Technology

• Secretlab Skins Lite start a $99 / around £75
• They help protect your chair and customize its look
• Available now from Secretlab

Gaming chair manufacturer Secretlab has revealed the all-new Secretlab Skins Lite, a more affordable version of the existing Secretlab Skins line. These lightweight chair wraps help protect your gaming throne while also offering an easy way to customize its appearance.

Secretlab Skins Lite are available now from the Secretlab website and start at $99 / around £75, which is significantly below the $169 / £169 asking price for the original Secretlab Skins. They use a new material and come in a wide range of designs, including licensed looks inspired by characters like Jinx and Vi from Arcane, Goku from Dragon Ball Z, and Illidan Stormrage and The Lich King from World of Warcraft.

A number of existing Secretlab Skins designs, including the cute Cyberpunk: Edgerunners Lucy and Rebecca editions, will also be offered as Lite variants. The Skins easily fit onto the outside of your chair, with an application process that the company claims takes just three minutes to complete.

They provide complete coverage, maintaining the chair’s ergonomic shape while protecting its fabric against dirt and spills. Skins are also machine washable, which might make them a worthwhile investment if you frequently drop your gaming snacks while playing.

The Skins are compatible with Secretlab Titan Evo series chairs, which are some of the best gaming chairs and most comfortable gaming chairs on the market right now.

Elsewhere, Secretlab also recently released the Secretlab Ergonomic Recliner, another chair add-on that introduces additional leg support. This was followed by the reveal of the Secretlab Titan Evo NanoGen Edition, an enhanced version of the Secretlab Titan Evo that has exceptionally comfortable cushioning and all-new plush materials.

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Spending many hours daily looking at screens feels like a foregone conclusion. The new challenge is paring down what fills them.

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• Google's Gemini Utilities Extension upgrade is being rolled out
• It will give Gemini more of the powers of Google Assistant
• Gemini Live is still waiting for a similar upgrade

Google Gemini is taking another step closer to becoming the fully-fledged virtual assistant that we all want thanks to a new update rolling out now called “Gemini Utilities Extension” that can control your Android mobile device and apps. While the update is on the way, it could take a few days to reach everybody with an Android device.

The new update means that Gemini will be able to take over tasks like opening websites, apps, and settings that it currently has to farm out to Google Assistant. The Gemini Utilities Extension will work with apps on Android devices only,

The full list of upgrades that the Gemini Utilities Extension contains includes setting timers and alarms, taking a photo or screenshot (even from the lock screen), and controlling media playback.

Gemini vs Gemini Live

(Image credit: Future, Lance Ulanoff)

While the Google Gemini app is a massively powerful upgrade to the original Google Assistant, giving you the ability to search your inbox, produce summaries, and provide helpful advice, Android devices are currently in a strange situation where the Gemini AI still has to revert back to Google Assistant it for some tasks, especially ones that require interaction with an app or Settings. Now, with Gemini Utilities Extension, you'll no longer need to rely on Google Assistant to perform these tasks.

It’s also important not to confuse Gemini with Gemini Live, which is Google’s voice-controlled version of the AI, that enables you to have much more free-flowing conversations than the standard Gemini voice feature in the Gemini app allows. The improvements ushered in by the new Gemini Utilities Extension will not give the same powers to Gemini Live, which still can’t interact with apps and settings on your device.

There is still no news from Google about when we can expect upgrades to Gemini Live that will give it these capabilities. A note on the Gemini Apps help website says simply, “We’re gradually releasing updates to Gemini Live, so the latest changes might not be available to you just yet.”

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• HPE releases patch for six serious security vulnerabilities
• The bugs affected multiple products, and could be used in destructive cyberattacks
• Patching is advised, but workarounds are available

Two critical security bugs were found plaguing Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) endpoints, the company has confirmed, as it released a patch and follow-up security advisory.

As per the bulletin, multiple Aruba Networking Access Points (AP), powered by thee Instant AOS-8 and AOS-10 operating systems, were vulnerable to a total of six flaws, which allowed crooks to mount authenticated remote command execution attacks, create arbitrary files, perform unauthenticated command injection, and more.

Of the six, two were particularly dangerous: CVE-2024-42509, and CVE-2024-47460. These were assigned severity scores 9.8 and 9.0, and could have been abused by sending specially crafted packets to Aruba’s Access Point management protocol (PAPI).

