November 2023

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Windows 11 23H2 is now available through Windows Update for Business. It will show as an optional update as it rolls out. It will turn on Copilot by default.

If you are on Windows 11 22H2 (Released November 2022) or later before updating to 23H2, the upgrade will be rapid. If you are on an older version, it is a reinstall of Windows and takes a while.

Here’s what’s new (also included in the Windows 11 (Moment 4) update). Technical details.

Reminder:

Windows 11 21H2 (released November 2021) is now unsupported.

Windows Server 2012 is now unsupported. There will be no more security updates.

The Outlook installed with the Windows 11 update is not Outlook desktop for Office 365. It is replacing the Mail and Calendar apps. Icons are very similar, which can be confusing.

Outlook Desktop also has a toggle to try the New Outlook, which is the same Outlook (new) that comes with the Windows update.

We recommend uninstalling the Outlook (new) app and not “upgrading” to the new Outlook in the desktop app.

The existing Outlook desktop software will continue to work for the foreseeable future.

Outlook (new) is a web app on the desktop. It provides some integration with Outlook Online (OWA) but has significant limitations: Shared calendars are difficult to find, PST files are unsupported, and Add-ins and linked software may not work. It won’t work offline – internet access is required.

In late 2024, Outlook (new) is scheduled to start replacing Outlook desktop for Windows and Mac.

It is missing critical features and will not work with your existing add-ins or linked software.

Feature list.

Another negative review from MS forum.

Another review with a detailed feature list.

Outlook (new) is also being used to enforce software licensing rules in new ways. It links only to mailboxes with a matching Microsoft 365 license.

If you have launched Outlook (new), you can still use the old Outlook. Note that if the Microsoft instructions do not work, you can do a repair install of Office, and it will reinstall your desktop version.

There is a new “Teams App that installs with Windows 11. It replaces Chat. This is not Teams for Business or the “New Teams for Business.” It can be confusing. The Chat app has been renamed Microsoft Teams (Free) and is now pinned to the taskbar by default. If you use Teams for business, you can uninstall it.

Teams (now Teams for Business Classic) Users will be updated automatically to New Teams for Business (sometimes called an app in MS documentation) after March 31, 2024. This is unrelated to the Teams App that comes with Windows 11.

It is a complete reinstall of Teams, which can be enabled by a toggle in Teams on the top right.

It is faster, uses less memory, and supports multiple Teams tenants (domains/companies).

Reviews are mostly positive: The Verge; Lazy Admin; Technical details.

There are still some bugs to be worked out: Known issues. Problems reported. Irritating Popup Messages.

The help button within teams has a “What’s new” menu option, which is quite helpful.

We recommend waiting a bit longer to upgrade unless you are willing to put up with some quirks.

Microsoft has stopped supporting connections from Office 2019 and Office 2016 to their Microsoft 365 online services.

Microsoft now wants you to take a poll before installing Google Chrome.

Google makes passkeys the default sign-in for personal accounts.

Changes to QuickBooks Desktop Payroll Basic and Standard – price increase and forcing users to Enhanced Payroll.

California lawmakers expanded the CCPA’s definition of sensitive personal information to include a consumer’s citizenship or immigration status. The California Delete Act was also amended.

Intel Launches Intel Core 14th Gen Desktop Processors – Faster and AI capable.

CHATBOTS and AI

Microsoft Copilot pricing announced- Minimum 300 users @a$30/month = $100,000+ per year.

This is unrelated to the AI feature in Bing Chat.

US AI executive order announced.

Alibaba upgrades the AI model Tongyi Qianwen. This is the Chinese version.

The Mia Hand prosthetic, fused with bone and connected to the nervous system:

Developing an AI policy.

SECURITY

Okta tells 5,000 of its staff that their data was accessed in a third-party breach.

Okta provides security for user logins to various products for SSO (Single Sign On).

Okta disclosed that threat actors breached its support case management system using stolen credentials. “No Okta customer data is impacted by this incident.”

Cloudflare also detected malicious activity on their systems on October 18th, two days before Okta disclosed the incident. Like BeyondTrust, the threat actors used an authentication token stolen from Okta’s support system to pivot into Cloudflare’s Okta instance and gain administrative privileges.

1Password discloses security incident linked to Okta breach. 1Password response.

Tri Counties Bank hacked.

Information that could have been impacted includes names, Social Security numbers, driver’s license numbers, financial account information, health insurance information, mother’s maiden name, and more.

Flipper Zero is a pocket-sized, dolphin-themed hacking tool. It can open NFC-based locks, hack access points, and even send keyboard commands to unsuspecting laptops and PCs.

Hacker leaks millions of new 23andMe genetic data profiles.

HUMOR

TORIAN GROUP

We are providing another layer of protection from phishing and malicious web links for our managed 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 on request and contact you with more information.

Tim Torian

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