Security

Since barely a day goes by without a news story of a major data breach or identity theft, everybody should know by now that online security is of utmost importance. Although password managers have been around for a while now, many of us still keep track of our login names and passwords in notebooks, on sticky notes, in text files or worse - use the same password for every online service we sign up for. This simply doesn't fly anymore, as your private data is too valuable not to be kept as securely as possible.

The iPhone has a reputation as being very secure, so much so that the FBI has had publicized problems getting into them in various investigations in recent years. Most people are fairly confident that the average would-be thief is not going to be able to get past their Touch ID or Face ID, or guess their security code. Even if they can, the owner can use Find My iPhone to figure out the phone's location, and to erase it if it contains highly sensitive data. But how many iPhone owners have considered that a thief could take and use their SIM card to make calls and use data?

iPhone security is an ongoing concern, and Apple continues to double down on protecting its users' personal data. Devices such as the GreyKey have prompted calls for iOS device owners to protect their iPhone passcode. Now thanks to the release of iOS 11.4.1, there's a fresh defense against intrusion known as USB Restricted Mode.

Two-factor authentication, or 2FA, is an extra layer of security that many online services now use, including the Apple ID login, Facebook and Twitter among others.

Twitter recently emailed its users about a security breach in which user passwords stored in an internal log were unmasked. Though the bug has been fixed, Twitter suggests users change their passwords and consider turning on login verification. Login verification is Twitter's version of two-factor authentication, which is an extra layer of security that is available for your Apple ID, Facebook and many other online services.