End of life

The remaining four vulnerabilities are tracked as CVE-2024-47461, CVE-2024-47462, CVE-2024-47463, and CVE-2024-47464.

All of them plague AOS-10.4.x.x: 10.4.1.4 and older releases, Instant AOS-8.12.x.x: 8.12.0.2 and below, and Instant AOS-8.10.x.x: 8.10.0.13 and older versions.

If your product is older, and isn’t among the ones listed here, then it’s likely reached its end-of-life status and as such will not be patched. In such cases, HPE advises users to replace the instance with a newer model that is still supported.

Those who are still under HPE’s support should update their access points to these versions:

AOS-10.7.x.x: Update to version 10.7.0.0 and later.
AOS-10.4.x.x: Update to version 10.4.1.5 or later.
Instant AOS-8.12.x.x: Update to version 8.12.0.3 or newer.
Instant AOS-8.10.x.x: Update to version 8.10.0.14 or above

There are also workarounds for those who cannot install the patch immediately, which include blocking access to UDP port 8211 from all untrusted networks, restricting access to the CLI and web-based management interfaces, and controlling access with firewall policies at layer 3 and higher.

At press time, there was no evidence of in-the-wild abuse.

Via BleepingComputer

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Cybersecurity is an unending challenge for businesses. Just as they catch up, the bad guys innovate their techniques to continuously stay one step ahead. It’s an issue that will persist meaning cyber risk has become a business risk.

Organisations know anything that threatens their IT, threatens their company. It's a pattern we continue to see – businesses getting breached and reputational and/or financial damage following. As such, cybersecurity is now a board issue and a permanent topic of conversation within corporate leadership teams. Yet, organizations need to take bigger steps towards making their cybersecurity posture as strong as possible – their business depends on it.

Assessing cyber risk

Businesses understand the ramifications a cyberattack can have on the whole company, with research finding that nearly one third (31%) experienced six or more attacks between June 2023-4, compared to the same period the year before.

The impact of an attack is vast, the repercussions of which affect the entire company. As such one of the most crucial tasks of a CISO is to rank cyber risks in order of impact. This requires an equal understanding of the business and its technology stack and isn’t an easy task.

Part of this assessment requires understanding the priorities inside the organization's value chain and securing them accordingly. The second part of the challenge is to then look beyond the business itself and understand what outside forces may impact it. Among these external forces, we find the compliance framework – laws and regulations necessary to protect human beings, intellectual property as well as innovation.

The duality regulation brings though is a challenge. While necessary for protection, they cap and stifle IT teams who need to integrate legal considerations into their defenses. The more known about cyber risks and regulation however, the better. Knowledge is the feather in an IT team’s cap, and IT teams and boards should work together to take learning from other parts of the business and other regulations within their security practices.

Mitigating technical risk

Defense strategies are a must when it comes to cybersecurity resilience. Assessing the right combination of products, services, staffing and processes is crucial. Less is more in this matter. This is especially the case as, after years of technological accumulation, CISOs are realizing the hard way that a mass of products and vendors is not efficient. The next era of security will happen via convergence, not addition.

Getting your board on side

CISOs have a tough job, but core to their success alongside the steps we have already discussed is ensuring their board truly understands cyber risk and gives them the support necessary to fight it. This can be done not only through education but, vitally, through offering options. When faced with a cybersecurity challenge, CISOs must provide information and an array of solutions on which their board has final say. It’s part of the CISOs job to offer scenarios as a series of documented steps, making a first suggestion, followed by a second and third suggestion. This ensures the CISO becomes an empowered execution leveler and gets a consensual decision on how to move ahead, rather than being pinpointed and blamed if something goes wrong.

Alongside this, it’s vital for CISOs and CEOs to be aligned with the CISO reporting directly to the CEO. The consequences of this not happening is unclear or diluted support. With the survival of the company at stake during a cyberattack, cybersecurity must be built into an organization's strategy and CISOs must have direct access to the top decision maker.

Final thoughts

Cybersecurity is not about avoidance but is instead an approach which embraces the fact that it’s only a matter of time before a business is attacked. Prioritizing cyber risk management and recovery is core and organizations need to do this through better connected and secured systems.

