If your job is babysitting computers you probably already know this, but there's been two large security vulnerabilities going around the last few days with severity ratings of 9.8. First up is CVE-2022-1388, impacting F5's popular BIG-IP network devices and allows anyone with access to the admin page (unfortunately commonly left open on the public internet for remote access) to log-in as an admin. Today, a raft of VMware management software got pinged with CVE-2022-22954 & CVE-2022-22960 that when chained together allow remote code execution as root. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency reckons "advanced persistent threat actors" (i.e: state sponsored hackers, China, Russia etc) are taking advantage of it right now, possibly on your precious servers!
Tesla didn't make the cut in the S&P 500 Environmental, Social and Governance Index's annual re-balance, after which, Elon Musk called it "a scam" and "weaponized by phony social justice warriors". Tesla was removed due to lack of governance, lack of a low carbon strategy, poor handling of NHTSA's Autopilot investigation and the severe racism and poor working conditions in its Fremont factory. Elon argues that the fact oil and gas company ExxonMobil is on the list shows that the list is meaningless and he might be right, but damn dude, Exxon has a better climate plan than Tesla. The woke lefties at the renown snowflake factory Standards and Poors are out to get you Elon, yeah mate, sure, mmhmm.
Apple has "updated professional training and certifications for IT support and management", creating two new official Apple certifications - Apple Device Support and Apple Deployment and Management. It'll give you a piece of paper to show prospective employers you know how to support Macs, iPhones and iPads and use a mobile device management (MDM) system. There's online learning materials that are free to work through, with an exam that costs money to sit in order to get the certification. I'm sure places will pop up selling training for it if you don't want to self-study. If this thing interests you, you might also want to look into JAMF certification - a very popular MDM (and more) for Apple devices.
Fresh information from the ACCC collated by iTnews has given us the clearest picture of how many people pay for speeds above 100mbit on the NBN. The answer is, not many. As of the end of March 2022 there are 43,000 premises on "Home Ultrafast" (i.e: 1000/50) and 161,000 on 250mbit. The vast majority are on 50mbit (approx 4.8m) and 100mbit (1.3m). Though I wonder how many more people on 250mbit would bump up to 1000mbit if their connection was actually capable of it. Not many HFC premises can do it, and none of the FTTN/FTTC premises are capable either. Also there's the fact it costs $150 a month. Most people, even if they would like and use gigabit speeds, can't justify the cost.
📻 Honey (feat. Weyes Blood) - Drugdealer
😎 The Sizzle is curated by Anthony "@decryption" Agius and emailed every weekday afternoon.
💬 Checked out the paid subscriber only forum? It's a tidy little place to discuss tech with like minded Aussies.
👋 Forums not your thing? The Sizzle has a Slack group you can procrastinate in and chat with other nerds bored at work.
💳 Paid subscriber looking to manage your billing info or change email address? Visit the customer portal.
📚 Browse The Sizzle Archive. A few issues are missing and it's not searchable, but it's better than nothing.
Fastmail. Email where you are the customer, not the product. Loads of features, smooth no-nonsense web interface, plus calendar and contact hosting. They've been around for 20 years and I've been a customer for over 10. Use this link and get 10% off your first year and I get around 30c/month you remain a customer.
Aussie Broadband. Great customer service and responsive to community needs (they have an "unofficial" Discord, they publish their CVC!). I've been a customer since 2017 and don't plan on going anywhere. Use my referral code (1001031) to get $50 credit when signing up for an NBN plan and I get $50 credit towards my next bill.
Vultr. All my Australian-based hosting needs (3x VPSes) are handled by Vultr. Easy to use admin interface, automatic backups, built-in firewall, custom ISO support and reasonable prices. Sign up with my link and score US$100 credit. I get US$35 credit if you're active for 14+ days and use at least US$35.
The Sizzle is created on Wathaurong land and acknowledges the traditional owners of country throughout Australia, recognising their continuing connection to land, water and community. I pay my respect to them and their cultures and to elders both past and present.