Spotlight search in OS X Yosemite exposes private user details to spammers Search feature overrides widely used setting blocking remote images.
by Dan Goodin Jan 9 2015 Ars Technica Using the Spotlight search feature in OS X Yosemite can leak IP addresses and private details to spammers and other e-mail-based scammers, according to tests independently performed by two news outlets. The potential privacy glitch affects people who have configured the Mac Mail App to turn off the "load remote content in messages" setting, as security experts have long advised. Spammers, stalkers, and online marketers often use remote images as a homing beacon to surreptitiously track people opening e-mail. Because the images are hosted on sites hosted by the e-mail sender, the sender can log the IP address that viewed the message, as well as the times and how often the message was viewed, and the specific e-mail addresses that received the message. Many users prefer to keep their e-mail addresses, IP addresses, and viewing habits private, a goal that's undermined by the viewing of remote images. ... http://arstechnica.com/security/2015/01/spotlight-search-in-yosemite-exposes-private-user-details-to-spammers/ _______________________________________________ Medianews mailing list [email protected] http://etskywarn.net/mailman/listinfo/medianews_etskywarn.net