Whether your solutions are legacy, old-school, best-of-breed or brand new, the number of technologies, vendors, processes and digital transformations requires simplification in the race to security.

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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

• The Windows 11 24H2 update has caused some users to experience black screens or freezes when using the Alt + Tab shortcut, which should switch windows but now delays or glitches instead
• Some users have found turning off Game Mode can help as a temporary fix. Alternatively, users can revert to a previous version of Windows 11 if the issue is too disruptive
• Microsoft is aware of the problem and plans to release a patch in December 2024, though Windows 11’s reputation is being impacted by recurring update issues

Windows 11 24H2 was only released on October 1, 2024, but we’ve already seen a steady stream of issues reported about it since, and now there seems to be a new problem with the widely-used Alt + Tab keyboard shortcuts. Pressing these keys together reportedly triggers a black screen for some users after updating, rather than switching windows, as the shortcut should do.

Unfortunately, after updating to Windows 11 24H2, some users have been experiencing their PC freezing or just showing a black screen after using this shortcut. This was initially picked up on by Windows Latest, which links to posts on Reddit and on the Windows support forum about how some users have been dealing with the issue for weeks. So, if you are experiencing this glitch, you’re not alone.

According to reports, users are seeing their screens go black for about ten seconds before the shortcut finally works as intended. What should be a straightforward time saver in Windows 11 has become a pretty frustrating, unexpected pause.

What you can try next if you're experiencing this issue

According to PCWorld, Microsoft is aware of the problem but hasn’t released a fix just yet, although it’s promising to release a patch update in December 2024. Currently, you have a few options if you really wish to keep using the Alt + Tab shortcut as intended.

First, you can try turning off Game Mode. Some users in the above mentioned posts claim that this is a temporary workaround.

Follow these steps:

1. Open Settings.

2. Go to Gaming in the left panel.

3. Select Game Mode and toggle the Game Mode setting to Off.

If this works, you’re probably okay to keep using the Alt + Tab shortcut for at least a while.

Otherwise, you can postpone installing Windows 11 24H2 or uninstall it and use an earlier version of Windows 11 until the problem is resolved. This would only be my recommendation if you really can’t live without this shortcut, as you’ll uninstall all the features, changes, and fixes the 24H2 update also brought. If you can bear it, I suggest you stay put until we get an official fix from Microsoft for it.

Windows 11 24H2 brings some useful and intriguing new features, but it’s in danger of developing a reputation that Microsoft will have to put effort into recovering from. All hope is not lost, as Windows 10 had some nasty bugs that were introduced in updates, yet it now it remains very popular among users. I suppose we’ll have to see how Windows 11 will continue to fare, and hope that Microsoft ends this run of faulty update and ultimately shape the operating system into something worth sticking with.

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When it comes to technology, we often credit the companies creating the tech as those driving disruption. But the real power behind big innovations? The consumer. Just like the rise of mobile tech was fueled by everyday users, the explosion of generative AI can be traced back to the consumers who actually use it. The presence of Gen AI in B2B started when people asked, “why can’t I have that at work?” In many cases, Gen AI took off in the workplace because it took off at home. When OpenAI released ChatGPT, it wasn’t just a shiny, new gimmick – it was a game-changer that sparked a wave of consumer interest, and one which quickly caught the attention of businesses everywhere. And while many companies have been working in the Gen AI space for years, the push from B2C really accelerated this technology in the B2B space.

What makes Gen AI so appealing is that it’s something people can easily understand and use. And it’s amazing. Gen AI has captured the imaginations of consumers and businesses alike. As tech giants like OpenAI, Google, and Microsoft look to weave Gen AI into their products, the real fight isn’t just about who can build the most advanced AI, but who can keep up with the growing consumer demand.

Software companies are now in a race to roll out Gen AI features as fast as they can. But the real challenge lies in meeting the expectations of employees and customers who are eager to see the benefits of AI in their day-to-day lives.

With that in mind, here are my top tips on how companies can stay ahead of the curve in this fast-paced, constantly shifting environment.

Empower your developers

The heart of any software company is its developers. Gen AI offers a boon to supercharge their creativity and productivity. By providing developers with access to the latest AI tools, organizations are not just enabling them to automate more mundane tasks like code generation, documentation, and bug fixing—but are also unlocking their potential to tackle bigger, more complex issues.

