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• 12 have been charged with cryptocurrency theft
• The group is reportedly responsible for over $263 million worth of theft
• The organisation used social engineering tactics to steal the funds

The Department of Justice today has revealed that 12 people have been charged in a RICO case which involves the theft of over $263 million, as well as money laundering, home break-ins, and wire-fraud, the US attorney’s office has confirmed.

A mix of Americans and foreign nationals are accused of “participating in a cyber-enabled racketeering conspiracy throughout the United States and abroad that netted them more than $263 million.”

The group, who reportedly met on an online dating platform, had various roles in the organization, like database hackers, money launderers, and burglars who targeted hardware virtual currency wallets. The hackers would focus on websites and servers, obtaining cryptocurrency-related databases.

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Social engineering attacks

From there, the organizers and target identifiers ‘organized and collated information across the databases to determine the most valuable targets’. The group would cold-call victims and use social engineering tactics to convince them that their accounts had fallen victim to cyberattacks, and that they needed to recover or secure their accounts - encouraging them to hand over credentials.

“According to the indictment, members of the enterprise laundered stolen cryptocurrency proceeds by moving the funds through various mixers and exchanges using “peel chains,” pass-through wallets, and virtual private networks to mask their true identities,“ the Department of Justice confirmed.

In just the first three months of 2025, over $1.5 billion of crypto was lost to theft or scams, with an over 300% increase in money lost in Q1. The median loss per incident was $9,549,339, and just 0.4% of stolen funds were returned to victims, research from CertiK confirms.

Much of this was thanks to one large incident, with hackers sealing over $1 billion in one of the biggest crypto thefts ever, against cryptocurrency exchange platform Bybit - measuring up as the largest heist in crypto history.

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• ESET uncovers a major cyber-espionage campaign
• It was attributed to APT28, AKA Fancy Bear
• The campaign leveraged multiple n-day and zero-day flaws

For years now, Russian state-sponsored threat actors have been eavesdropping on email communications from governments across Eastern Europe, Africa, and Latin America.

A new report from cybersecurity researchers ESET has found that the crooks were abusing multiple zero-day and n-day vulnerabilities in webmail servers to steal the emails.

ESET named the campaign “RoundPress”, and says that it started in 2023. Since then, Russian attackers known as Fancy Bear (AKA APT28), were sending out phishing emails to victims in Greece, Ukraine, Serbia, Bulgaria, Romania, Cameroon, and Ecuador.

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Government, military, and other targets

The emails would seem benign on the surface, discussing daily political events, but in the HTML body, they would carry a malicious piece of JavaScript code. It would exploit a cross-site scripting (XSS) flaw in the webmail browser page that the victim was using, and create invisible input fields where browsers and password managers would auto-fill login credentials.

Furthermore, the code would read the DOM, or send HTTP requests, collecting email messages, contacts, webmail settings, 2FA information, and more. All of the information would then be exfiltrated to a hardcoded C2 address.

Unlike traditional phishing messages, which require some action on the victim’s side, these attacks only needed the victim to open and view the email. Everything else was being done in the background.

The silver lining here is that the payload has no persistence mechanism, so it only runs when the victim opens the email. That being said, once is most likely enough since people rarely change their email passwords that often.

ESET identified multiple flaws being abused in this attack, including two XSS flaws in Roundcube, an XSS zero-day in MDaemon, an unknown XSS in Horde, and an XSS flaw in Zimbra.

Victims include government organizations, military organizations, defense companies, and critical infrastructure firms.

Via BleepingComputer

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• VW's CEO confirms a GTI version of the upcoming ID 2 electric model
• An entire family of GTI cars will arrive in the next decade
• An electrified Golf is also on the cards

Volkswagen’s CEO, Thomas Schäfer, has gone on record to state that the brand plans to propel its iconic GTI badge into the electric age with the launch of the ID 2 GTI.

Going all-in on the hot hatch proposals, Auto Car reports that VW also plans an all-electric version of the ninth-generation Golf, complete with a GTI-badged iteration, with a "whole group of GTI" models that will follow thereafter.

