Security

In the wake of the latest act of terrorism attempted on a US airplane, the TSA has enacted what appear to be deliberately unpredictable new security measures that seem to include a complete ban on the use of electronics like the iPhone or iPod touch, and even the use of the bathroom for the last hour of any plane trip in-bound to the US.

Apple is currently hiring and is in search of an iPhone OS platform security manager. What does the particular job consist of? Here is the low down:

The team is responsible for secure booting and installation of the OS, partitioning and hardening of security domains within the OS, cryptographic services, and risk analysis of security threats. The team is made up of a variety of security experts with backgrounds in system security and reverse engineering.

The cracking of GSM "encryption" has been making the inter-rounds lately, and this week on the Security Now! Podcast, Steve Gibson takes a look at how badly it's broken, and what the potential risks are. In simple terms, it means what you say on your iPhone -- or any GSM phone, which includes all phones on AT&T, T-Mobile, Rogers, and almost all phones internationally -- can be intercepted, decrypted, and listened to if a person has several thousand dollars worth of equipment and the motivation to do it. In more complex terms:

Apple has updated their MobileMe News "blog" with a helpful tip for added security, and for when that security necessitates the need for a helpful little reminder.

First up, Apple reminds everyone that even good passwords, left static for too long, grow old and stale.

One simple way to increase the security of your life online is to change your account password periodically.