This has also unleashed improved collaboration between tech and business teams. From better communication to explaining what the code is doing in natural language; Gen AI makes the connection between software engineers and other business teams more effective. In fact, 78% of software professionals are optimistic about Gen AI’s potential to enhance collaboration.

Gen AI can even act like a brainstorming buddy, tossing out ideas and solutions that might not have crossed your developers’ minds yet. This collaborative vibe speeds up the rate of development and keeps teams on their “A” game – as well as providing opportunities for consistent learning and improving. As developers get more comfortable with AI, they’ll push the boundaries of what’s possible, an all-important competitive edge in this evolving landscape.

Data remains king

Software companies have another huge advantage when it comes to Gen AI in that they own their data. The more structured the data is, the easier it is to train against it. This gives software companies an advantage in providing Gen AI around their services. The more features a customer can get, the more likely that customer is to buy into a company completely.

Imagine a life insurance company has built its CRM system around a particular vendor, its data repository off a different vendor and those disparate systems don’t connect. How can this life insurance company leverage Gen AI? Well, if the CRM vendor has all this structured data around the customer, it can create and provide great Gen AI features where the client doesn’t need to go anywhere else to tackle the challenge of disparate data. They can get all the Gen AI features they need from their CRM vendor, thereby eliminating the need for the data repository vendor. That’s a major competitive win for the CRM vendor. It’s a race, and our take on the race is that we want to empower our clients’ developers to work better with Gen AI so they can do all these things faster and we want to work with CIOs to help them use Gen AI internally faster to pave the way. It’s all about finding the right balance between speed and relevance, paired with developer productivity against structured data.

Transform your processes with “Agentic Roles”

Bringing generative AI into your business isn’t just about making things more efficient – it’s about transforming how you work. By embedding it into day-to-day operations, organizations can streamline workflows, cut down on manual tasks and make smarter decisions faster. Think real-time data analysis that provides instant insights and helps talent make better calls in areas like customer service, supply chain, and product development. But what was thought about as a process in the past now must be thought of as a series of Gen AI Agents serving the role of key human decision makers along the way. This is re-engineering on steroids.

Automating repetitive tasks with AI doesn’t just save time – it can also save money. And with those extra resources, companies can begin to focus on more strategic, fruitful projects. The trick is to not see AI as a separate part of the tech stack, but as a new way to work.

Adopt a platform mindset

In the rush to adopt AI features, it’s easy to think of Gen AI as just another tool in the box, but to really unlock its potential, enterprises need to think bigger—adopt a platform mindset. This means seeing AI as the foundation that supports and enhances all your products and services, not just a one-off feature. AI can be the moment in the sun for VPs of Engineering and Platforms. No longer are they a forgotten enabler to get features to market, but they ARE the future of the business.

A platform mindset encourages the development of AI-driven solutions that are scalable and adaptable across different areas of your business. Defining the work you do through Agents cements this role. This approach not only helps create versatile platforms that deliver long-term value but also ensures that AI is smoothly integrated into the entire value proposition of your organization. By thinking in terms of platforms instead of solely products, organizations are better equipped to meet the evolving needs of their customers and stay ahead in the AI game.

The real battle for Gen AI in software isn’t just about who can build the best tech—it’s about maintaining momentum in a sea of mounting consumer demand. Companies that empower their developers, transform to agentic thinking, and adopt a platform mindset won’t just keep pace with this demand—they’ll lead the charge in this new era of innovation. Those that come out on top will be the ones who understand that generative AI isn’t just about making cool products—it’s about driving real, meaningful change that resonates with both businesses and consumers.

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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

• Arcane's creators have revealed the truth about the hit show's rumored five-season plan
• It was always going to end after two seasons, despite what a recent report claims
• The rumor was born out of a prank pulled on co-showrunner Christian Linke years ago

Arcane's creators have dismissed reports that the hugely successful show was originally going to run for five seasons.

Speaking exclusively to TechRadar before Arcane season 2 makes its Netflix debut on November 9, Christian Linke and Alex Yee said the situation had been blown out of proportion. Indeed, the pair admitted it was all just a simple misunderstanding, with its origins stemming from a prank that former Riot Games CEO Nicolo Laurent pulled on Linke years ago.

