Technology

December is a month where we can settle down with friends and family to finally get through those watchlists full of movies and TV shows that are surely piling high by now. Fortunately, Netflix is happy to oblige by dropping a whole load of new content for streamers to enjoy.

It's not as festively fancy as you may imagine for this time of year, especially compared to the titles that joined the platform during the November 2024 schedule. For December, there's a real lack of Christmas additions, but have no fear, there's still a mix of content aside from the usual best Netflix movies to enjoy, with comedy specials, documentaries, live events, and even a music special from Sabrina Carpenter joining Netflix next month.

While we're disappointed by the lack of Christmas classics coming to one of the best streaming services, we are excited for Netflix's new Christmas spy thriller, Black Doves, and one of the best Netflix shows returning for season 9, Queer Eye. Let's take a look at what the streamer has to offer as 2024 draws to a close.

Everything new on Netflix in December 2024

Arriving on December 1

Bunk’d season 7 (TV show)
Burlesque (movie)
Daddy Day Care (movie)
The Happytime Murders (movie)
Little (movie)
Midway (movie)
Project X (movie)
We’re the Millers (movie)
Zero Dark Thirty (movie)

Arriving on December 2

30 for 30: Bad Boys (TV show)
30 for 30: Celtics/Lakers: The Best of Enemies (TV show)
30 for 30: Sole Man (TV show)
30 for 30: This Magic Moment (TV show)
30 for 30: This Was the XFL (TV show)
30 for 30: Winning Time: Reggie Miller vs. The New York (TV show)

Arriving on December 3

Fortune Feimster: Crushing It (comedy special)

Arriving on December 4

The Children’s Train (movie)
Churchill at War (documentary)
The Only Girl in the Orchestra (documentary)
Tomorrow and I (TV show)
That Christmas (movie)
The Ultimatum: Marry or Move On season 3 (TV show)

Arriving on December 5

BEASTARS final season: part 1 (TV show)
Black Doves (TV show)
Compliance (movie)
Jentry Chau vs the Underworld (TV show)
Subservience (movie)
Top Chef: Boston (TV show)
Top Chef: Kentucky (TV show)
Top Chef: Seattle (TV show)

Arriving on December 6

A Nonsense Christmas with Sabrina Carpenter (music special)
Biggest Heist Ever (documentary)
Camp Crasher (movie)
Echoes of the Past (TV show)
Mary (movie)

Arriving on December 9
The Great British Baking Show: Holidays season 7 (TV show)
Rubble and Crew season 1 (TV show)

Arriving on December 10

Jamie Foxx: What Had Happened Was… (comedy special)
Polo (TV show)
Rugged Rugby: Conquer or Die (TV show)

Arriving on December 11

The Kings of Tupelo: A Southern Crime Saga (documentary)
Makayla’s Voice: A Letter to the World (documentary)
Maria (movie)
One Hundred Years of Solitude: Part 1 (TV show)
Queer Eye season 9 (TV show)

Arriving on December 12

La Palma (TV show)
No Good Deed (TV show)

Arriving on December 13

1992 (TV show)
Carry-On (movie)
Disaster Holiday (movie)

Arriving on December 16

The Dead Don’t Die (movie)
The Equalizer seasons 1-3 (TV show)

Arriving on December 17

Aaron Rodgers: Enigma (TV show)
Ronny Chieng: Love To Hate It (comedy special)

Arriving on December 18

Julia's Stepping Stones (documentary)
The Manny season 2 (TV show)

Arriving on December 19

The Dragon Prince season 7 (TV show)
Project Runway seasons 18 & 19 (TV show)
Virgin River season 6 (TV show)

Arriving on December 20

Ferry 2 (movie)
The Six Triple Eight (movie)
Umjolo: Day Ones (movie)
UniverXO Dabiz (documentary)

Arriving on December 21

Flipping Out seasons 6-8 (TV show)

Arriving on December 24

Your Friend Nate Bargatze (comedy special)

Arriving on December 25

NFL on Christmas: Baltimore Ravens vs. Houston Texans (live event)
NFL on Christmas: Kansas City Chiefs vs. Pittsburgh Steelers (live event)

Arriving on December 26

Squid Game season 2 (TV show)

Arriving on December 28

Maestro in Blue season 3 (TV show)

Arriving on December 30

Mad Max: Fury Road (movie)

Arriving on December 31

Avicii - I'm Tim (documentary)
Avicii - My Last Show (movie)
Evil season 3 (TV show)
Michelle Buteau: A Buteau-ful Mind at Radio City Music Hall (comedy special)
The Millionaire Matchmaker seasons 5-7 (TV show)

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• ESET discovers two zero-day vulnerabilities that can lead to remote code execution
• The researchers spot Russian hackers abusing the flaws to deploy backdoors
• Fixes for both flaws are already available to download

A Russian advanced persistent threat (APT) group known as RomCom has been exploiting two zero-day vulnerabilities to hit its victims with potent backdoor malware, security experts have said.

