Technology

• Hackers claim to be selling millions of PayPal logins, but experts suspect foul play
• The dataset allegedly includes passwords, emails, and URLs for automated attacks
• Experts say the leaked sample is too small to confirm authenticity, and its low pricing casts doubt about its legitimacy

Hackers recently announced on a well-known forum that they were selling a dataset of 15.8 million stolen PayPal credentials, allegedly including login emails and plaintext passwords.

The cybercriminals claim the information was stolen in May 2025, and the dataset contains not just emails and passwords but also associated URLs, making it easier for criminals to automate credential stuffing attacks and launch identity theft scams.

They also claim that while many of the leaked passwords appeared unique and “strong-looking,” a large portion were reused. If true, the value of the dump may be smaller than suggested.

Doubts over the breach claims

However, experts who examined the small sample released to the public concluded it was insufficient to verify the attackers’ claims, noting if the breach really occurred in May 2025, much of the usable data might already have been exploited.

Interestingly, the price set for the alleged database is surprisingly low, raising further doubts about its authenticity.

Historically, high-quality stolen data commands far higher prices on the dark web.

However, PayPal quickly denied any new breach, instead pointing to a “security incident” from 2022, which involved credential stuffing attacks and resulted in regulators fining the firm earlier this year.

That event saw only 35,000 accounts exposed, a far cry from the millions now claimed by attackers.

Skeptics argue the resemblance between the alleged PayPal dataset and the structure of infostealer malware logs from an older event suggests foul play.

Infostealers quietly harvest passwords, cookies, and other details from infected devices, often packaging the data with a URL followed by login information.

It is quite common to find credentials listed in stealer logs that circulate on dark web marketplaces, but these are not directly from PayPal’s system; they are from compromised user devices.

Regardless of whether this new claim proves genuine, the situation underscores how easy it is for user information to circulate once stolen.

Leaked login details can enable identity theft and financial fraud long after the original compromise.

Users who have reused PayPal credentials on other platforms remain vulnerable to attack.

How to stay safe

• Change your PayPal password and avoid reusing it across other services.
• Enable multi-factor authentication to add an extra layer of security.
• Monitor accounts regularly for signs of identity theft or unusual activity.
• Use a strong internet security suite with firewall protection.
• Be cautious with links and attachments that may carry infostealer malware.
• Consider dedicated identity theft monitoring services for added protection.

Via Cybernews

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• Google Gemini Live now provides visual guidance with real-time cues on your screen when you share your camera
• The feature is designed to help users solve tasks visually and identify objects by sight
• Gemini Live has also expanded its app integrations and introduced expressive voice upgrades

Google is continuing its quest to get people to use its Gemini AI assistant at all times and in all places with a new set of upgrades launched alongside the Pixel 10 series of smartphones. The centerpiece of the new and improved Gemini Live is a set of AI eyes, a feature called visual guidance.

Basically, you can give Gemini Live access to your camera, and it will look at the same things you're looking at and help you figure out things like the right tool to use, the best choices to coordinate an outfit, or other tasks. The solutions will be right on the screen, with arrows or circles around the correct answer. For now, the feature will only be available on the Pixel 10, but other Android phones and even iOS devices will be able to use the feature in the near future.

Visual guidance might sound like a party trick, but it could prove to be a major draw for Gemini Live. Instead of receiving a flat, spoken answer when you ask Gemini to help assemble a new piece of furniture, you can now show the parts to your camera and have the assistant visually indicate which goes where. It doesn’t require special hardware; it's like showing a friend who's good at DIY what you have and asking for help.

Google clearly sees it as a way to bridge the awkwardness that sometimes happens when you ask an AI for help and it gives you vague or overly generic answers. “Use the blue-handled pliers,” might not help much if your toolbox has three tools with blue handles. A glowing circle over the right one is much more helpful. As someone who has tried to follow a YouTube tutorial while simultaneously wielding a screwdriver, I get the appeal.

Sweet talk and multitasking

Gemini Live will also sound better when it's showing you things, thanks to new speech models capable of adjusting the tone, and even the character of the voice. So, Gemini might use an especially calm voice to talk about a stressful topic, speed up when you're in a hurry, or perhaps tell you a story about pirates in the stereotypical pirate accent.

Gemini Live is also going to be better at multitasking thanks to new links to apps like Google Calendar, Messages, and Maps. So, when you're chatting with Gemini, you could get it to handle your personal appointments and send texts to your friends with directions.

