TechRadar News

• We could get a new Titanium Whitesilver shade
• It's not the first time the color option has been mentioned
• Likely to be exclusive to the Galaxy S25 Ultra

We're getting ever closer to the expected launch date of the Samsung Galaxy S25, and the latest rumor to reach us suggests we're going to get treated to a stylish new color when it comes to the premium Ultra model.

According to well-known tipster @UniverseIce, this variant is called Titanium Whitesilver, and combines a white back with a silver middle frame. It sounds like it would be appealing, and is apparently "very beautiful".

This isn't the first time we've heard this name: as our Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra colors rumor round-up will tell you, it's appeared in a couple of previous leaks. However, it being mentioned again by another prominent leaker makes us more convinced we'll see it.

There will be four "conventional" colors to go alongside it, the tipster says, though it's not clear from this post exactly what these will be: quite possibly Titanium Blue, Titanium Gray, Titanium Black, and Titanium Silver based on information that's already leaked.

Predicted colors

100% accurate news. Among the four conventional colors of S25 Ultra, there are white, white back + silver middle frame. Official name: Titanium Whitesilver.Very beautiful！December 13, 2024

Trying to pin down the colors we'll see with the Galaxy S25 isn't quite as easy as you might think. The available colors can vary between countries and carriers, while Samsung often keeps some shades exclusive to its own website store.

Earlier this month we saw leaked images of SIM cards for the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra model, which again hinted at blue, black, and silver – and there was also what seemed to be a gold option, which may be marketed as gray.

In fact if you want to get some idea of the colors for all the incoming Galaxy S25 models, we've got you covered there too. Overall, it seems there won't be too much change from the Samsung Galaxy S24 models – though some shades might be renamed.

We won't know for sure the colors that are going to be available until Samsung actually announces them – so we'll let you know as soon as we know. Based on earlier rumors, the big day could be January 22, 2025.

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• The US Treasury has issued a final rule on Executive Order restricting investment in certain Chinese industries
• AI, semiconductors, and microeletronics are all on the list of restricted investments
• Move is the latest salvo in tech trade war between US and China

The US government has issued new rules looking to restrict outbound investments in China’s high-tech industries.

The regulations, managed by the Treasury Department, are expected to require companies to notify the government of investments in sensitive technologies.

These sensitive technologies include areas such as artificial intelligence (AI), semiconductors, microelectronics, and quantum computing, particularly when these technologies could be used to advance military capabilities.

Biden administration focuses on National Security

These new rules are not entirely new as they build upon existing restrictions. In October 2022, the US implemented export controls to block China's access to advanced semiconductor technologies, especially those essential for AI development. These export controls came alongside earlier tariff hikes on Chinese imports.

The U.S. government has been widening its efforts to curb the transfer of U.S. capital and expertise into China, addressing concerns over national security and military competition.

In 2018, the Trump administration initiated tariffs on Chinese goods and began restricting Chinese investments in US technology sectors, citing concerns over "forced technology transfer" and the potential military applications of advanced technologies.

Under the Biden administration, this did not change as the U.S. seeks to prevent technology and investments from supporting China’s military modernization, which officials worry could undermine America’s strategic interests.

The Treasury has been working on these restrictions since mid-2023, when it released initial proposals to potentially ban certain investments in China. The initial proposals drew public feedback from citizens and businesses, helping the department refine the scope of the rules.

The finalized regulations, outlined by the Department of the Treasury's Office of Investment Security are expected to strike a balance between protecting U.S. security interests and avoiding unnecessary disruption to commercial relations.

“The potential military, intelligence, surveillance, and cyber-enabled applications of these technologies and products pose risks to U.S. national security particularly when developed by a country of concern such as the PRC,” the Treasury Department notification said.

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Another year, another Game Awards trailer drop that gets people’s hackles up on Reddit. This time it’s Borderlands 4, a game that has the unenviable task of outdoing both the series’ phenomenal second installment and the highly mixed response to Borderlands 3. No, I’m not going to discuss the movie here, I wiped my memories of it with a Neuralyzer I borrowed from Will Smith.

We already knew a fourth Borderlands title was on the way thanks to a CGI reveal trailer back in August, but this new trailer gave us both some actual in-engine gameplay footage (which, unsurprisingly, looks much like the third game) and our first look at the new title’s four playable Vault Hunters. And boy, some Redditors sure aren’t happy about them.