The first EV to get the performance treatment will be a range-topping version of the ID 2, which was showcased in the 2023 ID GTI concept car.

That design study bore all of the classic GTI hallmarks, including an iconic flat-bottomed steering wheel, a low ride height and aggressive body work, as well as the famous GTI badging.

Schäfer told Auto Car that his experience of an early prototype vehicle suggests the upcoming electric GTI model will be “a monster car”.

There is no set-in-stone date for the first GTI-badged EV, but the ID 2 is due to be launched early next year, which just so happens to be the 50th anniversary of the launch of the original Mk1 Golf GTI.

GTI needs to be hot but attainable

(Image credit: Volskwagen)

While speaking to Auto Car, CEO Thomas Schäfer said the main objective with electric GTI models is to make them feel obviously different from the standard car, which includes the handling, sound and ensuring they are exciting to drive.

So far, Hyundai has proven that this can be done with the formidable Ioniq 5N, but the sheer weight of technology required to make it enjoyable to throw around a race circuit also means it is phenomenally expensive.

The GTI badge has always stood for attainable performance, with the sort of price tag that means those with even a sniff of disposable income can think about owning one.

Although there has been no word on the technology that will underpin the upcoming family of GTI models, Schäfer said at the launch of the ID GTI Concept that the cars will remain “sporty, iconic, technologically progressive and accessible”, as well as being suitable for everyday driving.

So far, Volkswagen’s electric vehicles have been met with a lukewarm reaction, with early ID models proving bland, soulless and easily forgettable.

The introduction of GTI will hopefully bring some of that VW excitement to its all-electric range, while early looks at the upcoming ID 2 prove that the German marque is back on top form… and back to physical buttons.

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• Samsung has launched a new gaming monitor, the Odyssey OLED G6
• The monitor is the first ever 500Hz OLED option on the market
• It will be available in other regions later this year

Samsung's Odyssey lineup includes some of the best gaming monitors available on the market, many of which are OLEDs for immersive experiences – and it's just added another to the list.

As reported by VideoCardz, Samsung has launched the world's first 500Hz OLED gaming monitor; the Odyssey OLED G60SF, which boasts an incredibly high 500Hz refresh rate and a 27-inch display at the 2,560 x 1,440 resolution.

VideoCardz states that it will be priced at $1,488 (around £1,120 / AU$2,320). It's currently only available in some countries in Asia but is expected to roll out to other regions later this year.

The Odyssey OLED G60SD is the current model available but instead utilizes a 360Hz refresh rate. The new OLED G60SF pushes this up to 500Hz, while also offering a VESA DisplayHDR True Black 500 display with peak of 1000 nits – a step up from the G60SD's 250 nits of brightness.

It's worth noting that Samsung recently announced that it plans to introduce cheaper OLED monitors, but that isn't the case with the new OLED G6. This is a monitor that should appeal to first-person shooter gamers, notably games like Counter-Strike – but aside from using tools like Nvidia’s Frame Generation, there are very few games that can reach frame rates up to 500fps (or frankly, games that don't need to) even with the best PC hardware available.

(Image credit: Samsung) I'll stick with normal refresh rates, thanks...

While there's no harm in providing a high 500Hz refresh rate, especially for browsing and games that are capable of reaching super high frame rates, the $1,488 price says otherwise. Having used a handful of monitors with different refresh rates over the years, I can assure you, you don't need a 500Hz monitor.

With my Alienware AW3423DWF OLED monitor, 165Hz is perfectly fine and is the sweet spot for high-end gaming; some might even argue that 144Hz or 120Hz is more than enough. That's because the difference between them isn't significant enough for you to notice – unless you jump to one of those directly from a 60Hz display.

The most impressive feature with the new Odyssey OLED G6 is in fact the VESA certification, as DisplayHDR True Black 500 and 1,000 nits of peak brightness will revitalize your gaming experience if you're upgrading from an LED display.