The revamp of Gemini Live fits with Google's broader approach to AI, positioning it as an ambient, always-on platform rather than a standalone feature. AI assistance that is flexible enough for any event, while using context to be specifically valuable for individuals, is what Google and other AI developers have promised for a while. And while the visual guidance and other tools aren't going to be perfect, the adaptability could make up for it. You don’t need to learn a new system or talk in commands. You just show Gemini what you see, ask it what you need, and get a reply that’s tuned to the topic.

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• China web traffic was blocked from accessing outsider websites
• No political or sensitive events appear to have coincided
• Pakistan also suffered an outage hours before

China appears to have shut itself off from the internet world for over an hour earlier this week, but could it have just been a mistake?

The country's "Great Firewall" disrupted all traffic on TCP port 443, used for HTTPS, for 74 minutes on August 20, 2025, but with most citizens asleep during the outage (00:34-01:48 Beijing time), was this intended behavior?

Interestingly, only port 443 was affected, leaving other ports like 22 (SSH), 80 (HTTP and 8443 (alterative HTTPS) unaffected.

China just had a partial internet outage

By injecting forged TCP RST+ACK packets to cut connections on port 443, the Great Firewall blocked access to most websites outside China and also disrupted services that rely on offshore servers, including Apple and Tesla.

A report explained the Great Firewall of China is not a single entity, but a “complex system composed of various network devices that perform censorship.” The device involved did not match fingerprints of known GFW equipment, suggesting the 74-minute outage could have come from a new censorship device, a misconfigured known divide or a test of port-blocking capability.

The Great Firewall also has a history of glitches, leaks and other technical errors.

Unlike past censorship events, no major political or other sensitive events were identified during this outage, making the reason more obscured.

Coincidentally, Pakistan also saw a large drop in internet traffic hours before the Chinese outage. The two countries both have similar histories of web censorship, and China has even been linked with sharing censorship technology with Pakistan, potentially drawing a link between the two events.

More broadly, the granular and more complex censorship that China chooses (compared with total shutdowns observed in Turkey, Sudan and Egypt) strikes a fine balancing act between restricting access to foreign information while avoiding economic harm.

With the community responding to the report’s comments with suspicions that this could have been a test, we’re left with little more evidence than to believe either this is the case, or it was a mistake.

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• Raspberry Pi shrinks the size of its touchscreen while keeping the same resolution
• It's cheaper and smaller, but it does not introduce new capabilities
• Retailers are already listing the new screen at higher prices

Raspberry Pi has announced a new addition to its display range, a 5-inch version of the Touch Display 2.

The company saysits new offering is a compact, low-cost option for hobbyists and developers who want to embed touch interfaces into projects.

At $40, it undercuts the 7-inch Raspberry Pi model which launched in 2024, although both share the same 720x1280 resolution.

A smaller screen for Pi projects

Apart from its reduced size, the 5-inch variant carries essentially the same specifications as the larger display.

It supports multi-touch input, connects via the DSI port, and draws power directly from the Raspberry Pi board.

Integration with Raspberry Pi OS is designed to be smooth, with no calibration steps or third-party drivers needed.

"Its capacitive touch screen works out of the box with full Linux driver support, no manual calibration required, no hunting through device trees, and no wrestling with incompatible touch controllers," said Gordon Hollingworth, CTO of Raspberry Pi software.

For users already accustomed to working with RPi distros, the device should feel straightforward to set up.

To illustrate the display’s capabilities, Raspberry Pi’s Gordon Hollingworth demonstrated a slideshow application built with the assistance of AI.

The process highlighted how AI can speed up development and provide a foundation for interactive coding, with multi-touch support ultimately working smoothly after fine-tuning.

The screen is being presented as a good fit for compact smart home controls, portable kiosks, or integrated dashboards.

In theory, mounting a Pi board on the back of the display offers an all-in-one system without external peripherals.

For casual projects, this could reduce clutter compared to juggling keyboards, monitors, and portable HDD storage devices.

Yet the hardware itself does not represent a leap forward, as resolution remains fixed at 720p, and touch responsiveness still depends heavily on software layers that may introduce quirks.

As with many Raspberry Pi peripherals, the new display will find an audience among tinkerers eager to explore interactive projects.

However, it is worth noting that the announcement reflects refinement rather than revolution, as the product is cheaper and smaller, but it does not introduce new capabilities.

For those already invested in the Raspberry Pi ecosystem, it may be another piece of the puzzle - but for others, it risks being just another component destined to sit in a drawer after the initial excitement fades.

