Is Safari Reasonably Secure?

I read the following inquiry on a Mac Forum I belong to, and the member asked the following question:

"Has anyone had any known security issues with Safari? I'm beginning to see more articles about Brave and Firefox and their better data protection. I like the features on Safari and I'd rather not give it up.

I've seen a handful of sites that don't like Safari because they simply haven't been designed to fully work with Safari. For those sites, I use Firefox. Please share your opinions and experience."

And another member answered as follows, and I thought it was interesting and that you might enjoy reading it as well.

Jim Hamm

"By far, the biggest security risk with any browser is social engineering, in which some web page persuades you to agree to something you should not. This is largely a function of what you know and are looking out for, and the choice of browser is likely a small detail in all this.

There are some sites that work with some browsers better than others, so I too use both Firefox and Safari for different sites, and I keep copies of Chrome and other browsers for occasional purposes.

But overall, I don’t think true security issues are much of a reason to prefer one browser over another, and that would change every time any browser gets a version update, so it may not make sense to focus on that as a question. Maybe a better habit is just to do upgrades more often. One issue is that because Safari is part of the Mac OS, it only usually gets updates when there is an OS update. 

So, first, do all OS updates within a few days of when they come out. For Firefox and other browsers, reboot the browser periodically every few days even if you don’t need to reboot your Mac. Be prepared to switch and try different browsers on various web sites whenever things seem funky. Don’t expect hard and fast reliable rules to solve these sorts of things. Good luck."

Cook's Pay Cut

Although I do use Apple's products, generally they are a bit on the expensive side. This article explains one reason why. CEO Cook's pay package last year was $99 million! He has taken a pay cut this year -- all the way down to $40 million! Is any executive worth this much, one might ask?.

Jim Hamm

Tips to Improve Use of Your Devices

CNET Apple Report has quite a few tips that could improve how you use your devices. Here’s a summary.

This New Siri Voice Command Makes Using Your iPhone So Much Better.

https://www.cnet.com/tech/services-and-software/this-new-siri-voice-command-makes-using-your-iphone-so-much-better/

These 22 iOS Settings Boost Your iPhone in a Major Way

https://www.cnet.com/tech/mobile/these-22-ios-settings-boost-your-iphone-in-a-major-way/

13 AirPods Pro Tips More People Should Be Using

https://www.cnet.com/tech/mobile/13-airpods-pro-tips-more-people-should-be-using/

Is It Time to Replace Your iPhone Battery? Here's How to Find Out

https://www.cnet.com/tech/mobile/is-it-time-to-replace-your-iphone-battery-heres-how-to-find-out/

Your New Apple Watch Needs a Few Tweaks to the Settings

https://www.cnet.com/tech/mobile/your-new-apple-watch-needs-a-few-tweaks-to-the-settings/


John R. Carter, Sr.

iPhone 14 Rescue

Recently I was watching the news on TV, and they were showing a helicopter rescuing a young couple from remote Monkey Canyon in California. The couple had lost control of their car and rolled down a steep, 300-foot embankment. They had an iPhone 14 with them, and it 'recognized' the crash and sent an emergency 911 call out via satellite, with the GPS coordinates. The sheriff's department got the message and sent a helicopter out and rescued them. An amazing technology story for the iPhone 14, and it quite possibly saved two lives.

Jim Hamm    

iOS 16.2 New Security Feature

If you've updated your iPhone to iOS 16.2, the following article from Wirecutter describes how to turn on a new security feature - - end to end encryption for your iCloud backup --  if you're inclined to do so.

Jim Hamm 

Wirecutter: Why You Should Enable Apple’s New Security Feature in iOS 16.2 Right Now

https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/how-to-set-up-apples-new-icloud-encryption-security-feature/

Apple News

Here is an article discussing where Apple plans to open the iPhone and iPad to third-party app stores, starting in 2024. Is this good news or not, you might ask? Well, it probably depends on who you ask. I see the potential risk of apps coming from other sources perhaps containing a virus. But probably Apple will do some serious screening of these alternative apps.

Jim Hamm

https://www.tomsguide.com/news/apple-reportedly-opening-iphone-and-ipad-to-alternative-app-stores

iOS 16.2 Update

If you've done the subject update to your iPhone, and your iPhone is capable of implementing the update, the list of new features is noted below. Although I hope never to use it, the emergency call for SOS via satellite could be very helpful someday.

Jim Hamm

This update introduces Freeform, an app that offers a great place to brainstorm and bring your ideas to life. This release also adds Apple Music Sing, support for Emergency SOS via satellite on iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro models, Lock Screen improvements, and other features and bug fixes for your iPhone.

Freeform

  • Freeform is a new app for working creatively with friends or colleagues on Mac, iPad and iPhone

  • A flexible canvas lets you add files, images, stickies and more

  • Drawing tools let you sketch anywhere on the canvas with your finger

Apple Music Sing

  • A new way to sing along with millions of your favourite songs in Apple Music

  • Fully adjustable vocals let you duet with the original artist, sing solo or mix it up

  • Newly enhanced beat-by-beat lyrics make it even easier to follow along with the music

Emergency SOS via Satellite

  • Support for users to connect with emergency services when mobile data and Wi-Fi coverage are not available on iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro models

Lock Screen

  • New settings allow you to hide wallpaper or notifications when Always-On display is enabled on iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max

  • Sleep widget lets you view your most recent sleep data

  • Medications widget lets you view reminders and quickly access your list of medication

Game Center

  • SharePlay support in Game Center for multiplayer games so you can play with the people you are on a FaceTime call with

  • Activity Widget allows you to see what your friends are playing and achieving in games straight from your Home Screen

Home

  • Improved reliability and efficiency of communication between your smart home accessories and Apple devices

This update also includes the following improvements and bug fixes:

  • Improved search in Messages allows you to find photos based on their content, like a dog, car, person or text

  • Reload and Show IP Address setting enables iCloud Private Relay users to temporarily disable the service for a specific site in Safari

  • Participant Cursors in Notes allow you to see live indicators as others make updates in a shared note

  • AirDrop now automatically reverts to Contacts Only after 10 minutes to prevent unwanted requests to receive content

  • Crash Detection optimisations on iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro models

  • Fixes an issue that causes some notes to not sync with iCloud after updates are made

Some features may not be available in all regions or on all Apple devices. For information on the security content of Apple software updates, please visit this website:

https://support.apple.com/en-gb/HT201222

Wiper Malware

The following article from Arstechnica discusses a malware that is becoming more prevalent, and which wipes all the data files on your computer. Ars can't tell where it's coming from, or even why someone is doing this, and there's no apparent solution except be careful on what you click. Another option is to do a complete backup of your computer to an external hard drive, or perhaps the 'cloud', so you could recover your files if ever you got infected.

Just passing this on FYI and something to be aware of. The article doesn't mention whether an AV program, such as Avast, et al, would be effective in blocking this malware. Right now, the article is just more of a 'heads up' alert..

Jim Hamm

https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2022/12/effective-fast-and-unrecoverable-wiper-malware-is-popping-up-everywhere/