However, there are many cheaper options for OLEDs on the market that can do the same, but just without the absurdly high refresh rates. Call me crazy, but I don't see the value of a 500Hz refresh rate monitor for gaming...

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The VPN purge from Russian official app stores continues, with smaller providers becoming the new target after Apple and Google.

Between May 15 and 16, 2025, Samsung and Xiaomi both removed the AdGuard VPN application at the Roskomnadzor's demand. At least one more VPN provider, HideMyName VPN, has also been removed from the Huawei Store in Russia and China – a Russian VPN digital rights group, VPN Guild, confirmed to TechRadar.

"The removal of VPN apps from app stores marks a clear escalation in Russia’s crackdown on digital privacy tools," said VPN Guild Chair Alexey Kozliuk.

Not an isolated incident

A virtual private network (VPN) is a crucial tool for people in Russia, thanks to its IP-spoofing capabilities that allow bypassing of government-imposed geo-restrictions, as well as strong encryption to help fight back against online surveillance.  (Image credit: Getty Images)

The recent events, Kozliuk explains, aren't isolated incidents, but part of a broader, ongoing campaign to block Russian citizens' access to uncensored information and control internet use.

In October 2023, for example, HideMyName filed the first-ever lawsuit against the Kremlin's infamous censorship body regulator Roskomnadzor. In January 2024, authorities deemed the VPN provider to be a "foreign agent."

In March 2024, the government then passed a new law to criminalize the spread of information about ways to circumvent internet restrictions. This is likely the legal basis upon which the Russian censor body began issuing these removal demands to tech firms.

From July 2024 onwards, Apple has removed at least 60 VPN apps, including AdGuard VPN, a popular Russian service, and Amnezia VPN, alongside some of the best VPN services on the market. This brought the total toll to almost 100 VPN apps unavailable in Russia's App Store.

While Google seems mostly resistant to these demands so far, recent data shows that at least 53 VPNs are also currently unavailable in the Google Play Store in Russia.

Now, authorities' targets have also expanded towards smaller app store providers.

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"We’re seeing a coordinated squeeze across platforms, limiting users’ ability to bypass restrictions," said Kozliuk. "What’s especially concerning is the growing role of global tech companies in enforcing local censorship, whether under direct state pressure or as preemptive compliance."

GreatFire’s Campaign and Advocacy Director, Benjamin Ismail, also shared the same concerns. Through the organization's project AppCensorship, Ismail and the team have been busy monitoring a staggering increase in these VPN removals across both Apple and Google's official app stores.

While it's the first time Ismail has heard of such an incident involving Samsung's Galaxy App Store, he told TechRadar that a way smaller provider (F-Droid) was also hit by a similar request in 2024.

According to Ismail, this may mean that Roskomnadzor has understood that it can try its luck to put pressure on tech vendors. "Smaller providers may struggle more to resist these demands as the prospect of becoming fully unavailable in Russia might be an issue for these platforms," he added.

VPNs will remain a critical line of defense for digital freedom

Alexey Kozliuk, VPN Guild Chair

This is exactly why experts have long argued that Big Tech giants, which have the means and resources, should uphold their users' human rights and challenge the Kremlin's censorship requests.

Commenting on this point, Kozliuk from the VPN Guild said: "This underscores the urgent need to give users more control and make them less reliant on centralized platforms and app ecosystems, as well as the need for stronger international advocacy to hold tech platforms accountable.

"As political tensions rise, especially around elections or protests, these crackdowns will likely intensify – and VPNs will remain a critical line of defense for digital freedom."

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• Google patched a new Chrome bug recently
• Now, CISA added that vulnerability to KEV, signaling abuse in the wild
• Federal agencies have three weeks to update Chrome

The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) added a new Chrome bug to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, signalling abuse in the wild, and giving Federal Civilian Executive Branch (FCEB) agencies a deadline to patch things up.

The flaw is tracked as CVE-2025-4664. It was recently discovered by security researchers Solidlab, and is described as an “insufficient policy enforcement in Loader in Google Chrome”. On NVD, it was explained that the bug allowed remote threat actors to leak cross-origin data via a crafted HTML page.