Linke and Yee's response comes hot on the heels of a Variety article published on November 6. Citing sources close to the Netflix series' production, the outlet suggested that Arcane was originally going to run for five seasons. Unsurprisingly, the story spread like wildfire across the internet, leading to fans – myself included – to ask why Riot and Netflix had decided to call time on Arcane after two seasons.

We're not laughing about this, either, Jinx... (Image credit: Netflix)

As it happens, Arcane season 2 was always going to be the hit animated show's final chapter – Linke telling me that a two-season arc was settled on "from the beginning". And, as Linke and Yee went on to explain, Vi and Jinx's story was always going to be concluded after two seasons.

"When we started building out the story after the pilot [that we showed internally at Riot], that's when we were like 'Okay, it's going to be two seasons,'" Linke revealed. "It was never the plan for it to last five seasons.

It's almost the opposite of what people have interpreted it to be

Alex Yee, Arcane co-creator

"But, what happened was – I think we had the pilot or a few episodes, but we still hadn't had the green light for a full season. At the time, Nicolo thought it would be really funny to pull me into a room and say 'Hey, I know you haven't had the green light yet, and I decided I'm not going to give it to you'. I sat there, looking pretty upset, before he added 'Because I'm giving you the go-ahead for five seasons!'. We both laughed but it was, you know –"

"It's almost the opposite of what people have interpreted it [the five-season rumor] to be," Yee interjected. "Making an animated series – it has such a long development pipeline that it was a lot for us to ask them [Riot's executive team] to trust us with one season. But we also said 'If you want there to be another season soon after that, we need to start working on it while we're finishing the first one'. So, that five-season joke was their way of saying 'Hey, we want to give you a lot of runway with this.'"

"Yeah, then we said 'okay, it's going to be two, and then we'll grow from there,'" Linke added.

Ready?Only 24 hours left until #Arcane Season 2 premieres on @netflix. pic.twitter.com/0Qf6ixBBLINovember 8, 2024

That "we'll grow from there" quote still suggests that there may have been talk of another installment, though. So, were there any discussions about stretching out season 2's original plot across two more entries? After all, a similar approach is being taken by HBO regarding its TV adaptation of Naughty Dog's The Last of Us Part 2 video game, whose story will span The Last of Us season 2 and a sequel season.

"Honestly, the story that's concluding with this season is the one we plotted out from the get-go with the rest of the team," Yee confirmed. "I think we imagined ways that it could go beyond that, but one more season was the milestone we always wanted to hit."

"Long story short," Linke added, "five seasons was nothing but tomfoolery on our part."

I'll be bringing you more exclusive content from my chat with one of the best Netflix shows' showrunners in the days and weeks ahead, so check back in with me soon for further insights. In the meantime, read some of the other season 2-focused articles I've written before Arcane's return on the world's best streaming service below.

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• US federal agency issues warning against cellphone usage for work calls
• Warning comes in the aftermath of the breach of several US telecoms providers
• Attack has been attributed to Salt Typhoon, who also breached a number of ISPs

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has issued a warning to its workers that personal mobile devices should not be used for sensitive work calls due to the recent Chinese probing of US telecommunications networks.

The email sent by the CFPB acknowledges that “While there is no evidence that CFPB has been targeted by this unauthorized access, I ask for your compliance with these directives so we reduce the risk that we will be compromised.”

The warning also extends to contractors working for the CFB, and highlights the scale of the attack against US telecoms by the China-related group tracked as Salt Typhoon.

Telecoms attack worries federal agencies

There is no indication on exactly what data may have been exfiltrated from the telecoms providers, but initial reports suggest that call logs, unencrypted texts and some phone audio was exfiltrated by the attackers, including audio from a number of high-profile individuals related to the Harris and Trump campaigns alongside potentially hundreds of thousands of US citizens.

US officials are also cutting down on their phone use in response to the hack, with a former US official who spoke to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) stating, “There is a general reticence to use their cellphones.”

Salt Typhoon also managed to breach several internet service providers (ISP) in early October, including Verizon, AT&T, and Lumen, with the attackers also gaining access to a lawful wiretap used for surveillance by US authorities.

As the WSJ notes, a federal agency issuing a specific warning against the use of personal mobile phones indicates the depth and breadth of the attacks.

“Do NOT conduct CFPB work using mobile voice calls or text messages,” the CFPB email recommended. The email also stated that staff should only use authorized online collaboration platforms such as Cisco WebEx and Microsoft Teams to make calls and send messages that contain non-public data.