I actually think this might be one of the better Siren designs. I like her earrings and her weird gauntlet thing. (Image credit: Gearbox)

The main concern, from reading through several lengthy comment chains about these new protagonists, is that they’re simply a bit generic. “Not one of them has the same amount of personality in their look as anything from every game but Wonderlands”, says user u/SmileJakoby, referring to the (pretty mediocre) spin-off title Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands. Another user, u/k_afka_, says: “Those vaulthunters look kinda bland to me, but hopefully they're more interesting than they appear”.

I get it, I do. These four new heroes don’t fill me with excitement purely based on their looks. Here’s the thing, though: Borderlands has basically never been good at making truly iconic player character designs.

The new Vault Hunters are cut from the same cloth as the old

I’m being serious here: the Borderlands games might feature some visually striking characters here and there, but what makes most of the larger-than-life figures you meet on Pandora and beyond interesting are their stellar voice performances and unusual abilities.

Let’s take a look at the earlier Vault Hunters, for example. Look at these four right here:

Come on, you can't tell me these four are the pinnacle of visually striking character designs. (Image credit: Gearbox)

Mordecai from the original game is basically just a skinny dude with a goatee, a sword, and a tight-fitting outfit. What made him interesting and likable was his extremely angry pet bird, low-key offbeat humor, and the extra characterization he got in the sequel as a friendly NPC. The same goes for Roland, who was essentially just ‘ex-soldier guy’ in the first game before getting a starring role in the narrative of Borderlands 2. Hell, Brick - who I love - is at first glance literally just a big muscly man in a tank top. Not exactly world-shattering character design there, Gearbox.

Sure, we’ve got some fun ones: the playable Sirens Lilith, Maya, and Amara all look fairly interesting, though again, it’s their magical abilities that make them pop from an aesthetic standpoint. And I can’t ignore Zer0 and his funky holographic faceplate, though what really makes him stick in my memory is his deadpan, exclusively-in-haiku dialogue.

The thing is, the world of Borderlands is full of characters who, in a less violent and unhinged universe, could’ve probably been pretty ordinary people. That’s part of the appeal: you’re not playing as the Chosen One, you’re just some random treasure-seeker who gets wrapped up in a world-saving adventure wearing whatever ragged-ass clothes you happened to put on that morning.

So I’m asking you, unhappy Redditors: give these newbies a chance. Sure, we’re getting those same old tropes - cool guy, beefy guy, techy girl, magic girl - but let’s at least see what cool ways they have to murder people before we pass judgment on them, yeah?

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• CISA is requiring organizations in critical sectors to update their security
• MFA, vulnerability management, and data encryption will be enforced
• These changes will help mitigate the potential theft of data by state-sponsored and nation state actors

The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has unveiled a set of proposed security requirements aimed at reducing risks posed by unauthorized access to American data.

The move is due to concerns about the vulnerabilities exposed by recent cyberattacks, state-sponsored hacking campaigns, and the misuse of personal data by hostile nations.

The proposal aligns with Executive Order 14117, signed by President Biden earlier in 2024, which seeks to address gaps in data security that could compromise national interests.

Strengthening protections against foreign threats

The proposed requirements focus on entities that handle large-scale sensitive data, particularly in industries such as artificial intelligence, telecommunications, healthcare, finance, and defence contracting.

Companies operating in these fields are seen as critical targets due to the nature of the data they manage, with the US telecommunications industry recently being hit by a huge attack.

CISA's primary concern is that data from these organizations could fall into the hands of “countries of concern” or “covered persons” - terms used by the U.S. government to refer to foreign adversaries known for engaging in cyber espionage and data breaches.

These new security standards aim to close loopholes that could expose sensitive data to state-sponsored groups and foreign intelligence actors.

Businesses will need to keep an updated inventory of their digital assets, including IP addresses and hardware configurations, to stay prepared for potential security incidents. Companies will also be required to enforce multi-factor authentication (MFA) on all critical systems and require passwords that are at least 16 characters long to prevent unauthorized access.

Vulnerability management is another key focus, and organizations must remediate and address any known exploited vulnerabilities or critical flaws within 14 days, even if exploitation has not been confirmed. High-severity vulnerabilities must be fixed within 30 days.

The new proposal also emphasizes network transparency, and companies are required to maintain accurate network topologies to enhance their ability to identify and respond to security incidents.

