Technology

• Weapons director Zach Cregger admits he's feeling the pressure after the success of his previous movie, Barbarian
• But he told TechRadar that he "feels secure" in the movie he's made
• Weapons is in theaters from August 8

Zach Cregger terrified us all in 2022 with his horror hit Barbarian and he is set to do it again with the new movie Weapons.

It's not easy following up from a breakout movie. With Barbarian scoring an impressive 92% on Rotten Tomatoes from the critics, horror fans are hoping for the same standard when it comes to Weapons.

In Cregger's latest movie, we follow the mysterious disappearances of multiple children who ran away from their homes at exactly 2:17am. Weapons viral marketing campaign had everyone talking, and now the pressure is on for it to be as good as Barbarian.

Speaking to TechRadar, Cregger told me about how he was feeling ahead of Weapons' release. He said: "I'm nervous just because I love the movie so much, and I want people to go see it, but I feel very confident because I feel secure in the movie that I made. "

"I love Weapons. I think it's a bigger riff on Barbarian. This is more and in a good way. I feel like I can sleep soundly at night no matter what happens, knowing like I did my job, but, you know, you hope people show up. "

Weapons is also Cregger's first time scoring a movie alongside two of his friends, so fans will get to hear some of his music on this project.

He told me: "I did it with two of my best friends who I was in a band with in high school, and we just kind of have the same musical mind and so the three of us, Hays and Ryan Holladay and myself, we kind of scored it.

"We scored the movie before I shot it, and then when I was editing it, you know, we just laid the score in."

One of the things I loved about Barbarian was the one word, impactful title, something that he did again with Weapons. I asked about the title and he said : "I think it's such a mysterious thing and with the mystery, it's just incredible. It just feels right."

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• Square Enix has announced The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales and Octopath Traveler 0
• The Adventures of Elliot arrives in 2026 for Nintendo Switch 2, PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and PC
• Octopath Traveler 0 is exclusive to Switch and Switch 2 and is releasing on December 4

To close out the July 31 Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase, Square Enix announced two new HD-2D role-playing games (RPGs), The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales and Octopath Traveler 0.

The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales is an all-new action-adventure RPG set to arrive in 2026, for the Nintendo Switch 2, PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and PC.

Although the game isn't releasing until next year, Switch 2 players can download a free 'Debut Demo' today that provides an early look at the game.

Developed by Team Asano, the developer behind Octopath Traveler and Bravely Default, The Millennium Tales tells the story of Elliot in a fast-paced adventure that combines thrilling real-time action and rewarding exploration.

Set in the world of Philabieldia, humanity’s last bastion is the Kingdom of Huther, protected by its tall walls and Princess Heuria’s powerful magic.

"When a mysterious set of ruins is discovered, a young adventurer named Elliot and his fairy companion Faie are sent off on a journey to investigate. What seems like a simple, if dangerous, mission soon becomes a grand saga that will be woven across time and space," Square Enix describes.

As Elliot, the player will explore an expansive world equipped with multiple weapon types, like swords, bows, chains, and sickles, which can be customized to increase stats. Faie will also have a 'Sprint' power that lets Elliot zip around faster.

The final reveal of the showcase was Octopath Traveler 0, which is the newest entry in the Octopath Traveler series, coming to Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2 on December 4, 2025.

"Start from zero and discover the newest entry in the OCTOPATH TRAVELER series. Experience a story of restoration and retribution over the divine rings—an epic saga that unfolds across the realm of Orsterra," the game description reads.

This new entry brings all-new features and returning core elements from the series, including the HD-2D graphics that blend retro pixel art and 3D CG art, Path Actions, the Break and Boost battle system, and more.

For the first time in the series, players will be able to play as their own customized protagonist and "rebuild their hometown after great destruction is brought to it".

Physical pre-orders for Octopath Traveler 0 are now available, with digital pre-orders coming later.

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• FTX shut down in 2021, but continued to generate data in the backend
• Contact information on more than 35,000 FTX Japan users found leaking
• The company could face regulatory pressure as a result

FTX Japan, the Japanese arm of the dead cryptocurrency exchange FTX, leaked sensitive data on more than 35,000 users, putting them at risk of phishing and identity theft, experts have warned.

Researchers at Cybernews said they found an exposed database with 26 million files, including usernames and real names, email addresses, postal addresses, FTX account IDs, and detailed transaction logs including information on borrowing and lending, cryptocurrencies, collateral, margin rates, and risk flags.

The files are relatively fresh, too, as some of the logs were apparently generated in July 2024.

Troubling implications

Explaining how it’s possible that an exchange that shut down in late 2021 was still generating, and thus leaking files, as early as 2024, Cybernews said FTX Japan completed its bankruptcy and withdrawals in February 2023, but its backend systems probably remained active throughout 2024.

Following the fallout of FTX, its Japanese subsidiary was acquired by another Japanese crypto exchange called bitFlyer, and was rebranded to Custodiem in 2024.

“It is unclear whether the discovered leak belongs to the actively used Custodiem infrastructure, or is an abandoned, unmodified artifact remaining after the FTX collapse,” the Cybernews researchers explained.

