![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.intego.com\/mac-security-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/2024-apple-year-in-security-review-600x300-1.jpg\")
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Throughout the year 2024, there has been plenty of security and privacy news that impacts Apple users. Apple operating systems received a record number of security fixes. New security and privacy features were released in iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia. And we saw a significant increase in the quantity and variety of scams\u2014including the use of AI to try to scam people via email, voice calls, and even videos.<\/p>\n
Here are some highlights of several major security and privacy issues that affected Apple devices, operating systems, and users in 2024.<\/p>\n
And stay tuned to The Mac Security Blog and subscribe to our free e-mail newsletter<\/a> for our upcoming companion article about malware affecting Apple devices in 2024.<\/em><\/p>\n In mid-January, Google patched its first zero-day vulnerability of the year<\/a>; there would be more to come later in the year. This and other Chrome vulnerabilities are present in all browsers and other apps that use the Chromium engine; these include Edge, Brave, Vivaldi, Opera, and Opera GX. Users of these browsers need to regularly update the apps, and this often occurs automatically when quitting and relaunching the browser.<\/p>\n But it’s not just browsers that are based on Chromium; apps using the Electron framework are also at risk. Read Chromium vulnerabilities threaten Electron app security<\/a> for more on this issue.<\/p>\n Chrome would require patches for more zero-day vulnerabilities throughout the year, eventually reaching ten in August. Read Google Chrome browser patches 9th and 10th zero-days of 2024<\/a>.<\/p>\n While this sort of scam started in 2023, it reached critical mass in 2024. As we describe in Fake \u201cGeek Squad\u201d invoice scam, now using Housecall Pro servers<\/a>, people receive fake invoices sent from legitimate services to evade spam filters. The invoices talk about a subscription or a purchase that someone has made and give a phone number to call if there are any questions. The goal is to get people to phone the scammers, who try to convince them to install malware on their devices, allowing scammers to access data, get into their important accounts, and potentially steal money from their bank accounts.<\/p>\n We discussed these scams in episode 327<\/a> of the Intego Mac Podcast<\/a>.<\/p>\nJanuary<\/h3>\n
Google Chrome zero-day vulnerabilities<\/strong><\/h4>\n
Email invoice scams<\/strong><\/h4>\n