Welcome to Tech Wrap-Up Week 13 2023, an Apple-centric week due to the release of iOS 16.4 and the emergence of MacStealer malware. Today, we look back at this week’s ten most engaging stories from the Tech Help Knowledgebase social media feeds. We order the story summaries below by user engagement (posts with the most likes, shares, clicks, hashtag clicks, and detail expands) and by the number of impressions they received. Stories are in descending order with the most engaging story first. Our human-curated social media feeds include links to technology news, how-to and help articles, and video tutorials for common issues.
Stories curated for our feeds are from our staff writers or culled from third-party sources that produce content related to the categories covered by our site. See the summaries and links below for this week’s top stories by user engagement. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube to interact with our feeds.
Top 10 Most Engaging Stories This Week
1. New malware steals Mac passwords & sends them with Telegram (Apple Insider)
A new malware called MacStealer infects Intel and Apple Silicon Macs. The malware steals passwords, credit card info, and other personal data. Security researchers Uptycs have discovered three Windows-based malware families that take advantage of messaging service Telegram. The team has now found a version designed for Mac users.
2. iOS 16.4 on Your iPhone: Every New Feature to Try Now (CNet)
Apple’s iOS 16.4 update brings new features to your iPhone. The update includes 31 new emojis, Voice Isolation for cellular calls, the ability to find duplicate photos in shared albums, and more. Apple Books, Apple Music, and Apple Podcasts all received updates too. Here are Apple’s release notes for iOS 16.4.
3. MacStealer malware grabs passwords, files, and credit card details (9 to 5 Mac)
Makers of a new malware threat called MacStealer designed to steal sensitive information from Mac users. MacStealer is not digitally signed, and Gatekeeper would block it on most Macs. The malware does not require an update to macOS in order to block it since a simple update to X-Protect could block it.
4. iPhone users say Apple’s new iOS 16.4 update is RUINING their battery life (Daily Mail)
iPhone users have reported that Apple’s new iOS 16.4 update is ruining their battery life. Users have taken to Twitter to complain about their devices no longer holding charge, having overheating issues, and no longer connecting to Siri.
5. Google Warns Against Commercial Spyware Exploiting Zero-Days (Infosecurity Magazine)
Google’s Threat Analysis Group (TAG) has warned against commercial spyware exploiting zero-days. The group has revealed tracking over 30 commercial spyware vendors that facilitate the spread of malware by government-backed threat actors. The group has detailed two recent campaigns that were “both limited and highly targeted.” The campaigns exploited zero days and known vulnerabilities in Android, iOS, and Chrome, sparking an increase in “dangerous hacking tools.”
6. iOS 16.4 is out now with new emojis and critical security updates (Macworld)
iOS 16.4 includes 31 new emojis in the emoji keyboard and notifications for web apps on the Home Screen. Voice Isolation for cellular calls prioritizes your voice and blocks out ambient noise around you. Duplicates album in Photos expands support to detect duplicate photos and videos in an iCloud Shared Photo Library.
7. Google finds more Android, iOS zero-days used to install spyware (Bleeping Computer)
Google’s Threat Analysis Group (TAG) has discovered several zero-day vulnerabilities being actively exploited in the wild, affecting Android, iOS, and Chrome. These vulnerabilities were used to install spyware on targeted devices and steal sensitive information. The affected devices include the latest versions of Android and iOS, and Google recommends updating to the latest available version of the operating systems to mitigate the risk of exploitation. TAG has attributed these attacks to a likely state-sponsored group that has been active since at least 2020.
8. Apple releases security notes for iOS 16.4, watchOS 9.4, macOS Ventura 13.3 (Apple Insider)
Apple has released security fixes for iOS 16.4, watchOS 9.4, and macOS Ventura 13.3. The updates contain various patches for security vulnerabilities. According to Apple’s website, iOS 16.4, macOS Ventura 13.3, watchOS 9.4, and tvOS 16.4 fix dozens of security breaches that could be used by hackers.
9. Phishing emails soar as messages bypass standard email security solutions (Beta News)
According to a report by Cofense, phishing emails increased by 569% in 2022 and bypassed standard email security solutions. The report also highlights that delivery methods for carrying out phishing campaigns continue to keep up with the advancement of technology.
10. What is Web Push for Web Apps on iPhone and iPad? (Computerworld)
Web push notifications allow web apps to send notifications to users even when the app is not open, providing a similar experience to native apps. However, web push notifications on iOS have limitations, such as the inability to display images or videos in notifications. The article notes that web push notifications can be a useful tool for businesses to engage with users and drive traffic to their web apps.
Thank you for visiting Tech Help Knowledgebase to read the Tech Wrap-Up Week 13 2023, a summary of this week’s ten most engaging stories. If you liked this article, follow us on Twitter @techhelpkb and subscribe to our YouTube channel to keep in the loop.
Henry Irvine, Contributing Technology Writer, translates more than a decade of internet technology experience in product and customer relationship management into practical help and how-to content. Look for him on Bay Area trails, music venues, or sausage shacks when he’s not writing. Don’t call him Hank if you see him. Seriously. Hank on Twitter