This device is now available from several Pi retailers. PiShop and CanaKit list it at $50.95, while Vilros is selling it for the MSRP.

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• GPD Win 5 is an unusual gaming handheld and ultra mobile workstation hybrid
• It's powered by AMD's Ryzen AI Max+ 395 APU with 16 cores and Radeon 8060S
• Compact 565g device includes 7-inch 120Hz touchscreen and dual-fan cooling system

GPD has unveiled the Win 5, a handheld PC that straddles the line between portable gaming console and mobile workstation.

With its compact form factor, the device is powered by AMD’s powerful Ryzen AI Max+ 395 APU (Strix Halo), a processor that so far has mostly appeared in mini PCs and only a handful of laptops, including HP’s ZBook Ultra 14 G1a, Asus’s ROG Flow Z13 and Emdoor’s EM-959-NM16ASH-1.

While the Win 5 looks good and packs a lot of power, its expected price tag - around $2000 - will put it firmly in enthusiast territory.

Dual-fan cooling

The Ryzen AI Max+ 395 is built on TSMC’s 4nm process and features 16 Zen 5 CPU cores and 32 threads, clocking up to 5.1GHz. There’s a Radeon 8060S GPU with 40 compute units running at 2.9GHz.

The chip also offers AI acceleration, with 16 TOPS from its NPU and 38 TOPS combined with CPU performance.

To keep that hardware under control, the Win 5 uses a dual-fan cooling system, which delivers consistent thermal management even under heavy loads, which would otherwise be a concern for a device this small.

The handheld supports up to 128GB of LPDDR5X RAM at 8000MHz and NVMe PCIe 4.0 SSD storage options ranging from 1TB to 4TB.

Storage can be swapped from the rear panel, and microSD plus mini SSD expansion slots are included.

The display is a 7-inch H-IPS touchscreen at 1920x1080 resolution with a 120Hz refresh rate and FreeSync Premium support.

Wireless connectivity includes WiFi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3. Ports include two USB-C (one at USB 3.2 speeds and another at USB 4 with support for external GPUs), a 3.5mm audio jack, and card slots.

Despite its undoubted power, the device weighs just 565 grams and measures 267 x 111mm, making it smaller than a Steam Deck.

The 80Wh battery supports fast charging up to 180W.

The Win 5 looks like a standard handheld games system, with dual analog sticks, a D-Pad, triggers, and action buttons, but includes extras like a fingerprint reader.

GPD Win 5 mobile workstation PC will be available to buy globally from October 17 2025.

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• Max, a Russia-developed messaging app, must be pre-installed on every new device from September 1
• The domestic RuStore app store is also to be forced onto Apple devices, after already being mandatory on Android
• Authorities are reportedly considering blocking WhatsApp, today's most popular messaging app in Russia

A Russia-developed messaging app must be pre-installed on every new smartphone and tablet sold in Russia starting from September 1, 2025 – the government confirmed on Thursday, August 21.

So-called Max, the WhatsApp rival, is also integrated with government services and has already reached 18 million registered users, according to Interfax.

Privacy experts have been raising the alarm, arguing that Max could spy on its users. Something that the Kremlin strongly denies, arguing that "it has fewer permissions to access user data than rivals WhatsApp and Telegram," Reuters reported.

As per the government announcement, on September 1, the domestic RuStore app store will also become mandatory on all Apple devices, having been forced only on Android gadgets so far.

Can people in Russia still use WhatsApp?

(Image credit: Shutterstock / Tada Images )

WhatsApp is currently the most popular messaging service across Russia, and the only Meta-owned app not blocked in the country.

This could soon change, however, as authorities have recently confirmed their intention to ban WhatsApp in Russia.

Talking to Reuters on Friday, July 18, Deputy Head of the Russian parliament's Information Technology Committee, Anton Gorelkin, said that "it's time for WhatsApp to prepare to leave the Russian market," while reminding that Meta has been designated as an extremist organization in Russia.

Two more government sources have then confirmed to Meduza, a Russian Independent media outlet, that "there’s a 99-percent chance" the WhatsApp block will happen.

Fast-forward to August 13, Interfax confirmed that authorities partially restrict calls on both Telegram and WhatsApp, allegedly as a measure to combat criminal and terrorist activities.

The looming WhatsApp ban comes as the Kremlin also recently passed a law to punish online searches for so-called 'extremist' content, while adding new penalties to those using VPN services.

