This week’s surprise news is that—a year after Fujitsu announced it wouldn’t support older ScanSnap scanners in Catalina—the company has reversed course and released ScanSnap Manager V7 for macOS 10.15 Catalina. The rest of our issue revolves around security and webcams. First, on the security front, Apple has started a program that gives specially modified iPhones to security researchers to aid in their investigations. More immediately useful for those concerned about webcam spying is Micro Snitch, a utility that warns you when apps activate your Mac’s webcam or microphone. And if you’ve been unable to get a better webcam for your Mac, Glenn Fleishman provides a look at Camo, a system that lets you press your iPhone into service as a Mac webcam. Notable Mac app releases this week include Fantastical 3.1.2 and Carbon Copy Cloner 5.1.20.
If you’re afraid that your webcam may be spying on you, Micro Snitch from Objective Development monitors your Mac’s webcam and microphone, alerting you when an app activates them and maintaining a log of all activity.
Since the release of Catalina, owners of older ScanSnap scanners have been scrambling to find a way to keep their devices functioning after Fujitsu refused to upgrade its software. In a surprising—and very late—move, Fujitsu has released the 64-bit ScanSnap Manager V7, which includes support for some previously end-of-lifed scanners.
In an effort to encourage more security researchers to look for security vulnerabilities in iOS, Apple will provide approved researchers with a Security Research Device, a custom iPhone with key security controls disabled. It’s a good way for Apple to engage more fully with the security community.
A new system from Reincubate lets you use your iPhone’s camera as a virtual camera for your Mac, giving you a higher-quality option for videoconferencing services and other video apps. Plus, Camo provides unprecedented control over the iPhone camera’s settings and features.
Watchlist
Maintenance release with numerous improvements and fixes for the calendar app. ($39.99 new, free update, 22.6 MB)
Drive-cloning and backup utility reverts to using its own file copier for establishing new bootable backups after the macOS Catalina 10.15.6 update. ($39.99 new, free update, 14.6 MB)
