Technology

• Over 1.6 million files have been discovered online by researchers
• These seem to belong to Etsy, Poshmark, and TikTok Shop customers
• Personally Identifiable Information is included

Two apparently unsecured Azure Blob Storage containers holding a combined 1.6 million files have been discovered by CyberNews researchers, allegedly belonging to online shopping platforms Etsy, Poshmark, and TikTok Shop.

The researchers say these files contained personally identifiable information, such as full names, home addresses, email addresses, and shipping order details.

Anyone who uses these services should keep a close eye on their accounts and take a look at the best identity theft monitoring tools if they are concerned.

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Customers at risk

Both of the exposed instances “contained shipping email confirmations in HTML format,” researchers confirmed, and the vast majority of users exposed are in the United States, with some from Canada and Australia.

The exact origin or ownership of the datasets is not yet known, but the nature of the information suggests that these belonged to one particular storefront (across multiple shopping platforms), in particular a Vietnamese-based embroidery service.

It’s also not known whether cybercriminals have accessed these datasets, but only an internal forensic audit would reveal this information.

Researchers outlined the risk this brings to those exposed, such as convincing social engineering attacks from cybercriminals posing as Etsy or TikTok shop - urging customers to give their details, resulting in potential financial loss.

“With access to personal information like full names and addresses, attackers could impersonate trusted shipping providers or Etsy itself, making fraudulent communications seem more credible and urging victims to take actions such as confirming personal details, making payment, or clicking malicious links,” the researchers said.

Data leaks are unfortunately all too common for internet users today.

We recommend regularly checking whether your details have been exposed, using services like Have I Been Pwned - and monitoring your accounts, statements, and transactions - and immediately reporting any suspicious or unexpected activity with your bank or credit card provider.

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• EA has canceled Cliffhanger Games' Black Panther game and shuttered the studio
• EA Entertainment president Laura Miele told staff that the decision was made to "sharpen our focus and put our creative energy behind the most significant growth opportunities"
• Going forward, EA will focus on franchises like Battlefield, The Sims, Skate, and Apex Legends, while also supporting games like Motive's Iron Man, the third Star Wars: Jedi game, and Mass Effect 5

Electronic Arts has canceled Cliffhanger Games' Black Panther game and closed down the studio.

In an email sent to staff (as seen and reported by IGN), EA Entertainment president Laura Miele shared the announcement and said the decision to cancel the game and close the studio was to "sharpen our focus and put our creative energy behind the most significant growth opportunities."

The number of employees affected by the decision hasn't been confirmed at this time, but IGN understands that the total number of layoffs is less than the 300 roles that were cut last month across Respawn and several other studios.

It's also understood that EA has laid off some individuals from its mobile and central teams.

"These decisions are hard," Miele wrote in the email. "They affect people we’ve worked with, learned from, and shared real moments with. We’re doing everything we can to support them - including finding opportunities within EA, where we’ve had success helping people land in new roles."

Miele's email also mentioned that EA will now focus on a small handful of franchises going forward, like Battlefield, The Sims, Skate, and Apex Legends.

The president also said that EA will continue to invest in Motive's Iron Man game and Respawn's third Star Wars: Jedi game, the Mass Effect 5, while also maintaining its mobile business

Cliffhanger's Black Panther project was announced in 2023 and was being worked on by developers who previously led the Shadow of Mordor series.

Platforms weren't confirmed at the time, and there was no trailer to accompany the game's reveal, but we did know that it was an "original, third-person, single-player Black Panther game".

At the time, project lead Kevin Stephens said the game was going to be a "definitive and authentic Black Panther experience".

"Wakanda is a rich superhero sandbox, and our mission is to develop an epic world for players who love Black Panther and want to explore the world of Wakanda as much as we do," Stephens said.

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• LexisNexis has suffered a data breach after a cyberattack
• Personal information was taken affecting around 360,000 users
• Not everyone is happy with the response timeline from the organization

Data analytics and risk management firm LexisNexis has disclosed a cyberattack that resulted in data theft affecting 364,333 individuals.

In a notification letter sent to those affected, the company claims an “unauthorized party” gained access to a third-party software development platform and stole the data.

According to the firm, no sensitive personal information was accessed, nor was financial or credit card information, and the organisation’s infrastructure, systems, and products also remain uncompromised.