The implications are troubling, since cybercriminals can use the information to target people who already lost a lot in the bankruptcy. For example, Celsius customers (another crypto company that went bankrupt at approximately the same time), are being bombarded with phishing emails in which crooks impersonate the company and claim the victims are eligible for withdrawals.

At the same time, the company itself is risking further regulatory pressure, and possibly fines, as a result.

Cybernews also said that the data leak raises concerns about privacy and regulatory compliance, since under Japanese laws, crypto firms need to uphold to high standards.

How to stay safe

The breach means cybercriminals could have a field day with the leaked data, which should be more than enough of sensitive information to launch highly personalized, successful phishing campaigns, leading to identity theft, wire fraud, and even ransomware attacks.

If you're concerned you may have been caught up in the incident, don't worry - there are a number of methods to find out. HaveIBeenPwned? is probably the best resource only to check if your details have been affected, offering a run-down of every big cyber incident of the past few years.

And if you save passwords to a Google account, you can use Google's Password Checkup tool to see if any have been compromised, or sign up for one of the best password manager options we've rounded up to make sure your logins are protected.

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Buckle up: Wrestling's iconic summer event is now a two-night affair.

• Weapons director Zach Cregger has admitted he "was not a believer" when it came to the movie's viral marketing
• However, the realistic marketing campaign has gone down well with fans
• The new movie is in theaters from August 8

Weapons is the hugely anticipated new movie from Zach Cregger, and while fans may be thoroughly spooked by the marketing they've seen so far, the director has revealed he was nervous at first.

The new horror movie, which arrives in cinemas on August 8, centers around a group of children who simultaneously disappear at 2:17am.

Speaking to TechRadar, Cregger said: "They came to me and they were like, 'we're thinking of doing this'. They had a term for it that I wasn't even aware of, but they're like, 'we're gonna make this website, we're gonna make it seem like it really happened.'

"And I'll be honest, I was like, 'I don't think I like this idea because we're trying to trick people', and then are people gonna get annoyed and they realize it's just a movie and they're gonna be like f*** this movie."

He added: "That was my fear, but they were like just trust us. So I was like, 'OK!', and then sure enough, everybody really responded to it, so they get all the credit, you know, and I, and I love what they did. I love it, but I was not a believer at the beginning, I'll tell you."

The website Cregger is referring to is MaybrookMissing.net, which is set up to look like a real missing person's case. There's teasers for the movie, fake CCTV footage and even a reference to his previous movie Barbarian for eagle-eyed fans.

Weapons has really gone hard on this marketing technique, which is known as an Alternate Reality Game. Movies such as Cloverfield and District 9 have adopted this approach in the past, setting up websites and hotlines to entice audiences into a story.

In my opinion, they work incredibly well with horrors or mysteries and it really got me hyped to see the movie, so it's a job well done.

This led me to ask about fan theories based on the marketing campaign, as I was sure people have drawn their own conclusions about what to expect from it. Cregger told me: "Oh yeah, I've seen a lot of theories and I don't even really want to comment on them because if I discredit some of them, then it's, I'm giving people ammo for for for spoiling it.

"But the one that I will say that I've seen a lot that I'm always just kind of like, 'wow', is that people say like an alien is involved in this, and I think that's probably my favorite fan theory."

With plenty of intrigue here, you'll have to go and see the movie if you want to unravel the mystery.

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The next installment of the popular Nintendo Switch game lets you customize who the hero will be.

• Developers who published projects on PyPI with their email in package metadata are being targeted
• They are asked to "verify" their email address with a fake PyPI platform
• The "verification" process relays login credentials to attackers

Python developers are being targeted with dangerous phishing attacks, The Python Software Foundation (PSF) has warned .

PSF said threat actors were actively targeting developers who have published projects on PyPI with their email in package metadata. These developers are receiving emails asking them to “verify” their email address on the platform, providing a link to do so.

Clicking on the link redirects the victims to a page that looks seemingly identical to the original one - the URL for the original one is PyPI.org, and for the spoofed one - PyPJ.org, a difference small enough to pass under some people’s radars. This type of fraud is called “typosquatting” and is often used in attacks.

Disrupting the scam

The site looks almost the same as the real thing, and prompts the users to log into their accounts. However, sharing the credentials just relays them to the attackers, who can then log into the actual site, and tamper with the packages found there.

PSF is a nonprofit organization that manages and supports the Python programming language, and operates The Python Package Index (PyPI.org), the most popular package index for the programming language in the world.

Tainting legitimate PyPI packages with malware is also a common occurrence. Many Python developers trust the platform, and use the code found there in various projects. By downloading malicious packages, they can grant attackers access to their projects, and possibly even sensitive company files.

To tackle the impersonation campaign, PyPI admins added a banner to the homepage, and have reached out to CDN providers and name registrars to terminate the phishing sites.

Python developers who received such emails are advised not to click on any links, and just delete the emails immediately. Those who are unsure if the email they received is legitimate or not are advised to open up PyPi directly in their browser, instead of clicking any links in the email.