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• Automation could be stopping us from climbing the career ladder
• Robotics decreased the average local market career value in the 2000s and 2010s
• Low-skilled workers affected by technological change are more likely to vote for Trump

Increased automation through artificial intelligence and robotics could be diminishing career opportunities, new analysis has warned.

Although concerns that AI could replace human workers have largely been squashed, with experts seeing the tech more as a co-worker, it could indeed be preventing us from getting our dream careers, a new research paper has claimed.

While the impacts of artificial intelligence are yet to be quantified, the study explores the deployment of robotics through the late 2000s and 2010s to provide an indicator as to what we might be able to expect.

Automation could ruin our chances of getting our dream jobs

According to the study, one additional robot per 1,000 workers decreased the average local market career value by $3,900 between 2004 and 2008, and by $2,480 between 2008 and 2016. The effects are particularly apparent across industries that are heavily exposed to robotics, such as manufacturing. Following the introduction of more tech, low-skilled workers experience declines in upward job mobility.

Bledi Taska, one of the study’s co-authors, shared on LinkedIn: “It’s not just about robots replacing jobs. It’s about robots reducing the opportunities for people to improve their lives. For many workers, particularly low-skilled ones, the ladder to higher-paying jobs is disappearing.”

The study also explored the “connection between declining career prospects and political behavior” – areas most affected by robotics reportedly saw stronger support for populist candidates like Donald Trump during his first term as president.

This is likely because, as workers lose out on opportunities to climb the career ladder, they look toward politicians who promise economic reform.

Taska summarized: “We can shape a future where technology enhances human potential instead of diminishing it—if we act now.”

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It's that time of the week again. No matter how busy or relaxing the past five working days have been for you, it's time to kick back and watch numerous new movies and TV shows that have recently debuted on the world's best streaming services.

There's plenty to check out on Netflix, too, with the return of hit shows in Arcane and Outer Banks, plus the debut of Netflix's first holiday season film of 2024 (yes, they're releasing earlier each year). If you're not signed up to Netflix, though, we come bearing gifts from three of its streaming rivals as well, so you'll find something entertaining to watch before Monday arrives. Enjoy! – Tom Power, senior entertainment reporter

Arcane season 2 (Netflix)

I love Arcane. Ask anyone who I work alongside, or my family and friends, and they'll all claim that there isn't a bigger fan of Netflix's first League of Legends animated adaptation than I.

Almost exactly three years after one of the best Netflix shows' first season absolutely blew me away, its follow-up's highly-anticipated and long overdue debut is upon us. Arcane season 2 is finally here, and I've never been happier for one of my all-time favorite series to return. Before you watch it, check out my Arcane season 2 review to see me wax lyrical about how utterly gorgeous, action-packed, melodramatically soul-crushing, and epic it is. Be sure to visit our Arcane tag page, too, because there's lots of exclusive content from my recent chat with co-creator Christian Linke that's worth reading.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to watch season 2 act 1, aka its first three chapters, for the third time this week.

Tom Power, senior entertainment reporter

• Watch Arcane season 2 on Netflix

Outer Banks season 4 part 2 (Netflix)

We already know Outer Banks has been renewed for season 5 and that it'll be the final outing. Thankfully, we're not done with season 4 yet, and the second part is finally here. You've no doubt been quietly cursing them after episode 5's shocking finale, too – indeed, if you think ending a two-part season on a cliffhanger is cruel, you're not alone!

Don't worry, though, you'll get all the answers (we hope!) in part 2, which has five more episodes to devour. While we haven't had to wait quite as long as some gaps between episodes (I'm still frustrated about the wait for Severance season 2, just saying), you'll be forgiven for wanting to cancel your weekend plans and find out what happens next. I'm not judging.

Lucy Buglass, senior entertainment writer

• Watch Outer Banks season 4 part 2 on Netflix

The Old Man season 2 (Disney Plus)

If you're from the US, you'll likely have seen that The Old Man season 2 is already out on Hulu. For the rest of us, who've been patiently waiting to see what the next installment of the thriller series has in store, we'll finally be able to this weekend as the whole season was made available on Disney Plus on November 6.

