Stories by Glenn Fleishman

iCloud Drive is backing up files you haven't saved yet

The line between local and remote storage started blurring long ago. The moment you could save a file from within a program on a Mac or other OS to something that wasn't a physically connected hard drive--whether a network file server, a remote AFP volume elsewhere on the Internet, or a Finder-mounted whatever--you had to make a conscious effort to remember what was entirely within your control and what was not. Sure, remote files used to take longer to save: we'd watch a progress bar or beachball on larger files, and the latency reminded us.

Glenn Fleishman | 07 Nov | Read more

Take the pain out of two-factor authentication with an app

I've been stressing two-factor authentication (2FA), or two-step verification, in my early columns here at Private I, because I believe most people avoid using this extra protection for their accounts due to the fuss and management, and may think it will lock them out of access or require an extra step when it's unnecessary.

Glenn Fleishman | 31 Oct | Read more

Continuity and Spotlight highlight the need to closely examine where our data goes

On Monday, I dutifully installed iOS 8.1 to enable Apple Pay on my iPhone 6, intending to test it out later in the day. (Spoiler: I did not.) This also let me turn on Continuity, the suite of seamless connection features between iOS and Mac OS X devices signed into the same iCloud account. My mid–2011 MacBook isn't capable of Handoff and Instant Hotspot, but it can manage SMS forwarding and phone calls.

Glenn Fleishman | 24 Oct | Read more

Everything you need to know about iCloud security

Two-factor authentication (2FA) is the latest thing that hundreds of millions of people will likely be dragged into using for the purposes of securing their private information. It's necessary, and will be irritating to most people, despite their having seen some of the endless reports of sites being cracked and passwords being revealed--whether the passwords were stored in clear text, or using an unsophisticated encryption method that allows crackers to easily test common passwords against the stolen information.

Glenn Fleishman | 18 Oct | Read more

The scary side of Touch ID

In this, the inaugural Private i column, I want to freak you out just a little bit. In the coming weeks, this column will help Mac and iOS users understand the implications of the latest security exploits, privacy hacks, and encryption options, and how to protect themselves or take advantage of them, as the case may be.

Glenn Fleishman | 10 Oct | Read more

Mac Gems: Little Snitch snitches on misbehaving apps

Our Macs can be chatty even when we wish they weren't. Apps, and even the OS itself, regularly reach out to the rest of your local network and to the Internet to probe, query, and blab. Little Snitch 3 intercepts these requests and presents them to you for inspection and approval. The latest update to the software adds inbound-connection management, too. Little Snitch has graduated from being a sort of outbound-only firewall with notifications to being a full-fledged firewall product with a friendly interface that informs you about any network-related activities.

Glenn Fleishman | 27 Nov | Read more

Security tips for Mac travelers

When you hit the road, it’s easy to get paranoid—especially if you’re carrying thousands of dollars’ worth of technology with you. You can alleviate some of your worries by taking security measures to protect yourself against someone running off with your iPhone, iPad, or MacBook.

Glenn Fleishman | 21 Nov | Read more