The invitation for Apple's Oct. 18 event includes an augmented reality treat for iPhone users. The AR overlay shows the Apple logo with streams of dynamic light, hinting that speed could be a focus at the event.

Phishing campaigns are increasingly tapping nonexecutive employees who can unwittingly provide access to an organization's network, Avanan reports. Avanan notes many phishing emails use DocuSign to trick victims into providing login credentials or deploying malware.

Facebook is training an artificial intelligence model on first-person video footage in the hopes that it will learn how human visual perspectives work. At least 2,200 hours of video from seven countries went into Ego4D, but some say that data is slanted toward able-bodied people and Facebook admits that it focuses on urban environments, in-home filming and more action than rest.

Sony's PlayStation 5 may soon allow Apple Music listeners to stream tunes via their gaming consoles. An Apple Music app is reportedly visible on the PS5, but the integration is not publicly available.

A Software Advice survey of 700 retailers indicates the technological habits embraced by shoppers and retailers since the COVID-19 pandemic began are here to stay -- at least for the foreseeable future. Trends for small-business owners to watch include omnichannel retail, installment payments and direct-to-consumer sales via social media.

Artificial intelligence tools have become a cybersecurity necessity, because "relying on a human-powered approach means handing the advantage to cybercriminals every time," writes Milad Aslaner of SentinelOne. Aslaner writes how AI can produce "a single action thread, providing security professionals with the key to not just detecting threats but comprehensively preventing them at scale."

Organizations with more than 10,000 employees have, on average, 46 security tools in place, reports Trend Micro, which surveyed more than 2,300 IT professionals. Trend Micro's technical director, Bharat Mistry, observes that in addition to the expense involved, "SOC teams are increasingly stressed to the point of burnout trying to manage multiple solutions."

Ransomware groups seem to be going further than ever, adding threats of distributed-denial-of-service attacks and harassment of business partners and employees. Dick O'Brien of Symantec says the new wrinkles are "in line with what we're seeing from other ransomware actors who seem to feel threatened by victims calling in law enforcement or sharing information with third parties."

The process of employee departures is fraught with security concerns, writes Phil Muncaster, because "resources can be accessed today in many organizations from virtually any device, anywhere." Muncaster cites a survey that shows only 47% of UK enterprises deny building access to departing employees and 62% reclaim devices.

Hacking group Desorden is peddling apparently authentic information about customers of computer-maker Acer after stealing the information from servers in India. Acer was also hacked in March, likely by the REvil group, which demanded a $50 million ransom.