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• A 9th victim has been identified in the Salt Typhoon hack
• No attackers are thought to be lurking on the networks
• The White House wants to go on the 'offensive' against cyber threats

An ongoing assessment of the notorious Salt Typhoon hack has claimed there are no longer any lurking hackers present in the breached networks, and that all networks are now secure. This is the latest development in one of the most far reaching cyber-espionage campaigns in recent memory, which has just claimed its 9th victim, the White House confirmed.

Major telecoms firms like AT&T and Verizon were amongst the victims of the campaign, with over 100,000 routers compromised in just one network, which allowed broad and full access, allowing the attackers to "geolocate millions of individuals, to record phone calls at will."

It’s believed that fewer than 100 individuals were affected personally by the attack, with the group specifically identifying a small number of devices around the Washington DC area, with a goal of identifying and monitoring government targets to collect intelligence.

White House retribution

The attack has sparked response from the White House, as incoming President Trump has vowed to go on the offensive. Officials claim years of cyberdefense has been ineffective, and Mike Waltz, new national security advisor has warned the US will need to ‘start imposing’ on nation state actors who pose a threat.

Whilst the investigation is ongoing, it seems unlikely that the scale of the intrusion will ever be fully understood, with damage limitation and mitigating follow-on risk now a high priority.

“That’s why we’re looking forward and saying ‘let’s lock down this infrastructure,’ and frankly, let’s hold the Chinese accountable for this,” said Anne Neuberger, Deputy National Security Advisor for cyber and emerging technology.

“From what we’re seeing regarding the level of cybersecurity implemented across the telecom sectors, those networks are not as defensible as they need to be to defend against a well-resourced, capable, offensive cyber actor like China.”

Via Reuters

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With 2024 coming to a close, I’m looking back on everything that happened with 4K Blu-ray over the past year. Needless to say, it’s been a year of ups and downs. We’ve seen some excellent releases, especially from independent distributors. We’ve also seen brands and retailers exit the 4K Blu-ray market, whether it’s selling discs or players.

As one of TechRadar’s TV reviewers, the best 4K Blu-ray players and discs are crucial for testing the best TVs as they provide not only the best picture quality thanks to a higher bitrate than streaming but also better-quality audio for testing a TV’s built-in speakers and the best soundbars.

But 2024 really has been a rollercoaster year for us 4K Blu-ray fans. There have been reports of increasing disc sales from major UK retailers, and then elsewhere you read that the state of physical media is in decline and it’s all very doom and gloom. So what did happen in the world of 4K Blu-ray in 2024?

Disney and Best Buy sabotage, plus a Sony savior

Without Sony, movies like Deadpool & Wolverine wouldn't have made it to 4K Blu-ray (Image credit: Future)

In two of the major news stories for 4K Blu-ray, Best Buy decided to stop stocking 4K Blu-ray discs and then Disney announced its decision to cease 4K Blu-ray releases. Still, 4K Blu-ray remained alive and well thanks to the efforts of smaller distributors like The Criterion Collection and Arrow Video, both of which released superb remasters and gorgeous special editions of classic movies. I bought The Warriors from Arrow Video US and it’s an incredible release.

But, these small companies can’t be expected to do all the work and whatever you think of Disney’s current filmography, its back catalog is vast and it owns production companies like Fox. Plenty of critic- and audience-lauded movies, such as All of Us Strangers, would miss out on being presented in the best quality, starving home theater fans of a 4K Blu-ray release.

However, an unexpected savior appeared when Sony agreed to take over distribution rights for Disney’s physical media. This meant that movies and TV shows from Disney, Marvel, Fox and others would now get physical releases. It was some much-needed good news for the world of 4K Blu-ray.

Retailers and brands come and go

Panasonic is one of the few remaining brands offering mid-range 4K Blu-ray players (Image credit: Future)

Disney and Best Buy weren’t the only major brands to pull out from 4K Blu-ray, with another blow dealt as recently as December when LG announced it was discontinuing production of 4K Blu-ray players. That leaves Panasonic and Sony as the only remaining mainstream brands providing ‘new’, budget and mid-range Blu-ray players (Oppo and Samsung pulled out of the 4K Blu-ray player market in 2018 and 2019 respectively, and remaining brands like Magentar and Reavon are aimed at the premium end of the market). While some players are still available on the second-hard marketplace, you can expect stock to become increasingly scarce.

