Need another reason to use strong passwords and two-factor authentication? iPhones Held Hostage!

One of the of the security features offered by Apple for its computers, iPhones and iPads has turned around and bitten several Australian users who found that they were suddenly locked out of their devices and asked to pay a ransom of up to $100 to a hacker holding access to their devices hostage. 

Find My Phone is a great security feature that allows an iPhone owner to remotely lock his or her device should it be lost or stolen, thereby securing all the data on the phone and rendering it useless without the entry of a security code. But, problems arose for the Aussies when a hacker going by the name of Oleg Pliss somehow obtained usernames and passwords, and locked the rightful owners out. Apple says it has not been the victim of any security breach and suggests that credentials were gained either by phishing or because of password reuse.

Phishing attacks are just a modern form of film flam and trickery. A scammer sends an email that looks authentic, and the dupe dutifully responds with all kinds of information that is best not shared with bad guys. Phishing can be thwarted by never clicking on links in emails. If a legitimate web site needs information from you, you will be able to find their inquiry on their website. If you get an email asking for any information:

1. Make note of what website it is supposedly from.
2. Delete the email.
3. Go to the subject website by opening your browser and using your own bookmark. If you do not have a bookmark, enter the URL for the website you are trying to reach, or use a trusted search engine to bring you to the genuine site.
4. Log in and look for a message to you.

Follow this method for dealing with emailed information requests and you will avoid falling prey to almost all phishing attacks.

I've discussed Password Reuse before. In a word, it's bad. If you use the same username and password at more than one site, once a hacker gets information from one web site breach, he has access to every account you have that uses that username/password combo.

Finally, Two-Factor Authentication: In a word, it's great! Here is a large list of websites indicating which do and which do not have 2-Factor Authentication. In short, without rehashing what's been said before, if a provider offers 2-Factor Authentication, use it, and if they don't, encourage them to do so.

Lost ...and Found

A news story today caught my eye, and made me smile

A man accidentally forgot his iPad on an airline flight. An honest and helpful departing passenger found it, and brought it to the less honest flight attendant, who took his iPad to her home and promptly made it her iPad. But the man who lost the iPad used the built-in "Find My iPad" option to zero in on it's location. He called the cops in her hometown, they went to the address he gave them, grabbed the iPad and arrested the crook. [Full story here]


Did you know that every modern Mac, iPhone, iPad and iPod has the built-in ability to be found? It's easy to take advantage of these features, but there are a few things you do need to do before the need to find your device arises:

1. You need an Apple ID. If you set up iCloud already, you have one. If you haven't set up your free iCloud account already, what are you waiting for? It has so many great uses besides finding your iDevices that there's no reason not to set it up.

2. You need to activate it on your device - in advance - if you want to be able to use it. On your iDevice, go into Settings>iCloud, and scroll down to Find my i[Device]. Make sure it's "On."

3. Download and configure the free "Find My iPhone" App from iTunes.

4. Know your iCloud username and password. This means that although you need to use a secure password, you also need to be able to absolutely positively remember this one.

Then, in the event that your Mac or iPhone is lost or misplaced, you can either use the app on one of your other devices, or a friend's device, or get on the web and log in to iCloud and activate "Find My iPhone."

A map will open up, and - if it can - the app will pinpoint the location of all your stuff! You also have the option to make the lost device beep loudly (very useful when you don't know where your phone is but you know it's around here somewhere), lock it and pop up a message ("Hey, If you found my phone, please call me at this number...) or erase it (This is the "nuclear option:" a last ditch effort to avoid having all your private stuff become someone else's. After you erase the information on an iOS device, you won’t be able to use Find My iPhone to locate it or play a sound.)

If you are running iOS 6, you'll even be able to track your device, keeping a log of all the places your phone goes until you can get it back.

So, download the app and play around with it, and visit iCloud and try it there as well.

If you need help, you know where to find me!

Serious Stuff • Important to Read • Important to Do

A recent hacking event highlights the need for all computer users to take a more active role in securing their computers and online accounts.

If you do not know what "Two-Step Authorization" is, or simply don't use it, now is the time to educate yourself and change your ways.

Please read the following one sentence summary of an article that I urge you to read, and click on that sentence to open the story in a new page.

A very tech savvy guy came home the other day to find his iCloud, Amazon, Google and Twitter accounts hacked, and his iPhone, iPad and Macbook erased, (including all his music and two years worth of his son's baby photos) all by some stranger by remote control!

