SecureMac presents The Checklist, a weekly Mac security show focused on Apple hardware and ecosystems - that’s Mac, iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Apple Watch, as well as the apps and operating systems that run them. The Checklist offers cyber safety tips, online privacy advice, updates, and commentary on the week’s security news — all with a focus on Apple and Apple devices. Hosted by “Mac OS Ken’s” Ken Ray and featuring special guest appearances by cybersecurity experts, The Checklist is a fun, accessible approach to privacy and digital security.
The destructive fires in Southern California are sparking activity from scammers. We’ll look at who’s being targeted and how to stay protected. Plus - How many scam text messages do you get in a week? If you’ve got an iPhone, Apple’s built in a protection against some of them - but it’s pretty easy to break. We’ll tell you more on this edition of The Checklist, brought to you by SecureMac. Check out our show notes: SecureMac.com/Checklist And get in touch with us: Checklist@Securemac.com
1/17/25 • 17:46
This week, we’ll look at a new initiative by the U.S. Government to raise awareness around security and IoT devices. First though - the carriers that didn’t know for months that their networks had been pwned by Chinese hackers say they now see no signs of Chinese hackers on their networks! It is news you can feel about on this edition of The Checklist, brought to you by SecureMac. Check out our show notes: SecureMac.com/Checklist And get in touch with us: Checklist@Securemac.com
1/10/25 • 15:50
Artificial Intelligence - creator of super-users and (in fiction at least) destroyer of worlds. A.I. is the greatest thing since sliced bread, according to Silicon Valley. In the movies though, it’s a source of soulless control that will eventually kill us all. Speaking of killing - you may have some time to kill this holiday season. So we decided to fill it with films! We’ll look at three of our favorite A.I. films, what they got right, and what we should learn from them on this edition of The Checklist, brought to you by SecureMac. Check out our show notes: SecureMac.com/Checklist And get in touch with us: Checklist@Securemac.com
12/20/24 • 42:07
Public wifi is everywhere when we're traveling, but is it safe? We're looking at ways to make sure. Plus - security updates in Apple's OS updates on Checklist No. 404, brought to you by SecureMac. Check out our show notes: SecureMac.com/Checklist And get in touch with us: Checklist@Securemac.com
12/13/24 • 18:15
The FBI is suggesting that people use communications tools that employ end-to-end-encryption. That's due to hackers from China accessing major telecoms in the U.S., using a backdoor built for "good guys." We’ll look at the Salt Typhoon attack, the FBI’s change of heart on encryption, and consider a few end-to-end-encrypted communication options on this edition of The Checklist, brought to you by SecureMac. Check out our show notes: SecureMac.com/Checklist And get in touch with us: Checklist@Securemac.com
12/6/24 • 16:54
Bad guys and A.I. may try to wreck our holiday shopping. From deepfake celebrity endorsements to more convincing phishing messages to imitation sites that look like the real thing - there are tons of scams out there, aided by A.I. Good news though - they can be thwarted using the same practices we’ve used for years. We’ll revisit those on this edition of The Checklist, brought to you by SecureMac. Check out our show notes: SecureMac.com/Checklist And get in touch with us: Checklist@Securemac.com
11/27/24 • 14:29
Apple released a slew of updates this week to fix a couple of zero-days targeting Intel-based Macs. So why did we have to update our iPhones? We’ll explore. First though - bad guys in Switzerland are sending malware by mail. Like - physical mail. How does that work and what can we learn? Find out on this edition of The Checklist brought to you by SecureMac. Check out our show notes: SecureMac.com/Checklist And get in touch with us: Checklist@Securemac.com
11/22/24 • 17:22
This week, we’re diving into iOS 18’s “inactivity reboot.” Also - a North Korean phishing attack aimed at Macs that is so easy to thwart, plus NordPass is out with its list of the most common passwords of 2024 - and they’re even worse than you might imagine. Check out our show notes: SecureMac.com/Checklist And get in touch with us: Checklist@Securemac.com
11/15/24 • 18:06