This means that using one of the best VPN services to bypass a potential ban on WhatsApp, or any other app for that matter, has suddenly become ever more challenging.

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• Max, a Russia-developed messaging app, must be pre-installed on every new device from September 1
• The domestic RuStore app store is also to be forced onto Apple devices, after already being mandatory on Android
• Authorities are reportedly considering blocking WhatsApp, today's most popular messaging app in Russia

A Russia-developed messaging app must be pre-installed on every new smartphone and tablet sold in Russia starting from September 1, 2025 – the government confirmed on Thursday, August 21.

So-called Max, the WhatsApp rival, is also integrated with government services and has already reached 18 million registered users, according to Interfax.

Privacy experts have been raising the alarm, arguing that Max could spy on its users. Something that the Kremlin strongly denies, arguing that "it has fewer permissions to access user data than rivals WhatsApp and Telegram," Reuters reported.

As per the government announcement, on September 1, the domestic RuStore app store will also become mandatory on all Apple devices, having been forced only on Android gadgets so far.

Can people in Russia still use WhatsApp?

(Image credit: Shutterstock / Tada Images )

WhatsApp is currently the most popular messaging service across Russia, and the only Meta-owned app not blocked in the country.

This could soon change, however, as authorities have recently confirmed their intention to ban WhatsApp in Russia.

Talking to Reuters on Friday, July 18, Deputy Head of the Russian parliament's Information Technology Committee, Anton Gorelkin, said that "it's time for WhatsApp to prepare to leave the Russian market," while reminding that Meta has been designated as an extremist organization in Russia.

Two more government sources have then confirmed to Meduza, a Russian Independent media outlet, that "there’s a 99-percent chance" the WhatsApp block will happen.

Fast-forward to August 13, Interfax confirmed that authorities partially restrict calls on both Telegram and WhatsApp, allegedly as a measure to combat criminal and terrorist activities.

The looming WhatsApp ban comes as the Kremlin also recently passed a law to punish online searches for so-called 'extremist' content, while adding new penalties to those using VPN services.

This means that using one of the best VPN services to bypass a potential ban on WhatsApp, or any other app for that matter, has suddenly become ever more challenging.

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• One of Final Fantasy 14's most popular mods, Mare Synchronos, has shut down
• The plug-in's creator blamed a "legal enquiry"
• The game has since been review-bombed on Steam

Following a "legal enquiry", a popular third-party tool used for Final Fantasy 14 has shut down and now players are furious.

The tool, Mare Synchronos, was a plug-in that allowed users to sync and view other players' mods in-game, such as character customization, hair, clothing, and more, and had over 20,000 users.

Modding in Final Fantasy 14 has always been against the game's terms of service, though it is well-known in the community that it's best not to advertise the use of them if you want to avoid the ban hammer.

Unfortunately, it seems one of the most popular mods wasn't able to escape Square Enix's legal team.

The mod's creator announced the shutdown on their Discord (in a message that was posted to Reddit), saying, "See the sun set, the day is ending. With a heavy heart, I have to announce the end of Mare Synchronos as you know it. I've received a legal inquiry concerning the project. After reviewing my options with counsel, I'm winding down" (via GamesRadar).

The modder has explained that, effective immediately, registration to download the mod will be closed and bot services will be shut down, repositories for client, server, and api will be removed, and all Patreon/Ko-Fi memberships will be removed.

Since Mare was used by many players who mod the game, particularly those in the role-playing community, the announcement hasn't gone down well.

"Square Enix messing with their freaky fanbase is a bold strategy, let's see if it pays off," said one user in the Reddit thread.

"More reasons to never come back," another wrote. "People say mare was just for the ERPers, which sure lotsa people used it for that. But lemme say this... mare legit made it so I could get my character to actually present how I wanted him for my friends to see... warmer more diverse skin tones, hair editing, better hair colors, personally altering face bones and height etc and having that show up."

Mare's shut down has also resulted in Final Fantasy 14 being review-bombed on Steam. As of writing, the game is now sitting at "Mixed" reviews, with plenty of angry posts relating to the mod's takedown.

"I never messed with mods, but i had no issue with people using them because people really enjoyed their character creation mod options," one player said. "Square never had a problem with it before and now suddenly they rip this away from people. wont be coming back. if square wants to burn their game to the ground then let them."

"RIP Moon [Mare Synchronos], canceled my sub I've been paying for," said another. "Without Moon, it's not worth it for me personally."