ESET said its researchers first found a use-after-free bug in the animation timeline feature in Firefox. Since the bug forces the browser to use memory that has already been freed, it can lead to all sorts of undefined behavior, including executing code in the restricted context of the browser. This bug was discovered on October 8, and was assigned CVE-2024-9680. It was fixed a day later, on October 9.

Further investigation led to the discovery of a second vulnerability, this time in Windows, tracked as CVE-2024-49039, WHICH allows previously authenticated crooks to run arbitrary code in the system. By chaining the two vulnerabilities together, the attackers were able to deploy backdoors on target devices.

Targeting Europe and North America

In practice, thIS means embedding a website with code that is capable of exploiting the vulnerabilities, redirect the victims to a server where the backdoor is hosted, and have the operating system infected. The worst part is that the attack is “zero-click” - meaning besides visiting the malicious website, the exploit requires no interaction from the victim’s side.

While ESET does not discuss how many people, or entities, fell victim to the attack, they say that the majority of victims tracked between October 10 and November 4 were located in Europe and North America.

It is also worth pointing out that patches for both flaws have been available for more than a month now, and the best way to defend against the attack is to have Firefox, Thunderbird, and the Tor Browser (which were all said to have been vulnerable) all patched, together with Windows.

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• Spotify has released a new teaser for its Wrapped 2024 roundup
• It's "right around the corner" according to the new in-app notice
• Rumors are predicting the release date for the musical recap

Your Spotify Wrapped 2024 musical recap is "right around the corner", according to a new teaser (above) that many users are now seeing in the official app.

Spotify's unsubtle hint, which appeared for us today when reopening the iOS app, says its popular Wrapped roundup is almost here and that "your 2024 Wrapped to-do list" is, strangely, to listen to your top songs from the past two years.

Most Spotify fans are probably more focused on finessing their end-of-year listening so their Wrapped is fit for public consumption. But news that Wrapped 2024 is close is exciting for anyone who likes indulging in its personalized, and sometimes insightful, reflective mirror.

So when exactly can we expect to see Wrapped 2024? Last year, it landed on November 29, which was a Wednesday – that's now the typical weekday for Wrapped to be launched, as shown by the last four years.

But as spotted by Wrapped detectives on Reddit, there's a chance it could land later this year. That's because Spotify Indonesia appears to have announced a Wrapped concert for December 5, prompting speculation that Wrapped 2024 could roll out on December 4.

So when will Wrapped 2024 land?

Spotify Wrapped has become increasingly sophisticated in the past few years, including features like artist messages (above). (Image credit: Spotify)

The combination of this new Spotify teaser and those hints from Spotify Indonesia mean that, if we were betting folk, we'd err towards next Wednesday, December 4 now being the most likely Wrapped 2024 release date.

For the last four years, Wrapped has rolled out on a Wednesday – so unless Spotify is going to quickly follow up its new teaser with a full Wrapped release in the next few hours, we can probably rule out today being the launch date.

Next Wednesday is December 4 and Spotify has previously rolled out its musical recap around that time – Spotify Wrapped 2019 landed on December 5, while Wrapped 2018 was released on December 6.

So unless Spotify breaks its recent Wednesday trend or goes super-late on December 11, it looks like that'll be judgment day for Spotify fans. Spotify has never publicly commented on when the cut-off is for its Wrapped stats, but we'll be fine-tuning our listening over the next week to be safe.

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• Apple's next iPad Pro could appear in 2025
• An M5 chipset upgrade is rumored
• The M4 version of the tablet launched this year

Read our 13-inch iPad Pro (2024) review and you'll see that we've been very impressed with the tablet Apple launched back in May – but it seems that something even better is in the pipeline, and it might arrive sometime before the end of 2025.

This information comes from well-known tipster @Jukanlosreve, based on comments made by senior LG Display researcher Park Kyung-woo about an increase in the number of OLED panels being used in iPads next year.

There's another interesting prediction here, which is that these new iPad Pros will come running the as-yet-unannounced M5 chipset that's currently in development. The Apple M4 chip that powers the latest iPad Pros and Macs was also unveiled in May.

If we are getting an M5-powered OLED iPad Pro sometime in 2025, then that's a tight turnaround – so it's probably not going to show up before the second half of the year, and may well appear around October time (ready for the holiday shopping season in the US).