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Information affected

“Our Information Security team, in consultation with a forensic firm, immediately began investigating and confirmed that some data which was held in GitHub... was acquired by an unknown third party. Specifically, we have determined that some software artifacts as well as some personal information was accessed” LexisNexis told The Register.

The leaked information includes names, phone numbers, email addresses, home addresses, SSNs, and driver’s license details - enough to spark concern for anyone affected. Take a look at the best identity theft monitoring services if you are concerned.

Not everyone is impressed with LexisNexus’ response timeline, though. Dr Ilia Kolochenko, CEO at ImmuniWeb explains;

“The timeline of the incident detection and disclosure is a bit surprising for a company offering legal and other comparatively sensitive services: the incident reportedly happened in December 2024, was detected in April 2025 after receiving information from the attackers, while disclosed only in May. Given that a lot of personal data was reportedly compromised, the incident detection and response timeline is pretty far from being perfect, to put it mildly.”

“The legal consequences of this incident may cost a lot of dollars to the breach company – being composed of regulatory penalties, legal fees and a likely settlement agreement with the victims. Sadly, as practice demonstrates, the victims will likely get paltry two- or three-digit compensation for the incident in the best-case scenario.”

LexisNexis is far from the first company to be affected by a breach like this, with firms like Co-op and Marks and Spencers offering apologies for the effects of cyberattacks that hit the retailers in May 2025.

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• Garmin is apparently working on a screenless, Whoop-style recovery tracker
• The band is set to launch 'within two months' according to leak site The5KRunner
• Details include vibration alarms, LED battery life indicators and tap gestures – just like Whoop

Yes, it's been rumored before, but it sounds as though we could be seeing a very different style of fitness tracker from Garmin in a couple of months.

Garmin has consistently been known for its smartwatches – it's why we have a dedicated best Garmin watches list, after all – but the company is reportedly set to debut a Whoop-style screenless tracker "within two months", according to leak site The5kRunner.

Having apparently seen a confidential source document, The5KRunner refers to it as a "sleep band" stated to provide comfort during use. This is a nice option to have, as Garmin's chunky watches often aren't ideal for use during sleep. A buckle mechanism and overlapping adjustable strap makes it sound similar to Whoop.

The comparisons don't stop there. Features listed include vibration alarm that wakes the wearer, tap gestures to turn off or snooze the alarm, and an LED battery indicator – all emblematic of Whoop.

Sleep tracking is a given, considering the device is said to pack a smart-wake alarm. Smart-wake alarms, a feature recently introduced in the Garmin Vivoactive 6, only work if the wearable is actively tracking sleep stages via heart rate and other metrics.

Whoop's got some competition

A long time ago, based on my colleague Lance Ulanoff's findings during CES 2023, I predicted that screenless smartwatches would be the future of fitness.

While that hasn't strictly proven true until now, 2025 has seen new screenless optical heart rate monitoring fitness tech from Whoop, Coros, and now (apparently) Garmin, not to mention the advent of the best smart rings.

Fitness tracking is going discreet, focusing on the holistic overall benefits of an active lifestyle rather than specifically tracking workouts.

While the best running watches will always have a place, I think an optical armband-based Whoop competitor from a company like Garmin, with an enormous built-in infrastructure for sleep, health and workout tracking, could be a real winner.

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• Retro compact has no rear LCD and film-style digital filters
• It offers instant one-button Wi-Fi transfer to cloud or mobile app
• Kickstarter campaign launching "mid-June" according to website

The upcoming Echolens is a digital camera that stands out from the pack. Designed to recreate the experience of shooting on analog film, it has no rear screen and built-in film-style filters to create warm, vintage photographs. And the X100VI look-a-like is also going to be really, really affordable.

We’ve seen cameras like the Echolens before. We don’t mean compact, fixed-lens and pricey cameras like the imperious Fujifilm X100VI, the stunning Leica Q3 43 or even the recent fun-oriented Fujifilm X, although there’s definitely a bit of all three in the Echolens’ eye-catching retro styling. We mean in pared-back, cheap point-and-shoots like the Camp Snap, which also has no screen and a refreshingly simple approach to shooting.

While details on its lens, sensor and other specs are yet to be revealed, the Echolens appears to be a little more advanced than the Camp Snap. For one thing, it has an LCD indicator on its top plate to keep count of your shots.