"Query parameters can contain sensitive data - for example, in OAuth flows, this might lead to an Account Takeover. Developers rarely consider the possibility of stealing query parameters via an image from a 3rd-party resource,” researcher Vsevolod Kokorin, who was attributed with discovering the bug, explained.

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Time to patch

The flaw was first uncovered on May 5, with Google coming back with a patch on May 14. The browser giant did not discuss if the flaw was being exploited in real-life attacks, but it did state that it had a public exploit (which basically means the same thing).

Now, with CISA adding the bug to KEV, FCEB agencies have until June 5 to patch their Chrome instances or stop using the browser altogether. The first clean versions are 136.0.7103.113 for Windows/Linux and 136.0.7103.114 for macOS. In many cases, Chrome would deploy the update automatically, so just double-check which version you’re running.

"These types of vulnerabilities are frequent attack vectors for malicious cyber actors and pose significant risks to the federal enterprise," CISA warned.

Indeed, the web browser is one of the most frequently targeted programs, since it handles untrusted data from countless sources around the web. Cybercriminals are always looking for vulnerabilities in browser code, plugins, or poorly secured websites, in an attempt to grab login credentials, or other ways to compromise the wider network.

Via BleepingComputer

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Want to know when episode 6 of The Last of Us season 2 will be released? I've got you covered.

Below, I'll tell you when the hugely successful HBO TV Original's next entry, which is also available on Max in numerous countries, including the US, will make its worldwide debut. I'll also explain where you can watch it in numerous nations, plus run you through the full episodic release schedule for The Last of Us' sophomore season.

Without further ado, then, here's when the Bella Ramsey-starring post-apocalyptic drama's latest chapter will air where you live.

What time can I watch The Last of Us season 2 episode 6?

You can learn more about the release date and launch time for The Last of Us TV show's next installment for your country via the list below, with dates and times listed in descending order.

If your nation hasn't been included, you can use one of the listed release times to work out when it'll be available to stream in your region of the world.

• US – Sunday, May 18 at 6pm PT / 9pm ET
• Canada – Sunday, May 18 at 6pm PT / 9pm ET
• Brazil – Sunday, May 18 at 10pm BRT
• UK – Monday, May 19 at 2am BST
• India – Monday, May 19 at 6:30am IST
• Singapore – Monday, May 19 at 9am SGT
• Japan – Monday, May 19 at 10am JST
• Australia – Monday, May 19 at 11am AEST
• New Zealand – Monday, May 19 at 1pm NZST

Where can I stream The Last of Us season 2's penultimate episode?

A post shared by The Last of Us (@thelastofus)

A photo posted by on

Again, if you're unsure where you can catch episode 6 of one of the best Max shows' second season, check out the list below.

• US – HBO and Max
• UK – Sky and Now TV
• Australia – Max and Foxtel
• Canada – Crave
• Brazil – Max
• India – JioCinema and Disney+ Hotstar
• Singapore – Max
• Japan – U-Next and Max
• New Zealand – Neon

The Last of Us season 2 full episode release schedule

Season 2 episode 6 will fill in the five-year gap between last season's finale and this season's premiere (Image credit: Liane Hentscher/HBO)

As you'll have gathered from this article's introduction, there's only one more episode left of HBO's TV adaptation after this one.

Here's when chapter 7 will be available to stream (NB: those of you who live outside of the US, UK, and Australia can work out when it'll air in your nation using the dates below):

• Episode 1 – out now
• Episode 2 – out now
• Episode 3 – out now
• Episode 4 – out now
• Episode 5 – out now
• Episode 6 – May 18 (US); May 19 (UK and Australia)
• Episode 7 – May 25 (US); May 26 (UK and Australia)

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• Robert Downey Jr has posted two new behind-the-scenes images from the Avengers: Doomsday set
• The photographs don't give anything away about the Marvel movie
• However, they've given fans renewed hope over his performance as the film's Big Bad

Ever since Robert Downey Jr took to the stage at Comic-Con 2024 to reveal he'd be playing Doctor Doom in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), it's safe to say fans have been divided into two camps.