The future of iPads

I believe this is a sign that the M5 OLED iPad Pro will be released next year. Moreover, there are other signs pointing to its release as well. https://t.co/Y1lwsiZeTzNovember 27, 2024

The same tipster says there are "other signs" pointing to the appearance of this slate in 2025 – and indeed, noted Apple reporter Mark Gurman has previously said he expects the next iPad Pro, with an M5 chipset fitted inside, to land in late 2025 or early 2026.

However, it doesn't sound as though major changes are coming, besides that boost in processor speed. Apple gave the iPad Pro some design tweaks with the 2024 model, so it seems likely that the look of the tablet will stay the same for another generation at least.

Apple is certainly making up for lost time considering it didn't launch any new iPads at all during 2023. We've also seen a new iPad Air make an appearance this year, while the entry-level iPad is expected to be refreshed within the next 12 months.

However, don't hold your breath for a foldable iPad – plans for a launch have apparently been pushed back to 2026 at the earliest, and there's a decent chance that we're going to see a foldable iPhone arrive before Apple adapts its tablet line.

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• Concerns are raised over Microsoft’s use of customer data for AI training
• But the company confirmed it does not use customer data to train LLMs
• Publicly available information is considered open for training

Microsoft’s use of so-called ‘Connected Experiences’ has come under scrutiny following claims it collected user-generated content to train its AI models.

The latest claims stem from an X post by @nixCraft, who accuses Microsoft of turning on an opt-out feature that automatically scrapes Word and Excel documents for AI training.

@nixCraft continues: “This setting is turned on by default, and you have to manually uncheck a box in order to opt out.”

Microsoft says it doesn’t train AI on your documents

Concerns were raised about the use of proprietary content belonging to writers and creators who wish to protect, copyright or sell their content. The X user even shared steps on how to disable Connected Experiences via File > Options > Trust Center > Trust Center Settings > Privacy Options > Optional Connected Experiences.

Despite the claims, Microsoft 365 replied to the thread, stating: “In the M365 apps, we do not use customer data to train LLMs. This setting only enables features requiring internet access like co-authoring a document.”

In an earlier August 2024 blog post, Microsoft confirmed use data remains private and is not disclosed without permission. The company wrote: “Generative AI models do not store training data or return it to provide a response, and instead are designed to generate new content.”

Microsoft also promised to alert users “transparently” in the event of a change to how it handles consumer data for training GenAI models in Copilot.

On the whole, the company has made substantial efforts to differentiate customer data from readily available online sources. Microsoft seemingly treats the latter completely separately, with Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman calling public information “freeware” for AI training.

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While there's been a fair few movies leaving Hulu in December, we assumed they'd be making room for festive titles. But, there's a surprising lack in this month's list. It appears that everything new on Hulu in November was when the 'big' festive drop happened, and fortunately they're all still there to enjoy.

There are a few Christmas classics though, like Miracle on 34th Street, that made the nice (and new) list. While there's some of the best Christmas movies on Hulu, none will be joining the streaming platform in December. But, there's still plenty on offer. Instead of the predictable festive hits, there's a bounty of fun movies and TV shows to watch over the holidays.

As one of the best streaming services, December is a busy time for Hulu and with over 200 new additions coming to the platform, there's a little something for everyone to enjoy, which is handy because 'tis the season to spend a lot of time with family. So, let's take a look at the titles you can add to your Christmas watchlist.

Everything new on Hulu in December 2024

Arriving on December 1

Bunk’d seasons 1-7 (TV show)
Ace of Cakes season 9 (TV show)
Alaskan Bush People seasons 8-11 (TV show)
Bahamas Life season 5 (TV show)
Buddy vs. Duff season 4 (TV show)
Caribbean Life seasons 5 & 17 (TV show)
Chopped seasons 53-55 (TV show)
Deadliest Catch season 5 (TV show)
Dirty Jobs season 4 (TV show)
Ghost Adventures seasons 5 & 8 (TV show)
Gold Rush season 5 (TV show)
House Hunters season 170 (TV show)
House Hunters (Home for the Holidays) season 173 (TV show)
House Hunters International season 140 (TV show)
Maine Cabin Masters season 8 (TV show)
Sherlock Hound season 1 (TV show)
Street Outlaws season 5 (TV show)
Welcome to Plathville seasons 4-5 (TV show)
Antwone Fisher (movie)
Cast Away (movie)
Cheaper by the Dozen (movie)
Cheaper by the Dozen 2 (movie)
Diary of a Wimpy Kid (movie)
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days (movie)
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules (movie)
Epic (movie)
Epic Movie (movie)
A Good Day to Die Hard (movie)
Ice Age: Continental Drift (movie)
Miracle on 34th Street (movie)
Moulin Rouge (movie)
Mr. Holland’s Opus (movie)
The Muppets (movie)
Muppets Most Wanted (movie)
Muppet Treasure Island (movie)
Rio 2 (movie)
Sommersby (movie)
Speed (movie)
Bad Moms (movie)
This Christmas (movie)
Gladiator (movie)
National Security (movie)
Paradise Highway (movie)
The Perfect Guy (movie)
The Perfect Holiday (movie)
The Quick and the Dead (movie)
Ricki and the Flash (movie)
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1 (movie)
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2 (movie)
Twilight (movie)
Twilight Saga: Eclipse (movie)
Twilight Saga: New Moon (movie)