After 54 snaps have been captured, you’ll have to offload them to your smartphone or the cloud via the camera’s built-in Wi-Fi – a feature that’s supposed to 'echo' the act of changing the roll of film in your analog camera. This offloading apparently takes just one button press and no time at all.

The bottom plate features a shot count indicator and image transfer button. (Image credit: Echolens)Stripped-back shooting

The Echolens website promises a minimalist approach to photography, stripping away much of the tinkering that can get in between the photographer and their subject.

That means simplified controls (there’s a shutter button, an image transfer button and a dial to switch the flash on and off, and that seems to be it), a viewfinder for composition and nothing in the way of AI image enhancement or over-sharpening. Instead, the user can pick from a range of digital ‘film’ styles designed to replicate the color profiles of classic 35mm stocks.

A USB-C port is also present for recharging, and Echolens’ makers claim the battery will last for several days on a full charge.

The Echolens' top plate has a shutter button and a flash control – nothing else. (Image credit: Echolens)

While we really need more detail before we can get too excited about this camera – and all the usual crowdfunding caveats still apply – we hopefully won’t have to wait long. Echolens is slated for a launch on Kickstarter in mid-June 2025, with a full release to follow at an unspecified later date.

What we do know, roughly at least, is the price: the Echolens site’s FAQ says the camera will be around $150 (or around £110 / AU$230), but early bird backers on Kickstarter will be able to secure a pre-order for under $100 (about £75 / AU$155). Which seems like a brilliantly affordable price tag if this thing lives up to its billing.

Of course, backers sometimes have a lengthy wait for the finished product after a Kickstarter campaign closes, so we’ve reached out to Echolens to try and find out more about their camera and campaign. We’ll update this story when we have further info.

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• Windows 11 22H2 and 23H2 have been hit by a bug that can leave a PC unable to boot
• Microsoft is investigating this recovery error glitch in the May update
• Windows 11 Home users are unlikely to be affected, we’re told, but that doesn’t mean they can’t run into this showstopping affair

Those who haven’t yet installed the latest cumulative update for Windows 11 in May – by which I mean the upgrade released the week before last, not the most recent optional update – should be aware of a nasty bug that some users are encountering.

Microsoft has said that it’s investigating whether the May update can cause a showstopping error, which means your PC won’t boot. However, this warning is delivered with a welcome caveat that it isn’t likely to affect Windows 11 Home users. Still, that possibility isn’t ruled out, and given the gravity of the bug, it’s worth bearing in mind if you’re about to pull the trigger on this cumulative update.

Bleeping Computer reports that Microsoft has updated its release health dashboard with information on the bug, and how the upgrade might fall over with a ‘recovery error 0xc0000098 in ACPI.sys’ message.

This is no simple error or installation failure, though, because it leaves Windows 11 unable to boot and requires a repair to be run on the system. And whether that repair will be successful is anyone’s guess, as sometimes, these are the kind of situations that are tricky to recover from – and the OS won’t necessarily pull itself out of the hole that’s been dug.

The good news is that affected devices running Windows 11 22H2 and 23H2 – note that 24H2 is not affected here – are few in number. Primarily, this problem pertains to virtual machines, not physical Windows 11 PCs.

Microsoft explains: “Home users of Windows using Home or Pro editions are unlikely to face this issue, as virtual machines are mostly used in IT environments.”

However, being ‘unlikely’ does not equate to being impossible, and so there must have been some reports of Windows 11 PCs (as opposed to virtual machines) being affected by this unfortunate issue.

I did find one such recent report on Reddit, although it isn’t explicitly linked to the latest update being installed, so take that with a grain of salt. The error message was slightly different as well, but in its warning, Microsoft acknowledges that a file name other than ACPI.sys might appear in the error.

Analysis: A cautious approach may be wise here

(Image credit: MAYA LAB / Shutterstock)

Microsoft wouldn’t announce such an investigation lightly, so if you haven’t yet installed the May update, I think that it’s worth considering delaying the installation of that upgrade for a little longer. Mainly to allow for Microsoft to complete its investigation here, after all, you’ve waited a couple of weeks (for whatever reason) now, so what’s another week, or perhaps a bit longer?

It is possible to pause OS updates for over a month, even on Windows 11 Home, though you’ll be forced to apply any given patch after 35 days of deferring it.

