December 2023
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Windows 11 – Features added to Windows 11 since version 22H2. Touch-optimized taskbar for 2-in-1 devices, Copilot in Windows, the Dev Home app, and Dev Drive are available.
December changes coming to Windows 11.
“Suggestions” is the newest annoying feature. It advertises new features added in Windows updates. Despite Microsoft’s saying that Windows 10 would have no further feature updates, some have shown up anyway. So you’ll get the “ad.”
Fortunately, you can control this. Go to Settings | System | Notifications & actions. You’ll find a list of options, as shown in Figure 1.
Copilot is available now for eligible Windows 10 devices.
We recommend using the Edge browser – The login to MS 365 and the built-in AI are compelling features. Most of the annoying home page settings can be turned off using the gear icon on a new tab:
You can still use Google Search: Settings / Privacy, search, and services / Address bar and search:
Known issues with the New Teams
Microsoft 365 Defender is now renamed Microsoft Defender XDR.
The Right to Repair Act, Signed into law, guarantees everyone access to parts, tools, and manuals needed to fix their electronic devices. Many devices get around this by tying hardware to software only on one specific device.
Broadcom purchased VMWare. Broadcom to lay off 1,300 VMware employees following takeover.
Why some Banks are closing down customer accounts.
Software License Agreements: Ignore at Your Own Risk (PDF).
See also the Mozilla Foundation’s *Privacy Not Included site listing vendors policies.
Dr. Joan Donovan, one of the world’s leading experts on social media disinformation, was fired from Harvard after a $500 million donation from Facebook owner’s family stifled her teams research.
QuickBooks
Intuit is aggressively pushing users toward their online software.
QBD 2023 is significantly more expensive than QuickBooks Online (QBO). QBD 2023 edition costs $549 yearly, while QBO plans start at $180.
After July 31, 2024, Intuit will no longer sell new subscriptions to the following products:
QuickBooks Desktop Pro Plus
QuickBooks Desktop Premier Plus
QuickBooks Desktop Mac Plus
QuickBooks Desktop Enhanced Payroll
QB will continue to provide updates and support for existing subscribers (for now).
Desktop Enhanced Payroll will not be discontinued in 2024. This is a stop sell only for new purchases, not a discontinuation (sunset) of this product line.
Accountants can continue purchasing new subscriptions of QuickBooks Desktop Core Accountant Software (ProAdvisor Program Premier Plus, ProAdvisor Program Enterprise, and Standalone QuickBooks Desktop Accountant Edition) after the stop sell date of July 31, 2024. These products will only be available for sale upon request in the Accountant Sales Channel: 844-437-2620.
QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise products are not impacted by this change, and customers can continue to purchase Enterprise subscriptions after July 31, 2024.
QB Desktop 2021 is the last version you can run with the one-time license. Newer desktop versions are a paid subscription. Access to QuickBooks desktop payroll, desktop payments, live technical support, online and other services through QuickBooks Desktop 2021 software will be discontinued after May 31, 2024.
QuickBooks Online is a cloud-based service. This means that users access the software through a web browser or application instead of using an on-board application. This requires an internet connection, but you can access it from anywhere that has one, regardless of distance.
QuickBooks online subscriptions are per company file– this can get quite expensive for accountants who access many client files.
If you are considering moving to QB online, verify that any integrations with other software will continue to work. Features missing in QuickBooks Online.
QuickBooks Desktop QuickBooks Online
CHATBOTS and AI
AI is starting to outperform meteorologists. Machine learning-based weather prediction is outshining traditional programs.
Amazon’s cloud computing division announced a flashy new AI chatbot aimed at businesses called Amazon Q — not to be confused with OpenAI’s secretive Q*, pronounced Q star, rumored to be a separate and powerful new AI system. According to leaked documents, Q is reportedly suffering from “severe hallucinations” and is actively “leaking confidential data.”
Google Just Launched Gemini, Its Long-Awaited Answer to ChatGPT. More from The Verge.
SECURITY
Seventy percent of ransomware attacks that Microsoft sees target SMBs with fewer than 500 staff.
ID Theft Service resold access to USInfoSearch data.
Since at least February 2023, a service advertised on Telegram called USiSLookups allows anyone to look up the SSN or background report on virtually any American. Prices range from $8 to $40.
Massive amounts of data about you and your personal history are available from USinfoSearch and dozens of other data brokers that acquire and sell “non-FCRA” data — i.e., consumer data that cannot be used to determine one’s eligibility for credit, insurance, or employment.
Okta: Breach Affected All Customer Support Users.
It’s Still Easy for Anyone to Become You at Experian.
Identity thieves simply re-registered the accounts using a different email address. Sixteen months later, Experian has not addressed this gaping lack of security.
A surveillance program known as Data Analytical Services (DAS) has allowed law enforcement agencies to mine the details of domestic phone calls for more than a decade without a warrant.
Zero-Day Alert: Apple iOS, macOS, and Safari Patches for 2 Actively Exploited Flaws. Update your devices.
23andMe confirmed that the attackers collected the personal data of about 5.5 million people who had opted in to DNA Relatives, as well as information from an additional 1.4 million DNA Relatives users who “had their Family Tree profile information accessed.”
HIPAA Password Requirements. HIPAA legal requirements apply to companies that handle “protected” health information.
“Lafourche Medical Group failed to conduct a risk analysis to identify potential threats or vulnerabilities to electronic protected health information across the organization as required by HIPAA. OCR also discovered that Lafourche Medical Group had no policies or procedures in place to regularly review information system activity to safeguard protected health information.” They were fined $480,000.
HUMOR
TORIAN GROUP
We are providing another layer of protection from phishing and malicious web links for our managed service clients at no charge. DNS filter is a product that looks at outbound web traffic and blocks it if it goes to a known malicious web location. We will install it unless you inform us not to. See the article sent with this newsletter for details.
We will be raising our hourly rate to $155/Hr. to keep up with costs starting in January. This is a 3.3% increase. We want to retain our excellent staff.
Tim Torian