Arriving on December 3

Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern seasons 1 & 2 (TV show)
Breaking Amish season 1 (TV show)
Breaking Amish: Brave New World season 2 (TV show)
Breaking Amish: LA season 3 (TV show)
A Crime to Remember season 1 (TV show)
Ghost Adventures: Artifacts season 1 (TV show)
Ghost Adventures: House Calls seasons 1 & 2 (TV show)
Homicide Hunter: Lt. Joe Kenda season 8 (TV show)
Murder Under the Friday Night Lights seasons 1 & 2 (TV show)
My 600-lb Life: Where Are They Now? Seasons 6-9 (TV show)
My Feet Are Killing Me seasons 1 & 2 (TV show)
My Feet Are Killing Me: First Steps season 1 (TV show)
Property Brothers at Home seasons 1 & 2 (TV show)
Property Brothers at Home: Drew’s Honeymoon House season 1 (TV show)
Rock the Block seasons 1 & 2 (TV show)
Selena + Restaurant season 1 (TV show)
sMothered seasons 1-3 (TV show)
The Family Chantel seasons 1-3 (TV show)
The Flipping El Moussas season 1 (TV show)
The Great Food Truck Race seasons 13 & 14 (TV show)
Tiny House Hunters season 2 (TV show)
Tournament of Champions seasons 2 & 3 (TV show)
Bad Actor: A Hollywood Ponzi Scheme (documentary)
Light Shop season 1 (TV show)
Storm Crashers (movie)

Arriving on December 5

The Alaska Triangle season 1 (TV show)
Ancient Aliens season 20A (TV show)
Barnwood Builders seasons 16 & 17 (TV how)
Chopped seasons 20 & 21 (TV show)
Chopped Junior seasons 6 & 7 (TV show)
Chopped Next Gen season 1 (TV show)
The Curse of Oak Island season 11 (TV show)
Fixer Upper: Behind the Design season 1 (TV show)
Fixer Upper: The Castle season 1 (TV show)
Fixer Upper: The Hotel season 1 (TV show)
Fixer Upper: The Lakehouse season 1 (TV show)
Gold Rush: Dave Turin’s Lost Mine seasons 1 & 2 (TV show)
Gold Rush: Mine Rescue with Freddy & Juan seasons 1 & 2 (TV show)
Hot Ones new episodes (TV show)
The Murder Tapes seasons 1 & 2 (TV show)
My Big Fat Fabulous Life seasons 6-9 and 10-11 (TV show)
Mystery at Blind Frog Ranch seasons 1 & 2 (TV show)
MythBusters season 19 (TV show)
MythBusters Jr. season 1 (TV show)
90 Day Diaries season 1 (TV show)
7 Little Johnstons seasons 1-6 (TV show)
Supermarket Stakeout season 1 (TV show)
A Deadly Threat to My Family (movie)
Living (movie)

Arriving on December 6

Buddy’s Holiday Recipe Rumble season 1 (TV show)
Paris Has Fallen season 1 (TV show)
Doctor Dolittle (movie)
Doctor Dolittle 2 (movie)
Flycatcher (movie)
Marley & Me (movie)
Marley & Me: The Puppy Years (movie)
Summer Camp (movie)

Arriving on December 7

Destruction Decoded season 2 (TV show)
Inside Enchanted Forests series premiere (TV show)
Celebrity IOU seasons 1 & 2 (TV show)
Chopped Sweets season 3 (TV show)
Deadliest Catch seasons 19 & 20 (TV show)
Deadly Women season 14 (TV show)
Dr. Pimple Popper seasons 1, 2 & 9 (TV show)
Dr. Pimple Popper: Before the Pop season 1 (TV show)
Evil Lives Here seasons 1, 3, 4, 14 & 15 (TV show)
Evil Lives Here: Shadows of Death seasons 1-3 (TV show)
Evil Lives Here: The Killer Speaks season 1 (TV show)
Fatal Vows season 5 (TV show)
Maine Cabin Masters season 9 (TV show)
Nightmare Next Door seasons 1 & 2 (TV show)
The Perfect Murder season 3 (TV show)
Street Outlaws seasons 12 & 13 (TV show)
Ugliest House in America seasons 1, 3 & 4 (TV show)
Ugliest House in America: Ugly in Paradise season 2 (TV show)
Worst Cooks in America: Dirty Dishes season 1 (TV show)
The Convert (movie)