Despite more woes, some retailers have decided to get on the 4K Blu-ray train. For example, US retailers Fred Meyers and GameStop announced they would stock 4K Blu-ray discs back in May, providing more outlets for 4K Blu-ray fans to get movies.

4K Blu-ray in 2025

My 4K Blu-ray obsession accelerated in 2024, with the best purchase being this stunning 4K Blu-ray Special Edition of The Warriors from Arrow Video. Who knows what I'll add in 2025? (Image credit: Future)

So, what’s the outlook for 4K Blu-ray in 2025? Honestly, I'm hopeful. Here at TechRadar, we’ve noticed an appetite for 4K Blu-ray info, with more readers getting in touch and more eyes on any 4K Blu-ray-related news. So much so that we’ve launched the Blu-ray Bounty, where we look at great 4K Blu-ray releases each month, with our first edition showcasing Double Indemnity, Power of the Dog and Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes.

Spending more time with 4K Blu-ray has also fuelled my obsession. Along with The Warriors, I’ve recently added The Crow, The Dark Knight Trilogy and The Lord of the Rings to my collection, among many others that would take too long to list!

But, that’s the state of Blu-ray for us here at TechRadar. What about the wider world? Again, signs point to a minor revolution. That may sound exaggerated, but with the best streaming services like Netflix, Prime Video and Disney Plus constantly raising prices people are going to get fed up. Prime Video not only added ads for all users unless you paid $2.99 / £2.99 to go ad-free in January 2024 but it’s set to add even more ads in 2025. This is just one example of streaming services squeezing the pennies out of people, with Netflix also kicking people off its cheapest ad-free tier, forcing an upgrade or a cancellation. I’d list more cases from 2024, but we’d be here all day.

Another frustration I’ve found is the constant hot potato that these streaming services play with movies and TV shows. Too many times have I gone to watch a favorite or a classic that’s caught my eye one month to find next month it’s gone. With discs, you own the content and it’s there to watch. I’ll be keeping an eye to see how many other people get fed up with this in 2025 and opt to trust in good ol’ physical media.

Final thoughts

I'll be testing the best 4K Blu-ray releases as much as I can in 2025, so expect more Blu-ray Bounty! (Image credit: Future)

4K Blu-ray and physical media in general has faced a year of highs and lows in 2024 and while I’m hopeful for its future in 2025, I know there is still uncertainty. Physical media sales overall remain on the decline and despite rising prices, streaming services are still the main way people watch movies and TV shows.

But, 4K Blu-ray is the best way to enjoy movies on your home theater system and the more people get to experience this wonderful format, the more popular it will become. I can recommend two players and five movies that will get you started on your journey if you’re new and, rest assured, I’ll be flying the 4K Blu-ray flag in 2025!

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• An attack on FreshClick has exposed customer payment details and more
• The extension is used by Zagg’s ecommerce provider, BigCommerce
• Affected customers are getting free credit monitoring for a year

Zagg has notified affected customers of a data breach that put highly sensitive information at risk, including payment card details.

In a letter dated December 26, 2024 (via the Office of the Maine Attorney General), the company confirmed a 12-day-long attack between October 26 and November 7, which it became aware of one day later on November 8.

The problem stems from an attack on FreshClick, a third-party application used by Zagg’s ecommerce software platform provider BigCommerce.

Zagg confirms cyberattack

“We learned that an unknown actor injected into the FreshClick app malicious code that was designed to scrape credit card data entered as part of the checkout process for certain ZAGG.com customer transactions between October 26, 2024 and November 7, 2024," the company confirmed.

Names, shipping and billing addresses, and payment card information could be at risk as a result.

In recognition of the severity of the attack, Zagg is giving affected customers 12 months’ access to credit monitoring through Experian. It’s also urging customers to monitor their financial accounts, place fraud alerts and consider credit freezes to prevent identity theft.

BigCommerce said (via Bleeping Computer): “Acting in the best interest of our customers and their shoppers, we immediately uninstalled the app in their stores, which removed any compromised APIs and malicious code.”

Basic internet hygiene principles like being cautious about sharing certain information and following potentially malicious links go a long way to protecting consumers against potential attacks, however when an attack affects a third-party service such as this, there’s very little that consumers can do, highlighting the widespread risks of online activity.