Via BleepingComputer

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• Kail Audio HP-1 are wireless cans with instant switching of sound profiles
• Sonic profiles for bass heavy and popular consumer headphones
• Launching at $199 / £199 / €199

If you make audio for other people to listen to, you'll know how much of a pain it is to have to listen on multiple things – but of course you have to do it, because what sounds good on neutral studio monitors may be too bassy on a pair of Beats or unclear on AirPods.

That means accumulating more earbuds and over-ears than you have ears, which is expensive and in my case, also very annoying because I keep forgetting to charge any of the wireless ones.

Kali Audio may have a better option.

Fancy a set of reference over-ear wireless headphones that can switch to emulate the sound of bassy boomers or airier options? That's what the new HP-1 promise to deliver, albeit without naming any specific headphone models. They're a single pair of headphones with a triple-split personality.

(Image credit: Kali Audio)Kali Audio HP-1: key features and price

The Kali Audio HP-1 headphones are over-ear closed-back headphones with 40mm drivers, a promised 18Hz to 22kHz frequency range, and custom digital signal processing profiles. There are three different voicings: studio, bass-heavy and consumer, all accessible instantly via the press of a button.

There's a 3.5mm cable (essential for latency-free music production) and the headphones also have Bluetooth for more relaxed listening, although that only has the basic standard SBC and AAC codecs, rather than aptX or LDAC.

Battery life is promised to be 40 hours, and there's active noise cancellation for when you need to take your show on the road.

The first profile, studio, is the standard one for these headphones, and it's designed to deliver transparent and accurate sound when you're mixing or mastering just like any other pair of studio headphones.

Press a button and you'll switch to the bass-heavy mode, which emulates the sound of "headphones that are popular with hip-hop and EDM creators and fans." The difference between fairly flat headphones and the more prominent low-end of such headphones can be quite considerable, so this setting should help keep the bass tight rather than overly boomy.

The third voicing is consumer, which according to Kali Audio "replicates the sound of popular headphones sold alongside phones and computers", which is an impressively phrased way of telling me you mean AirPods without telling me you mean AirPods.

I haven't tried these headphones, so I can't say how they compare to the headphones they aim to emulate. But if Kali has cracked the sound profiles, these could be a good option for those of us who can't afford to buy a library of headphones purely for mixing. With an official of $199 / £199 / €199 (about AU$400) the Kali Audio HP-1 are well within reach for bedroom producers as well as ones with bigger budgets.

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• Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection has been announced at the Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase
• The third game in the series is coming to Nintendo Switch 2, PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and PC via Steam
• The game has a 2026 release window

Capcom has announced the next game in its Monster Hunter Stories turn-based series, Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection.

Revealed during the July 31 Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase, Monster Hunter Stories 3 is coming to Nintendo Switch 2, PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and PC via Steam in 2026.

Capcom is calling the game "the next evolution of the turn-based, story-rich RPG series," and we got a first story trailer with an art style reminiscent of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, teasing an open world, a new cast of characters, and Rathalos.

"Twin Rathalos, born in a twist of fate, ignite the long dormant flames of war between two fractured nations: Azuria and Vermeil," the trailer description reads.

"You are the heir to the kingdom of Azuria, and the sole Rathalos Rider in the kingdom. On the brink of war and amidst strange phenomena threatening the world, a life changing event propels you beyond the Meridian, and on an unforgettable journey in search of the truth."

Twisted Reflection follows the second game in the series, Wings of Ruin, which was released in 2021.

It will also be the first Monster Hunter Stories title to arrive on Nintendo Switch 2 since the console's release, and although the details haven't been confirmed, 60FPS is a possibility on the Switch 2 version.

There's no release date just yet, but the official website is now live.

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The Zootopia 2 trailer has given us our first look at Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin) and Nick Wilde’s (Jason Bateman) next adventure almost a decade after the original movie was released. In a nutshell, the Disney movie will follow the pair hot on the trail of a mysterious snake who’s suddenly shown up in town, leading them to go undercover in parts of Zootopia they’ve never explored before.

Listen, we said ourselves that Zootopia deserved a sequel, but surely not like this. As you can tell from the premise above, Zootopia 2 is already setting itself up to be a total yawnfest. I’m not sure how much that matters to the target audience of under 10s, but hey, is there a more restless demographic than them? Regardless, I think our first few minutes of footage in the Zootopia 2 trailer highlight a real issue with Disney’s lack of creative engagement.

Following in the footsteps of Turning Red, Luca and Inside Out 2 (yes, I appreciate these are collaborations with Pixar), it feels as though the studio has regressed back to its cookie-cutter cash grab approach it took the minute it started churning out multiple streams of sequels and live-action adaptations. It’s not only the lack of imagination with the storyline that’s enraged me either – there was an obvious way to be much more playful with the title.

The Zootopia 2 trailer is lacklustre at best, but why isn’t the new movie called 2ootopia?