Arriving on December 9

Step Up (movie)
Step Up 2: The Streets (movie)
Step Up 3D (movie)

Arriving on December 10

Caught! Season 1 (TV show)
Critical Incident season 1 (TV show)
Deadly Influence: The Social Media Murders season 1 (TV show)
Farmhouse Fixer season 1 (TV show)
Food Network Star seasons 11-13 (TV show)
Gold Rush seasons 7-12 (TV show)
Guy’s Big Bite season 1 (TV show)
Guy’s Big Game season 1 (TV show)
I Love a Mama’s Boy season 1 (TV show)
Mysteries at the Museum season 1 (TV show)
Rachael vs Guy: Kids Cook-Off seasons 1 & 2 (TV show)
The Real Full Monty special premiere (TV show)
Save My Skin season 4 (TV show)
Unsellable Houses season 1 (TV show)
Sugarcane (documentary)
Coup! (movie)

Arriving on December 11

Down to the Studs season 1 (TV show)
Extravagant Spaces season 1 (TV show)
Home to Homestead season 1 (TV show)
The Reveal season 3 (TV show)
Tiny Bnb seasons 2 & 3 (TV show)
The Vision Maker with Anne-Marie Barton season 1 (TV show)

Arriving on December 12

Accused: Guilty or Innocent? season 6 (TV show)
48 Hours to Buy season 1 (TV show)
Interrogation Raw season 2B (TV show)
Knight Fight season 1 (TV show)
The Proof is Out There: Military Mysteries season 1 (TV show)

Arriving on December 13

Don’t Tell Comedy (TV show)
Joe Mande: CHILL (comedy special)
No Way Up (movie)
Scarygirl (movie)
A Sudden Case of Christmas (movie)

Arriving on December 14

Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives seasons 45-49 (TV show)
Disappeared seasons 5, 8-12 (TV show)
Expedition Unknown seasons 1 & 2 (TV show)
Gold Rush: Parker’s Trail seasons 1 & 2 (TV show)
Gold Rush: South America season 1 (TV show)
Gold Rush: White Water seasons 4-8 (TV show)
Hoarding: Buried Alive seasons 1 & 2 (TV show)
How It’s Made seasons 23 & 24 (TV show)
I (Almost) Got Away With It seasons 1 & 2 (TV show)
Kids Baking Championship seasons 1-4 & 11 (TV show)
MILF Manor seasons 1 & 2 (TV show)

Arriving on December 16

Law & Order seasons 1-20 (TV show)

Arriving on December 17

Blink (documentary)
Cuckoo (movie)

Arriving on December 18

The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher seasons 1-4 (TV show)

Arriving on December 19

America’s Top Dog season 1 (TV show)
Casey Anthony: How Did We Get Here? season 1 (TV show)
The Proof Is Out There season 4 (TV show)
Zombie House Flipping season 6A (TV show)
A Model Murder (movie)

Arriving on December 20

Lost Treasures of the Bible (documentary)
Ilana Glazer: Human Magic (comedy special)
Darkness of Man (movie)
The Inheritance (movie)

Arriving on December 24

The Arctic Convoy (movie)

Arriving on December 26

America’s 10 Most Hated season 1 (TV show)
Court Cam season 7A (TV show)
Full Metal Jousting season 1 (TV show)
200% Wolf (movie)

Arriving on December 27

The Year: 2024 special premiere (TV show)
Breaking (movie)
Don’t Tell Comedy (TV show)

Arriving on December 28

Alice, Darling (movie)
Amber Alert (movie)

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• Operation Serengeti has taken down multiple cybercriminal networks
• Over 35,000 victims were identified during the operation
• Interpol hit networks related to business-targeted cybercrime

Interpol have released details on Operation Serengeti - a major crackdown on organized cybercrime across Africa in collaboration with AFRIPOL.

The operation, which was coordinated with participation from the private sector and internet service providers (ISPs), culminated in the arrest of 1,006 suspects and the takedown of 134,089 networks and devices.

Operation Serengeti targeted cybercriminals specifically involved in ransomware, business email compromise (BEC), digital extortion and online scams.

$193 million financial losses

Operation Serengeti took place across 19 countries, with several large-scale cybercriminal operations raided and their infrastructure dismantled, resulting in the recovery of over $43 million in stolen assets. The operation also helped identify more than 35,000 victims worldwide who had lost a combined $193 million.