Indeed, Marvel optimists believe the returning MCU superstar, who previously played Tony Stark and Iron Man between 2008 and 2019, is a great fit for the Multiverse Saga's new Big Bad. However, others hold the opinion that his return is a sign of the comic titan's desperation amid the mixed reception to its recent film and TV releases.

It seems, though, that the number of those who were seated firmly in the naysayers' camp is slowly dwindling. That's been particularly noticeable over the past few days, too, especially in light of new behind-the-scenes images that Downey Jr has posted from the Avengers: Doomsday set.

It should be noted that there are no story spoilers for Doomsday from this point onwards. Nevertheless, I feel compelled to say that, if you don't want to know a single thing about the highly anticipated Marvel Phase 6 film, you're best turning back now.

A post shared by Robert Downey Jr. (@robertdowneyjr)

A photo posted by on

The first image, which was uploaded to Downey Jr's Instagram account on May 14, showed the A-lister reading fellow MCU actor Jeremy Renner's recently-released autobiography.

Ordinarily, you'd think that's nothing worth reporting on. But if you look closer at said photograph, you'll notice two things.

For one, Downey Jr is wearing a muscle suit. This implies his take on one of The Fantastic Four's most notorious foes will be as physically imposing as he is mentally, and suggests he'll be able to go toe-to-toe with many of the Marvel heroes who were included as part of Doomsday's initial 27-strong cast.

The other, arguably more important detail is the black dots on Downey Jr's face. This indicates that, with a bit of CGI trickery, Marvel will give Downey Jr's Doctor Victor von Doom his unmistakable scarred face, which he usually hides behind his iconic metal-based mask.

Now, this doesn't confirm that Downey Jr won't show his face as Doom at some point in one of 2026's new movies. My reading of the situation, though, is that his disfigured face will be covered by said mask for a fair amount of this movie's runtime. I believe it'll only be revealed if his mask is knocked off during a fight, or if Doom wants his adversaries to take a look at the permanent physical damage he's endured in his potential quest to halt (or cause, we don't know which yet) the Multiverse's destruction.

A post shared by Robert Downey Jr. (@robertdowneyjr)

A photo posted by on

The other image, which appeared online yesterday (May 16), doesn't contain any teases that might spark new fan theories about this iteration of Doom. Nonetheless, it's intriguing to see that Downey Jr is reading Marvel comics that star Doom, especially ones written by Jonathan Hickman.

For the uninitiated: Hickman is the scribe behind the 2015 edition of Marvel's 'Secret Wars' comic series. Joe and Anthony Russo, who returned to the MCU alongside Downey Jr to direct the next two Avengers films, previously told me that Hickman's run, plus the original 'Secret Wars' storyline, have inspired the plot of Doomsday and its sequel, aka the 2027 MCU flick Avengers: Secret Wars.

Considering both comic runs will influence this movie duo, it's no great surprise to see Downey Jr reading Marvel literary works penned by Hickman, especially those that involve Doom. Downey Jr is someone who appears to conduct plenty of research for whatever role he's playing, but it's still pleasing to see that he'll tackle this role with the same gusto and seriousness as any other.

Such preparation hasn't gone unnoticed, either. As I alluded to at the beginning of this article, fans have unsurprisingly picked up on the work that Downey Jr is putting into this role, and many are becoming increasingly impressed. Indeed, a quick scan of threads on the Marvel Studios and Marvel Studios Spoilers Reddit pages confirms as much.

Of course, as the saying goes, the proof will be in the pudding as to whether Downey Jr's performance is as good as fans expect. I'm still concerned that his Doom will be revealed as a multiversal Stark variant, which would be the wrong approach to take for such an iconic Marvel supervillain. That said, I have renewed hope that Downey Jr will be a good, if not great, Doom, and these images definitely prove why he likely will be.

