Apple finally adds encryption to iCloud backups

Apple today introduced several new security features focused on fending off threats to user data in the cloud, including end-to-end encryption for backups for iCloud users.

Along with end-to-end encryption for iCloud, Apple’s cloud storage and computing platform, the company announced iMessage Contact Key Verification, allowing users to verify they are communicating only with whom they intend.

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Apple also announced hardware Security Keys for Apple ID, giving users the choice to require two-factor authentication to sign into their Apple ID account. (Hardware security keys use devices, such as USB thumb drives or near-field communication (NFC) dongles, to enable access to a service or application.)

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A compliance fight in Germany could hurt Microsoft customers

Credit to Author: eschuman@thecontentfirm.com| Date: Wed, 07 Dec 2022 04:32:00 -0800

If there are two things that should never mix, it’s cybersecurity/privacy compliance and corporate politics. And yet, that’s at the heart of a compliance fight between Microsoft and German authorities that might wind up punishing the company’s customers. 

The German Datenschutzkonferenz — the regulatory body entrusted to handle Germany’s flavor of the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) — has publicly declared that “no data protection-compliant use of Microsoft Office 365 was possible.”

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What you need to know about the UK’s Online Safety Bill

Three years and four prime ministers after the UK government first published its Online Harms white paper—the basis for the current Online Safety Bill—the Conservative Party’s ambitious attempt at internet regulation has found its way back to Parliament after multiple amendments.

If the bill becomes law, it will apply to any service or site that has users in the UK, or targets the UK as a market, even if it is not based in the country. Failure to comply with the proposed rules will place organizations at risk of fines of up to 10% of global annual turnover or £18 million (US$22 million), whichever is higher.

A somewhat bloated and confused version of its former self, the bill, which was dropped from the legislative agenda when Boris Johnson was ousted in July, has now passed its final report stage, meaning the House of Commons now has one last chance to debate its contents and vote on whether to approve it.

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UK set to mandate right to request flexible work from first day on the job

The UK government is backing proposed legislation that would give workers the right to request flexible working arrangements from day one of their employment.

In the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, which saw millions of workers start working from home as lockdown orders were enforced, most employees continued to have flexibility over how and when they work, with many organizations now practicing a hybrid work model.

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Biometrics are even less accurate than we thought

Credit to Author: eschuman@thecontentfirm.com| Date: Mon, 05 Dec 2022 09:43:00 -0800

Biometrics is supposed to be one of the underpinnings of a modern authentication system. But many biometric implementations (whether that be fingerprint scanes or face recognition) can be wildly inaccurate, and the only universally positive thing to say about them is they’re better than nothing.

Also — and this may prove critical — the fact that biometrics are falsely seen as being very accurate may be sufficient to dissuade some fraud attempts. 

There are a variety of practical reasons biometrics don’t work well in the real world, and a recent post by a cybersecurity specialist at KnowBe4, a security awareness training vendor, adds a new layer of complexity to the biometrics issue.

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Hey, Google: It's time to step up your Pixel upgrade promise

Look, it’s no big secret that I’m a fan of Google’s Pixel program.

I’ve personally owned Pixel phones since the first-gen model graced our gunk-filled pockets way back in 2016. And Pixels have been the only Android devices I’ve wholeheartedly recommended for most folks ever since.

There’s a reason. And more than anything, it comes down to the software and the overall experience Google’s Pixel approach provides.

  • Part of that is the Pixel’s interface and the lack of any unnecessary meddling and complication — including the absence of confusing (and often privacy-compromising) duplicative apps and services larded onto the phone for the manufacturer’s business benefit and at the expense of your user experience.
  • Part of it is the unmatched integration of exceptional Google services and exclusive Google intelligence that puts genuinely useful stuff you’ll actually benefit from front and center and makes it an integrated part of the Pixel package.
  • And, yes, part of it is the Pixel upgrade promise and the fact that Pixel phones are still the only Android devices where both timely and reliable software updates are a built-in feature and guarantee.

[Psst: Got a Pixel? Any Pixel? Check out my free Pixel Academy e-course to uncover all sorts of advanced intelligence lurking within your phone!]

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AWS brings Verified Access security to the Apple enterprise

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AWS releases Wickr, its encrypted messaging service for enterprises

Just days after announcing the close of its consumer-oriented Wickr Me encrypted messaging service, Amazon Web Services (AWS), at its annual re:Invent conference on Monday, said that it was making the enterprise version of the app generally available.

Dubbed simply AWS Wickr, the service was first announced in July and has been in preview till now.

The enterprise version of the messaging service, designed to allow enterprise users to securely collaborate via text, voice and video, along with file and screen sharing, is expected to help enterprises meet auditing and regulatory requirements such as e-discovery and US Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests, the company said in a statement.

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The future of security: smarter devices that protect themselves

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