The NosillaCast Podcast’s Allison Sheridan joins host Ken Ray to talk about Apple’s password management app - cleverly called “Passwords.” Her thinking on the app has evolved. She'll tell us why on Checklist No. 399 - brought to you by SecureMac. Check out our show notes: SecureMac.com/Checklist And get in touch with us: Checklist@Securemac.com
11/8/24 • 23:31
Even if you’ve never been a United Health customer and even if you’ve never heard of Change Healthcare - you can be a victim of the Change Healthcare data breach! Just ask show host Ken Ray! He had to learn firsthand about credit freezes this week - learning he will share with us on Checklist No. 398, brought to you by SecureMac. Check out our show notes: SecureMac.com/Checklist And get in touch with us: Checklist@Securemac.com
11/1/24 • 16:07
We are under two weeks from this year’s election - after which, there may be danger. The intelligence community is tracking plans by foreign actors to incite violence in the U.S. between now and Inauguration Day. We will look at what they’re seeing and how we might avoid it. Plus - updates from Apple next week. We’ll talk about why you should download them with singing! It's all on Checklist No. 397, brought to you by SecureMac. Check out our show notes: SecureMac.com/Checklist And get in touch with us: Checklist@Securemac.com
10/25/24 • 18:44
We’re following up on two of the biggest data breach stories in the last year - the loss of data on millions by 23andMe and on hundreds of millions by National Public Data. What 23andMe might do next is shocking, while the behind-the-scenes story of NPD is baffling. We’ll hit it all on Checklist No. 396, brought to to you by SecureMac. Check out our show notes: SecureMac.com/Checklist And get in touch with us: Checklist@Securemac.com
10/18/24 • 18:55
It is new iPhone season. Whether yours is new or not, we’ll go over some tips for keeping your iPhone from getting stolen, keeping bad guys from accessing it if it does get stolen, and how to go about getting it back. Plus - politicians, voters, celebrities and A.I. We’re tackling so much on Checklist No. 395, brought to to you by SecureMac. Check out our show notes: SecureMac.com/Checklist And get in touch with us: Checklist@Securemac.com
10/11/24 • 22:30
It is Cybersecurity Awareness Month and we want to make you aware of it! Passwords, multi-factor authentication, software updates, and more. You may know about such things, but this is one to share with friends and family. Make them cybersecurity aware with Checklist No. 394, brought to to you by SecureMac. Check out our show notes: SecureMac.com/Checklist And get in touch with us: Checklist@Securemac.com
10/4/24 • 18:23
Two disappointments and a heaping helping of worry on this week’s show. We’re worried about the upcoming U.S. elections, though the FBI and CISA say there may be reason to worry less. Disappointments include Apple dropping a lawsuit against NSO Group and bad guys misusing American treasure Tom Hanks. We’ll hit all of that on this edition of The Checklist, brought to you by SecureMac. Check out our show notes: SecureMac.com/Checklist And get in touch with us: Checklist@Securemac.com
9/27/24 • 18:26
As this show goes out, we’re about 72-hours from the release of iOS 18, macOS 15 Sequoia, watchOS 11, and the rest of the usual OS suspects. Lots of privacy and security stuff - as well as general health and safety. We’re hitting some of the big ones on this edition of The Checklist, brought to you by SecureMac. Check out our show notes: SecureMac.com/Checklist And get in touch with us: Checklist@Securemac.com
9/13/24 • 21:05
There’s a new sextortion scam out there. You really don’t have to worry about it though - IF you know what to watch for. We’ll tell you more. Plus - reports of a new round of QR code phishing at some beach towns. We’ll fill you in on this edition of The Checklist, brought to you by SecureMac. Check out our show notes: SecureMac.com/Checklist And get in touch with us: Checklist@Securemac.com
9/6/24 • 15:37
On this week’s show: - A phishing test that seems to have gone too far… - Spying and hacking in unsuspecting ways… - And maybe it’s time to call in the philosophers… Check out our show notes: SecureMac.com/Checklist And get in touch with us: Checklist@Securemac.com
8/30/24 • 18:04
We are revisiting the the National Public Data leak this week. You know… the one that probably exposed your info as well as the info of every citizen of Canada, the UK, and the US? We’ll talk about finding out whether your data was compromised and what to do if it was. Plus - continued fallout from the New Hampshire primary/AI Joe Biden robocall. Check out our show notes: SecureMac.com/Checklist And get in touch with us: Checklist@Securemac.com
