Technology

• Cyber Monitoring Centre says it is treating M&S and Co-op attacks as a single, combined event
• M&S was hit by a major cyberattack earlier in 2025, Co-op hit weeks after
• Cost of attacks could hit as high as £440 million, CMC estimates

The recent cyberattacks against Marks and Spencer (M&S) and the Co-op supermarket have been combined into a single incident by a major UK investigatory group.

The Cyber Monitoring Centre (CMC), an independent, non-profit body established to categorize major cyber events by the insurance industry, has declared it is treating the two incidents as one event by the same attacker - Scattered Spider.

"Given that one threat actor claimed responsibility for both M&S and Co-op, the close timing, and the similar tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs), CMC has assessed the incidents as a single combined cyber event," the CMC said.

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Combined attack

The CMC says it has categorized the attacks as a "Category 2 systemic event," and estimated the security breaches will have a total financial impact of between £270 million to £440 million ($363 million to $592 million) on the two firms.

It added the effects of the attacks had been classified as "narrow and deep", with "significant implications" not only for the two retailers, but their suppliers, partners and service providers as well.

This definition is opposed to “shallow and broad” events such as the 2024 CrowdStrike incident, which affected a large number of businesses across the economy, but the impact to any one company was much smaller.

"Although both of the targeted companies suffered business disruption, data loss, and costs for incident response and IT rebuild, business disruption drives the vast majority of the financial cost," the CMC added.

"Most of the estimated disruption cost is faced by the two companies, but our analysis seeks to estimate the wider cost to partners, suppliers and others."

Despite happening around the same time, the CMC has said the cyberattack on Harrods, another major British retailer, will not been included at this stage, citing a lack of adequate information available about the cause and impact.

M&S was apparently hit by the attack on April 22, revealing news of the incident several days later. The Co-op revealed news of its event on April 30, saying it had been forced to take down parts of its IT systems in an attempt to mitigate the effects.

M&S has forecast the attack could cost it around £300 million in lost operating profit in its financial year.

M&S has not confirmed whether it has paid a ransom to the hackers, but did admit some customer data was stolen in the attack. This did not include any passwords or card or payment details, but home addresses, phone numbers and dates of birth may have been affected.

Anyone concerned their data may have been taken, we recommend using a dark web monitoring service, or using a breach monitor such as Have I Been Pwned to check for potential exposures.

Via InfoSecurity

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The hype around generative AI (GenAI) is impossible to ignore in most industries, and cybersecurity is no exception. The potential for cybercriminals enhancing their attacks with AI looms large in industry discussions. At the same time, the security world is gripped by the promise of faster, smarter defenses, from AI-powered EDR to co-pilot-enabled SOC teams.

But here’s the uncomfortable truth: none of it matters if your patching is months out of date, your cloud assets are misconfigured, or your employees freeze under pressure. The security fundamentals are still what really makes the difference in preventing a breach.

While security teams race to bolt on the latest GenAI tools, basic cyber hygiene is in danger of being overlooked.

So how can organizations ensure their cyber skills are up to the challenge in the age of AI?

GenAI is making the basics more urgent - not obsolete

It’s easy to assume that the widespread use of GenAI requires an entirely new approach to security and it’s undeniable that AI-assisted threats are evolving fast. But the real danger isn’t that GenAI changes the game, it’s the way it accelerates the same tactics that already work.

Attackers are primarily using GenAI to scale up familiar playbooks. Social engineering, reconnaissance, and privilege escalation aren’t new, they’re just happening faster and at greater volume.

In many cases, using AI tools can also be a security risk in and of itself. Immersive’s research found that 88% of users could fool a GenAI system into leaking sensitive information, with the machines being surprisingly vulnerable to human psychological tricks. As with any other software tool, misconfigurations and poor access controls also expose GenAI to greater exploitation.

Rather than replacing hygiene, GenAI makes it more essential. If anything, organizations need to double down on the fundamentals.

Cyber hygiene is still the frontline defense

The security landscape may be changing rapidly, but the fundamentals aren’t. Most breaches today still stem from issues that are entirely preventable: an unpatched server, a poorly configured firewall, an admin account with excessive privileges. These aren’t sophisticated zero-days that require experienced threat actors to exploit. They’re hygiene failures.

Yet too many organizations treat cyber hygiene as a legacy concern, something solved once they’ve rolled out the latest AI-powered tools. That mindset is dangerous because hygiene fundamentals aren’t something you graduate from; they’re the baseline that allows advanced defenses to function effectively.

