it, as Apple explains in a support document<https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201949> (see the note at the end). SSD data can’t be trivially recovered because of how SSDs optimize storage to reduce wear and tear. This is by no means foolproof, and one should assume that there are forensic tools available that can reconstruct erased SSDs—some are for sale, but I haven’t tested their claims. Apple doesn’t provide in-depth details on why it made its statement about SSDs as it does for some security claims, and thus it’s impossible to confirm. However, there’s a simple way with both SSD and regular hard drives to perform a fantastically quick and reliable erasure: using FileVault 2. FileVault 2<http://www.macworld.com/article/2880039/how-to-encrypt-your-mac-with-fileva…>, the full-disk encryption (FDE) option that first appeared in OS X 10.7, keeps your startup drive encrypted at all times. Whenever you boot your Mac and log in to one of the accounts that’s authorized to boot with FileVault 2, OS X encrypts everything written to disk and decrypts everything read on the fly. [filevault]<https://cms-images.idgesg.net/images/article/2015/02/screen-shot-2015-02-04…> If you use FileVault, any data "left behind" on your erased hard drive will be totally unreadable by your Mac's next owner. With a FileVault-encrypted startup disk, you can restart into OS X Recovery and launch Disk Utility to erase the volume. However, before erasing, you need to select the disk and then choose File > Unlock “volume name”. Enter the password for any FileVault-enabled user account, and the disk is unlocked and can be erased. Erasing a FileVault-encrypted volume discards the key that’s associated with it, turning a disk into a nearly perfect cacophony of irrecoverable randomness. Without the key, which is uncrackable in any realistic period of time by any current technology, the erased data is as good as gone as if it had been written over millions of times. You can then install OS X on that partition, either from the recovery system or via an external drive<http://www.macworld.com/article/2690806/how-to-install-mac-os-x-yosemite.ht…>. A few other recovery and FileVault issues Reader Peter wondered how FileVault figures in to cloning a disk. Because FileVault encrypts an entire drive and only decrypts files when you’re logged in, it has no effect on how or whether you make a clone, use Migration Assistant, or copy files. However, if you’re planning on using FileVault on the new computer, I would heavily suggest enabling FileVault on the new machine before moving any files to it. This will speed up the operation by encrypting the new computer’s fewer files first. When FileVault has finished and your new Mac has rebooted and you’ve logged in, then start the migration process, and all new files are encrypted on the fly. Andrew Robertson writes that when he upgraded to Yosemite, his recovery drive remained out of date with 10.9 Mavericks. Then, when trying to set up FileVault and enable iCloud-based recovery of his key, he doesn’t see an option to do so when booting into OS X Recovery. Fortunately, there are answers for both: * You can reinstall 10.10 on the startup disk without damaging the rest of your setup, though make a backup first. This should upgrade the recovery partition. (Carbon Copy Cloner<https://bombich.com/kb/ccc4/frequently-asked-questions-about-cloning-apples…> can clone a recovery partition from one drive to another, but it can’t create one from an installer or from scratch.) * The reset password option isn’t available with FileVault 2, but you can store a copy of your recovery key with Apple. To recover a key<https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202274>, first start up OS X normally, and enter the wrong password three times. (This is also how to use iCloud password recovery on non-FileVault systems.) You’re then presented with the option to contact Apple, which requires speaking to a representative, and answering multiple questions exactly as you entered them when setting up the recovery option. If correct, Apple’s customer service gains access to the stored key, which they provide to you. Ask Mac 911 We’re always looking for problems to solve! Email us at mac911(a)macworld.com<mailto:mac911@macworld.com>, tweet them at me (if brief) @glennf<https://twitter.com/glennf>, or call 206-337-5833 and leave a voicemail message. (We’ll be experimenting with some audio in the future, and may put your question “on the air.”) Mac 911 can’t provide direct email responses or answers for every question. For that, turn to AppleCare, an Apple Store Genius Bar, or the Apple Support Communities<https://discussions.apple.com/welcome>.