Immediate revocation of access for employees following termination or changes in role is mandated to prevent insider threats. Additionally, unauthorized hardware, such as USB devices, will be prohibited from connecting to systems that handle sensitive data, further reducing the risk of data leakage.

In addition to system-level protections, CISA’s proposal introduces robust data-level measures aimed at minimizing the exposure of personal and government information. Organizations will be encouraged to collect only the data that is essential for their operations and, where possible, mask or de-identify it to prevent unauthorized access. Encryption will play a vital role in securing data during any transaction that involves a “restricted entity,” ensuring that even if data is intercepted, it cannot be easily deciphered.

A critical requirement is that encryption keys must not be stored alongside the data they protect, particularly in regions identified as countries of concern. Furthermore, organizations will also be encouraged to adopt advanced privacy-preserving techniques, such as homomorphic encryption or differential privacy, which allow data to be processed without exposing the underlying information.

CISA is seeking public feedback on the proposed requirements to refine the framework before it is finalized. Interested stakeholders, including industry leaders and cybersecurity experts, are invited to submit their comments via regulations.gov by entering CISA-2024-0029 in the search field and following the instructions to provide input.

Via BleepingComputer

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• The "product introduction phase" has started
• Design changes are predicted for the iPhone 17 Air
• Apple still exploring the idea of an iPhone Fold

It could be the most interesting model in the iPhone 17 series, and it could be the slimmest iPhone ever – and now the iPhone 17 Air (or is it the iPhone 17 Slim?) has officially entered production, according to a new report.

As per DigiTimes (via MacRumors), the iPhone 17 Air has now officially entered the "product introduction phase" at Foxconn, the Taiwanese manufacturer that puts together a lot of gadgets for Apple.

It means pilot production runs can begin, alongside design validation and prototype testing. It's a precursor to mass production on the device getting underway, which puts it on course for a debut in September next year.

We don't get too much more information about the iPhone 17 Air from this report, but DigiTimes again draws a link to a potential folding iPhone. If Apple can successfully produce a super-thin iPhone, it will help in the development of a folding model too.

Squeezing space

Like this, but significantly thinner (Image credit: Future)

The iPhone 17 Air is rumored to be a mere 6mm thick, which makes it substantially slimmer than the iPhone 16 Plus that it's supposedly replacing – that phone measures a relatively chunky 7.8mm from front to back.

Sources have suggested that the phone is going to come with a single rear camera, placed in the center at the top. The handset might also be too slim to fit a SIM card slot in, so it'll rely entirely on eSIM technology.

There are obvious challenges with making a super-skinny iPhone, such as managing to fit all the necessary circuitry in there without it overheating. No doubt the experience of manufacturing the various iPads will stand Apple in good stead here.

Whatever Apple has got planned for the iPhone 17 Air, it should make an appearance alongside three other iPhone 17 models sometime in September 2025. Before then, we should get the launch of the iPhone SE 4.

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• EU citizens share opinions on the use of AI in everyday lies
• Younger citizens are happy to include it in democratic procedures
• Older citizens are more fearful, and wouldn't trust its use in elections

A new report from IE University in Madrid suggests a decent level of support for the implementation of AI in security and surveillance, with many Europeans favoring the use of technologies like facial recognition and biometric data.

However, concerns about AI’s role in elections and public decision-making highlight the complex relationship between trust in AI and fears of manipulation.

According to the study, 75% of respondents support the use of AI technologies by police and military forces. Given Europe’s stringent data privacy laws, such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the fear of authorities or AI misusing data is far lower than it would be in the US. GDPR imposes severe penalties for non-compliance, with fines reaching up to 4% of a company’s annual revenue or 20 million euros, whichever is higher.

Fear of manipulation persists

While many Europeans are comfortable with AI’s use in public administration and security, they express significant concern about its impact on elections. The report found that 67% of respondents fear that AI could manipulate democratic processes, particularly by spreading misinformation.

Moreover, nearly a third (31%) of Europeans believe AI has already played a role in shaping their voting decisions, underscoring the growing influence of these technologies in political campaigns.

The public enthusiasm for AI use in some areas like traffic management is high with 79% of respondents supporting its use in optimizing transportation systems. However, opinions shift when AI is applied to more sensitive tasks, such as deciding parole outcomes, with 64% opposing its involvement in judicial matters.

