The horror! Mac users must beware of ransomware (like everyone else)
Culture
It's time for mass panic.
Mac computers are under attack for ransom ware.
I'm Bridget Carey, this is your CNET update.
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It was only a matter of time but now Mac computer users need to watch out for a pretty serious malware attack that's designed to hold a computer for ransom, locking up files and programs until the owner pays up to the bad guy.
Macs tend to have a reputation for being safer than PCs because you don't hear about the big threats hitting Mac.
But with Macs becoming more popular, the threats are changing and you can't assume everything is safe.
Security researchers discovered what they believe is the first ever ransomware attack for Apple devices.
And it's being spread Through torrenting software.
Now most people use Torrent to download illegal pirated media.
So if you don't pay for your content you may get more than you bargained for.
Downloader beware.
And times are changing for an app that had everyone buzzing a year ago.
The app Meerkat jumpstarted the trend of live streaming video on you phone and sharing it easily with everyone on your social network.
But now a year later, Meerkat is giving up on live streaming and instead is launching something called a video social network.
Things began to go downhill for Meerkat when Twitter blocked strings from being easily shared, and then Twitter launched its own version called Periscope, which is now more popular Facebook even has it's own live broadcast tool, we'll just have to wait and see what new form your cat will take as it evolves.
And another app that evolved to stay alive is the Peeple app, remember back in October Peeple called this the Yelp.
For people, the Internet cried out in horror as a network for reviewing people, where you can't control what is said about you, would be the worst thing ever and promote online abuse and bullying and destroy lives.
Well, the app finally launched for iOS, but the creators made a few adjustments.
For now, you have to sign up For someone to post a review about you and you have to approve everything that's posted to your profile.
So, why even bother writing negative reviews.
Well, one of the creators told the Calgary Herald that there will be a paid feature coming soon calling the truth license.
Paid accounts can see every review, even the hidden ones.
It's like LinkedIn recommendations, but the paid users will see the reviews you didnt want anyone to see.
That is assuming you even want to join this thing.
And a quick update on a story in our last show.
Amazon removed some encryption from the Fire operating system which is on Kindle tablets, making Kindles less secure.
But after much outcry, Amazon announced it will add encryption back in an update in the next few months.
So we'll keep you posted.
That's it for this tech news update, and you can head to cnet.com for more from our studios in New York, I'm Bridget Carey.
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