Reviews on Rotten Tomatoes reveal season 2 doesn't have a similarly high critical rating as season 1 did, but that shouldn't stop you from finding out what happens next to Dan Chase (Jeff Bridges). The first season earned a place on our best Hulu shows list for its thrilling story and Bridges' compelling performance, and there's even talk of a third season on the cards, according to Variety. Will there be one last mission? We wouldn't put it past Chase to take on another.

Amelia Schwanke, senior entertainment editor

• Watch The Old Man season 2 on Disney Plus (internationally)

Meet Me Next Christmas (Netflix)

Christmas has certainly come early with one of November's new Netflix movies Meet Me Next Christmas. The festive rom-com sees Layla (Christina Milian) race across New York City to find a ticket to a sold-out Pentatonix Christmas Eve concert to reconnect with the man of her dreams.

Milian is no stranger to Netflix's romance section with movies like Falling Inn Love and Resort to Love, so it's bound to be a charming affair with her as the lead. While we wait and see if Meet Me Next Christmas becomes one of the best Netflix movies, I can't wait to kick off the holiday season with this feel-good rom-com.

Grace Morris, entertainment writer

• Watch Meet Me Next Christmas on Netflix

Citadel: Honey Bunny (Prime Video)

Some of the best Prime Video shows and best Prime Video movies are action packed, and Citadel: Honey Bunny has the potential to join our line-up of recommended action hits. Not only that, but it's a spin-off to mainline show Citadel, which my colleague Tom Power wasn't a fan of upon its debut in April 2023. The spin-off is directly linked, too, as the two main characters here are – spoilers! – the parents of Chopra's character Nadia, so expect plenty of backstory.

There are two separate timelines, swapping between 1992 and 2000, picking up with Bunny, a stuntman in films, who recruits a struggling actor Honey for a side gig that endangers her life. The six-part series will focus on their relationship and Nadia's early life, so it's a must watch if you need more Citadel in your life.

Lucy Buglass, senior entertainment writer

• Watch Citadel: Honey Bunny on Prime Video

My Old Ass (Prime Video)

My Old Ass is the latest collaboration between LuckyChap and Amazon MGM Studios, and following the movie's standing ovation at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year, I have high hopes for one of November's new Prime Video movies. The studios have previously worked together on Saltburn and are co-producing The Sims movie next, so I'm excited to see how their latest project turned out as it sounds like another wild trip.

No, really. The plot for this coming-of-age comedy involves a mushroom trip, which is the catalyst for a sci-fi scenario where an 18-year-old Elliott (Maisy Stella) suddenly comes face-to-face with her 39-year-old future self (Aubrey Plaza). You can expect plenty of epiphanies to come next as you follow Elliott on this heartfelt journey of discovery as she prepares to leave home. Make sure to check in on our best Prime Video movies guide to see if it makes the cut.

Amelia Schwanke, senior entertainment editor

• Watch My Old Ass on Prime Video

The Day of the Jackal (Peacock)

The Day of the Jackal, which is already out on Sky in the UK, is a modern day reimagining of Frederick Forsyth's 1971 novel of the same name. In this cat-and-mouse thriller, Eddie Redmayne (The Theory of Everything) stars as the steely contract killer hired to assassinate a powerful tech tycoon. Trying to put an end to his killing spree is MI6 agent Bianca (Lashana Lynch) – but can she stop him before it's too late?

If Oscar-winning actor Redmayne and the captivating Lynch (No Time to Die) wasn't enough to have me tune in to this action-packed killer thriller, the rave reviews certainly will. The Standard wrote that The Day of the Jackal is "slick, stylish, and cinematically cool" and that "Redmayne is at his most enigmatic in the role of a chilly killer in this breathless thriller series." Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to watch this series – and I most certainly accept.

Grace Morris, entertainment writer

• Watch The Day of the Jackal on Peacock (US only)

For more streaming suggestions, read our guides on the best Disney Plus movies, best Hulu shows, best Paramount Plus movies, and best Apple TV Plus shows.

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• A bug Palo Alto addressed last summer is being abused in the wild
• CISA added it to its KEV catalog, giving federal agencies a deadline to patch
• The bug can be abused to take over accounts and steal data

A critical bug found in Palo Alto Networks’ Expedition program is being abused in the wild, the US government has warned.

The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) added CVE-2024-5910 to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, which means there is evidence of abuse in the wild.

