Every iPhone owner urged to change security settings TODAY or risk hack attack

YOUR iPhone has a bunch of handy features to help protect it from hackers.

From making your passwords safer to rendering your Apple ID almost impenetrable, here are the iPhone security settings worth knowing about.

Face ID

Once the preserve of sci-fi movies, facial recognition is now a mainstream technology.

Basically, it's a way of identifying or verifying who a person by scanning their face with a computer.

Its main use is to make sure a person is who they say there are – like Apple's Face ID, which uses facial recognition to unlock your iPhone.

To set up Face ID:

• Go to Settings > Face ID & Passcode. If asked, enter your passcode.
• Tap Set Up Face ID. 
• Make sure you're holding your device in portrait orientation, position your face in front of your device, and tap Get Started.
• Position your face inside the frame and gently move your head to complete the circle. If you're unable to move your head, tap Accessibility Options.
• When you've finished the first Face ID scan, tap Continue.
• Gently move your head to complete the circle for a second time.
• Tap Done.

Two-factor authentication

Setting up two-factor authentication (2FA) is one of the easiest ways to stop hackers in their tracks.

It protects your account by requiring an extra level of verification before logging in - on top of your password.

It means that if your password has been hacked (or guessed), your account will still be safe.

You can activate 2FA on your Apple ID - the account which contain user personal information and settings, and which you need for iCloud.

Once enabled, you'll be required to enter a special code sent via text or email, which you enter to log in addition to your password.

iCloud keychain

Every iPhone has a powerful tool that makes it tricky for hackers to hijack your accounts.

It's called the iCloud Keychain – and lets you quickly and easily block hackers from snooping on you.

We're constantly told to choose complicated passwords – but that's difficult with so many accounts.

iCloud Keychain remembers the passwords you type on your phone, encrypts them, and stores them in the cloud.

It allows you to choose very strong passwords without having to remember them – your phone will simply enter them for you at log in.

This is one of the best defences against hackers.

To set it up on your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch, follow these steps:

• Tap Settings > [your name] > iCloud (on iOS 10.2 or earlier, it's just Settings > iCloud)
• Tap Keychain
• Tap the slider to turn on iCloud Keychain

Strong password

The Safari web browser has a special feature called Strong Passwords.

When you sign up to a service on Safari, you'll get an option to use an auto-generated password that's very difficult for hackers to crack.

This password is automatically saved in your iCloud Keychain so you don't even have to remember it.

You can also add passwords you already have into the Keychain.

But one of the best features is the password re-use alert.

It's important to never use the same password on multiple accounts. If you do re-use passwords, hackers who break into one account can then get access to others.

Your Safari Saved Passwords will alert you when you have two passwords that match, and suggest a change for you.

In other news, scientists are embarking on a mission to unravel the mystery behind dozens of grisly child mummies buried in a Sicilian catacomb.

Police have caught an Italian mafia henchman who'd be on the run for 20 years after spotting the fugitive on Google Maps.

One of the best-preserved fossils ever found has confirmed that young dinosaurs burst from their shells just like baby birds.

And, an eagle-eyed Reddit user has spotted a $2billion flying stealth bomber on Google Maps.

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