If core defenses such as access permissions and configurations are weak, AI-powered tools are just watching the breach happen in high definition. Security starts with doing the basics well and doing them consistently.

Why poor training is the real weak link

If your security fundamentals are slipping, it’s worth asking: is the problem your tools, or your training?

For most organizations, it’s the latter. Legacy training still dominates, often reduced to short videos and multiple-choice quizzes that check boxes but fail to build capability.

The issue isn’t that people don’t care about security. It’s that they’ve been taught to memorize, not to respond. Training is too often generic, passive, and disconnected from the reality of a live incident. As a result, critical cyber hygiene habits like patch management or recognising phishing attempts fall apart in the moments they matter most.

These issues are intensified when a crisis rears its head. It’s no surprise that teams struggle to respond under pressure, because most have never been given the chance to prepare in a meaningful way.

If we want better outcomes, we need to stop blaming individuals and start fixing the systems that fail to prepare them. No amount of AI will compensate for a team that doesn’t know what to do when the alert goes off.

Drills build muscle memory and enforce hygiene

We wouldn’t expect someone to be ready to fight a fire or fly a plane just because they’d watched a video and taken a quiz, and the same is true for responding to a cyberattack.

This is where cyber drills come in. Unlike traditional training, drills place people in realistic, high-pressure scenarios where they must act, not just observe. They test judgment, coordination, and the ability to follow protocols under stress. Crucially, they reinforce both crisis handling and the importance of essential cyber hygiene through repetition and lived experience.

Cyber drills also expose weaknesses that would otherwise remain hidden. A playbook that looks perfect on paper might collapse under real-time pressure. A confident team might struggle when roles blur in the heat of an incident.

Real cyber readiness isn’t achieved through once-a-year compliance exercises, it’s built into the daily rhythm of how teams work, communicate, and make decisions. That requires more than technology. It takes culture.

Don’t bet everything on the shiniest tools

GenAI is continuing to change the security landscape in unpredictable ways, but it hasn’t changed the fundamentals. Most breaches still come down to human error and poor hygiene, regardless of the tools surrounding them.

Advanced tools won’t protect you if your team isn’t ready. True cyber resilience means training for the basics, testing under pressure, and building a culture where readiness is second nature.

We list the best endpoint protection software.

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

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for June 23.

Pep Guardiola's reigning champions head to Atlanta to take on UAE Pro League team.

• Kali Linux 2025.2 brings powerful new tools for experienced penetration testers
• Offensive Security realigns Kali’s interface with MITRE ATT&CK - finally, structure meets hacking function
• New BloodHound tools hint at deeper Azure and Active Directory targeting than ever before

The newest update to Kali Linux, version 2025.2, introduces over a dozen new tools alongside enhancements to user experience and platform support.

Offensive Security, the developers behind the Debian-based distribution, announced its general availability with a clear focus on aligning the system with the MITRE ATT&CK framework.

The restructured Kali Menu is now tailored to make tool discovery more intuitive, but whether this structural change leads to meaningful workflow improvement remains to be seen.

Thirteen new tools for advanced offensive capabilities

Included in the new release are 13 additional tools, many of which are specialized for advanced offensive operations.

Tools like azurehound for Azure directory data collection and bloodhound-ce-python, a Python ingestor for BloodHound CE, appear to target complex enterprise environments.

Meanwhile, binwalk3 expands firmware analysis capabilities, and bopscrk enables custom wordlist creation based on intelligent algorithms.

Some additions, such as crlfuzz, which is “a fast tool to scan CRLF vulnerability written in Go,” and donut-shellcode, which lets users “generate position-independent shellcode from memory and run it,” suggest the release continues to cater to skilled practitioners.

Kali Linux 2025.2 also adds chisel-common-binaries and ligolo-ng-common-binaries, both of which offer prebuilt binaries aimed at tunneling and pivoting, activities common in red teaming.

In terms of enumeration and lateral movement, tools like ldeep, described as “an in-depth LDAP enumeration utility,” and rubeus, focused on “raw Kerberos interaction and abuses,” contribute further.

While these tools may appeal to ethical hackers, the level of expertise required to operate them effectively can act as a limiting factor for beginners.

Among the most visible quality-of-life improvements is the integration of the new GNOME VPN IP extension, which allows direct viewing of the VPN IP address from the panel.