In this additional time, you can wait for Microsoft to complete its deeper dive into what’s going on here, and hopefully that’ll lead to a fix being implemented soon, too.

Granted, you’d probably be very unlucky to encounter this recovery error, but even a small chance is off-putting, given that it could be a potentially thorny problem to extricate yourself from. Ultimately, the choice is yours, and if you’ve already installed the May update without encountering any such error, I should make it clear that you've got nothing to worry about.

Microsoft isn’t having a great time of things lately when it comes to bugs of a seriously unpleasant nature, as there was a real sting in the tail for some Windows 10 users with the May update, too.

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The 2025 edition of Netflix Tudum, aka the now-annual fan event that celebrates everything about the world's best streaming service, is almost upon us.

This year's installment will take place on Saturday, May 31 at 5pm PT / 8pm ET – non-US readers can work out when it'll begin using the aforementioned times – and there'll be plenty of announcements made on the night.

We already know that TV hits including Stranger Things, Wednesday, and Squid Game will be featured at Netflix Tudum 2025. However, Netflix has stayed tight-lipped on what it'll actually reveal during its live event, which you can watch on Netflix if you didn't manage to secure a ticket to the in-person event.

That won't stop me from speculating on what'll be shown, mind you. With that in mind, here are four things I predict we'll see at Tudum 2025.

1. Stranger Things season 5 release date and format, plus a teaser trailer

Me and who as we sit around our computers hoping for some Stranger Things 5 news on Saturday? (Image credit: Netflix)

As far as many people are concerned, these are the biggest reveals that Netflix could make at Tudum 2025.

We already know that the hugely popular show's final season is set to be released sometime in 2025. Indeed, filming wrapped on Stranger Things 5 in December 2024 but, while a big Stranger Things season 5 leak seemingly suggested it'll air in late 2025, we still don't know when it'll make its actual debut.

Nevertheless, Tudum 2025 is the perfect time for Netflix to finally confirm when Stranger Things season 5 will be released. I predict that the streaming giant will also tell us whether it'll launch in full, or be released in two parts like Stranger Things season 4 was.

Lastly, I'd be surprised if a teaser trailer isn't unveiled to further generate hype for one of the best Netflix shows' final hurrah. We've had to live on behind-the-scenes morsels for years at this point, so some actual footage of season 5 would go down a storm.

2. An official trailer for Squid Game season 3

Unchain Squid Game season 3's official trailer, you cowards! (Image credit: Netflix)

It's hard to believe that another incredibly successful Netflix TV Original – Squid Game – will end this year, too.

The Korean-language survival drama is set to end when Squid Game season 3 arrives on June 27. But, despite the fact that we were treated to an exciting Squid Game 3 teaser in early May, an official trailer still hasn't been released online.

Tudum 2025 is the ideal time to drop a much longer trailer that'll make me and millions of other Netflix users even more stoked for the series' last chapter.

3. More footage of Wednesday season 2

This is the exact same pose and facial expression I'll have if we don't see more of Wednesday season 2 (Image credit: Netflix)

Unlike the aforementioned pair, Netflix hasn't been shy about disclosing information about Wednesday season 2.

In the last few weeks alone, we've received word about Wednesday 2's dual release dates and first-look at its new cast members, and been treated to a finger-clickingly good behind-the-scenes featurette of the show's sophomore outing.

I'm hungry for even more, though, so I'd like to see another first-look clip or two for Wednesday's second chapter. I don't really care what's shown, either. Indeed, I'll take an extended sequence of Jenna Ortega's eponymous character interacting with Joanna Lumley's Grandmama, a tension-filled reunion with Hunter Dooham's Tyler/Hyde, or something more kooky. Just give me something, please Netflix.

4. Release date reveals for Netflix's 2025 movie line-up

"No Knives Out 3 release date yet? It makes no goddamn sense! Compels me, though..." (Image credit: https://x.com/rianjohnson)

It's not all about the biggest shows that Netflix has to offer. There are numerous new Netflix movies that'll launch on the platform before the end of 2025, but lots of them still only have placeholder launch windows.

There's no better moment to announce some proper release dates for some of Netflix's most anticipated new movies of the year, then, than at Tudum 2025. I'm hoping for official launch dates for Wake Up, Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery, Guillermo del Toro's Frankenstein, The RIP, and The Twits, but I won't turn my nose up at any other major reveals that are made.