Apologizing for the inconvenience, Zagg has established a dedicated phone line for concerned customers to seek further answers and advice.

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• Infinity Nikki Version 1.1 is out now
• It introduces new limited-time events, plus a fresh Mira Journey battle pass
• You can also claim free log in rewards

Magical fashionistas rejoice, cause cozy open-world dress-up adventure Infinity Nikki has received its first major update.

The Version 1.1, or ‘Shooting Star Season’ update, introduces a wide range of new events with some great rewards. This includes the ‘Star-Kissed Wishes’ event, which allows you to earn Diamonds and the exclusive ‘Memory's Stardust’ earrings sketch. There’s also the limited-time ‘Celestial Wishes’ Resonance event, with the five-star ‘Wings of Wishes’ and four-star ‘Starfall Radiance’ outfits up for grabs.

Both outfits grant unique effects. Wearing the full ‘Wings of Wishes’ set allows you to float around gracefully on the wings of a paper crane, while wearing the full ‘Starfall Radiance' set fills the sky with beautiful shooting stars.

The ‘Into a Starry Night’ event will also be unlocked, letting you complete tasks in order to claim the free three-star ‘Path of Starlight’ outfit. This is on top of the ‘Adventures under the Stars’, ‘Let’s Touch Shooting Stars!’, and ‘Take the Bait, Pink Ribbon Eel!’ events, which will each offer their own rewards.

New check-in bonuses will be available too, with those who log in for a total of seven days receiving 10 Revelation Crystal.

As you might expect, the update brings a handful of new quests. Notable additions include the ‘Call of Beginnings’ Interlude Chapter, which rewards you with a sketch for the five-star ‘Silvergale’s Arial’ Miracle Outfit free of charge. A new Mira Journey battle pass has been enabled, letting you level up through a fresh series of rewards.

Some novel features are being added, such as Assisted Path. If you frequently fail at a dungeon stage, you will be able to enable Assisted Path in order to quickly clear it, which sounds incredibly useful.

All of this has been bundled with plenty of fixes and optimizations, improving the Infinity Nikki experience. You can read the full patch notes via a recent post to the game’s official X / Twitter account.

Infinity Nikki is available now as a free-to-play title on PC, PlayStation 5, Android, and iOS.

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Reacher season 3: key information

- Set to debut on Prime Video next February
- First trailer released in early December
- Based on Lee Child’s seventh Reacher book, which is titled 'Persuader'
- Alan Ritchson and Maria Sten returning from previous seasons
- New supporting cast revealed
- Plot synopsis detailed by Amazon
- Season 4 is already in the works

Ready to rock and roll with Reacher season 3? You're in luck. Indeed, we don't have to wait much longer for a show that's been dubbed “peak Dad TV” by numerous observers to return to our screeners.

Why? Because Reacher's latest season will make its Prime Video debut on February 20, 2025. At the time that this article is going live, then, the hit Amazon series is less than two months away from making its comeback. Before it does, you'll want the latest news and rumors about Reacher season 3, including its full release schedule, cast details, early story teases, and more. Good job we've put in the hard yards and rounded all of that up for you, then, eh?

Major spoilers follow for Reacher's previous two seasons. Potential cast and plot spoilers also follow for the forthcoming season, too.

Reacher season 3 release date

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A photo posted by on

Reacher season 3 will officially makes its bow on Prime Video, aka one of the world's best streaming services, on February 20, 2025. The announcement was made during Amazon's CCXP Brazil panel in early December, with Ritchson taking to the stage to unveil Reacher season 3's release date and trailer (more on the latter shortly).

Like the action show's second season, this chapter will launch with a three-episode premiere. New entries will air weekly until the season finale on March 27 after it debuts.

Reacher season 3 trailer

Reacher season 3's full trailer hasn't dropped online yet, but a 30-second teaser received its world premiere at CCXP Brazil. Typically, it showed off plenty of explosive action, the return of Reacher's most trustworthy ally in Maria Sten's Frances Neagley, and introduced us to a towering new henchman who's not only taller than the eponymous hero, but also the one individual who's been able to properly know Reacher to the ground with a single punch.

Reacher season 3 confirmed cast

Alan Ritchson returns to take names and kick butt as the titular character (Image credit: Prime Video)

Possible spoilers follow for Reacher season 3.