8/23/24 • 18:08
If you live in Canada, the UK, or the US, it looks like a lot of your aggregated personal info has been leaked. Like - one big leak. 2.7 billion files just… out there. We’ll tell you more. Plus - you may be worried about safety and A.I., but are you worried enough? MIT doesn’t think so - we’ll tell you why. Check out our show notes: SecureMac.com/Checklist And get in touch with us: Checklist@Securemac.com
8/16/24 • 18:46
On this episode - Getting creepy face-time with your favorite sports team, banking in India makes a serious security move, and subtracting four zeroes for security. So much to hit on this edition of The Checklist brought to you by SecureMac. Check out our show notes: SecureMac.com/Checklist And get in touch with us: Checklist@Securemac.com
8/9/24 • 18:11
Apple is upping its intelligence quotient. The Cupertino-company let slip the first bits of Apple Intelligence to developers this week, with betas for the OS after next. We’ll hit some security features tied into that. Plus - the operating systems we’ve already got got updates this week with a lot of security fixes. We’ll touch on those on this edition of The Checklist brought to you by SecureMac. Check out our show notes: SecureMac.com/Checklist And get in touch with us: Checklist@Securemac.com
8/2/24 • 15:07
It was sort of surprising when Google announced years ago that it planned to block third-party cookies from its Chrome browser. This prompted a few questions like - what are cookies? Why did Google pledge that? And why did it eventually change its corporate mind? We’ll try to answer those questions of this edition of The Checklist, brought to you by SecureMac. Check out our show notes: SecureMac.com/Checklist And get in touch with us: Checklist@Securemac.com
7/26/24 • 21:30
AT&T has lost info on roughly one-third of the US population. Relax! They’ve plugged that hole... now. We’ll look at what was lost, revisit the Ticketmaster hack, and find out if there’s a Snowflake’s chance of fixing any of it on Checklist No. 384, brought to you by Securemac. Check out our show notes: SecureMac.com/Checklist And get in touch with us: Checklist@Securemac.com
7/19/24 • 16:55
The ChatGPT app for Mac had a pretty big privacy and security problem, even if parent company OpenAI didn’t think so. They fixed it anyway - we’ll tell you why. Also, some bad guy may have peeked behind the DM screen at user info on Roll20. Make your saving throw! This is The Checklist, brought to you by SecureMac! Check out our show notes: SecureMac.com/Checklist And get in touch with us: Checklist@Securemac.com
7/12/24 • 16:01
In the movies, bad guys are often taken down by a tech vulnerability. This week, we revisit our look at how best practices could make bad guys better at being bad. Where Khan went wrong Some of the Empire’s greatest mistakes And who are these aliens messing up our Independence Day? Check out our show notes: SecureMac.com/Checklist And get in touch with us: Checklist@Securemac.com
7/5/24 • 32:33
On this edition of The Checklist by SecureMac: The Commerce Department is kicking Kaspersky out of the U.S. Another shoe has dropped in the Change Healthcare hack And an Apple Vision Pro bug to unleash virtual bugs Check out our show notes: SecureMac.com/Checklist And get in touch with us: Checklist@Securemac.com
6/28/24 • 18:12
Everything old is new again! Calls for tech companies to override end-to-end encryption for CSAM detection, Microsoft recalls Recall for now, and regulators in Canada and the UK think maybe the 23andMe breach is worth investigating. That’s all ahead on this edition of The Checklist… brought to you by SecureMac. Check out our show notes: SecureMac.com/Checklist And get in touch with us: Checklist@Securemac.com
6/21/24 • 21:48
For years, Apple has built a reputation on privacy and security - and that’s about to be tested in a big way. The company has announced plans to fold A.I. (Apple Intelligence) into its next big round of OS updates. We’ll look at how they plan to keep that secure. Plus - new features coming to protect user privacy and security. Check out our show notes: SecureMac.com/Checklist And get in touch with us: Checklist@Securemac.com
6/14/24 • 20:29
Another week - another apparent loss of consumer information. Who’s got tickets to all the hottest shows, info on half-a-billion people, and a seemingly serious security headache? We’ll let you know on this edition of The Checklist brought to you by SecureMac. Check out our show notes: SecureMac.com/Checklist And get in touch with us: Checklist@Securemac.com
6/7/24 • 14:12
