Year: 2018

Why you may NOT want to enable Message for iCloud

Dan Uff May 30, 2018 0

While we have an article explaining how to turn on the Message in iCloud feature, now we'd like to present the other side of the coin, as Adrian Kingsley-Hughes reports for ZDNet.

“iOS 11.4 is out, and it brings with it a feature that was first promised to us in iOS 11.3 designed to help streamline messaging between devices. Called Messages in iCloud, it syncs messages you receive through the Messages app across your devices, whether that be your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, or even a Mac (sorry Apple Watch owners, you don’t get this feature, and will most likely have to wait for watchOS 5).”

“First off, to make Messages in iCloud work you need to download and install iOS 11.4 onto your iOS devices, and macOS 10.13.5 onto your Macs (as of time of publication macOS 10.13.5 has not been released, but is expected shortly),” Kingsley-Hughes reports. “After that, you need to activate Messages in iCloud on your iOS devices.”

“OK, so why might you not want to activate this feature? Well, remember that it’s called Messages in iCloud, which means that it makes use of, and uses up, your iCloud storage. And it might just mean that you have to start paying Apple for more iCloud storage space,” Kingsley-Hughes reports. “Extra iCloud storage space isn’t all that expensive — plans start at $0.99 for 50 gigabytes — but if you don’t want to have to start giving Apple more money on a regular basis, you should be mindful of the fact that Messages in iCloud could be what pushes your iCloud usage over the edge.”

Read more in the full article here.

How to turn on Apple’s new Messages in iCloud

Dan Uff May 30, 2018 0

“With the release of iOS 11.4, Messages in iCloud, which keeps your iMessage and SMS messages in sync between your Apple devices, is now available to the public,” Joseph Keller writes for iMore.

“In addition to syncing your messages, Messages in iCloud lets you store your messages, photos, and other attachments in iCloud, letting you free up storage space,” Keller writes.

“Messages will also immediately start to appear on new devices after you sign into your iCloud account,” Keller writes, “and once you delete a message thread on one device, it will be automatically deleted on all of your devices.”

Here's how to enable the new feature:

1. Go to SETTINGS.

2. Tap on the Apple ID Banner (near the top of the page).

3. Scroll down until you get to the iCloud setting - select it.

4. Tap the switch next to Messages to turn the feature ON.

5. That's it.

How to install Applications using the Command Line in Ubuntu

Dan Uff May 30, 2018 0

While it is true that Ubuntu has an App Store that makes installing compatible apps a breeze, sometimes you come across an app that you must install from the command line.

The command line is the way you can use the O/S by completely bypassing the GUI.

Even though this how to focuses on Ubuntu, this should work with other flavors of Linux as well.

Open Terminal (CTRL + ALT + T).
Navigate to the directory where you've downloaded the file (usually cd/username/download).
To install any software on Linux, you must have administration rights (also known as a Super user or Root).
At the prompt, type: su -
When prompted, enter the root password.
If all goes well, you'll see another prompt that should look like: #root@username >
To find the name of the package that you've downloaded, issue the command ls
When you find the file, then it's time to unpack it and install the included installer.
Type: sudo dpkg -I filename.deb
The above command will unpack the necessary files from the .deb file and put them in the same directory.
Then (if it finds an install package) will go ahead and install the app for you.
You'll see each file being unpacked and installed in their correct locations.
That's it.

Again, this should work with all flavors of Linux (and possibly Unix as well).

Fraudsters Claim To Hack Two Canadian Banks

Threatpost Security News May 30, 2018 1

Two Canadian banks have reported that they may be targets of a hack, after bad actors claimed that they electronically accessed personal and account information.

On Monday, both Bank of Montreal and Simplii Financial (the banking subsidiary of the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce) announced that “fraudsters” contacted them over the weekend claiming they had accessed certain personal and financial data from customers.

BMO said that a limited number of customers were impacted: “We took steps immediately when the incident occurred and we are confident that exposures identified related to customer data have been closed off,” the company said in a statement. “We have notified and are working with relevant authorities as we continue to assess the situation.”

The bank, which has 7 million customers overall, added that it believes the bad actors originated the attack from outside the country.

Simplii meanwhile said that approximately 40,000 customers may be impacted. The company added that there is currently no indication that clients who bank through CIBC have been affected.

“Immediately upon learning of the potential issue, Simplii began investigating to understand the claim and verify its accuracy,” Simplii said in a statement. “We also moved quickly to implement enhanced online fraud monitoring and online banking security measures. In addition, Simplii will be reaching out to clients proactively through all channels.”

Simplii told customers in a tweet it would “ensure that 100% all money lost [sic]… will be returned.”

We’re assessing all potential impacts. If a client is a victim of fraud bcuz of this issue, we will ensure that 100% all money lost in an affected account is returned. If ur account was affected by this issue, we will reimburse u for 1 year of credit monitoring. ^Julie

— Simplii Financial (@SimpliiFin) May 29, 2018

Neither bank responded to multiple emails from Threatpost inquiring about any links between the two breaches; nor whether any money was stolen from customers’ accounts.

James Lerud, head of the Verodin Behavioral Research Team, said the incident appears to be an extortion attempt by the hackers, where they threaten to publish stolen data unless they receive a ransom.

“It’s hard to say what the motivation for demanding the ransom is,” he said. “It could be that the data stolen isn’t as valuable as they are making out to be, or if the hackers are looking for a cherry on top of their haul and would just use the stolen information after a ransom was paid.”

Tim Erlin, vice president of product management and strategy at Tripwire, told Threatpost that attackers generally target banks because, put simply, that’s where the money is. “Ultimately, the biggest threat is the loss of money, but the mechanisms by which an attacker might execute such an attack can vary,” Erlin told Threatpost. “There’s no single, biggest threat for banks to address outside of complexity. The more complex the environment, the greater the attack surface.”

To protect themselves, consumers should always use a complex password and PIN, and regularly monitor their accounts for signs of unusual activity.