Here's the confirmed cast list for Reacher season 3 so far:

• Alan Ritchson as Jack Reacher
• Maria Sten as Frances Neagley
• Olivier Richters as Paulie
• Anthony Michael Hall as Zachary Beck
• Sonya Cassidy as Susan Duffy
• Brian Tee as Quinn
• Johnny Berchtold as Richard Beck
• Robert Montesinos as Guillermo Villanueva
• Daniel David Stewart as Steven Elliot

Ritchson and Sten reprise their roles from Reacher's previous seasons, but there are plenty of new faces joining them for the show's next outing.

The *ahem* biggest news is that Dutch bodybuilder Olivier Richters, who stands at over seven foot, is playing an absolute colossus going by the name of Paulie. He was seen briefly in season 3's first trailer as the individual who gives Reacher a taste of his own medicine from a brute force viewpoint.

A post shared by REACHER (@reacherprimevideo)

A photo posted by on

In February, Amazon announced two other new hires in Hall and Cassidy. The former is playing Zachary Beck, aka "a formidable and successful businessman, Beck is a widow and single father of a 20-year-old son, Richard. He is the owner of a rug import company that Reacher and his cohorts suspect is a cover for a more nefarious operation". Cassidy, meanwhile, will portray Agent Susan Duffy, "an extremely intelligent and tough DEA agent from Boston with a sharp and sarcastic sense of humour."

One month later, Amazon MGM Studios confirmed four more actors had landed roles. Tee will play Quinn, a "physically imposing and intimidating Lieutenant Colonel in the army, who Reacher investigated ten years ago when he sold military secrets to hostile nations". Berchtold is on board as Richard Beck, the only son of Zachary, who we’re told is a "sensitive and artistic college student."

Elsewhere, Montesinos will star as Villanueva, a DEA agent on the verge of retirement. Villanueva is Duffy's mentor and described as "paunchy with bad knees and a good natured sense of humour, he really loves and cares about Duffy even though they bust each other's chops all the time". Lastly, Stewart will play Steven Elliot, a clean-cut rookie DEA agent, who is "lovable, fresh-faced, new to the job and still learning."

Reacher season 3 story synopsis and rumors

Frances Neagley will, once again, aid Jack Reacher throughout this season (Image credit: Prime Video)

Mild spoilers follow for Reacher season 3's plot.

Here's the official story synopsis for season 3: "In the third season of the action-packed series, Reacher hurtles into the dark heart of a vast criminal enterprise when trying to rescue an undercover DEA informant whose time is running out. There he finds a world of secrecy and violence – and confronts some unfinished business from his own past."

The forthcoming season is based on 'Persuader', the seventh book in Lee Child’s global best-selling book series. And, based on what Ritchson told ComicBook.com, this season could be one of his most personal stories yet. "There's a lot of classic Reacher stories which are just adventures that he gets sucked into in a big way," the man mountain actor said. "We get to enjoy Reacher in a new world. It may not have anything to do with family [or] with his past – he's just living that adventure out and that's kind of the direction that we've gone and it seems to really be working."

Elaborating further on what fans can expect from the threequel, Ritchson told Collider: "Things get pretty dangerous. Things get – and I mean this, I would never lead you astray – there's been a little tiny something in each season where I've been like, 'I wish we could do that better.'

"Season 3 is by far the best season we've ever made," he continued. "Start to finish, this is high octane action, this is peak TV, and I cannot wait for everyone to watch this. I don't want to ruin it for you. In 'Persuader', Reacher has to go undercover, and he's gotta do some heavy lifting, both to stay alive and to find someone he's looking for. Things get quite dangerous. But he also comes across his most formidable foe yet in Paulie."

Sounds like the titular roamer is in for a rough ride, then! February 2025 can't come soon enough.

Has Prime Video said anything about Reacher season 4 yet?

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A photo posted by on

It has – in fact, Amazon MGM Studios confirmed it has greenlit Reacher season 4 in October. Not only that, but the e-commerce giant's entertainment division also announced a spin-off project, which will center on Sten's Neagley.