9 years

FYI: suspect AppleID account email and phishing@apple.com

by Wayne Billing

There seems to have been a rise in bad email specifically targeting AppleID accounts. Usually the email is attempting to get you to enter your AppleID and password. I've seen 3 of these in the past two weeks and others are reporting similar concerns. Generally the email takes one of two formats: - something is wrong with your AppleID account - just log in to fix it - something "odd" has been purchased on your AppleID - just log in to verify the purchase For example, one email indicated that "your AppleID has been used to purchase 'Game of Thrones' from an unusual location". Whatever the format or claim, following the suggested links and entering your AppleID and password to verify or correct the information can lead to unintended exposure of your account information. There are some things you can do to verify that the email is not a valid AppleInc. notification, to slightly reduce your overall exposure, and to report the problem to Apple. 1) reporting the problem to allow Apple Inc. so they can take some action is quite simple by forwarding the message to an appropriate Apple email address: a) open the original email message in MAIL b) select VIEW > MESSAGE > RAW SOURCE c) select all and copy the entire RAW SOURCE of the message d) FILE > NEW MESSAGE addressed to phishing(a)apple.com<mailto:phishing@apple.com> e) Write a brief subject indicating a PHISHING attempt and describing how you received the original message f) paste in the RAW SOURCE you'd copied earlier and hit SEND - this RAW SOURCE allows Apple to examine all of the email server paths and "hidden" links that the original message may have contained 2) verifying original message is not legitimate: examine the RAW SOURCE you'd selected earlier. Within it you will probably find many legitimate Apple links such as "http://euro.apple.com" or "http://iforgot.apple.com". You will probably also see a few very odd links which have nothing to do with AppleInc. These could be any domains such as: http://elmnitasdevigo http://fsioterapiasantarita ....just odd (perhaps already compromised) web addresses which seem to have no connection to "apple.com<http://apple.com>". One sure indicator that something phishi is happening is the presence of non-Apple links in a message supposedly originating at Apple. Apple rarely if ever does that. 3) reducing potential of exposure: one simple step you can take to help reduce your exposure profile through email is to deselect "Load remote content in messages" [cid:6346619A-5084-4345-98E3-2108DE5CE532] a) MAIL > PREFERENCES > VIEWING b) uncheck/deselect LOAD REMOTE CONTENT IN MESSAGES if it is checked - if this option is checked and the sender includes a graphic in the email message, when you open the message in MAIL, this can be an automatic indication to the sender that your email address is "alive"/someone is actually using the address. Just the fact that your mail package requested the graphic can trigger a confirmation to the sender. If you deselect this option, graphics are not loaded automatically but can be loaded manually within the email message as you read it. You'll see a "LOAD REMOTE CONTENT" button in the top-right of your email message. Deselecting this option gives you an opportunity to scan your email message first before loading the graphics allowing you to screen out any suspect email messages. This is not a guarantee that your email address will be 100% safe. It does, however, reduce the chances of an accidental confirmation/exposure relating to your email account via this "load a graphic" mechanism. I hope you find this information to be useful. Please feel free to email questions or concerns you may have. Thanks, Wayne Billing Classroom Technology Support Audio Visual and Classroom Technology Support Computer and Network Support 130 Machray Hall Building 204-474-6649 204-807-3153 (cell) 204-474-7625 (fax) Wayne_Billing(a)umanitoba.ca<mailto:Wayne_Billing@umanitoba.ca>

9 years, 1 month

INTEREST: Half of Android devices may be vulnerable to surreptitious install exploits

by Wayne Billing

...from: http://arstechnica.com/security/2015/03/android-hijacking-bug-may-allow-att… Android hijacking bug may allow attackers to install password-stealers Half of Android devices may be vulnerable to surreptitious install exploits. by Dan Goodin<http://arstechnica.com/author/dan-goodin/> - Mar 25, 2015 2:40pm CDT Roughly half of all Android handsets are vulnerable to a newly discovered hack that in some cases allows attackers to surreptitiously modify or replace seemingly benign apps with malicious ones that steal passwords and other sensitive data. The "Android installer hijacking" vulnerability, as it has been dubbed by researchers from Palo Alto Networks, works only when apps are being downloaded from third-party app stores or when a user clicks on an app promotion advertisement hosted by a mobile advertisement library. Technically, it's based on what's known as a Time-of-check to time-of-use vulnerability<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_of_check_to_time_of_use>. Affected devices fail to verify that the app being installed at the time of use was the one the end user approved during the time of check, which occurs when a user approves app permissions such as network access or access to the contacts database. The bug involves the way the system application called PackageInstaller installs app files known as APKs. "A vulnerability exists in this process because while the user is reviewing this information, the attacker can modify or replace the package in the background," Palo Alto Networks researcher Zhi Xu wrote in a blog post published Tuesday<http://researchcenter.paloaltonetworks.com/2015/03/android-installer-hijack…>. "Verified with Android OS source code posted in AOSP [Android Open Source Project], it shows that the PackageInstaller on affected versions does not verify the APK file at the 'time of use.' Thus, in the "time of use' (i.e., after clicking the 'install button), the PackageInstaller can actually install a different app with an entirely different set of permissions." One scenario for exploiting the vulnerability involves an attacker using a benign-looking app to install malware in the future. A second scenario uses the same weakness to mask the true permissions an app requires. In both cases, targeted users can end up installing apps that are vastly different from the ones they approved during the permissions process. The vulnerability has been patched in Android version 4.3_r0.9 and later, but Xu warned that some Android 4.3 devices remain vulnerable. By Google estimates<https://developer.android.com/about/dashboards/index.html>, that accounts for 49.9 percent of the handsets the company monitors. Palo Alto Networks has released a scanner app<http://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.paloaltonetworks.ctd.ihsca…> that will indicate if a given device is vulnerable. People using vulnerable devices should steer clear of third-party app stores and use Google Play as their sole source of apps.