Though this feature is convenient, it is not spectacular, and it best remains a fringe addition.

This new update also supports GNOME 48 and KDE Plasma 6.3 desktop environments.

Raspberry Pi users now have a new update that combines some Raspberry Pi OS images, eliminating the need for a separate image for the Raspberry Pi 5.

This update also introduces Kali NetHunter CARsenal, a dedicated suite for automotive security analysis.

While it remains one of the best Linux distros for ethical hacking, some users may still prefer Linux alternatives that lean more toward security or integrate more seamlessly with network monitoring tools.

Via 9to5linux

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Here are hints and the answers for the NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, No. 273, for June 23.

Here are hints -- and the answer -- for today's Wordle No. 1,465 for June 23.

Here are hints -- and answers -- for the NYT Strands puzzle No. 477 for June 23.

Here are some hints -- and the answers -- for the NYT Connections puzzle for June 23, #743.

Er, I mean comedy.

Five-time winners Los Blancos take on the winless Mexicans in Charlotte.

• Adobe wants to help decide how your brand shows up inside ChatGPT and other AI bots
• LLM Optimizer promises SEO-like results in an internet where search engines no longer rule
• Your FAQ page could now influence what AI chatbots say about your brand to customers

Popular AI tools such as ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude are increasingly replacing traditional search engines in how people discover content and make purchasing decisions.

Adobe is attempting to stay ahead of the curve by launching LLM Optimizer, which it claims can help businesses improve visibility across generative AI interfaces by monitoring how brand content is used and providing actionable recommendations.

The tool even claims to assign a monetary value to potential traffic gains, allowing users to prioritize optimizations.

Shift from search engines to AI interfaces

(Image credit: Adobe)

With a reported 3,500% increase in generative AI-driven traffic to U.S. retail sites and a 3,200% spike to travel sites between July 2024 and May 2025, Adobe argues that conversational interfaces are no longer a trend but a transformation in consumer behavior.

“Generative AI interfaces are becoming go-to tools for how customers discover, engage and make purchase decisions, across every stage of their journey,” said Loni Stark, vice president of strategy and product at Adobe Experience Cloud.

The core of Adobe LLM Optimizer lies in its monitoring and benchmarking capabilities, as it claims to give businesses a “real-time pulse on how their brand is showing up across browsers and chat services.”

The tool can help teams identify the most relevant queries for their sector and understand how their offerings are presented, as well as enabling comparison with competitors for high-value keywords and uses this data to refine content strategies.

A recommendation engine detects gaps in brand visibility across websites, FAQs, and even external platforms like Wikipedia.

It suggests both technical fixes and content improvements based on attributes that LLMs prioritize, such as accuracy, authority, and informativeness.

These changes can be implemented “with a single click,” including code or content updates, which suggests an effort to reduce dependency on lengthy development cycles.

It is clear the best SEO tool tactics may need to adapt, especially as AI chat interfaces do not operate with the same crawling and ranking logic as standard web browsers.

For users who already rely on the best browser for private browsing or privacy tools to avoid data profiling, the idea that businesses are now optimizing to appear inside chatbots could raise questions about how content is sourced and attributed.

Adobe insists that the tool supports “enterprise-ready frameworks” and has integration pathways for agencies and third-party systems, though the wider implications for transparency and digital content ethics remain to be seen.

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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 Sunday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Connections hints and answers for Sunday, June 22 (game #742).

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 #743) - today's words

(Image credit: New York Times)

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• HISTORICAL
• OLD FASHIONED
• SKINNY
• BELL
• SUN
• FLARE
• LITERARY
• MOM
• OLD MAN
• COCKTAIL
• FAREWELL
• YOUNG ADULT
• COLLINS
• BOYFRIEND
• SPECULATIVE
• SHOT

NYT Connections today (game #743) - hint #1 - group hints

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

• YELLOW: Denim styles
• GREEN: On the library shelves
• BLUE: The importance of Ernest
• PURPLE: Receptacles for a drink

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 #743) - hint #2 - group answers

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

• YELLOW: KINDS OF JEANS
• GREEN: FICTION CATEGORIES
• BLUE: WORDS IN HEMINGWAY TITLES
• PURPLE: ___ GLASS GLASSWARE

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

NYT Connections today (game #743) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Connections, game #743, are…

