Operating Systems – PossibleThreat Articles

The most significant number from Samsung's Galaxy S24 announcement

January 19, 2024 0 Comments Android, Google, Operating Systems, Privacy, samsung electronics, Security, smartphones, software provider

My goodness, there’s a lot to be said about Samsung’s newly announced Galaxy S24 family of flagship Android devices.

Aaaaand, spoiler alert: We won’t be saying most of those things here, in this column, today.

Now, don’t get me wrong: Samsung’s latest and greatest Galaxy models have tons of good stuff going for ’em. From the eye-catching hardware to the specs to end all specs, Samsung rarely holds back with its top-of-the-line Android offerings. And this year’s devices appear to be no exception.

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ComputerWorld Independent

Message to IT: Yes, you should install Apple security updates

October 4, 2023 0 Comments Apple, it management, MacOS, Operating Systems, Security

While it’s not universally the case, many businesses actively using Macs for work may not be paying enough attention to ensuring those devices are secured, according to cloud security provider Qualys, which estimates that just over half of Macs remain unprotected by recent security patches.

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ComputerWorld Independent

New law could turn UK into a hacker's playground

August 25, 2023 0 Comments Apple, Operating Systems, Privacy, Security

It looks as if people are at last waking up to a second extraordinarily dangerous requirement buried within a UK government bill designed to promote the nation as a surveillance state. It means bureaucrats can delay or prevent distribution of essential software updates, making every computer user far less secure.

A poor law

This incredibly damaging limitation is just one of the many bad ideas buried in the UKs latest piece of shoddy tech regulation, the Investigatory Powers Act. What makes the law doubly dangerous is that in the online world, you are only ever as secure as your least secure friend, which means UK businesses will likely suffer by being flagged as running insecure versions of operating systems.

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ComputerWorld Independent

Apple's disappearing Rapid Security Response update (u)

July 11, 2023 0 Comments Apple, iOS, MacOS, Operating Systems, Security

Apple on Monday distributed its latest Rapid Security Response update to iPhones, iPads, and Macs, rolling out an important security patch to protect devices against a recently identified attack Apple says is already in active use.

“Apple is aware of a report that this issue may have been actively exploited,” the company said in its security note.

That’s bad, as it means someone somewhere has already been attacked using this vulnerability. The patch repairs a flaw found in WebKit in which processing web content could lead to arbitrary code execution.

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ComputerWorld Independent

Apple's disappearing Rapid Security Response update

July 11, 2023 0 Comments Apple, iOS, MacOS, Operating Systems, Security

“Apple is aware of a report that this issue may have been actively exploited,” the company said in its security note.

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ComputerWorld Independent

Google I/O and the curious case of the missing Android version

May 16, 2023 0 Comments Android, Google, Mobile, Operating Systems, Privacy, Security, small and medium business

With Google’s I/O announcement expo now firmly in the rearview mirror, it’s time for us to enter the inevitable next phase of any tech-tinted revelation — and that’s the careful contemplation of everything we’ve just experienced.

It’s my favorite phase of all, personally, as it lets us really dive in and analyze everything with a fine-toothed comb to uncover all the subtle significance that isn’t always apparent on the surface.

And this year, my goodness, is there some splendid stuff to pore over.

Specific to the realm of Android, the sharp-eyed gumshoes over at 9to5Google noticed that this year’s under-development new Android version, Android 14, was mentioned by name only one time during the entire 2,000-hour Google I/O keynote.

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ComputerWorld Independent

Businesses, beware: The Motorola ThinkPhone comes with a major caveat

May 2, 2023 0 Comments Android, Operating Systems, Privacy, productivity software, Security, smartphones

Let me just preface this by saying: No, the saga we’re about to dive into isn’t in any way related to April Fools’ — as far as I can tell, anyway. After all, we’re at the start of May.

And yet, one of Android’s best-known phone-makers is putting out a new device with such eye-rollingly off-the-mark claims, I can’t help but wonder if maybe they got mixed up on months and meant this to be a joke. It’s so hilariously and obviously ironic, I’m just not sure what else to make of it.

So here it is: Motorola’s got a new business-aimed Android phone called the Motorola ThinkPhone. It’s the first time the company — which has been owned by Lenovo since 2014, when Google broke our hearts and pawned the brand off after a glorious 20 months of control — is bringing a classic Lenovo name into the Motorola and Android arena this prominently.

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ComputerWorld Independent

Hey, Google: It's time to step up your Pixel upgrade promise

December 2, 2022 0 Comments Android, Google, Operating Systems, Privacy, Security, smartphones

Look, it’s no big secret that I’m a fan of Google’s Pixel program.

I’ve personally owned Pixel phones since the first-gen model graced our gunk-filled pockets way back in 2016. And Pixels have been the only Android devices I’ve wholeheartedly recommended for most folks ever since.

There’s a reason. And more than anything, it comes down to the software and the overall experience Google’s Pixel approach provides.

Part of that is the Pixel’s interface and the lack of any unnecessary meddling and complication — including the absence of confusing (and often privacy-compromising) duplicative apps and services larded onto the phone for the manufacturer’s business benefit and at the expense of your user experience.
Part of it is the unmatched integration of exceptional Google services and exclusive Google intelligence that puts genuinely useful stuff you’ll actually benefit from front and center and makes it an integrated part of the Pixel package.
And, yes, part of it is the Pixel upgrade promise and the fact that Pixel phones are still the only Android devices where both timely and reliable software updates are a built-in feature and guarantee.

[Psst: Got a Pixel? Any Pixel? Check out my free Pixel Academy e-course to uncover all sorts of advanced intelligence lurking within your phone!]

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ComputerWorld Independent

WWDC22: Apple brings declarative device management to the Mac?

June 6, 2022 0 Comments Apple, MacOS, mobile device management, Operating Systems, Security, Software Development

Credit to Author: Jonny Evans| Date: Mon, 06 Jun 2022 08:11:00 -0700

More opportunities for engineers and developers to implement declarative device management solutions are likely to emerge at WWDC 2022, at least, according to MacAdmins.

Speaking during the pre-event podcast, speakers argue that Apple will eventually require that all mobile device management (MDM) providers introduce support for declarative management. Might this include bringing declarative device management to the Mac?

What is declarative device management?

Apple first introduced declarative device management last year, largely for two reasons: to make devices more proactive, and to reduce the impact on MDM servers that handle large fleets of devices. This should boost performance and scalability.

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ComputerWorld Independent

Android 12 Upgrade Report Card: What a weird year

April 5, 2022 0 Comments Android, Google, Operating Systems, productivity software, samsung electronics, Security, smartphones, software provider

Credit to Author: JR Raphael| Date: Tue, 05 Apr 2022 03:00:00 -0700

In the world of software, six months is an eternity.

Heck, look at how much has happened over the past six months since Android 12 came into the universe. Google started and then finished a hefty 0.1-style update that lays the groundwork for significant large-screen improvements to the Android experience. And it’s now well into the public development phase of its next big Android version, Android 13 — which is the rapidly forming release on most folks’ minds at this point.

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