Disney, you can have this one on me. “2ootopia” (pronounced two-topia) would have been such a lightheartened way to inject some fun back into what is already proving to be a bit of a lazy launch. The internet often jokes about sequels adding their movie number into their title, and aside from us being genuinely hilarious on social media, it’s an easy win as far as kids films are concerned. Young’uns need something big and bold to grab onto, and that starts with the first impression a movie makes.

Surely I shouldn’t be telling the most famous animation company in the world how to do something as basic as their actual job, but if the best they have for Zootopia 2 is setting a snake loose in town only to be caught again, their heads clearly need a wobble. It’s certainly a nice touch to include a therapy session as a gentle way to poke fun at how we perceive ourselves – it’s definitely the strongest scene we’ve seen so far – but how much is that just superficial lip service? If you want to play it safe, it’s better to give the illusion of doing something different, and that’s exactly what Disney has done here.

I love Judy Hopps more than life itself, so I’m really hoping I’m wrong with my first-take assessment of the Zootopia 2 trailer. The fact I’ve not got a single interesting thing to say about it isn’t the best start, but at least there’s always time to rebrand to 2ootopia.

Zootopia 2 is set to be released on November 26, 2025.

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The enterprise software playbook seemed clear: everything moves to the cloud eventually. Applications, databases, storage: they all followed the same inevitable arc from on-premises to software-as-a-service.

But with the arrival and boom of artificial intelligence, we’re seeing a different story play out, one where the cloud is just one chapter rather than the entire book.

AI systems

AI workloads are fundamentally different beasts than the enterprise applications that defined the cloud migration wave. Traditional software scales predictably, processes data in batches, and can tolerate some latency.

AI systems are non-deterministic, require massive parallel processing, and often need to respond in real-time. These differences reshape the entire economic equation of where and how you run your infrastructure.

Take the challenge of long-running training jobs. Machine learning models don't train on schedule; they train until they converge. This could be hours, days, or weeks. Cloud providers excel at providing infrastructure at short notice, but GPU capacity at hyperscalers can be hard to get without a 1 year reservation.

The result is either paying for guaranteed capacity you might not fully use, or risking that your training job gets interrupted when using spot instances to reduce costs.

Then there's the inference challenge. Unlike web applications that might see traffic spikes during Black Friday, AI services often need to scale continuously as customer usage grows.

The token-based pricing models that govern large language models make this scaling unpredictable in ways that traditional per-request pricing never was. A single customer query might consume 10 tokens or 10,000, depending on the complexity of the response and the size of the context window.

Hybrid approaches

The most intriguing development involves companies discovering hybrid approaches that acknowledge these unique requirements rather than abandoning the cloud. They're using on-premises infrastructure for baseline, predictable workloads while leveraging cloud resources for genuine bursts of demand.

They're co-locating servers closer to users for latency-sensitive applications like conversational AI. They're finding that owning their core infrastructure gives them the stability to experiment more freely with cloud services for specific use cases.

This evolution is being accelerated by regulatory requirements that simply don't fit the cloud-first model. Financial services, healthcare, and government customers often cannot allow data to leave their premises.

For these sectors, on-premises or on-device inference represents a compliance requirement rather than a preference. Rather than being a limitation, this constraint is driving innovation in edge computing and specialized hardware that makes local AI deployment increasingly viable.

Infrastructure strategies

The cloud providers aren't standing still, of course. They're developing AI-specific services, improving GPU access, and creating new pricing models. But the fundamental mismatch between AI's resource requirements and traditional cloud economics suggests that the future won't be a simple rerun of the SaaS revolution.

Instead, we're heading toward a more nuanced landscape where different types of AI workloads find their natural homes. Experimentation and rapid prototyping will likely remain cloud-native. Production inference for established products might move closer to owned infrastructure. Training runs might split between cloud spot instances for cost efficiency and dedicated hardware for mission-critical model development.

The approach represents a step toward infrastructure strategies that match the actual needs of AI systems rather than forcing them into patterns designed for different types of computing

The most successful AI companies of the next decade will likely be those that think beyond the cloud-first assumptions and build infrastructure strategies as sophisticated as their algorithms.

We've featured the best cloud storage.

This article was produced as part of TechRadarPro's Expert Insights channel where we feature the best and brightest minds in the technology industry today. The views expressed here are those of the author and are not necessarily those of TechRadarPro or Future plc. If you are interested in contributing find out more here: https://www.techradar.com/news/submit-your-story-to-techradar-pro

• The Lenovo Legion Go 2 prototype outperforms the MSI Claw A8 in new benchmark video
• The MSI Claw A8 featured in the video has 16GB of RAM, while the Legion Go 2 has 24GB
• The Legion Go 2 prototype is available on second-hand markets in China, but is yet to launch officially

As we approach the latter stages of 2025, several new contenders are about to enter the handheld gaming PC market – and one of them in particular, the Lenovo Legion Go 2, looks like it will make a big impression.

As highlighted by Notebookcheck, the Lenovo Legion Go 2 outperforms the MSI Claw A8, according to a new benchmark by Lines Tech on YouTube. In Shadow of the Tomb Raider, the MSI Claw A8 hit an average of 44 fps, while the Lenovo Legion Go 2 had an average of 49 fps, the latter producing 10% better performance.

