Goodman Consulting

02/25/2026

Some more devious macOS phishing attempts can cause serious financial harm and access your personal stuff. Make sure you learn how to avoid being "socially engineered".

Phishing attempts are becoming more aggressive and far more sophisticated across all computer platforms — including the Mac. For many years, Mac users were less frequently targeted, but that has changed. Demand for Macs has grown despite overall declining PC sales in the last few years and the sca...

09/16/2024

Apple Intelligence is coming soon (iOS and iPadOS 18.1 and macOS 15.1) and it’s very cool. I’ve been running the developer beta for a few months. Here’s the post on my web site about today’s OS releases and what you should know before doing it.

When Apple announced the new iPhones, Apple Watch, and AirPods last week, they didn’t talk about the upgrade for macOS , which will also be  released later today .  As you may (or may not) know,  macOS 15 Sequoia  is an exciting new upgr

09/08/2023

Software Update Alert! Do it now...

You may have been hearing a lot about advances Apple has been making in new iPhones, iPads and Macs and about new product announcements Apple will be making next Tuesday. Looks like some great new iPhones are on the way!

However, the information below is much more important as it is about the security of your devices, right now.

Today, Apple issued updates for macOS, iOS, iPadOS and watchOS to address a recently discovered security vulnerability.

This marks a new method of injecting the Pegasus spyware. This spyware never seems to go away because it’s very attractive and once resident on a device it grants tremendous capabilities to attackers. This installation of this kind of spyware generally involves physical access to your phone so always be vigilant when accessing web sites you don’t know and NEVER click on links from unknown senders in email or text messages. Just delete those messages. Also, refrain from having others you don’t know ever have access to your iPhone or iPad.

Several previous methods of installation have been dealt with but this one uses a new avenue to deliver the payload. This is also the same spyware used to target and ultimately kill the journalist Jamal Khashoggi (https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/interactive/2021/hanan-elatr-phone-pegasus/).

This article (https://citizenlab.ca/2023/09/blastpass-nso-group-iphone-zero-click-zero-day-exploit-captured-in-the-wild/) explains how this new exploit was discovered and reported

Unless you are a highly visible, public person that foreign states would have an interest in surveilling, I believe the risk to you is almost non-existent, but it is a simple matter to bring that risk to zero. At your earliest convenience please update your devices to the latest version, released today (macOS 13.5.2, iOS 16.6.1, iPadOS 16.6.1, and watchOS 9.6.2).

macOS: Apple Menu > System Settings > General > Software Update
iOS and iPadOS: Settings > General > Software Update
watchOS: Use the Watch app on your iPhone to update —> Watch App > Settings > General > Software Update

Please protect yourself and your friends and family by always applying security updates as soon as they become available….like right now.

If you have questions or I can be of assistance, please let me know.

Citizen Lab found an actively exploited zero-click vulnerability being used to deliver NSO Group’s Pegasus mercenary spyware while checking the device of an individual employed by a Washington DC-based civil society organization with international offices. We refer to the exploit chain as BLASTPAS...

10/20/2021

The new MacBook Pro laptops are here!! If you've been waiting for the new computers from Apple with as much anticipation as I have, you know the excitement that comes when the computer you've been wanting to use for so long is finally available! I've got a summary of Apple's announcements about this computer on my web site. If you've got any questions, feel free to drop my a line.

At its October 18th Unleashed event, Apple unveiled the new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models, powered by the impressive new M1 Pro and M1 Max chips

04/23/2021

Apple Announces New M1-Based 24-inch iMac, iPad Pro, AirTag, Apple TV 4K, and More.

Apple’s “Spring Loaded” event was indeed loaded with announcements, including the M1-based 24-inch iMac, M1-based iPad Pro, AirTag item tracker, updated Apple TV 4K with redesigned Siri Remote, and more.

Apple’s “Spring Loaded” event was indeed loaded with announcements, including the M1-based 24-inch iMac, M1-based iPad Pro, AirTag item tracker, updated Apple TV 4K with redesigned Siri Remote, and more

03/08/2021

Following up on the basics of macOS, the macOS Essentials 2 course will focus on more advanced System Preferences as well as standard macOS applications like Safari, Mail, Contacts, Calendar, Notes, Reminders, Messages, FaceTime, Music, Podcasts, News, Books, and some Apple utilities.

