California Streaming
From new iPhones that look a lot like old iPhones to bigger Apple watches, here’s everything Apple announced at their recent virtual event. The annual launch event streamed from Apple headquarters in Cupertino, California on September 14, 2021.
The iPhone 13 made it’s debut with 4 versions to choose from, ranging from an inexpensive Mini to a feature-packed Max Pro. The design differences are minor from current iPhones, but the notorious notch has been sized down. Each phone is running on Apple’s new A15 Bionic chip, allowing for enhanced features, and storage options have also gotten a boost. A new video feature called Cinematic Mode was announced plus the camera received updates to three available lenses – telephoto, wide, and ultrawide.
The iPad Mini received a sizeable update; the iPad is thinner, with a slightly bigger screen. The home button is gone, the Touch ID sensor has been moved to the outer rim, and the bottom now contains a USB-C port. The base-model, and cheapest iPad, received updates to its performance, getting an A13 Bionic chip, as well as updates to its camera.
The newest smartwatch, the Apple Watch Series 7, has an enhanced display and an enlarged screen. Other updates felt iterative and didn’t live up to the rumored major redesign. Fitness+, Apple’s subscription service, announced group workouts and new workout categories. To learn more details about everything announced at the recent Apple event, visit here.
Cybercriminals on LinkedIn
LinkedIn is potentially being used as a medium for cybercriminals to connect with victims, posing as any employer they want to. With lax verification around what company is offering a given job on LinkedIn, attackers are seeing an opportunity to create fake job postings for malicious purposes.
Threat actors can now impersonate being part of a legitimate company when posting a job; this approach is a highly powerful social engineering tactic being used in recent times. Since LinkedIn is a well established site that potential candidates often use, it creates a perfect cyber-storm for cybercriminals. Security researchers have even walked through the posting process to confirm there is no need to validate the company one is purported to work for. On the flip side, the victim may feel that they are initiating the connection and are invested in following the process through to completion, without sensing any threat.
To learn more about cybercriminals using LinkedIn for attacks, and how to protect against social media phishing, visit here.
Coming Soon: Windows 11
Microsoft has officially confirmed the Windows 11 release date for October 5, 2021. With the new OS comes a brand new desktop look, a major UI redesign, and various changes to the core Microsoft OS apps and services that PC gaming heavily relies on. Microsoft says Windows 11 was “built for gamers”.
While the new OS was officially announced during the June “What’s next for Windows” Microsoft event, it had been previously leaked about a week earlier so was not much of a surprise. Still, the new expected changes are exciting to look forward to! While Windows 11 will be available for new machines starting next month, updates for existing Microsoft 10 users are expected for early 2022, and Microsoft hopes by mid-2022 to have Microsoft 11 offered to every remaining compatible machine. For eligible machines, the upgrade will be free.
To learn details about the new UI, the redesigned Microsoft Store, and more, including system requirements for the upgrade, visit here.