The Lenovo Legion Go 2 is still in its prototype phase, but is already available on second-hand markets in China. Both the Legion Go 2 and the MSI Claw A8 utilize AMD's Ryzen Z2 Extreme processor, so it may be a bit confusing to see the former managing better performance.

However, it more likely comes down to the amount of RAM available; the MSI Claw A8 has 16GB of RAM, while the Legion Go 2 has 24GB, which is 8GB more. It's also worth noting that the Legion Go 2 appears to have a placeholder CPU name, but we know it has the iGPU that's in the Ryzen Z2 Extreme, which is the Radeon 890M.

For the MSI Claw A8, there has strangely been been little to no mention of other configurations featuring less RAM than the marketed 24GB (according to the specifications on its website), which should specify 'up to 24GB', but that's beside the point.

Ultimately, based on these benchmarks, the Lenovo Legion Go 2's top configuration (featuring 32GB of RAM) should outperform the MSI Claw A8, which will be limited to a maximum of 24GB of RAM. We'll need to see both handhelds and their 24GB configurations go toe-to-toe, and if Lenovo's handheld still comes out as the victor, it could simply be due to better cooling.

Analysis: None of this will matter if availability and pricing are an issue...

Having seen the performance benchmarks of the MSI Claw A8 and personally used its similar counterpart, the MSI Claw 8 AI+, I've already written off a purchase of both handhelds. While the performance leap from AMD's Ryzen Z1 Extreme is evident, it's not enough to warrant such a huge expense, but that's slightly different with the Lenovo Legion Go 2.

If the Lenovo Legion Go 2 doesn't come with an unreasonable price tag above $1,000, I could see it being a big hit considering all the benefits. It has an 8.8-inch OLED screen powered by the Ryzen Z2 Extreme, and if it wasn't clear already, the OLED display is what gives it an extra edge.

However, I'm worried that potential buyers will be thrown off by pricing – or worse, a lack of availability. Even if I had decided that I wanted to buy an MSI Claw 8 AI+, the stock would disappear before I could even come to a decision.

Fortunately, that's gradually changing with better availability at Currys in the UK, but I could easily see the same stock woes happening with the Claw A8 and the Lenovo Legion Go 2 when it eventually goes on sale.

Tariffs on Taiwan are certainly part of availability issues, as it's where both Lenovo and MSI manufacture these handhelds. Let's just hope it doesn't get out of hand...

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Cybersecurity and resilience are essential for organizations striving to succeed in our highly connected world. With threats evolving at a breakneck pace, protecting your business requires more than vigilance. It demands a two-pronged strategy. First, proactive measures that detect and stop attacks before they happen. Second, an agile, efficient response plan to recover quickly if a breach occurs.

Attack timelines in the age of AI

One of the most misunderstood aspects of cybersecurity attacks is timing. Cyberattacks don’t begin when they are detected; they begin when access is gained. This could be weeks or even months before detection. Studies suggest that the period between the disclosure and exploitation, known as “dwell time,” has a global median of around ten days.

During this window, attackers operate in stealth mode. They analyze your systems, identify gaps and vulnerabilities, and position themselves strategically for maximum impact. Attackers exploit this period to steal sensitive data, disrupt operations, or deploy malware like ransomware.

AI is now reshaping the timing and nature of these attacks. A report from the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) highlights a growing disparity between organizations equipped to counter AI-enabled threats and those that falter. Worse, AI has the potential to increase the attack surface while simultaneously reducing dwell time. This dual dynamic will challenge even the most prepared defenders.

The cybersecurity challenges of AI

Every technological leap creates the potential for new security gaps, and AI is no exception. The NCSC stresses that improperly integrated AI systems can expose vulnerabilities. Generative AI (GenAI), for instance, introduces risks related to data exposure, manipulation of outputs, sensitive information leaks and even injection attacks that compromise AI tools.

Maintaining the integrity of training and inference data is becoming a growing challenge, especially as the data itself becomes more distributed. Nearly 90% of companies surveyed in Dell’s Global Data Protection Index recognize AI will generate large volumes of data requiring robust protection.

Yet 65% of organizations back up 50% or less of their total AI data, according to Enterprise Strategy Group research. This gap underscores an urgent need for comprehensive data protection strategies across infrastructure, operations and governance.

Proactive defense for staying ahead

The modern world of cyber threats requires smarter, faster responses. Proactive defense rooted in zero-trust principles is critical. Zero-trust is an architectural approach to security versus a product you buy.

It never trusts and always verifies legitimate business use before granting anyone or anything access to resources. This means that users and devices are not trusted by default, even if they’re connected to a permissioned network and even if they were previously verified.

The ability to advance cybersecurity maturity starts by focusing on three core practice areas: Reducing the attack surface, detecting and responding to threats, and recovering from potential breaches.

Reducing the attack surface literally means making it harder for the bad actors to get into your network, move around and cause havoc. This requires a multilayered approach, starting with penetration testing and vulnerability assessments to identify and address potential security gaps that require immediate attention.