Take your choice of sessions (or both):
Wednesday, March 17, 3:00 - 6:00 PM PDT or
Thursday, March 18, 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM PDT

The course is $40 including a 20% discount applies until 11:50 PM, March 12. After that, full fee of $50 for the session will apply.

Register here: https://form.jotform.com/210536113991149

The course will be recorded and made available in a private Facebook group later for just the attendees.

Feel free to pass this on to your friends and family so they can get a real understanding of their Mac apps.

02/07/2021

macOS Training for the New Year!

New Year...New You!

Since we're all working from home much more (or exclusively!), it's time to realize those resolutions to finally get better at using your Mac and we've got some workshops that are right up your alley. Whether you're a brand new Mac user, a long-time Mac user who just knows enough to get by or a seasoned Mac user that wants to take your skills to the next level, there's a workshop for you.

Since I’ve been in the computer consulting, training and remote support field for nearly 34 years, I’d like to offer my personal training to you to up your game. I’m going to start with a macOS Essentials 1 workshop where we’ll cover just about everything about macOS — the Finder, the Dock, System Preferences, organizing files, basic iCloud, and more.

We’ll follow that up with macOS Essentials 2 in a few weeks where we’ll go over specific applications that come with the Mac such as Safari, Mail, Contacts, Calendar, Notes, Reminders, Messages, FaceTime, Music, Podcasts, News, Books and more.

A few weeks after that, we’ll do a Power User workshop where we’ll cover many hidden features most seasoned Mac users don't even know. You'll learn secrets to customizing the Finder and your Desktop; Mouse, Trackpad and keyboard shortcuts; Dictation; Essential Mac Security; Password saving techniques and Privacy options; Printer Management; Terminal tricks and so much more.

For now, we’re just opening up the signups for macOS Essentials 1. There will be two sessions (click on the session to sign up)

Session 1A: Wednesday, February 17, 3:00-6:00 PM PST

Session 1B: Thursday, February 18, 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM, PST

Sign up at https://www.goodmanconsulting.com/training

Each session is $50 and will cover the same information so it doesn’t matter which one you sign up for. We’ll leave enough time at the end for some questions so don’t feel intimidated if you have a specific question about a topic that hasn’t been covered.

I don’t expect that both sessions will completely sell out but know that there is a maximum of 100 attendees per session so sign up for the one you want sooner than later to make sure you get the time that works for you. The workshop will be recorded and will be made available in a private Facebook group that we’ll setup just for those that sign up.

Feel free to pass this message along to your friends and family members, too, if you’ve been the one that has been doing support for them and you want them to get more formal training, this might be the ticket!

12/04/2020

There’s a very cool new Mac app I’ve been beta testing for a couple months that just came out. CoScreen allows multiple people to connect and work on documents together on each other’s computers. Check it out! https://www.coscreen.co and https://www.producthunt.com/posts/coscreen-1-0.

Get more done together with our completely redesigned and now publicly available app with multi-user screen sharing, remote control, video chat, a new UI and Slack integration. “ is making remote better than in person” GitLab CEO Sid Sijbrandij

11/13/2020

Apple’s “One More Thing” turned out to be the company’s new M1 chip, which powers new models of the MacBook Air, 13-inch MacBook Pro, and Mac mini to new heights of performance and battery life. Learn more at https://www.goodmanconsulting.com/hottips/2020/11/13/apple-unveils-new-m1-powered-macbook-air-macbook-pro-and-mac-mini

macOS Big Sur elevates Mac to a new level of power and beauty with a refined new design, major app updates, and more transparency around your privacy.

11/13/2020

So many new operating systems—macOS 11 Big Sur, iOS 14, iPadOS 14, watchOS 7, and tvOS 14! We have a brief overview of the new features and calm advice on when you should upgrade each of your Apple devices to the latest and greatest.

As we get close to Thanksgiving, Apple has now pushed out major upgrades for macOS, iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, and tvOS. Apple previewed these new versions at its Worldwide Developers Conference back in June, and they’ve been in public beta for a few months. Now that Apple has made macOS 11 Big Sur, iO...