"Reacher has become a phenomenon that continues to resonate with our global customers beyond our wildest expectations and we are thrilled to bring the series back for an additional season," Vernon Sanders, head of television, Amazon MGM Studios, said in a Prime Video statement. "We are looking forward to more action and adventure from the immensely talented team behind the series including Nick Santora, Alan Ritchson, Lee Child, Skydance, and CBS Studios."

Considering there are 28 (!) books in Lee Child's Reacher novel series, there's still plenty of source material for the series to draw from. Given how popular Reacher continues to be – season 1 was an unexpectedly massive hit, while its sequel was the most-streamed Amazon TV Original of 2023 – as well, its massive audience isn't like to get tired of seeing Ritchson beat up more goons in the years ahead. Don't expect Reacher season 4 to be the show's last installment, then.

For more Prime Video coverage, read our guides on Invincible season 3, The Rings of Power season 3, Mr and Mrs Smith season 2, and Fallout season 2.

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• A potential Nintendo Switch 2 colorway may have leaked
• A new image suggests that the console will come in black / orange
• The rumored 'C' button is also visible

The good news is that we might finally know what kinds of colors the Nintendo Switch 2 could be available in. The bad news is that the potential colorway suggested by a recent leak is absolutely hideous.

The information comes from prominent leaker ‘NextHandheld’, who has been sharing images purportedly showing a finalized Nintendo Switch 2 retail unit on X / Twitter over the last few weeks. They respond to a user asking whether the Nintendo Switch 2 will feature blue and orange Joy-Con controllers, posting a cryptic photo that appears to support that claim.

In the image, we see the long-rumored ‘C’ button, a mysterious new input that has shown up in other recent leaks. It’s not entirely clear what it does quite yet, though some have speculated that it could be related to new online functions or a new hardware feature present on the system’s redesigned Joy-Con controllers.

The bottom of the home button can also be seen at the top of the image, which would indicate that this is a photo of the right Joy-Con. Interestingly, the colors are quite unlike anything we’ve seen with the Nintendo Switch thus far. The Joy-Con itself is black, but it's impossible to ignore what looks like a bright orange strip to the left of the controller.

It’s unclear whether this is part of the Joy-Con itself, the mechanism by which it will attach to the console, or just an accessory. It seems safe to assume that the other Joy-Con will feature an inverted version of this color scheme, presumably replacing the orange element with the blue claimed by the leaker.

I’m not the biggest fan of this color scheme, as the orange shown in the leak is quite garish and honestly looks like something you’d see on a piece of construction equipment rather than a gaming console. It’s definitely a bit of a downgrade compared to the now iconic Neon Red/Neon Blue configuration of the original Nintendo Switch, at least in my opinion.

Luckily, Nintendo does tend to release its consoles in a couple of different variants so, if this leak is accurate, there might be a nicer option to choose from when it finally arrives.

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• Model numbers for three phones spotted
• Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Galaxy Flip 7 look likely
• Another SE foldable should be coming

Our Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 review and Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 review will tell you we've been impressed by Samsung's foldable offerings this year, and now we have a better idea about what's coming through the course of 2025.

The team at Android Authority has been digging into the beta code for One UI 7 (Samsung's take on Android 15), and has discovered some interesting new model numbers that match up with numbers for the current phones.

We can see the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 and the Galaxy Z Flip 7 here – designated by the codenames SM-F966 and SM-F751, respectively – and it seems we're also getting a successor to the Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition.

That last phone, codename SM-F968, could perhaps get a global launch – unlike the model it's replacing, which is currently only available in South Korea. The current Z Fold SE is lighter and thinner than the Galaxy Z Fold 6, with better cameras and bigger screens, so we'd like to see the next iteration sold more widely.

A full year of Samsung phones

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

Unfortunately, these code snippets don't tell us too much about what's actually coming with these foldable phones. The names of the phones aren't even included, though Android Authority has made some educated guesses.

In fact, we haven't heard much at all about the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 and the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7. These phones do at least appear to be on the way, though it's not clear what we can look forward to in terms of upgrades.

For the time being at least, the focus is on the Samsung Galaxy S25 series, which we're expecting to get a grand unveiling at some point during January. This year the usual three models might get joined by a new Galaxy S25 Slim edition.

We might even get a tri-fold from Samsung sometime during 2025, the thinking being that it wants to push out more form factors and compete directly with the Huawei Mate XT. It's shaping up to be another busy year for Samsung phones.

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