What are you hoping to hear more about at Netflix Tudum 2025? Will you be tuning in to watch it live, or do you plan on catching up on the biggest news once it's wrapped up? Let me know in the comments!

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• Doda, a district in India's Jammu and Kashmir region, issued a 2-month VPN ban over national security concerns
• The ban was enforced on May 2, 2025, with some VPN users reportedly detained after that date
• Experts are warning against the attack on people's digital rights, while questioning the legality of the ban

Doda, a district in India's Jammu and Kashmir region, enforced a 2-month VPN ban on May 2, 2025, over national security concerns.

Authorities issued the ban under Section 163 of the new BNSS law (the equivalent of the Indian Penal Code), citing individuals and groups misusing virtual private network (VPN) tools "to circumvent lawful cyber restrictions and access prohibited applications," the order reads.

Digital rights and legal experts have so far strongly criticized this decision. They warn against the attack on people's digital rights and security, while questioning its legality.

Is Doda's VPN ban legal?

The Doda's VPN ban aims to "curtail the use of VPNs in the interest of public safety," and it's extended to all individuals, institutions, internet service providers, and cyber cafes operating in the district.

This means that all residents are barred from using one of the best VPN services or similar tools for two months, to avoid being liable for legal action.

Repercussions for allegedly using VPNs seem to have already begun. In a report published on May 18, Indian publication The Wire reported allegations that an unspecified number of Doda residents under "technical surveillance" have already been arrested as found to be using VPNs.

Two days before, Doda's authorities had already confirmed to have "detained several individuals across the district for violating the directive."

This is why many experts have been raising concerns about how the ban can impact people's rights, like free speech, free access to information, and privacy.

TechRadar needs you! We want to know what you think about the world of VPNs. Whether you're a novice or a VPN pro, we want to hear your thoughts. Don't worry, though, your responses are completely anonymous, and it takes less than a minute to complete!

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Talking to TechRadar, Senior Policy Counsel and Encryption Policy Lead at Access Now, Namrata Maheshwari, explains that the right to the internet and the right to privacy are protected fundamental rights under the Indian Constitution.

Maheshwari also pointed out how the Indian government has already implemented "an onerous mandate" for VPN providers when it enforced a new data retention law in 2022.

A host of online services are now required to store users' data for up to five years and share it with authorities on request, in fact, something that led to an exodus of major VPN companies from the country.

VPNs are not illegal."

Namrata Maheshwari, Access Now

Yet, "VPNs are not illegal," said Maheshwari, adding that a blanket ban on all VPNs for two months is "unnecessary and disproportionate."

"People have a fundamental right to information and freedom of expression, and restrictions on these rights ought to be legal, necessary, and proportionate – a standard this ban does not meet," she added.

The ban isn't affecting only individual users, though, but also businesses and institutions that regularly use these services for security purposes.

According to Maheshwari, the ban could then end up increasing vulnerabilities in the country's cyberspace, ultimately weakening security as opposed to strengthening it.

She said, "Even in an emergency, preventative measures cannot be this vague and overreaching, particularly where less intrusive means are available."

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• World War Z VR, a new first-person, single-player game, is coming to SteamVR and Meta Quest on August 12
• Saber Interactive's new game will allow players to take on hordes of over 200 zombies at once in VR
• Pre-orders are now available on the Meta Store and Steam

Saber Interactive has announced the next game in its World War Z franchise, World War Z VR, and it's launching this summer.

World War Z VR is a brand new first-person, single-player game based on the Paramount Pictures 2013 film and Saber’s game franchise, and is set to release on August 12 for SteamVR, Meta Quest 3, Meta Quest 2, and Meta Quest Pro.

"World War Z VR faithfully reimagines the intense action of the original World War Z game to create the most immersive VR zombie experience ever," Saber said. "Take on hordes of over 200 zombies on screen at a time, an astounding technical feat for VR which will put your skills to the ultimate test."

In this new installment, players will find themselves taking on hordes of zombies in three locations: New York, Tokyo, and Marseille. There will be seven playable characters to choose from, and after selecting their operative, players can start missions with a pre-selected AI squad, equipped with a wide variety of weapons and perks.

