The Only Monthly Mac Blog That Matters…

Month: October 2024

Passwords. Yes, Passwords.

Passwords – the bane of many people’s existence. (Including mine!) Sometimes it seems that clients spend 80% of their time chasing down passwords.

Funny thing, but a lot of people don’t even know they have passwords for important things. I often get “I don’t have a password!” when I ask a client to enter their password. (Sorry, but virtually EVERYTHING requires a password these days.) And then there are rules about passwords – how many characters are required, whether it requires any caps, numbers, or special characters, and all that fun stuff, but that’s a subject for a future blog.

But most importantly – how do YOU record your passwords? One tech guy I worked with back in my corporate days had every employee’s password on a sheet of paper. Thumbtacked to the wall of his cube. But it was secure – he tacked it on backwards. (Don’t be that guy!)

But what are the best ways to record your passwords? 

Here is what I have come across in my tech journeys. PLEASE understand that this is an extremely surface level look at this subject – there’s enough here to write a best-selling book on the subject. (Now, that’s a great exit strategy!)

Method: Recording passwords on scraps of paper

Pros: Very accessible to you

Cons: Also accessible to bad actors, easily lost among other clutter

I see lots of this – scraps of paper with passwords scrawled (and crossed off) on them. Probably the most primitive way to handle this issue. Sure, it works, but if the papers get lost, stolen, or not updated the next time you forget a password and need to reset it, it’s a fairly worthless exercise. Plus, you’re always one coffee or red wine spill away from disaster.

Bottom line: You can do better than that! Move on to a more sophisticated method.

Method: Using a notebook

Pros: Very accessible, easier to organize than scraps of paper

Cons: Can find its way into the wrong hands (if you’re not careful), easily misplaced

The next level up on the food chain, the notebook is yet another popular method for storing passwords. The pros and cons are the same as the scraps example listed above, but at least they’re all in one place. More organized. And easier to hide or lock up. 

Bottom Line: Not the best way to handle things, but not the worst, either. 

Method: Spreadsheet

Pros: Reasonably safe, as long as you secure it with a password

Cons: If your computer goes down without a backup, you’re hosed – same answer if you forget the password to the file

Making a spreadsheet with your passwords is one decent way to save them. Simply create an Excel (or Numbers) spreadsheet, put a column in for your usernames, one for passwords, one (or more) for security questions, and one for the recovery phone number and/or recovery email you’ve established. Then secure the spreadsheet with a password. (Which means you have a password to access your passwords.) Just don’t forget the master password, or else you’re in big trouble. 

Bottom Line: A step in the right direction – at least you have the ability to lock it up!

Method: Allowing your browser to save passwords

Pros: Very convenient – it’s a “set and forget” scenario

Cons: Can be spread across your devices via an account, can be lost if your computer crashes without a backup of your Library folder, and it’s vulnerable to security breaches at the tech company that hosts your data

All the browsers out there have the option to “save your logins” within. A good idea in theory, but, for illustration’s sake, let’s look at doing this using Google Chrome. 

If you elect to save your passwords within Chrome, take note whether you’re “signed in” with a Google account – look in the upper right corner of a Chrome window to see if that’s the case. If you are, your passwords are being synced to all your devices that are also signed into that particular Google account. This is very convenient, as most of us own multiple devices, but there’s a downside – meaning your data is residing on somebody else’s server. 

Now, most of us have no lost love for Google, but on the flip side, it IS a top-tier company, and it takes security very seriously. Firefox (Mozilla) and Safari (Apple) also have similar functionality and security practices. Yes, all of these tech firms probably encrypt user data and are very secure, but you must understand that once you engage in this practice, a lot of this is out of your control. 

Bottom line: If you opt to save within your browser, decide how much you trust these big tech players with your data if you do elect to sync. 

Method: Password managers

Pros:  Makes password management simple, your data is encrypted 

Cons: Prone to tech issues, possibility of being hacked, single point of failure

There are a bunch of password manager software programs (a.k.a. apps) out there – designed to save (and possibly sync between devices) your passwords. The most popular ones are DashLane and 1Password, but there are scores of others, and most of them are pretty similar in features. The gist of password managers is that they remember usernames, passwords, and (in most cases) answers to security questions, and have a browser extension that allows autofill of your information. Most of them have two-tier options; a lower tier works on one device only, and a premium tier that syncs across all of your devices. Which brings to mind the sync issue described in the “save within browser” section above. Just check out what happened to LastPass a couple of years ago.