• YELLOW: KINDS OF JEANS BOYFRIEND, FLARE, MOM, SKINNY
• GREEN: FICTION CATEGORIES HISTORICAL, LITERARY, SPECULATIVE, YOUNG ADULT
• BLUE: WORDS IN HEMINGWAY TITLES BELL, FAREWELL, OLD MAN, SUN
• PURPLE: ___ GLASS GLASSWARE COCKTAIL, COLLINS, OLD FASHIONED, SHOT

• My rating: Hard
• My score: Fail

The first thing I thought when I saw today's Connections was 'alcoholic drinks' – not because I'm obsessed (I'm not a big drinker), but because OLD FASHIONED and COLLINS could both be types of COCKTAIL. But the presence of COCKTAIL itself suggested that was misdirection, so I looked elsewhere.

HISTORICAL, LITERARY, SPECULATIVE and YOUNG ADULT all seemed like examples of FICTION CATEGORIES and indeed my hunch was correct, giving me green.

Next, I thought FLARE, SKINNY and BELL might all be related to jeans, or types of trouser style – but didn't know what the fourth would be, so kept looking.

And I kept looking. And looking.

With nothing else suggesting itself I returned to that potential group and tried a succession of words – MOM, OLD FASHIONED and OLD MAN – but got it wrong each time. Turns out BELL was wrong, and what I should have had was BOYFRIEND, FLARE, MOM and SKINNY – but I've never heard the term BOYFRIEND JEANS and so lost my fledgling streak.

With hindsight I probably should have given up on that angle sooner, but neither WORDS IN HEMINGWAY TITLES or ___ GLASS GLASSWARE were groups I would ever have got, so it wouldn't have made any difference.

How did you do today? Let me know in the comments below.

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Sunday, June 22, game #742)

• YELLOW: NEWS ANNOUNCEMENT BULLETIN, FLASH, REPORT, WIRE
• GREEN: NOUNS FROM A FAMOUS LINE IN THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE HAPPINESS, LIBERTY, LIFE, PURSUIT
• BLUE: HBO SHOWS ENTOURAGE, EUPHORIA, INSECURE, SUCCESSION
• PURPLE: WHAT “LEFT” MIGHT MEAN DEPARTED, PORT, PROGRESSIVE, REMAINING

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 Sunday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Strands hints and answers for Sunday, June 22 (game #476).

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

• Today's NYT Strands theme is… Breaking up the band

NYT Strands today (game #477) - hint #2 - clue words

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

• PAGE
• TICK
• SPLAT
• PRAM
• SACK
• SCAM

NYT Strands today (game #477) - hint #3 - spangram lettersHow many letters are in today's spangram?

• Spangram has 10 letters

NYT Strands today (game #477) - hint #4 - spangram positionWhat are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?

First side: left, 5th row

Last side: right, 5th row

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

NYT Strands today (game #477) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #477, are…

• CHEAP
• TRICK
• TALKING
• HEADS
• SMASHING
• PUMPKINS
• SPANGRAM: ROCK GROUPS

• My rating: Easy
• My score: Perfect

Today's Strands took me to my happy place, given that I was a music journalist for years in the 2000s and spend a lot of time at concerts or on Spotify in my free time.

All three of the 'broken up' bands here have made it on to playlists of mine; I never got to see TALKING HEADS, but have seen David Byrne live, playing their songs, and can recommend that anyone who gets the chance does the same thing.

SMASHING PUMPKINS also play a part in one of the greatest of all Simpsons episodes, Homerpalooza, in which the band's frontman introduces himself with the words 'Billy Corgan, Smashing Pumpkins' and Homer replies 'Homer Simpson, smiling politely.' It works better in context, honest.

How did you do today? Let me know in the comments below.

Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Sunday, June 22, game #476)

• SMELLY
• PUNGENT
• REEKING
• FOUL
• RANK
• MALODOROUS
• SPANGRAM: THAT STINKS

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.

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 Sunday's puzzle instead then click here: Quordle hints and answers for Sunday, June 22 (game #1245).

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 #1246) - 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 #1246) - 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 #1246) - hint #3 - uncommon lettersDo the letters Q, Z, X or J appear in Quordle today?

• Yes. Two of Q, Z, X or J appear among today's Quordle answers.

Quordle today (game #1246) - 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 0.

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 #1246) - hint #5 - starting letters (2)What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?

