The Lökwest "Digital Life" - September 2019
And another summer is in the rear view! And with it, we look into the fall technology season, where everything starts ramping up to the holidays. Yes, there were already Halloween decorations in Albertson's yesterday!
Over the summer, security researchers were busy and the annual DefCon hacking conference was held. Needless to say, lots of devices we thought were secure.....well....not so much. Check out all the latest in this issue.
We've got our latest presentation on current online scams and updates on some of the latest security issues. But, we couldn't leave you on a bad note - check out a great new Google Photos feature, scary AI, new stick-on sensors, and more cool stuff!
Make September a great one! We'll see you next month.
All the latest ways to get scammed
Up to date on the latest threats? - Lökwest — ow.ly
We were back again this month with our Exploring Technology series. Start your fall off right with our free guide on the latest threats facing you online! Learn about phishing, hardware and software bugs, data leaks, and more!
While we're on security...
Apple Releases iOS 12.4.1, Fixing Major Security Bug — ow.ly
A friendly reminder that if you haven't updated your Apple devices, do so immediately. It's always good practice to update whenever you see the red number on the "settings" icon. Just make sure you're charged and on the wi-fi first!
Google warns billions of passwords have been hacked – how to check yours now — ow.ly
Most browser extensions are a no-no unless you really know what you're doing. Here's one we recommend. Google has released an extension that checks against known password hacks in real time. If you put in a password that has been sold before, the icon will alert you that you should update!
Microsoft warns Windows 10 users to update immediately — ow.ly
What's one thing malware likes to do? Turn off your Windows updates! Why? Because the bugs they're exploiting don't get fixed!
Microsoft is warning Windows 10 users to update their operating system immediately because of two "critical" vulnerabilities. These are bad ones and some have been around for years. Take a minute and make sure you're getting your updates today!
Malicious websites silently hacked into iPhones for years – TechCrunch — ow.ly
Security researchers at Google say they’ve found a number of malicious websites which, when visited, could quietly hack into a victim’s iPhone by exploiting a set of previously undisclosed software flaws.
The going rate for a "zero day", or previously undisclosed iPhone bug on the black market is in the seven figures. But, if someone has sufficient resources, they WILL get into your device.
For most of us, it's safe enough to keep our phones updated regularly. If the settings shows and update is available, take it unless told otherwise!
Do you need a new iPhone this year?
Apple’s next iPhone event will take place on September 10th — ow.ly
Hey iPhone fans! It's coming next week - the yearly iPhone event. The jury's still out on whether you'll see big changes this year. We think better (and multiple) cameras, and a slightly lower (albeit still expensive) price point due to some cut backs on components.
Should you buy the iPhone XS and XR right now? - 9to5Mac — ow.ly
New phones are coming out, meaning last year's models are getting cheaper. So, is it worth it to spring for the new iPhone or is the X series an even better deal one year in? A great run down from 9to5 Mac. One thing's for sure, wait until after the Apple announcements on the 10th!
And on to the cool stuff...
Search for text in your pictures with Google Photos — ow.ly
Yet another reason to ditch that crappy Gallery app your carrier put on your phone. Switch to Google Photos already! Not only does it have unlimited free backup (ahem iCloud?), but now this feature is included.
Google Photos announced via Twitter this week that starting this month, users will be able to search for photos via the text that's in them. For example, if you have a photo of a stop sign, you could go back and search for "stop" in the search bar and retrieve that photo. That's just cool. 😎
Alexa adds in-depth NFL stats ahead of the new season — ow.ly
You can be just as smart as your fantasy football geek friends with Alexa! She's now loaded up with team stats, football answers, scores, and even game predictions. And, it's got college and some high school games covered too!
5 ways Amazon Alexa can entertain your bored self — ow.ly
And if you're not into football and are bored when everyone else is watching football - check out these tips to use Alexa to entertain!
Straight to the future...
Flexible stick-on sensors could wirelessly monitor your sweat and pulse — ow.ly
As people strive ever harder to minutely quantify every action they do, the sensors that monitor those actions are growing lighter and less invasive. Two prototype sensors from crosstown rivals Stanford and Berkeley stick right to the skin and provide a wealth of physiological data.
Talk to Transformer - it's creepy!
If you want to see how easy it is to generate "fake news" with AI, you have to try this out. It's creepily good. You type something and the AI generates the answer. (and they have only released the "watered down" version to the public for security reasons 😮)
Here's an example. I told transformer the bold - the rest is made up with AI. Would you be able to tell if a human wrote it?
Data privacy is very important to the common person, but they often don't take the time to implement steps to be private. To be truly private however, you need to be able to monitor and control who and what you see on the internet.
Most of us are aware of who we might be sharing our location data with, and many of us have some level of understanding of the potential privacy concerns. It would be great if we could prevent ourselves from sharing what we are doing when we are using social media such as Facebook, however, there's nothing like an online privacy solution if you can't use it right away.
You've probably heard of the Tor browser, but there is a more sophisticated browser called Tor Browser. While an effective tool for protecting your privacy on the internet through the anonymizing web, it is also very useful for internet browsing. Tor Browser will not be covered here, but you can easily install it using this tutorial.
In tech history...Happy Birthday Alexa!
2014 – Amazon announced a smart speaker called the Amazon Echo with a voice-activated assistant called Alexa. It cost $199 but was available for $99 to Amazon Prime members who had to ask for an invite to purchase one.
And, yes, we were among the invitees in the first batch! 🙂
Read the original release here!
Free tech talk September 26th!
Our monthly Exploring Technology talk is on a Thursday the month, and we've got another great topic!
Fall is back to school time, but it's also time for new phones from several manufacturers. Come learn about what's new this year and how much it'll cost if you want to upgrade. We'll be covering Google, Samsung, Apple, and more!
Join us Thursday, the 26th at 1:30 PM!
Location TBD - see scvillage.org
Free football schedule!
We still have glossy new football schedules waiting for your fridge! Stay on top of the Rams, Chargers, UCLA, and USC and remember your favorite San Clemente tech coaches all season! 🙂
Just hit reply and we'll hook you up!