Other critical measures include network segmentation, strict access controls, isolating sensitive data and consistently updating software and systems to mitigate exposure to risks.

Yet, no matter how much the attack surface is reduced, breaches can still occur. Therefore, companies must also work on the second pillar - actively identifying and addressing potential security incidents and malicious activities in the earliest stages of a breach.

Managed Detection and Response (MDR) solutions harness the power of AI to monitor systems in real time, detect unusual activity and neutralize threats before they escalate. Whether it’s anomalies like strange login patterns, unusual traffic or tampered data, these systems catch issues early.

When combined with automation, these systems can immediately isolate compromised accounts or devices, preventing malicious actors from moving deeper into the network.

But detection goes beyond surface anomalies. Advanced analytics analyze data to granular levels, identifying even subtle warning signs of potential attacks. These tools can detect when data has been tampered with, signaling a possible breach before damage spreads. This foresight is invaluable, enabling organizations to act well before a threat spirals into a full-blown crisis.

When proactive measures aren’t enough

No defense strategy is foolproof, even with strict security protocols and advanced detection systems in place. Human error, insider threats or highly sophisticated cyberattacks can and will occasionally bypass safeguards. When this happens, recovery becomes the priority. Recovery can be guided by three AI-powered principles: isolation, immutability and intelligence.

An isolated recovery environment protects critical backups by separating them from normal operations. This containment prevents attackers from tampering with the stored data. Additionally, ensuring immutability means that backups cannot be altered, deleted or overwritten, providing a secure foundation for restoration. Automated System Recovery (ASR), for example, is a hardware-based tool that can bring compromised servers back to their last functioning state quickly.

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Navigating the threat landscape

We’re at a pivotal juncture for cybersecurity. Attackers are using AI to outmaneuver defenses more rapidly than ever before, but defenders are equally equipped to use the same technology to strengthen their protection and response strategies. By focusing on reducing vulnerabilities, detecting threats early and empowering teams with recovery mechanisms, organizations can achieve a resilience that’s critical for both surviving and thriving in today’s threat environment.

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This article was produced as part of TechRadarPro's Expert Insights channel where we feature the best and brightest minds in the technology industry today. The views expressed here are those of the author and are not necessarily those of TechRadarPro or Future plc. If you are interested in contributing find out more here: https://www.techradar.com/news/submit-your-story-to-techradar-pro

• Spotify is now asking UK users to prove their age to access mature content
• The age verification checks have been introduced as part of the UK's Online Safety Act
• Spotify says it will present age checks if it suspects you're under 13, but many users have encountered checks despite being over 18

Spotify has become the latest app to introduce measures designed to comply with the UK's Online Safety Act, by asking users to undergo age verification checks if they want to view or listen to age-restricted content – and many users aren't happy.

The age verification requirements of the Online Safety Act came into effect from July 25, and requires all platforms that display adult content to verify that users are over 18 using age verification checks.

So far, we've seen the likes of Xbox, Discord and Reddit introduce age verification, and now Spotify has done the same.

Like Reddit and X, Spotify has partnered with digital identification firm Yoti, a service that conducts age checks via facial scanning. For Spotify users, Yoti will use different means of age verification, from facial scanning to requesting a scan of your ID if it suspects you’re under 13 (Spotify’s minimum age requirement).

It will also use algorithmic methods to estimate a user’s age. But Spotify is taking it a step further, stating in its official outline that "your account will be deactivated and eventually deleted" if you fail to complete the age verification process.

While Yoti claims that your data will be kept safe, and eventually deleted, the new requirement has caused uproar among some Spotify users.

Some have take to forums such as Reddit to point that young people are clever enough to find ways around the checks, for example using a VPN to change their location to somewhere other than the UK – and a minority have even threatened to revert to piracy (see below).

Comment from r/ukpoliticsWhat is ‘mature content’ in Spotify?

(Image credit: Spotify)

This is the burning question among Spotify fans, considering the music streaming app doesn't host X-rated content on the same scale as Reddit or X. However, the platform does have certain features that are aimed at mature users.

In Spotify's case, you may be asked to verify your age if you try to "access some Spotify content and features, like Music videos that are labeled as 18+ by rightsholders". This could also apply to podcasts that discuss mature content and songs with explicit lyrics.

Fortunately, there is a way back if your account becomes deactivated due to an inaccurate age estimation. According to Spotify, you'll get an email that "allows you to reactivate your account within 90 days of deactivation", after which you'll need to go through age verification checks again.

So far, I haven’t been asked to verify my age in the Spotify app when trying to access mature podcasts and music videos, but a handful of users on forums like Reddit who are well over the age of 18 have have already encountered the checks.

Why have VPNs become so popular?

Spotify has explained in various community posts that it isn't designed to work with VPNs, and you naturally shouldn't use one to circumvent any age verification checks.

However, this hasn't stopped free VPNs from dominating Apple's UK App Store, as internet users look to find ways of protecting their data from future breaches, or perhaps even bypass those checks completely.