9 years, 1 month

INTEREST: smartphone + dongle = test for Detecting HIV And Syphilis

by Wayne Billing

...from: http://www.forbes.com/sites/judystone/2015/02/04/a-dongle-for-detecting-hiv… A Dongle For Detecting HIV And Syphilis Rapid, inexpensive, easy to use point-of-care (POC) diagnostic tests are critically important in stemming infectious diseases, particularly in developing countries. Researchers at Dr. Sam Sia’s Columbia University<http://orion.bme.columbia.edu/~sia/> lab have invented a promising device that can detect both HIV and syphilis and have successfully piloted it in Rwanda. The Columbia device pairs a microfluidic cassette dongle with a smartphone. Test reagents are preloaded into the cassette. A “one-push” vacuum, like a bulb on an old-fashioned blood pressure cuff, is used to fill the chamber of the cassette with a blood sample, and reduce the need for electricity. Further, the audio jack on a smartphone is used to power the dongle and for data transmission. [cid:E558023E-BC12-4249-AA10-838DA368784E]Step-by-step illustration of dongle testing. [Credit: Tassaneewan Laksanasopin] .....from: http://stm.sciencemag.org/content/7/273/273re1 A smartphone dongle for diagnosis of infectious diseases at the point of care 1. • Tassaneewan Laksanasopin1,*, • Tiffany W. Guo1,*, • Samiksha Nayak1, • Archana A. Sridhara1, • Shi Xie1, • Owolabi O. Olowookere1, • Paolo Cadinu1, • Fanxing Meng1, • Natalie H. Chee1, • Jiyoon Kim1, • Curtis D. Chin1, • Elisaphane Munyazesa2, • Placidie Mugwaneza3, • Alex J. Rai4, • Veronicah Mugisha2, • Arnold R. Castro5, • David Steinmiller6, • Vincent Linder6, • Jessica E. Justman7, • Sabin Nsanzimana3 and • Samuel K. Sia1,† • ↵†Corresponding author. E-mail: ss2735(a)columbia.edu<mailto:ss2735@columbia.edu> Abstract This work demonstrates that a full laboratory-quality immunoassay can be run on a smartphone accessory. This low-cost dongle replicates all mechanical, optical, and electronic functions of a laboratory-based enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) without requiring any stored energy; all necessary power is drawn from a smartphone. Rwandan health care workers used the dongle to test whole blood obtained via fingerprick from 96 patients enrolling into care at prevention of mother-to-child transmission clinics or voluntary counseling and testing centers. The dongle performed a triplexed immunoassay not currently available in a single test format: HIV antibody, treponemal-specific antibody for syphilis, and nontreponemal antibody for active syphilis infection. In a blinded experiment, health care workers obtained diagnostic results in 15 min from our triplex test that rivaled the gold standard of laboratory-based HIV ELISA and rapid plasma reagin (a screening test for syphilis), with sensitivity of 92 to 100% and specificity of 79 to 100%, consistent with needs of current clinical algorithms. Patient preference for the dongle was 97% compared to laboratory-based tests, with most pointing to the convenience of obtaining quick results with a single fingerprick. This work suggests that coupling microfluidics with recent advances in consumer electronics can make certain laboratory-based diagnostics accessible to almost any population with access to smartphones.

9 years, 1 month

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