The younger generation, aged 18 to 34, is more open to the idea of delegating political decisions to AI and about 34% of respondents in this age group said they would trust an AI-powered app to vote on their behalf.

Only 29% of individuals aged 35 to 44 would consider using AI to cast their votes. The skepticism becomes even more pronounced among older adults, with just 9% of people aged 65 and above willing to trust AI in the voting process.

Via CNBC

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Hugging Face has introduced its latest offering, Hugging Face Generative AI Services (HUGS), aimed at simplifying the deployment and scaling of generative AI applications using open-source models.

Built on Hugging Face technologies such as Transformers and Text Generation Inference (TGI), HUGS promises optimized performance across various hardware accelerators.

For developers using AWS or Google Cloud, the service is available at $1 per hour per container, with a five-day free trial on AWS to help users get started.

Streamlining AI with zero-configuration inference

HUGS offers developers a solution to run AI models on their own infrastructure without the need for manual configuration. One of the primary challenges when deploying large language models (LLMs) is optimizing them for specific hardware environments. Each accelerator, whether it is an NVIDIA GPU or an AMD GPU, requires fine-tuning to extract maximum performance.

With HUGS, these optimizations are managed automatically, delivering high throughput out of the box. In addition to NVIDIA and AMD GPUs, the company promises that its support will soon extend to AWS Inferentia and Google TPUs.

Hugging Face aims to ease the transition from black-box APIs to open, self-hosted solutions with support for a wide array of models, including well-known LLMs like Llama and Gemma, with plans to introduce multimodal models such as Idefics and Llava soon. In the future, the company says it will include embedding models like BGE and Jina, giving developers even more options to customize their AI applications.

This service uses standardized APIs compatible with OpenAI’s model interfaces, therefore, developers can migrate their own code.

For startups in particular, HUGS provides an opportunity to build AI applications without incurring the high costs associated with proprietary platforms. The availability of one-click deployments on DigitalOcean makes it even easier for small teams to experiment with generative AI technologies.

Meanwhile, larger enterprises can leverage HUGS to scale their applications without being locked into a single cloud provider or proprietary API. On DigitalOcean, HUGS is included at no extra charge beyond the standard cost of GPU Droplets. Hugging Face also offers custom deployment solutions for enterprises through its Enterprise Hub.

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The Samsung Galaxy S25 series has been extensively tipped and rumored at this point, so we have a good idea of what the key features of these phones will be.

By ‘features’ we refer here to the major upgrades and new things relative to the Samsung Galaxy S24 series – so in other words the main things that might make you consider buying a Samsung Galaxy S25 over a Galaxy S24.

You’ll find all of these claimed features and upgrades below, and note that we’re looking at the whole Samsung Galaxy S25 line here – so the Samsung Galaxy S25 Plus and Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra as well as the base model.

MagSafe-like charging

The Samsung Galaxy S24 (Image credit: Future)

One interesting addition that has only recently got tipped is the possible presence of a MagSafe-like system on the Samsung Galaxy S25 line, though exactly how it will work is uncertain.

One rumor suggested the Samsung Galaxy S25 series would all support Qi2 wireless charging, which is a very similar tech to MagSafe, with magnets in the phone that let you magnetically attach wireless chargers and accessories, such as battery packs and tripods.

However, another suggested that instead Samsung might simply sell some magnetic cases, which you could then attach magnetic accessories to.

We’re inclined to say that both of these rumors are probably true – that the phones will support Qi2 charging, but also that Samsung might release a range of magnetic cases, perhaps so that you can still firmly attach magnetic accessories when there’s a case on the phone.

A new ultra-wide camera

The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra (Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)

Several sources have suggested that the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra could have a new ultra-camera, with the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra’s fairly modest 12MP ultra-wide being replaced with a more pixel-packed 50MP sensor.

This should allow for more detailed photos, and will hopefully lead to an overall quality increase, bringing ultra-wide shots more in line with photos taken with the main camera.

However, this upgrade is reportedly just for the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, with the other models likely sticking with the same cameras as their predecessors.

A super-powered chipset

The Snapdragon 8 Elite powering an unnamed phone (Image credit: Qualcomm)

Perhaps the most noticeable upgrade in day-to-day use could be a new chipset, with every Samsung Galaxy S25 model sure to have a faster chipset than their predecessors.