VPNs work by encrypting your internet traffic, but they're not all equal – so it's important to choose the right one for your needs. Free VPNs can log an excessive amount of data, which could ultimately put your privacy at risk, and sometimes lack important security features.

If you're interested in some of the best deals for paid VPNs, you can check them out below.

You might also like

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• Spotify HiFi: release date rumors, price predictions, and everything we know so far
• Spotify had to pull an AI-generated song that claimed to be from an artist who passed away 36 years ago

This graphic docuseries depicts serious medical emergencies but it may cause some emotional trauma while you watch.

Looking for a different day?

A new Quordle puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Thursday's puzzle instead then click here: Quordle hints and answers for Thursday, July 31 (game #1284).

Quordle was one of the original Wordle alternatives and is still going strong now more than 1,100 games later. It offers a genuine challenge, though, so read on if you need some Quordle hints today – or scroll down further for the answers.

Enjoy playing word games? You can also check out my NYT Connections today and NYT Strands today pages for hints and answers for those puzzles, while Marc's Wordle today column covers the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about Quordle today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

Quordle today (game #1285) - hint #1 - VowelsHow many different vowels are in Quordle today?

• The number of different vowels in Quordle today is 4*.

* Note that by vowel we mean the five standard vowels (A, E, I, O, U), not Y (which is sometimes counted as a vowel too).

Quordle today (game #1285) - hint #2 - repeated lettersDo any of today's Quordle answers contain repeated letters?

• The number of Quordle answers containing a repeated letter today is 0.

Quordle today (game #1285) - hint #3 - uncommon lettersDo the letters Q, Z, X or J appear in Quordle today?

• No. None of Q, Z, X or J appear among today's Quordle answers.

Quordle today (game #1285) - hint #4 - starting letters (1)Do any of today's Quordle puzzles start with the same letter?

• The number of today's Quordle answers starting with the same letter is 2.

If you just want to know the answers at this stage, simply scroll down. If you're not ready yet then here's one more clue to make things a lot easier:

Quordle today (game #1285) - hint #5 - starting letters (2)What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?

• A

• M

• W

• A

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

Quordle today (game #1285) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #1285, are…

• ACTOR
• MEALY
• WIDTH
• ADOBE

Knowing letters that go together can really speed up a Quordle game. Today, it was predicting the TH in WIDTH and LY in MEALY that helped me complete the puzzle.

That said, I still struggled with a wrong guess, trying “maple” ahead of the correct word.

As with many Quordle games ADOBE was pulled from my memory bank of previous games – this is its third entry since March.

Daily Sequence today (game #1285) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #1285, are…

• WREST
• LATHE
• ALERT
• WOULD

Quordle answers: The past 20

• Quordle #1284, Thursday, 31 July: STYLE, VALET, AGONY, ALLOY
• Quordle #1283, Wednesday, 30 July: DEBAR, ADMIN, FOLIO, USAGE
• Quordle #1282, Tuesday, 29 July: BATCH, TOPIC, MURKY, BUNCH
• Quordle #1281, Monday, 28 July: CANDY, TRYST, SHIRT, FORGO
• Quordle #1280, Sunday, 27 July: TRAWL, BALER, PIANO, MINCE
• Quordle #1279, Saturday, 26 July: MUDDY, SAINT, KINKY, POLAR
• Quordle #1278, Friday, 25 July: BONUS, RESIN, CEDAR, MADAM
• Quordle #1277, Thursday, 24 July: AGONY, VERVE, GLEAN, MINUS
• Quordle #1276, Wednesday, 23 July: OZONE, PENCE, ROOMY, WIDER
• Quordle #1275, Tuesday, 22 July: OPTIC, GIDDY, VOCAL, ADULT
• Quordle #1274, Monday, 21 July: KNEED, SNAIL, PINTO, FEAST
• Quordle #1273, Sunday, 20 July: GRACE, COUNT, EGRET, GIANT
• Quordle #1272, Saturday, 19 July: EARLY, CLICK, TRITE, SPREE
• Quordle #1271, Friday, 18 July: CINCH, FOYER, FUDGE, TAFFY
• Quordle #1270, Thursday, 17 July: CRESS, TABOO, POWER, HATER
• Quordle #1269, Wednesday, 16 July: UNCLE, NADIR, REMIT, BROOM
• Quordle #1268, Tuesday, 15 July: VILLA, FLECK, TIGER, CRANE
• Quordle #1267, Monday, 14 July: SURGE, PIZZA, PAPER, POPPY
• Quordle #1266, Sunday, 13 July: KAYAK, DECRY, RUDDY, HATER

Looking for a different day?

A new NYT Connections puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Thursday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Connections hints and answers for Thursday, July 31 (game #781).

Good morning! Let's play Connections, the NYT's clever word game that challenges you to group answers in various categories. It can be tough, so read on if you need Connections hints.