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• One of Final Fantasy 14's most popular mods, Mare Synchronos, has shut down
• The plug-in's creator blamed a "legal enquiry"
• The game has since been review-bombed on Steam

Following a "legal enquiry", a popular third-party tool used for Final Fantasy 14 has shut down and now players are furious.

The tool, Mare Synchronos, was a plug-in that allowed users to sync and view other players' mods in-game, such as character customization, hair, clothing, and more, and had over 20,000 users.

Modding in Final Fantasy 14 has always been against the game's terms of service, though it is well-known in the community that it's best not to advertise the use of them if you want to avoid the ban hammer.

Unfortunately, it seems one of the most popular mods wasn't able to escape Square Enix's legal team.

The mod's creator announced the shutdown on their Discord (in a message that was posted to Reddit), saying, "See the sun set, the day is ending. With a heavy heart, I have to announce the end of Mare Synchronos as you know it. I've received a legal inquiry concerning the project. After reviewing my options with counsel, I'm winding down" (via GamesRadar).

The modder has explained that, effective immediately, registration to download the mod will be closed and bot services will be shut down, repositories for client, server, and api will be removed, and all Patreon/Ko-Fi memberships will be removed.

Since Mare was used by many players who mod the game, particularly those in the role-playing community, the announcement hasn't gone down well.

"Square Enix messing with their freaky fanbase is a bold strategy, let's see if it pays off," said one user in the Reddit thread.

"More reasons to never come back," another wrote. "People say mare was just for the ERPers, which sure lotsa people used it for that. But lemme say this... mare legit made it so I could get my character to actually present how I wanted him for my friends to see... warmer more diverse skin tones, hair editing, better hair colors, personally altering face bones and height etc and having that show up."

Mare's shut down has also resulted in Final Fantasy 14 being review-bombed on Steam. As of writing, the game is now sitting at "Mixed" reviews, with plenty of angry posts relating to the mod's takedown.

"I never messed with mods, but i had no issue with people using them because people really enjoyed their character creation mod options," one player said. "Square never had a problem with it before and now suddenly they rip this away from people. wont be coming back. if square wants to burn their game to the ground then let them."

"RIP Moon [Mare Synchronos], canceled my sub I've been paying for," said another. "Without Moon, it's not worth it for me personally."

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• Australian CommBank announced 45 workers would be replaced with AI
• However the decision has now been reversed after the AI failed to live up to humans
• Workers have received an apology from CommBank

Australia’s Commonwealth Bank has provided a useful example of how not to introduce AI tools after being forced into an embarassing clim-down.

The bank had recently announced 45 customer service workers would be cut and replaced with an AI-powered 'voice bot' in an effort to reduce call volumes and automate less complex replies - leaving a small number of employees to handle the remaining more complex enquiries.

As it turns out, these bots were not capable of handling the tasks that the workers could - and now, those cut employees will now be rehired.

The ‘backflip’

The bank claimed the ‘voice-bot’ led to a reduction in calls, but Australia's Finance Sector Union disputes this claim, noting, “Members told us this was an outright lie and did not reflect the reality of what was happening in Direct Banking. Call volumes were in fact increasing and CBA was scrambling to manage the situation by offering staff overtime and directing Team Leaders to answer calls."

The bank issued an apology to the staff who were affected by the proposed job cuts and reversed the decision. A spokesperson from the bank told TechRadar Pro that it's initial assessment 'did not adequately consider all relevant business considerations and this error meant the roles were not redundant.'

"We have apologised to the employees concerned and acknowledge we should have been more thorough in our assessment of the roles required. We are currently supporting affected employees and have provided them with choice regarding continuing in their current roles, pursuing redeployment within CBA or to proceed with leaving the organisation."

That being said, CommBank is not denouncing the tech entirely, having recently announced a partnership with OpenAI to develop scam and fraud detection solutions, as well as ‘deliver more personalized services’ for its customers.

For months, concerns about job losses at the hands of AI were dismissed, with companies assuring that only the most basic and mundane admin tasks would be handled by bots, leaving workers to focus on the more creative aspects of their roles.

Those in administrative positions who handle almost exclusively mundane tasks have warned that these models, although sometimes useful, cannot replace human experience and understanding.

It’s undeniable that AI is replacing workers, with hundreds of jobs at firms like IBM and Crowdstrike disappearing as humans have been made more dispensable thanks to the tech.

But, not all of these cost-cutting decisions are working out. In the UK, over half of all businesses who replaced workers with AI already regret their decision, and are not less likely to believe that AI will replace human workers.

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