Please set up Two-Step Authorization at Google.

Please start using a different, non-trivial password at every online site.

Please start using an application like 1Password to help you manage these passwords.

Please start regularly backing up your files.

If you need help, you know where I am!

MobileMe to iCloud: You Have 5 Days!

If you have been putting off the move from MobileMe to iCloud, now is the time to make the move.

The most common reason for delay is procrastination, followed in quick succession by "having a Mac that does not yet, or can't, run OS X 10.7 (Lion).

If you've simply been procrastinating, now's the time to make the move. I can't do much more for you than point you to the Apple page to get you started.

Now is also the time to download your Gallery photos and any iWeb pages that may still be lingering on MobileMe.

And, don't forget your iDisk files! They all disappear when June becomes July. (See my previous post on DropBox and other free services for alternatives to iDisk that are actually better than iDisk ever was!)

If, on the other hand, you have a non-Lion compatible Mac, there's still hope. It's easy to keep your email@mac.com or email@me.com email. Here's what Apple has to say:

If you want to keep email working on your devices, go to me.com/move from your computer, choose the option to keep using your email after MobileMe ends, and follow the steps. If your devices meet system requirements, you'll also be able to access all of the iCloud features after June 30, 2012, but only on your compatible devices.

• Mail

Mail continues to work on devices that don’t meet iCloud requirements.

• Calendars

Calendars continue to sync with your devices until June 30, 2012. After MobileMe ends, if your devices are not running iOS 5 or OS X Lion, Calendars no longer sync (Calendar data still resides locally on your devices). Once your devices are updated to iOS 5 or OS X Lion, your Calendar data will be able to sync with iCloud.com, and you can access all of the iCloud features.

• Contacts

Contacts continue to sync with your devices until June 30, 2012. After MobileMe ends, if your devices are not running iOS 5 or OS X Lion, Contacts no longer sync with iCloud.com (Contacts data still resides locally on your devices). Once your devices are updated to iOS 5 or OS X Lion, your Contacts data will be able to sync with iCloud.com, and you can access all of the iCloud features.

Keeping your Calendars and Contacts synched up after June 30 will take a bit of finagling, and some third party software and services. If you need help, give me a call. I'm a good finagler.

Keep Your Feet on the Ground and Your Stuff in the Clouds…

The cloud... the cloud... everybody's talking about the cloud. What's the deal?

The cloud is basically a short way to say, a big hard drive that somebody else takes care of, located somewhere I don't know, that I connect to through the Internet but it kind of feels like it's right on my computer or phone (and it kind of sort of might be).

Much easier to say the cloud. What's so good about the cloud?

• you can use it from anywhere there is Internet
• it doesn't take up space at your place
• it is always backed up so you won't accidentally lose your stuff
• it is never fills up (although you might have to pay for more space)
• a whole lot of it is free

Free, you say? Absolutely. Google Drive and Dropbox are two of the leading providers of cloud services whose basic package is free. Just click on the links above to start the sign up. Apple's iCloud is also a cloud service (duh) but works a little differently.

Both of Drive and Dropbox will install special folders on your computer. What's cool about the folder is that anything you put in it is automatically copied to the cloud. You can install this special folder on your home computer, your office computer, your phone... and automatically, you'll have access to everything that's in the folder. Change a file at the office. Open it up later on your home computer, make more changes, and find the changes waiting for you at the office the next day. You can also share whatever is in your folder with any one else! No more e-mailing giant picture or music files!

Apple's iCloud, although free, is only useful to people who use an iOS5 device, or an OS X 10.7 Computer. You can install iCloud on a Windows 7 or Vista computer as well, but if you don't have an iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad, there's not much point. Not a storage option like Dropbox or Drive, iCloud is the little bit of Apple magic that keeps all your contacts, calendars, music, and photos synced between all of your computers and iDevices. iCloud replaces MobileMe, which will disappear for good on May 30. If you use MobileMe, now is the time to move to iCloud or consider some other alternative.

Setting up Dropbox and Drive are fairly straightforward. I encourage you to give it a try. If you need help transitioning from MobileMe to iCloud, the Apple tutorials and assistants will lead you through it step by step. It is almost always smooth as silk, but there have been some snafus. As always, if you would feel better having a professional take care of any of this, or your having a hard time deciding just what to do, I'm just a phone call or e-mail away.