Bottom Line: With password managers, you must understand that you’re trading security for convenience. 

And now what NOT to do: NEVER allow any of your other sites (Facebook namely, but X as well, and [insert big tech firm name here] – which means NONE of them!) to save your logins! Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk both talk a big game about their companies, but do you really want one of those out-of-touch tech titans to have access to your data?

Let’s put it this way: I’m sure you know somebody who got their Facebook account hacked. How much help was Facebook? Does it have a number you can call? Perhaps an online chat or email that solved those issues? NO, to all of the above. Never trust your data with a company you can’t contact.  

Final tip: No matter what method you employ, when changing a password, make sure you mark the date you’ve changed it. (And expunge the previous password in your records!)

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What Are the Five Most Important New Features in macOS 15 Sequoia?

Released in mid-September, macOS 15 (Sequoia) has the most useful features of any Mac OS version of the last few years. The good news is that it delivers an entire host of useful features (plus some non-essential ones), but on the flip side, it’s only compatible with fairly recent Mac models, making it a non-issue for users with older Macs. If your Mac supports macOS 14 (Sonoma), it will run Sequoia (with the notable exception of pre-2020 MacBook Air laptops).

And, as expected, there are plenty of “cute” additions, bells and whistles, things that nobody ever uses (or cares about – new emojis, I’m talking to you!), but c’est la vie, these have become expected from our friends over in Cupertino. But all the fluff is.  outweighed by the addition of the useful new features. 

The five best new features of macOS Sequoia:

iPhone Mirroring 

This feature (actually a new app included in the OS update) allows you to control your iPhone from your Mac. Which is an extremely useful feature when it comes to troubleshooting your iPhone remotely. In iPhone Mirroring, you can use your Mac input devices (mouse, keyboard, trackpad) to control your iPhone. 

Of course, there are conditions. Not only does the Mac have to be upgraded to Sequoia, but the iPhone also has to be running iOS 18. And the iPhone must be signed in to the same Apple Account as the Mac. I’m finding this a little quirky in my tests, but I’m sure the big brains at Apple will get those bugs straightened out sooner rather than later. Hopefully.

Passwords App

Another new app, Passwords, was also included in the OS update. Gone are the days of messing around with Keychain, a semi-helpful item hidden in the Utilities folders. (Where is the Utilities folder?) Back then, all sorts of encryption keys and other non-useful stuff clogged up Keychain; in Sequoia, Keychain has been expunged. 

Now the user-friendly Passwords app looks to take on rival password managers, namely 1Password, Dashlane, Keeper, and LastPass (which has had its own share of trouble). 

Notes Upgrades

The Notes app has been part of the Mac OS since way-back-when, but with the release of Sequoia, there are some serious upgrades.  These include:

  • Collapsable Sections: You can now collapse sections of notes, as long as they’ve been created under a “heading” within the note.
  • Highlighting: Now, Notes allows texts in colors other than black. Five colors – pink, purple mint, blue, and orange – have been added. (Henry Ford be damned!)
  • Recording and Transcribing: Notes now has a built-in audio recording feature, allowing you to compose (and transcribe) audio notes. This function does not replace Voice Memos, which is still available on the Mac and iPhone. 

Window Title Bar Options

This feature allows you customize what happens when you double click on the title bar of a window. In System Settings > Desktop & Dock, you have the option to fill the screen, zoom, or minimize. Or do nothing, if you have trouble making decisions. 

Calculator Upgrades

Similar to Notes, the calculator has been part of the Mac OS for a couple of light years. Way longer, as a matter of fact. In Sequoia, you know have the option to switch between Basic, Scientific, and Programmer calculators, as well as a whole host of conversions, using the Convert option.

These, and plenty more upgrades are all functions of the Sequoia OS. There are also plans for Apple Intelligence to be integrated into this (and iOS 18), but, for the most part, that is going to be included in an incremental upgrade. Stay tuned.  

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