The VR missions will present unique challenges for players and even offer three difficulty modes to choose from. Zombies will also adapt to their surroundings and recognize the players' playstyle to hunt them down, while special infected enemies raise the stakes even higher.

Pre-orders are now available on the Meta Store and Steam for $19.99 / £14.99. Those who secure a pre-order will also gain access to the Golden Skin Pack, which features four exclusive gold weapon skins.

Steam users can also pre-order a special game bundle that includes both the new World War Z VR and the original World War Z, featuring a 20% discount.

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• A new update for the Philips Hue mobile app is rolling out now
• The app now suggests adding new sensors and switches to a zone during the setup process
• This avoids a problem where lighting scenes are unavailable later on

If you've ever struggled to set up new sensors and switches for your Philips Hue lights, help is at hand. A new app update is rolling out now that automatically suggests adding accessories to a zone when you connect them for the first time, so you don't miss out on any features later on.

A zone is a set of lights and other accessories that you want to control together as a group. They don't necessarily have to be in the same place or include all the lights within a room. For example, you might want to create a zone specifically for your home entertainment lighting, or one that includes all the lights on a particular floor.

Previously, assigning new devices to a room or zone was an optional step within the Philips Hue app, which you might miss if you were in a hurry. If you did, you wouldn't be able to use all of the switch or sensor's functions afterwards. For example, you may be unable to view all the available scenes (ready-made lighting profiles).

The new app update was spotted by the editor of Hueblog.com, who says he's often contacted by readers stuck in this frustrating 'accessory trap'. From now on, the app will suggest creating at least one zone during the setup process so you don't suffer that problem, and will note that you can always hide zones in the future if you prefer.

Simpler setup

There is also a change to the setup process when you're installing a new Philips Hue security camera. As Notebookcheck explains, the app now offers you the chance to set up motion-controlled lighting during the initial setup process.

Both of these are relatively minor changes, and there's still no news about the upcoming Philips Hue AI assistant. However, they address some common problems that you might face when extending your Philips Hue setup and make your best smart lights even better.

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• NordVPN has launched post-quantum encryption (PQE) across all its applications
• The provider launched its first iteration of PQE in 2024, but only for its Linux VPN app
• This comes as traditional encryption methods are set to become obsolete with the advent of quantum computers

NordVPN has just taken an important step forward into its post-quantum transition, extending support for quantum-safe encryption across all its applications.

While the provider launched its first iteration of post-quantum encryption (PQE) in September 2024, only Linux users could enjoy this protection. Now, all NordVPN users can enjoy PQE no matter the platform they use.

Already rated as the best VPN service on the market by TechRadar's reviewers, NordVPN joins a handful of VPN providers that also include quantum-safe cryptography in their software.

Why and how use NordVPN post-quantum encryption

As quantum computing advances, NordVPN's CTO, Marijus Briedis, explains, RSA-based key exchange encryption methods that most VPN protocols use today will eventually become vulnerable.

Experts predict, in fact, that traditional encryption will soon be broken by the ability of quantum computers to perform computations that machines can't handle, within minutes.

While this is expected to happen between five to 10 years, cybercriminals have already started to conduct what's known as "store now, decrypt later (SNDL) attacks." The idea is simple – to collect encrypted data now so they can crack it in the future when quantum computing is finally up to the task.

This is exactly why the cryptographic world is already catching up. Last August, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) released the first three quantum-resistant encryption standards to better support software providers in their transition. NordVPN joined the post-quantum revolution a few months after that, adding one of these algorithms (ML-KEM) to its WireGuard-based Nordlynx protocol, which is known for its speed and security.

"By integrating PQE into our VPN infrastructure, we're taking a proactive step to ensure long-term confidentiality and resilience for our customers' data, both now and in a post-quantum future," said Briedis.

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As mentioned earlier, before the latest release, only the Linux VPN app included PQE support.

This choice allowed the NordVPN team to analyze how the new quantum-safe algorithm, which was implemented in a hybrid way alongside classic encryption methods, could affect performance like connection speeds and latency.

"The gathered data served as a stepping stone in the transition to quantum-resistant encryption for the rest of our platforms," said Briedis. "The Linux case demonstrated that we successfully maintained the highest level of user experience in terms of connection time and speed during the transition."

As a result, NordVPN rolled PQE across all its platforms – from Windows and macOS to Android and iOS, even including its Android TV and tvOS apps.

