Why even multi-factor authentication is vulnerable
Cookie theft, real-time phishing and MFA fatigue attacks threaten multi-factor authentication, which has long been considered unassailable.
The current major release of macOS, Catalina was announced recently. As ever with Apple, the list of changes is very long and ranges from using an iPad as a second screen (SideKick) to the discontinuation of the iTunes app and new apps like ScreenTime, which are now also available for macOS as well as iOS. Not quite as glamorous, but just as relevant for macOS users are numerous changes and enhancements in terms of security. macOS is considered to be quite robust against classical attack vectors, not least because there are several factors that restrict how macOS flexible users can be in their software choices in comparison with Windows. The positive side effect is that the macOS security architecture is more resilient and less vulnerable to attack. macOS Catalina is now an entirely 64-bit operating system and can also be controlled by voice commands.
Here is a brief rundown of the most important new security features:
Apple's many changes and enhancements show how seriously the manufacturer from Cupertino takes security. New security updates have already been released since the official launch. Apple has also now opened its doors to some third-party developers when it comes to security. Although previously notorious for its restrictive developer access, Apple has been a reliable partner of NCP for years in the area of Virtual Private Network (VPN). This allowed NCP to present version 4.00 of the NCP macOS clients , which are compatible with macOS Catalina at the same time Apple launched the new version of macOS. The NCP macOS clients are certified by Apple and have been signed since version 4.0. As the new NCP macOS client is a 64-bit application, it is fully compatible with macOS Catalina.
The NCP Secure macOS Clients are highly secure communication software for use in any remote access VPN environment. They include an integrated dynamic personal firewall, data encryption, strong authentication (including fingerprint authentication), multi-certificate support and IKEv2 support with IKEv2 Redirect. The macOS keychain can also be used as a certificate store.
With its own efforts to make macOS as secure as possible right from the start, Apple sets a good example in an industry that takes a reactive approach to security far too often. Together with reliable, expert partners such as NCP, a Mac can become a highly secure computing device protected against the majority of attack vectors.