• P

• F

• S

• E

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

Quordle today (game #1246) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #1246, are…

• PIXEL
• FJORD
• STEAL
• EXIST

When I solved STEAL early on I thought this might be a simple one, but I couldn't have been more wrong. Over the next three words I had to battle multiple uncommon letters – X twice and J, and an incredibly uncommon combination of FJ at the start of FJORD.

This must have been one of the toughest Quordle puzzles in ages, so I was mightily relieved to eventually solve it.

How did you do today? Let me know in the comments below.

Daily Sequence today (game #1246) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #1246, are…

• MANGO
• ROUND
• PAYER
• TWEED

Quordle answers: The past 20

• Quordle #1245, Sunday, 22 June: WREST, CRAZE, PAPAL, SCION
• Quordle #1244, Saturday, 21 June: BUDDY, GROUT, BEGIN, MADAM
• Quordle #1243, Friday, 20 June: BRAID, DULLY, HASTE, LURID
• Quordle #1242, Thursday, 19 June: BRUSH, ISLET, FRUIT, PRIVY
• Quordle #1241, Wednesday, 18 June: MEDIA, SHARK, GUPPY, MOURN
• Quordle #1240, Tuesday, 17 June: LEAPT, PRISM, ADMIN, WHINE
• Quordle #1239, Monday, 16 June: RETRY, SCALD, DINGO, FEIGN
• Quordle #1238, Sunday, 15 June: SHOCK, STEIN, BROIL, COVEN
• Quordle #1237, Saturday, 14 June: STICK, FERRY, THESE, IONIC
• Quordle #1236, Friday, 13 June: REPEL, LARGE, SNIDE, CARRY
• Quordle #1235, Thursday, 12 June: SCANT, BATCH, UNDER, PARSE
• Quordle #1234, Wednesday, 11 June: CRAVE, ROOST, ANGLE, FLOOD
• Quordle #1233, Tuesday, 10 June: DECRY, CHEEK, FILET, EASEL
• Quordle #1232, Monday, 9 June: DERBY, LEMON, WRITE, HOVEL
• Quordle #1231, Sunday, 8 June: REBAR, ALERT, PAYEE, FLUME
• Quordle #1230, Saturday, 7 June: FLUNK, ESTER, SPITE, CHEAP
• Quordle #1229, Friday, 6 June: ELUDE, KHAKI, VISTA, SMOKY
• Quordle #1228, Thursday, 5 June: CHIDE, RABBI, GUSTY, LANCE
• Quordle #1227, Wednesday, 4 June: BANAL, STOUT, SEDAN, HIPPO
• Quordle #1226, Tuesday, 3 June: FUGUE, SYRUP, FLACK, WORST

It’s rare to see almost all Apple fans agree on something simultaneously, but when the Camera Control feature launched alongside the iPhone 16 line in September, hate for the additional button was swift and fierce (just take a look at some of the Reddit threads on the subject).

At the risk of angering the mob, I do not count myself among these Camera Control naysayers. In fact, Camera Control is one of my favorite features of my current iPhone, the iPhone 16 Plus.

Before I explain why I fall on that side of the debate, I will admit that Camera Control is far from perfect. I do agree that its positioning is a tad nonsensical, and it would work a great deal better if it were placed in a more natural spot, similar to a typical shutter button.

Still, I know that I’m not completely alone in my overall love for the photography-first button, with others on TechRadar having noted that it can be helpful at times, or even incredibly useful for a very specific purpose.

So, now that we’re well over half a year into Camera Control's existence, and it looks set to remain part of the iPhone’s toolkit for generations to come, I think it’s worth taking another, closer look at the feature see what it does right, and how Apple might look to improve things on the iPhone 17.

Taking iPhone’s cameras to the next level

(Image credit: Apple)

I know I’ll never be able to take a picture on my iPhone 16 Plus that could hold a candle to something taken on one of the best cameras, but the simplicity of smartphone photography is what wins over, time and time again.

Being able to quickly whip out your phone and take a snapshot never gets old, especially when those images are saved in the cloud for future reference or instantly available for sharing with friends on social media. Still, I'd be lying if I said that the physical experience of taking those shots feels superior on a phone.

In my efforts to try and bridge that gap, I’ve amassed a small collection of smartphone accessories over the years that try to recreate the traditional shutter button experience. I’ve got the portable ShiftCam SnapGrip, as well as the company's more robust SnapGrip Pro attachment. But as with any accessory, these tools do diminish the compact nature of a smartphone, which is why the introduction of Camera Control felt like the answer to a problem I'd been trying to fix.