An $8.6 million credit card fraud ring was identified in Kenya, which used malicious scripts to change the banking systems security protocol to avoid detection before distributing the funds between multiple countries including the United Arab Emirates, Nigeria and China through SWIFT payments.

“From multi-level marketing scams to credit card fraud on an industrial scale, the increasing volume and sophistication of cybercrime attacks is of serious concern,” commented Valdecy Urquiza, Secretary General of INTERPOL.

“Operation Serengeti shows what we can achieve by working together, and these arrests alone will save countless potential future victims from real personal and financial pain. We know that this is just the tip of the iceberg, which is why we will continue targeting these criminal groups worldwide.”

AFRIPOL’s Executive Director Ambassador Jalel Chelba also congratulated the success of the operation, stating, “Through Serengeti, AFRIPOL has significantly enhanced support for law enforcement in African Union Member States. We’ve facilitated key arrests and deepened insights into cybercrime trends. Our focus now includes emerging threats like AI-driven malware and advanced attack techniques.”

In early November 2024, Interpol’s Operation Synergia II took down over 22,000 crime-linked IP addresses and led to the arrest of 41 individuals for their involvement in phishing networks, infostealing malware, and ransomware campaigns.

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A group of artists invited to test OpenAI's Sora video generator ahead of its public release leaked access to the AI video model on Hugging Face for a few hours on Tuesday before being shut down. The "Sora PR Puppets" behind the leak used their access to enable anyone to generate 10-second videos from text prompts. The group's point was to push back against OpenAI over pressure to only talk about positive aspects of Sora and over a lack of compensation for their contributions.

"We received access to Sora with the promise to be early testers, red teamers, and creative partners. However, we believe instead we are being lured into 'art washing' to tell the world that Sora is a useful tool for artists," the group wrote in a post online. "Hundreds of artists provide unpaid labor through bug testing, feedback, and experimental work for the program for a $150B valued company. While hundreds contribute for free, a select few will be chosen through a competition to have their Sora-created films screened — offering minimal compensation which pales in comparison to the substantial PR and marketing value OpenAI receives."

For many, the biggest impact of the leak was a chance to play with the highly restricted Sora model. Until now, only professional filmmakers partnered with OpenAI had any real access. The results shared by those who had a chance to play with Sora before it shut down again are impressive, as can be seen below.

OpenAI's Sora LEAKED! https://t.co/X3EmAZAJk0November 26, 2024

More Sora: pic.twitter.com/8DRz1VTY7hNovember 26, 2024

Conirmed: OpenAI Sora really has been leaked https://t.co/Vh1zzsKgPT pic.twitter.com/mAN1Z4vGsNNovember 26, 2024

Sora protest

The fact that Sora was in the wild without OpenAI's permission underscores the difficulties companies trying to collaborate with artists will face when it comes to AI. Hollywood writers, performers, and animators have all gone on strike partly over concerns about AI being deployed to replace them, and there's every indication that technical improvements will only heighten the tension between artists and AI developers. That said, the long delay between the announcement of Sora and any general release suggests Sora is far from where OpenAI wants it to be.

While OpenAI has teamed with filmmakers to demonstrate Sora's capabilities, there have been no major partnerships announced. That's partly why the protesters leaked the model, to encourage a more open development approach by OpenAI. Whether it will motivate the company to do anything but kick them out of the program remains to be seen.

"This early access program appears to be less about creative expression and critique, and more about PR and advertisement," the group wrote. "We are not against the use of AI technology as a tool for the arts (if we were, we probably wouldn't have been invited to this program). What we don't agree with is how this artist program has been rolled out and how the tool is shaping up ahead of a possible public release. We are sharing this to the world in the hopes that OpenAI becomes more open, more artist friendly and supports the arts beyond PR stunts."

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Netflix has dropped the first trailer for its adaptation of One Hundred Years of Solitude, which is based on the best-selling novel by Nobel Prize–winning author Gabriel García Márquez, and I'm so excited to get drawn into the mythical town and all the magical elements that come with it.

This looks like another great series for one of the best streaming service, having also recently announced a new Harlan Coben thriller Missing You. The first part of One Hundred Years of Solitude will be released on December 11, with part two to follow in due course.

Take a look at the trailer below.

What do we know about One Hundred Years of Solitude?

One Hundred Years of Solitude is made up of eight episodes, all of which will be released on December 11. So, if you want a binge-watching session, you can settle in and watch them all from then.

According to Tudum, "The story follows cousins José and Úrsula, who get married against their parents’ wishes and leave their village to embark on a long journey in search of a new home. Accompanied by friends and adventurers, their voyage culminates with the founding of a utopian town on the banks of a river of prehistoric stones that they baptize Macondo.

