If you’re using a Mac, such as the new MacBook Air, you might have to be careful. A phishing attack that previously plagued Windows users has now made its way to macOS, and it’s easy to fall for it.
This was spotted by 9to5Mac. Researchers from LayerX have been tracking a well-known phishing attack that caused a lot of grief to those who were tricked by it. Previously, the main target of these hackers was Windows, but Microsoft was able to largely eliminate it — up to 90% of all attacks on Windows PCs are said to have been fixed thanks to new updates to Edge, Chrome, and Firefox that block scareware.
As the hackers were out of luck on Windows, they appear to have turned to macOS. Macs are often said to be safe from hackers, which means some users may let their guard down and be easier to target.
On Windows, the phishing attack imitated Microsoft security alerts. The idea was that the hackers wanted to steal the users’ security credentials. In the case of Apple, their goal is to steal Apple IDs, and to do this, they make it seem like the PC is compromised.
We’ve all seen similar pop-ups in the past, but this attack feels more legitimate because it also freezes the website that the victim is viewing. An unresponsive PC with a message saying that it’s been compromised is often enough for someone to give up their login credentials.
LayerX claims that macOS and Safari users are now the primary targets for this particular phishing campaign, and they claim that it’s a highly sophisticated attempt at a hack which may not stop here — it’s just the first attempt at adapting to the fixes rolled out on Windows.
Weird pop-ups that ask you to log in may look believable, but it’s important to stay vigilant. It’s worth warning friends and family members who are less plugged into the latest tech news. I know I’ll be warning my relatives who are using the Apple ecosystem. It’s unclear when, or if, Apple will be rolling out a security update to address this phishing attack.
The absolutely absurd idea of putting a touchscreen display on a mouse isn't exactly new. Turtle Beach already did it with its Command Series MC7, which features a 2.25-inch control screen. But apparently, even that wasn't ridiculous enough for Arctic Fox Technologies. Its new Super Mouse looks like someone took the chunky old Atari ST mouse, slapped a touchscreen and scroll wheel on it, and called it an upgrade.
The result is a rather unusual-looking mouse that is now on Kickstarter, starting at $199. And as ridiculous as it looks, some of its features are genuinely intriguing.
Apple is less than a day away from launching its highly anticipated OLED MacBook Pro with a touch-sensitive screen. But it appears that the upgrade is going to cost a pretty penny. According to a report by Bloomberg, Apple is reportedly eyeing a starting price of $2,899 for the 14-inch MacBook Pro, while the 16-inch version could start at $3,399 in the US.
"At $2,899, the 14-inch model would mark the highest starting price for a new MacBook Pro model, surpassing the $2,799 Apple charged for a 17-inch version introduced in 2006," says the report. The report claims that Apple is targeting a minimum price hike of $400 for its upcoming redesigned 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models.
I've spent a good amount of time digging into the spec sheet of the new M6 MacBook Pro (14-inch), and for all intents and purposes, this is a classic Apple "chip and connectivity" refresh. It's not a full redesign. The chassis, Liquid Retina XDR panel, speakers, ports, and battery, all of them carry over unchanged.
However, the M6 brings more cores, stronger on-device AI, higher memory bandwidth on the larger configs, and modern wireless. Here’s the practical rundown of what actually improved, and whether those gains are worth your money.