It's probably the phone call feature in Gmail. I would be concerned if that popped up without me initiating or receiving a call, though.
Can't do much about the IP address. For internal network "security," I know iOS randomizes MAC addresses, dunno about macOS.
That is not Gmail asking that is Chrome wanting access either for text dictation or As Google goes more towards an AI user interface microphone is essential in that respect. If Siri ever gets smart enough and Apple integrates AI even Apples browser will ask the same thing. Btw, I love AI. Google assistant scheduled an appt for me, ordered our dinner and sent the wife a message to pick the food up all the while I was working on remodeling the kitchen without me lifting any device. And btw it is easy to shut off the device or micrpshone if you're worried it might here something sensitive. Imvho the value outweighs the need for a tin foil hat. Besides privacy is a talking point, in real world applications we lost our privacy long ago.
Apple's tight control over macOS makes it more secure in practice. There are way too many unknowns and variables involved in a Windows PC. It's like how an iPhone is on average more secure than Android phone, and iOS used to have the greater market share.
And because of that we should abandon all privacy?
Well, at least on a Windows PC this is no surprise. Regular Win32 desktop applications can access the microphone without ever asking for permission. Only UWP (touch-style) apps from the Windows store are subject to the privacy permissions. Between things like this and telemetry that cannot be disabled Windows 10 isn't exactly known for good privacy.
Very likely the Gmail web page asked for microphone access because Hangouts is embedded on the page.
I haven't seen any indication that Apple won't allow the installation of unsigned apps anymore. So I'm not sure what you are concerned about.
Your MAC address isn't visible after the first hop router.
Np worries. I joined to learn about whether switching to iOS and Mac were a viable option. I learned many here are misinformed, condescending and jist flat out delusional. I also learned iPhones, Siri and Macs are really not what they seem and often outdated feature wise. Still fun keeping an eye out to see if maybe down the road a switch would be a good fit . I hold no loyalty to any company or brand. But all the people thinking they're safer on Apple products just kills me. I keep it real.
Hangouts is another possibility but it has to be enabled. It is not enabled by default.
This is great. One of the main reasons I stick with Apple. For comparison, I saw a tweet yesterday - accessing GMail via Google Chrome requested access to the users' microphone in Mojave
I think Chrome was asking for access to microphone because Chrome/Google supports searching using voice, open Google webpage and there is a Mic icon in the search box, its nothing sinister just someone getting their knickers in a twist over nothing.
It's the same leap of faith the first time. How do you know handbrake.fr is the right domain for Handbrake when you visit their site? CAs give certs for stuff like "www.apple.com.ma.nz" or "ebey.com," and attackers trick people with fake sites this way. Apple can make it easier than that by ensuring no two apps or devs have similar names and disallowing misleading names.
[doublepost=1528233817][/doublepost]So... are we going the route of the old Mac vs. PC ads with Justin Long? The big CIA guy in the background having to approve everything? Seems that way.
Apple is beefing up security in both iOS 12 and macOS Mojave, and in a yesterday's Platforms State of the Union event for developers, Apple outlined a number of new protections that are coming to the Mac with Mojave.
First of all, Apple is extending privacy protections to the camera, microphone, and other sensitive user data that includes mail database, message history, Safari data, Time Machine backups, iTunes device backups, locations and routines, and system cookies.
In macOS Mojave, apps will need express user consent for all API and direct access to these resources, with users able to access their security preferences in the Security section of System Preferences.
For apps that are distributed outside of the Mac App Store and signed with a Developer ID, Apple is introducing a secondary "Notarize" review process that's designed to detect malware faster and provide Apple with finer-grained revocation tools to revoke a specific bad release rather than a developer's entire certificate.
Notarization will let macOS Mojave users know for sure that a third-party non-App Store Mac app has been double checked by Apple and that it's free from malware. Eventually, Apple plans to require all Developer ID apps to be notarized before they can be installed, but Apple says this is not an app review process and is used exclusively to analyze apps for security purposes.
Apple is introducing enhanced runtime protections that will extend System Integrity Protection features to third-party apps, protecting them from code injection and other tampering.
As in iOS 12, macOS Mojave is gaining support for automatic strong passwords, with Safari automatically creating, autofilling, and storing passwords. Passwords on macOS Mojave will be flagged if they've been reused, making it easier for users to create unique passwords for each login.
Multiple anti-tracking and privacy improvements are coming to Safari to keep your browsing habits private. Right now, advertisers use browser and device characteristics to create a "fingerprint" for you to surreptitiously track you across the web.
Apple is aiming to put a stop to this by sharing only a simplified system profile when you browse the web, giving advertisers less of your data to work with. Improved Intelligent Tracking Prevention also prevents social media Like, Share, and Comment buttons and widgets from tracking you without your permission.
As we covered earlier, macOS Mojave will be the last version of macOS to support 32-bit apps, another move that Apple is making to keep its Mac operating system secure and up to date.
Article Link: Apple Details Upcoming Privacy and Security Protections in macOS Mojave
Uh-oh. All the other changes are good, but this one is definitely concerning. Is every single new release of a signed application going to require notarization, causing delays when the developer pushes out updates? What constitutes a pass or fail?
Better delayed updates than bad ones. This is a far better alternative to having everyone install malware scanners on their computers.
When was the last time you installed malware simply by updating an app? Can't recall it ever happening to me.