Users need to actively enable this extra protection by heading to the Connections tab in the app's Settings and switching on the toggle. The PQE feature will automatically activate whenever the user connects via the NordLynx protocol.

Which VPN providers offer post-quantum encryption?

NordVPN is not the only virtual private network (VPN) provider currently including PQE support on its service.

ExpressVPN added quantum-safe encryption on its proprietary Lightway protocol in October 2023, by default across its Android, iOS, Linux, Mac, and Windows apps. Last January, the team took a further step forward by upgrading to the NIST standards.

After pioneering the post-quantum transition in 2017, Mullvad extended PQE support for all platforms when it released post-quantum protection for iPhone in September 2024. The provider now plans to migrate to the new NIST standards, too.

AdGuard, Windscribe, and PureVPN are other providers currently offering PQE protection, with Surfshark and NymVPN also expected to join the list soon.

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• Google found Chinese hackers abusing Google Calendar
• The service was used to host malicious instructions and to exfiltrate results
• ToughProgress campaign was carried out by Chinese state-sponsored hackers APT41

Chinese state-sponsored hackers known as APT41 have been seen abusing Google Calendar in their newest attacks, using it as part of the C2 infrastructure.

Google’s Threat Intelligence Group (TIG) recently discovered the technique, dismantled the setup, and introduced changes to prevent similar attacks in the future.

The attack starts from a previously compromised government website - TIG did not explain how the site was compromised, but said it was used to host a .ZIP archive. This archive is then shared, through phishing emails, with potential targets.

Reading the calendar

Inside the ZIP are three files: a DLL and executable files posing as JPGs, and a Windows shortcut file (LNK) posing as a PDF document.

When the victim tries to open the fake PDF, it runs the shortcut which, in turn, activates the DLL.

This file, in turn, decrypts and launches the third file, which is the malicious payload dubbed “ToughProgress”.

The malware then reads additional instructions shared in two specific events in Google Calendar. The commands are found either in the description field, or hidden events.

To share the results, the malware would create a new zero minute calendar event on May 30, and share the data, encrypted, in the calendar event description.

Since the malware is never actually installed on the disk, and since the C2 communication happens via a legitimate Google service, most security products will have trouble spotting the attack, Google suggests.

To tackle the threat, TIG developed custom detection signatures to identify and block APT41’s malware. It also took down associated Workspace accounts and calendar entries. Furthermore, the team updated file detections and added malicious domains and URLs to the Google Safe Browsing blocklist.

Google also confirmed that at least a few companies were targeted: “In partnership with Mandiant Consulting, GTIG notified the compromised organizations,” it said.

“We provided the notified organizations with a sample of TOUGHPROGRESS network traffic logs, and information about the threat actor, to aid with detection and incident response.”

It did not say how many companies were affected.

Via BleepingComputer

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• The Aviot WA-J1 will ship worldwide in July
• Three drivers combined: piezo, planar and dynamic
• Price converts to about $270 / £200 / AU$424

The Japanese audio brand Aviot has introduced what it says is the world's first "Tribrid" 3-driver headphones, the WA-J1 – and it's made a special edition in collaboration with the J-pop star Hyde.

What's a Tribrid? According to Aviot, it's one piezo driver, one planar magnetic driver, and one dynamic driver, and together they deliver "overwhelming information density and unprecedented acoustic performance".

And they do it for an incredibly long time: battery life is a claimed 140 hours, though it's not specified if that's with active noise cancellation or not (I have to assume not).

(Image credit: Aviot)When three drivers are better than one

As Aviot explains, the piezo driver is there for the high frequencies, and the planar and dynamic drivers are placed coaxially with it to take care of the mids and lows, all with very low distortion and very little phase disturbance. The result, the firm says, is very high precision.

Supported audio formats include LDAC and Bluetooth LE Audio (that latter one via a future update) as well as the obligatory AAC and SBC, and there's adaptive noise cancelling with a transparency mode.

The headphones also offer 3D spatial audio. That option is adjustable via the control dial, enabling you to spatialize audio to suit your personal preference – from very flat to very reverberant sonic spaces. And for gamers, there's a low-latency mode to reduce lag.

The headphones will go on sale in Japan in July 2025 with a price tag of 39,600 yen – roughly $270 / £200 / AU$424 – and will be available to ship worldwide.

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