Apple Adds Additional Layer of Security to iCloud
- By Ginger Hill
- Sep 08, 2014
It was floating around social media all last week: the nude celebrity photo hacks. This as well as the debuting of the iPhone 6 tomorrow has prompted Apple to beef up their security of the iCloud.
Email alerts are now being sent out when an iCloud account is accessed through a web browser, even when the browser has been used previously to access the account. iCloud is typically used to link apps, so all browser logins are being treated as “unusual” and warrant an alert.
Of course, these alerts won’t prevent hacks, but it this documentation could provide a warning to the user that their iCloud account may have been compromised. This makes it easier to stop in-progress hacks as well as possibly trace to whoever is attempting to hack the account.
Here are three things you can do to better protect your data on your cloud:
- Use two-factor authentication. This adds another layer of security to your accounts by requiring you to enter a short code in addition to your user name and password. A random code is usually texted straight to your smartphone.
- Don’t fall for schemes. Sophisticated hackers are able to trick people into giving them log in credentials – they’re just that good. Learn what to look out for. One that is often used is an email asking you to reset your password when you haven’t requested a password reset.
- Opt-out of backup. Even though this is an “opt-in” feature, many forget that they have signed up when setting up their accounts. Uploading data automatically to the cloud is a useful feature, but if you don’t want certain pieces of data sent to the cloud, disable this setting.
About the Author
Ginger Hill is Group Social Media Manager.