"Several generations of the Buendía lineage will shape the future of this mythical town, tormented by madness, impossible loves, a bloody and absurd war, and a terrible curse that condemns them, without hope, to 100 years of solitude."

The adaptation is "one of the most ambitious productions in Latin American history", where it was filmed in Spanish and shot in García Márquez’s native Colombia with the support of the author’s family.

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• The foldable iPhone is rumored to be another step closer to launching
• Leaks around the device have been circulating for years
• The move may mean Samsung accelerates its own foldable plans

Given where we're at with the smartphone market now, it seems inevitable that Apple will eventually launch a foldable iPhone – if only to stop Samsung's jibes – and it appears that the device is now another step closer to launching.

According to well-known tipster Yeux1122 (via @Jukanlosreve), the folding iphone has now entered the "formal development process" with display manufacturers. That's according to a "supply chain source" (and Google Translate).

What does "formal development process" mean? Well, it's not exactly clear, but it sounds as though some kind of commitment has been made to actually get this device designed and manufactured, and put the necessary components on the production line.

In other words: Apple officially wants to make a foldable iPhone, if this leak is to be believed. According to the tipster (and Google Translate, again), Apple had previously been "responding piecemeal to technology and key requirements".

Apple vs Samsung again

Apple’s New Foldable Smartphone Enters Formal Development ProcessAccording to yeux1122, Apple has recently entered the official development process for foldable smartphones in collaboration with display manufacturers.In response, yeux1122 speculates that the timeline for form…November 27, 2024

There's another interesting tidbit in this leak, which is that Samsung is expected to bring forward the development of its own foldables – including next year's Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Galaxy Z Flip 7 – to counter the threat of a folding iPhone.

We've previously heard Samsung is working on new form factors and different price points to expand its line-up of foldable phones, and it would appear that this expansion may now happen earlier because of Apple's decision to formalize its plans.

As for what we can expect from an iPhone Fold, take your pick from dozens of leaks and rumors down the years. Besides a multitude of launch date predictions, we've also heard the foldable could come with a self-healing screen and a wrap-around design.

If the formal process of making a folding iPhone has only just started, we're unlikely to see it next year. September 2026 is probably a safer bet for a launch window, which would mean the device making its debut alongside the iPhone 18. Although we've also heard rumors that it may not land until 2027.

Either way, it seems that a foldable iPhone – which feels like an obvious win for Apple, if not iPad sales – is taking its first tentative steps towards reality.

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• Intel’s Arc B580 GPU has been leaked via a Geekbench result
• The score itself is meaningless, but it provides key spec details
• B580’s core count could be lower than A580, but other specs might balance that out

Intel’s Battlemage graphics cards are supposedly set to launch in December if the rumors are right, and we’ve got another nugget suggesting that – a glimpse of the purported spec of the B580.

That Arc Battlemage B580 GPU is purportedly going to be the first of Intel’s 2nd-gen desktop graphics cards out of the door, and VideoCardz noticed that Tomasz Gawroński flagged up a Geekbench result on X.

Intel g21 battlemage 20core (160cu) at 2850mhz + 285k tested in geekbench. https://t.co/UJPG9iCjVV pic.twitter.com/G0emVzggN3November 26, 2024

The benchmark result itself is pretty meaningless – it’s a sample B580 (in theory, we should add – sprinkle seasoning liberally), and the OpenCL score is hardly a useful metric for a gaming graphics card anyway.

The key point here is the specs shown for the B580, which is apparently set to be loaded with 12GB of VRAM and a boost clock running up to 2.85GHz. We also learn that this GPU has 160 Compute Units (CUs).

As VideoCardz points out, this should mean the B580 has 20 Xe2 cores (with 8 CUs per core in theory).

It’s also worth noting that the video memory spec aligns with a previous leak about an ASRock B580 graphics card, which was also shown with 12GB. And at 2.8GHz, the previous clock speed was in the same area as this new leak too.

(Image credit: Intel) Analysis: Don’t panic over those specs

So how do these specs seem to be shaping up? There’s some consternation from some of those commenting online about the drop in core count compared to the existing Arc A580 GPU – as the A580 has 24 cores versus 20 here.

However, there’s give and take in these specs. If the core count is dropped to 20 (and it may not be), those are still next-gen Xe2 cores benefiting from a new, faster architecture. On top of that, the boost clock is much faster than the A580 (which is officially clocked at 1.7GHz, although third-party models ran at 2GHz or so – but 2.8GHz is a big leap over that).