No longer would I need to carry these add-ons about my person; now I could just use the wonderfully clicky button that Apple had built into the body of its latest handsets.

The introduction of Camera Control felt like the answer to a problem I'd been trying to fix.

Not only that, but part of the reason why I enjoy using a physical shutter button, as opposed to just poking the touchscreen, is that the delayed resistance between the movement of my finger and the picture being taken forces me to be a bit more considerate in the shots I take.

Holding the phone a bit more tightly in order to frame the shot and account for any movement when pressing Camera Control gives you a moment of pause to assess whether or not you’re actually taking a picture of something that interests you, or you’re simply doing so for the sake of it. With this in mind, Camera Control has helped me not only to take fewer pictures (and save my iPhone’s storage in the process), but also feel happier with the shots that I do take.

Because of the way in which Camera Control lets you jump between the photographic styles on the iPhone 16, it’s also allowed me to experiment a bit more with the types of pictures I take.

For example, an indoor shot that might look a tad mundane in color can actually look a great deal better when taken in black and white. Particularly, the Stark B&W mode is now my go-to option because of how it really saturates the monochrome palette to capture your attention.

How can Apple improve Camera Control?

(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)

I firmly believe that Camera Control has had a solid first outing, but looking towards how it could be used in the iPhone 17 range, I think that there are some easy wins that Apple could claim to turn around the general consensus.

As I mentioned before, the positioning of Camera Control has to change. If Apple could just move the button closer to the bottom right-hand corner of the iPhone, it would make using the feature so much easier, although I concede that it might require tweaking the resistance to avoid accidental presses.

What would really take Camera Control to the next level, however, is an app, or a set of built-in guides, that can teach folks who don’t know that much about manual photography how to properly adjust aspects like depth and exposure.

As much as I loved having quick access to those components via Camera Control, I haven’t felt confident enough to make use of them, which is why some help for beginners like myself would go a long way towards showing people how they can really maximize Camera Control to their own benefit.

Until such software comes to pass, you can always check out our list of the top five Camera Control tips you need to know, as well as our guide on how to customize Camera Control to better suit your needs.

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• CapCut’s new terms let it use your face and voice in ads without paying you
• Uploading to CapCut now means giving up control of your content forever, even unpublished clips
• Using CapCut means you agree to the new terms automatically

CapCut, widely touted as one the best free video editors by creators and marketers for its powerful editing features, has quietly made a major change to its Terms of Service which should worry users everywhere.

This change means users will be handing over rights, not just to their footage but also to their face, voice, and creative efforts - all without compensation.

This has unsurprisingly triggered concerns, with critics warning the move effectively hands over perpetual control of your content to the platform.

Your content will become their permanent property

“CapCut now includes broad language granting them a worldwide, royalty-free, sublicensable, and transferable license to use, reproduce, distribute, modify, adapt, publicly perform, and create derivative works from your content,” Claudia Sandino, Director at Omnivore, says.

The revised terms don’t just apply to public posts; the company also claims rights over user-generated content, including voice, face, and likeness, whether the video is published or not.

“If you upload a video of yourself, or even just a voiceover, they can legally use that in an ad or other media without notifying or compensating you,” Sandino warns.

More troubling is the “perpetual” nature of this license; CapCut retains the rights even after a user deletes their account, as Sandino notes, “CapCut goes further than most by claiming usage rights over content that creators often assume is private or controlled."

For a tool often considered by many as the best video editing app, these terms are out of step with what users expect from creative software.

The legal position of such terms remains unclear for many - although creators technically own their likeness and voice under right of publicity laws, enforcement becomes difficult once a user agrees to these sweeping terms.

“Most creators aren’t aware that uploading a clip, even a draft, could legally waive their rights,” Sandino cautions.

The fact there is no opt-out further complicates the situation for professionals using CapCut for commercial or client work.

CapCut users currently have limited options, and anybody who uses it is agreeing to the updated terms by default, so some may want to switch to more creator-friendly platforms like Adobe Premiere or DaVinci Resolve.

CapCut, owned by ByteDance and often grouped with contenders for the best video editing software, now risks alienating its user base by shifting from a tool to a distribution engine.

Ethically, companies like CapCut should disclose terms in clear language, offer opt-outs, and compensate creators when their content is monetized.

“Using their work without consent or payment isn’t just unethical, it’s exploitative… this affects the future of creative ownership as a whole,” Sandino added.

Via HelloPartner

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