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The Apple Vision Pro remains the apex mixed-reality experience – and also the most unattainable for most people.

You won't hear Apple directly admit that the powerful headset is, at $3,499, too expensive. A couple of years ago, Apple CEO Tim Cook called the Vision Pro "a great value". A year later, though, he admitted that the pricey headset is not aimed at "the masses."

We now have some evidence that Cook's comment was on the, well, money.

During a recent Price is Right episode, contestants were presented with the Vision Pro and asked to guess the price. For those unfamiliar with the premise of the game show, the idea is to guess a price that is as close to the actual price as possible. Whoever gets nearest moves on to the next round of the game.

(Image credit: Future)

In the widely shared clip, the Vision Pro headset is lowered from the rafters to a position just in front of the contestants as the show's announcer briefly describes the headset's capabilities.

After a moment's consideration, the four players guessed prices ranging from $750 to $1,250. That latter price won – but saying that the contestant who guessed that amount got close is like saying California is close to New York because they're part of the same land mass.

What we learned is that consumers are not only unfamiliar with Vision Pro – they have no idea why anyone would pay $3,500 to own one. The price, according to those contestants, is wrong.

As much as I love the Vision Pro experience, I've known this for a while, but it wasn't until I saw some news today that I believed Apple understood this and that it is, perhaps, trying to do something about it.

The price gives us Vertigo

The news came from a seemingly unlikely source: U2 front man Bono, whose new documentary, Bono: Stories of Surrender, is coming to Apple TV Plus. The rock star has a long-time friendly relationship with Apple; more than a decade ago, Apple dropped an entire new U2 album on iTunes, much to the chagrin of those who were not U2 fans.

Apple, though, is clearly not done putting U2 content inside Apple products. An immersive version of Stories of Surrender is also coming to the Vision Pro, putting you on stage with the musician.

I've used the Vision Pro, and I've tried these immersive experiences often enough to tell you that they're extraordinary to the point of almost being uncomfortable; an artist or athlete is doing their thing, and it feels like you're invading their space.

Bono details in the interview with Deadline the difficulties of filming in the immersive format, especially getting the lighting right. Then, in answer to a question about how the Vision Pro further personalized the story, Bono shared something I'm not sure Apple would want him to share:

It made it really playful. I know Apple are dying to make the Vision Pro more affordable and more democratic, but they’re committed to innovation, they’re committed to experimenting. They know not everyone can afford this, but they’re still going for it, believing that some way down the line, it’ll make financial sense for them. But the fact that they may have to wait a while is not putting them off.

At least Apple is commited

"More affordable and democratic". That's quite a statement, and I guess it does align with Cook's comments about the headset still not being for the masses. However, most Vision Pro rumors point to Apple launching a different, cheaper version of Vision Pro (Vision Lite) and not necessarily making the existing headset cheaper.

Dropping the price of the existing Vision Pro is a strategy I suggested last year: "It costs a lot to build the Vision Pro (one estimate puts it at over $1,540) [...] [Apple] should simply cut the price by more than half and take the hit."

My point was that Apple is making more and more services revenue, and that the Vision Pro is just another platform on which it can deliver all that content and all those features (but at a very high level). Why not put it in more hands?

I'm not sure that Bono is fully in touch with current economic realities, when he suggests that, somehow, some way, people will eventually be able to afford the Vision Pro or that, at least, it'll make "financial sense."

(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)

I don't see that happening. At $3,500, the Vision Pro costs as much as a modest vacation, a powerful gaming computer, or luxury goods like a watch or designer bag. These are more than considered purchases, and the latter two are for the well-off or even rich.

Apple's products may generally be more expensive than the competition, but they do not sell only to the elite. Take a look around: virtually everyone has an iPhone. If the iPhone started at $3,000, that would not be the case.

I always encourage people to visit an Apple Store and experience the Vision Pro for themselves. They'll quickly see what all the fuss is about, but that experience also makes the price that much more painful. You may want to take the Vision Pro home, but we're still not living in a mixed-reality democracy, at least not yet.

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