Furthermore, you’ve got a more comfortable loadout of VRAM here at 12GB versus 8GB (even though, if the rumors are right, memory bandwidth will be a touch tighter with the B580 versus the A580).

All of this remains speculation, and we should bear in mind two points here. Firstly, the B580 will be appreciably faster than the A580, whatever happens. Intel would look foolish if it was otherwise, obviously enough. And secondly, no matter where the spec comes out, Intel can still attack at the low-end of the GPU market by pricing the B580 to undercut AMD and Nvidia’s budget offerings.

With all these leaks springing up around Battlemage in the past week or two, it seems fairly certain that we will see the B580 unveiled next month – but clearly, we can’t be sure of that (and even if it’s Intel’s intention right now, a last-minute delaying factor could still interfere).

It makes sense that Intel will want to grab the desktop GPU limelight for a while before AMD and Nvidia bring out their big guns (or medium-sized artillery, perhaps, in the case of RDNA 4) at CES 2025 in January as the grapevine insists.

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• Starbucks stores are using pen and paper to track employee hours after attack
• Third-party Vendor Blue Yonder hit with ransomware attack
• Retail stores in the UK and US affected

Starbucks may be the largest coffee chain in the world, but many of its stores have been forced to manually track employee’s schedules and payroll after a third party supply chain vendor was hit by a ransomware attack.

Blue Yonder confirmed it was the victim of a ransomware attack, and services are still being severely disrupted, with the company confirming it is “working around the clock to respond to this incident”.

The list of affected stores is growing, with UK retail giants Sainsbury’s and Morrisons also both reporting disruption. The stores have affirmed that backup processes and contingency plans are in place, so the impact on customers should be minimal.

Third party risks

It’s not yet clear exactly what the effects of the hack will be, and the extent of the disruption is yet to be seen. Ransomware is a costly business, with the average demand over $5 million in the first half of 2024.

Ransomware attacks are on the rise across the globe, and increasingly digital operations mean many companies are reliant on third party vendors, which can put companies at risk even if their own cybersecurity is airtight.

The risks can be mitigated by thoroughly assessing third party vendors and by ensuring contingency plans are in place, and CISOs are encouraged to collaborate with their peers in the industry to foster strong relationships.

"The Blue Yonder incident reminds all organizations that focusing only on the security and resilience of systems under your direct control is no longer an option.” said Matt Aldridge, Principal Solutions Consultant at OpenText Cybersecurity.

“Dependencies run deep and broad in the supply chain, so it is essential that all suppliers are thoroughly vetted on an ongoing basis, and that contingency plans are in place before going live with any major third-party solution.“

Via CNN

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• Leaked photos show the bottom half of a phone believed to be the Galaxy S25 Ultra
• The Samsung Galaxy S25 Plus has been benchmarked with high scores
• And the Samsung Galaxy S25 has seemingly been certified in the US

Following yesterday’s leaked video showing what's claimed the top half of the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, we’ve now seen leaked photos that are said to show the bottom half of Samsung's next premium flagship.

These photos – shared with Android Authority – come from the same source as the video, and between the photos and the video we’ve now had a complete look at the design of the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra – though it’s odd that the source seemed unwilling to show the whole phone in a single photo or clip.

In any case, here we get a look at the bottom edge of the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, complete with an S Pen slot, speaker, USB-C port, and SIM card slot. We can also see that the bezels appear quite small and uniform, and that there’s a new on-screen charging indicator when the phone is plugged in.

Image 1 of 2

(Image credit: Android Authority / youtube.com/@MBernardK)Image 2 of 2

(Image credit: Android Authority / youtube.com/@MBernardK)

That indicator is part of One UI 7, which the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra is expected to launch with, and which the source has also supplied some screenshots of. Details in these include a notifications dropdown that’s split in two, with notifications on one half and settings toggles on the other. Some apps also have new icons, although as Android Authority notes these details have all leaked previously.

Benchmarked and certified

In any case, this isn’t the only new Samsung Galaxy S25 series leak, as the Samsung Galaxy S25 Plus has also been benchmarked, as spotted by leaker @Jukanlosreve. This Geekbench listing shows a single-core score of 3,160 and a multi-core result of 9,941, both of which are extremely high scores, and are broadly in line with Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra benchmarks.

Finally, Phone Scoop has spotted that a device it believes to be the base Samsung Galaxy S25 has been certified by the the FCC, the US telecoms regulator. There’s not much of interest here aside from a mention of support for satellite connectivity, but the fact that the phone has been certified means it will probably land soon, which is as we’d expect, with leaks pointing to a January 22 launch.

As ever, we’d take these leaks with a pinch of salt, but if the Samsung Galaxy S25 series is indeed going land in January then we shouldn't have long to wait before we get official information.

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