This vulnerability, discovered in Expedition in the summer of 2023, is described as a “missing authentication for a critical function” bug, which can lead to Expedition admin account takeover for crooks with network access. Since Expedition is a tool that helps with configuration migration, tuning, and enrichment, it may contain secrets, credentials, and other data, which would then be at risk of theft.

Proof of concept

Users are advised to apply a patch immediately, since the vulnerability allows threat actors to take over admin accounts, steal sensitive data, and more.

When CISA adds a vulnerability to KEV, it gives federal agencies a deadline to patch it, or stop using the afflicted applications completely. The due date for Palo Alto Networks Expedition is November 28, 2024.

CISA did not share any further details about the attacks, but BleepingComputer dug up a report from Horizon3.ai, who released a proof-of-concept exploit in October 2024. By chaining the bug with CVE-2024-9464, crooks could gain unauthenticated arbitrary command execution capabilities on vulnerable Expedition servers.

This additional vulnerability was also discovered, and patched, last month. Palo Alto Networks said it could have been used to take over admin accounts in firewalls, and take over PAN-OS instances.

For those unable to install the patch immediately, a workaround is available, which includes restricting Expedition network access to authorized users, hosts, and networks, only.

"All Expedition usernames, passwords, and API keys should be rotated after upgrading to the fixed version of Expedition. All firewall usernames, passwords, and API keys processed by Expedition should be rotated after updating," Palo Alto Networks concluded.

Via BleepingComputer

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• Digital Foundry believes PSSR is a huge advancement for PS5 games
• Some of the biggest improvements are visible in Stellar Blade
• Nvidia’s DLSS 3 successor may have some competition

Sony’s PS5 Pro was released on November 7, 2024, giving many people the chance to finally put the new PSSR upscaling method to the test, with strong comparisons to Nvidia’s DLSS on PC.

Digital Foundry’s John Linneman praised the impact PSSR has made on the visual quality of multiple titles, stating, ‘It’s a gigantic leap, it's probably the best implementation I have seen yet in terms of image quality.’

This comes after multiple Digital Foundry tests in titles like Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart and The Last of Us Part II performed before the console’s official release. The stand-out improvement for Linneman now that the console has been released is visible in Stellar Blade (which runs at 80fps using the game’s PSSR Pro Mode and VRR). Despite the inability to achieve a constant 60 frames per second in games like Elden Ring, the image quality enhancements bode well for Sony’s eventual PlayStation 6 console, which will likely make use of this technology to provide even more impressive graphics and performance.

Nvidia’s DLSS 3 has been the leading upscaling method for RTX 4000 series GPU owners, providing great image quality and frame rates across multiple games (even with ray tracing enabled).

Considering PSSR’s leap over FSR 3 with better anti-aliasing for smoother edges on objects on screen (in performance mode), it brings it closest to Team Green’s upscaler - and while PSSR doesn’t manage to surpass Nvidia’s DLSS (especially in comparison to Ratchet & Clank Rift Apart), it manages to do a great job at providing a decent level of image stability within its performance modes as pointed out by Digital Foundry.

(Image credit: Digital Foundry) How would PSSR fare against DLSS 3’s successor?

We still have no official word on when Nvidia could reveal the new RTX 5000 GPU series, so there is little to go off of when it comes to DLSS 3’s successor, which will likely launch alongside the new GPUs. What we do know is that Nvidia has pushed DLSS 3 as a major selling point of RTX 4000 series GPUs, helping PC gamers get the best out of their hardware.

Since PSSR isn’t better than DLSS 3, it would be hard to imagine the new upscaler standing toe-to-toe with what Team Green has cooking. Don’t let this make you write PSSR off of competition though.

It’s already a great start for Sony for this generation of gaming hardware, and by offering better performance than DLSS’ main competitor, AMD’s FSR, it seems as though PSSR has arrived at the perfect time, especially as Team Red also plans on providing an AI-driven FSR 4. There’s also plenty of chance for PSSR to receive numerous updates and improvements over time.

Does this justify a PS5 Pro purchase? If you’re on PC or plan to make the shift to the platform, I don’t think so. But if you plan on sticking with console-only, especially with titles like GTA 6 now closer than ever (there won’t be a PC version at launch), it might be worth considering a purchase if you want the best that Sony has to offer.

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