What should you do once you've finished? Why, play some more word games of course. I've also got daily Strands hints and answers and Quordle hints and answers articles if you need help for those too, while Marc's Wordle today page covers the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Connections today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

NYT Connections today (game #782) - today's words

(Image credit: New York Times)

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• PLAYWRIGHT
• DEAN
• ROOF
• TEMPLE
• FACULTY
• WREATH
• BENT
• SWORD
• GARLAND
• HAY
• GIFT
• WRAP
• JACKPOT
• FLAIR
• GABLE
• ROAD

NYT Connections today (game #782) - hint #1 - group hints

What are some clues for today's NYT Connections groups?

• YELLOW: Skill
• GREEN: A letter you cannot hear
• BLUE: Silver screen icons
• PURPLE: A striking word in common

Need more clues?

We're firmly in spoiler territory now, but read on if you want to know what the four theme answers are for today's NYT Connections puzzles…

NYT Connections today (game #782) - hint #2 - group answers

What are the answers for today's NYT Connections groups?

• YELLOW: APTITUDE 
• GREEN: SILENT "W" 
• BLUE: LEGENDS OF CLASSIC HOLLYWOOD 
• PURPLE: HIT THE ____ 

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

NYT Connections today (game #782) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Connections, game #782, are…

• YELLOW: APTITUDE BENT, FACULTY, FLAIR, GIFT
• GREEN: SILENT "W" PLAYWRIGHT, SWORD, WRAP, WREATH
• BLUE: LEGENDS OF CLASSIC HOLLYWOOD DEAN, GABLE, GARLAND, TEMPLE
• PURPLE: HIT THE ____ HAY, JACKPOT, ROAD, ROOF

• My rating: Hard
• My score: 3 mistakes

I made two mistakes today trying to put together what I thought was a group about plant-based decorations, based on the fact that GARLAND and WREATH were the only two words in common that I could see among the entire 16.

Thankfully, I abandoned this dead end and made the link between GABLE, DEAN and TEMPLE and then the four words featuring a silent W.

My struggles weren’t over, however, as I had JACKPOT instead of FACULTY before realizing my error after getting a “one away”. I hope it was a bit easier for you.

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Thursday, July 31, game #781)

• YELLOW: FIRST___ AID, LADY, NATIONS, RESPONDER
• GREEN: SECOND___ COMING, FIDDLE, GUESS, NATURE
• BLUE: THIRD___ EYE, PARTY, RAIL, ROCK
• PURPLE: LAST___ LAUGH, RESORT, STRAW, SUPPER

What is NYT Connections?

NYT Connections is one of several increasingly popular word games made by the New York Times. It challenges you to find groups of four items that share something in common, and each group has a different difficulty level: green is easy, yellow a little harder, blue often quite tough and purple usually very difficult.

On the plus side, you don't technically need to solve the final one, as you'll be able to answer that one by a process of elimination. What's more, you can make up to four mistakes, which gives you a little bit of breathing room.

It's a little more involved than something like Wordle, however, and there are plenty of opportunities for the game to trip you up with tricks. For instance, watch out for homophones and other word games that could disguise the answers.

It's playable for free via the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.

Looking for a different day?

A new NYT Strands puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Thursday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Strands hints and answers for Thursday, July 31 (game #515).

Strands is the NYT's latest word game after the likes of Wordle, Spelling Bee and Connections – and it's great fun. It can be difficult, though, so read on for my Strands hints.

Want more word-based fun? Then check out my NYT Connections today and Quordle today pages for hints and answers for those games, and Marc's Wordle today page for the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Strands today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

NYT Strands today (game #516) - hint #1 - today's themeWhat is the theme of today's NYT Strands?

• Today's NYT Strands theme is… Slithering away

NYT Strands today (game #516) - hint #2 - clue words

Play any of these words to unlock the in-game hints system.

• CANADA
• TRADER
• PLACE
• BEAT
• POLAR
• CLEAR

NYT Strands today (game #516) - hint #3 - spangram lettersHow many letters are in today's spangram?

• Spangram has 7 letters

NYT Strands today (game #516) - hint #4 - spangram positionWhat are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?

First side: left, 5th row

Last side: right, 6th row

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

NYT Strands today (game #516) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #516, are…

• ADDER
• PYTHON
• COBRA
• MAMBA
• VIPER
• ANACONDA
• RATTLER
• SPANGRAM: SERPENT

• My rating: Hard
• My score: 1 hint

I was expecting the spangram to spell out “snake”, but that would be too obvious – and too short.

Despite knowing what we were searching for, I struggled to find a SERPENT – but did locate plenty of non-game words, so I took a hint to get me going. ADDER set me off and from there I slithered to glory.

That said, I did tap out “rattle” instead of RATTLER about three times before adding the R once there was no other option.

Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Thursday, July 31, game #515)

• SPONGE
• LAVA
• BUNDT
• FRUIT
• POUND
• CHEESE
• FUNNEL
• SPANGRAM: PIECE OF CAKE

What is NYT Strands?

Strands is the NYT's not-so-new-any-more word game, following Wordle and Connections. It's now a fully fledged member of the NYT's games stable that has been running for a year and which can be played on the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.

I've got a full guide to how to play NYT Strands, complete with tips for solving it, so check that out if you're struggling to beat it each day.