Security Issues with Apple Watch, iPhones & iPad
(notes from Peter Poteralski)
Important to keep the operating systems up to date for security reasons! Not necessary to do it immediately.
Leave a few days to allow to allow for any bugs in the upgrades to be identified and fixed. Most security issues have been there for possibly several weeks or longer, so hopefully a few extra days will be OK. UNLESS, the ‘black hats’ seeing the upgrade, jump in to exploit the security window to attack those who have yet to upgrade?
- Apple forums;
- Apple support;
- Apple/Mac Information apps e.g. AppleInsider, 9to5 Mac, etc; - AI apps;
- Others? Google, YouTube
* Many used Google, YouTube search.
* Mac Information generally available on all of these within several days. Can search, but sometimes don’t even locate most recent items
- Who only answers calls from known numbers and then only responds to messages left?
* Shouldn’t, rather if important will leave a message.
Apart from BMUG, how do people resolve their Apple/Mac device issues?
Scam phone calls, messages and emails
*- Who opens messages without caution as to whether coming from trusted source with correct ID?
- Who opens messages/emails even when topic shown has little connection with their recent activities?
- Who has needed to block frequent ‘scam/pest’ callers/messagers/emailers? Messages -> Conversations and can active Block’.
With emails, click on sender name and will get option to block.
- Who has used ‘Who called me’ apps to try to confirm the origins of unknown callers? E.g. https://www.reverseaustralia.com/
- Who checks the actual email address of the sender? Click on sender and see that reconciles with sender name
AI/ChatGPT Alternatives (@ 2023_3_18)
Many alternative to ChatGPT are emerging.
This article reviews 29 different alternatives by category e.g. Translation ChatGPT alternative for Translation
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Elsa Speak
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Bloom
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DeepL Write
perplexity.ai
is a useful one in that it provides not only information sought, but also list the sources used. Allows a degree of veracity to the information listed.
Trusting AI not to lie Lock and Code S04E12 https://www.malwarebytes.com/blog/podcast/2023/06/trusting-ai-not-to-lie-lock-and-code- s04e12
Interesting to see that if news item has undisclosed information you can possibly source it via AI e.g. Suicide medication being sold overseas was not named, but an AI search disclosed its name.
A lawyer used ChatGPT to get lists of court cases which supported his particular client’s plea. Several cases cited were never actual cases, but ones that ChatGPT had fabricated and were fictitious.
* ChatGPT just aggregates currently available information, not actually employing AI to
make sense of it. Information aggregated on predictive connections.
* * AIs available to provide summaries of books that you might want to read.
Parental Controls & Children Safety
Internet search question: How to protect children from internet 2023?
There are many sites offering advice and guidance on this topic and you need to vet them to determine which provides good information.
One that seems quite a comprehensive and detailed.
https://www.vpnmentor.com/blog/the-ultimate-parent-guide-for-child-internet/
Also not just what the child actually links to, but what their peers show them, which is impossible to control, but only be warned about.
Cybersecurity - Malwarebytes
https://www.malwarebytes.com/blog/personal/2023/06/5-unusual-cybersecurity-tips-that- actually-work
Can use Apple Watch, iPhone etc for on premises financial transactions vs credit or debit cards.
Credit or debit cards are also vulnerable due to RFID scanning (use RF protective sleeve or container) vs Bluetooth vulnerabilities (hot spotting).
Possible to only use debit cards with limited funds.
Pay Pal will refund on suspicious transactions, but may be a circuitous process. How effective are the protective sleeves/cases?