The past five days delivered a steady stream of security fixes, framework updates, and forward-looking experiments. Below you’ll find in-depth context, upgrade advice, and links to keep handy when planning your next sprint.
AWS re:Inforce 2025 – Smarter, Simpler Cloud Security
At AWS re:Inforce 2025 in Philadelphia, AWS unveiled a wave of new security features aimed at making cloud protection easier and more resilient.
IAM Access Analyzer Gets Smarter
IAM Access Analyzer now automatically shows which principals in your AWS organization have access to sensitive resources like S3 buckets and RDS snapshots. It uses automated reasoning to scan multiple policies at once and presents the results in a single dashboard. This makes it much easier to spot and fix unintended permissions.
Read the official AWS announcement
Event roundup summary
Mandatory MFA for Root Users
AWS is now enforcing Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) for all root users. This move is designed to block over 99% of password-based attacks. You can use FIDO-certified security keys or FIDO2 passkeys, and each user can register up to eight MFA devices for extra flexibility.
Learn more about MFA enforcement
Amazon Q for Security Teams
Amazon Q now includes a security specialist mode. This AI assistant can answer questions about your AWS environment and help triage incidents using real-time knowledge of your configuration and logs. Security teams can get fast, natural language answers without digging through dashboards.
See the full re:Inforce 2025 announcement
Stronger Backups with Air-Gapped Vaults
AWS Backup now supports logically air-gapped vaults with multi-party approval. Restoring backups can require multiple trusted users to approve the action, even if an account is compromised. Cross-account restore is also supported, boosting resilience.
Easier Web and Network Protection
AWS WAF now offers pre-configured protection packs that cut setup time by up to 80%. AWS Security Hub has new features for unified risk prioritization, turning alerts into clear, actionable steps. AWS Shield also previewed new tools for network security posture management, helping teams spot and fix risks before they’re exploited.
Why It Matters:
AWS is making cloud security more automated and accessible. With stronger defaults, smarter AI tools, and easier configuration, teams can protect their environments faster—and with less hassle.
React Native 0.80: Faster, Safer, and Aligned with React 19.1
React Native 0.80 is here, and it’s all about speed and safety:
- Aligned with React 19.1: Enjoy concurrent rendering and shiny new hooks—mobile devs, you’re now on par with the latest React web features.
- Opt-in Strict TypeScript: TypeScript fans, rejoice! Stricter typing means fewer any leaks and more reliable codebases.
- Pre-built iOS Dependencies: No more endless pod installs. CI jobs are now up to 30% faster, thanks to pre-built iOS deps.
- Hermès 125: The updated JavaScript engine delivers smaller bytecode and noticeably faster cold starts.
Why it matters: Your builds are faster, your code is safer, and your apps launch quicker. That’s a win-win-win.
VS Code Python/Jupyter – June 2025 Release
Pythonistas and data scientists, this one’s for you:
- Pylance “Ghost-Text”: Get full-line code previews right in the editor. Less guesswork, more flow.
- Bundled Python 3.13 Stubs: Try out the latest pattern matching features before they’re mainstream.
- Notebook Kernel Cold-Start 30% Faster: Shorter waits mean more time for data exploration and model tweaking.
Full details about the release here.
Why it matters: Less context switching and faster feedback loops = real productivity gains for ML and data teams.
VS Code Insiders 1.102: AI Gets Native
The nightly channel just got smarter:
- Color-Coded AI Ghost Text: Instantly spot AI-suggested code vs. what you’ve typed—no more accidentally committing AI guesses.
- Unified Authentication API: Extensions now recycle a single cloud token. Say goodbye to constant login prompts.
Try it now: Available in Insiders builds—spin up a throw-away devcontainer and take it for a test drive. General availability expected in July.
🖥️ GitHub Desktop 3.5.0: Native & Speedy
Desktop git just got an upgrade:
- Native Apple Silicon Builds: No more Rosetta. Pure speed for Mac users.
- Faster Fuzzy Repo Search: Perfect for those monster mono-repos.
- At-a-Glance Branch Compare: See commits and diffs in a single view—context switching, begone!
Copilot Spaces: Context-Rich Code Discussion
AI code review just levelled up:
- Paste an Issue or PR URL: Copilot imports the full thread—comments, code, CI status, and all.
- AI Answers with Full Context: No more “out of context” AI replies. Get instant, accurate summaries.
Dev tip: Summarize long discussion threads for new teammates in seconds. Onboarding just got easier.
16 Billion Credentials Dumped: Security Wake-Up Call
A record-breaking trove of infostealer logs just went public. If you’re reusing passwords, you’re at risk – immediately.
Security Checklist
- Rotate any credential reused across personal & work.
- Invalidate old Personal Access Tokens.
- Enforce MFA org-wide (seriously, do it today).
Don’t wait—take action now!
Weekend Read: “ChatGPT Is My SSG”
Nick Pilkington shows off a prompt-driven static site generator. Just write a prompt, and ChatGPT spits out Markdown, HTML, and a full directory scaffold.
Why it’s cool: Perfect for landing pages, docs, or prototypes—no local toolchain needed. Check out the demo for a fresh take on rapid site creation.
That’s a Wrap!
Stay sharp, stay secure, and keep building amazing things. For more news and deep dives, check out our previous roundups here.