There’s been some debate about which chipset or chipsets will be used, but the consensus seems to be that the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra at least will have a Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset, which based on benchmarks should deliver a huge boost in power.

As for the other models, they may well use the Snapdragon 8 Elite too, but there’s a chance that in some regions they could use an Exynos 2500 instead. This is a chipset that Samsung itself makes, and based on past form it probably won’t be quite as powerful as the Snapdragon 8 Elite – but it should still be a big upgrade on the Galaxy S24’s chipset.

A new ‘Slim’ model

The Samsung Galaxy S24 (Image credit: Future | Roland Moore-Colyer)

Not a feature as such, but the biggest ‘new’ thing in the Samsung Galaxy S25 line might be a completely new model, which for now we’re referring to as the Samsung Galaxy S25 Slim.

This – as that name suggests – could be a much thinner alternative to the other Galaxy S25 models, and we’ve heard that the Galaxy S25 Slim could even have an ‘Ultra’-level camera.

However, to keep it slim there may be compromises elsewhere, such as in the number of lenses or the size of the battery.

Extra RAM

Using AI to create a wallpaper on the Samsung Galaxy S24 (Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)

Going by rumors, it’s looking very likely that both the base Samsung Galaxy S25 and the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra will have more RAM than their predecessors. The former could ship with 12GB (up from 8GB in the Samsung Galaxy S24), and the latter with up to 16GB (up from 12GB in the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra).

However, one tip suggests that the Galaxy S25 Ultra’s starting configuration will still have 12GB of RAM, with only higher storage variants getting 16GB.

In any case, a boost in RAM could be desirable, especially for AI tasks, which can be very dependent on RAM. Notably though there’s no sign of the Samsung Galaxy S25 Plus being boosted from the 12GB of its predecessor.

A larger screen

The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra (Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)

Finally, the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra specifically might have a bigger screen than its predecessor, with reports suggesting it could have a 6.86-inch display, which would likely be marketed as 6.9 inches. That’s up slightly from 6.8 inches on the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra.

So this probably won’t make a drastic difference, but it will bring the phone more in line with the 6.9-inch iPhone 16 Pro Max.

However, the Samsung Galaxy S25 and Samsung Galaxy S25 Plus will probably have the same screen sizes as their predecessors, at 6.2 inches and 6.7 inches respectively.

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Welcome, folks, to a week that has included some of the biggest announcements we might see before CES 2025, in what was an uncharacteristically busy few days so close to the holidays.

Samsung dropped a buzzer-beating announcement to keep its promise we’d find out about its XR tech “this year,” Apple Intelligence finally dropped its most-hyped features, and the Nintendo Switch 2 possibly broke cover. Phew!

To help you get all caught up, scroll down for our picks of the seven biggest tech news stories of the week. Once you’ve recapped the news, why not check out our picks for the seven new movies and TV shows to watch this weekend (December 13).

7. Sony’s PlayStation Wrap-Up broke day one

(Image credit: Sony)

It’s the end of the year and that means Spotify Wrapped clones for everything – not just your music. PlayStation got in on the action with its own gaming Wrap-Up, but either because it was too popular or due to some glitch it was down for a while after launch.

Thankfully it’s back up now, so you can finally head to the official PlayStation Wrap-Up 2024 page to see your stats – I apparently played nearly 200 hours of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth in my hunt for the Platinum Trophy, and over 50 hours just of Balatro, TechRadar’s Game of the Year.

• Read more: PlayStation Wrap-Up broke immediately at launch

6. We celebrated the lighter side of (wild) life

Smooching owlets, Sarthak Ranganadhan (Image credit: © Milko Marchetti)

From more than 9,000 images 45 finalists were shortlisted for this year’s Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards 2024, with Italian photographer Milko Marchetti scooping the top award for a hilarious image of a squirrel looking like it’s stuck head-first in a tree.

Every image is an inspiring look at what artists can achieve with the best cameras on the market, and some creativity.

A free exhibition is happening from 11-15 December in the Gallery@Oxo in London, but if you can’t make it, all of 2024's finalists can be seen on the Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards website.

• Read more: Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards 2024 winners announced

5. We saw the Switch 2, maybe

(Image credit: Shutterstock/Kyli Petersen)

The Nintendo Switch 2 is one of tech most poorly kept secrets. The follow up to the hugely popular Nintendo console has been the subject of multiple leaks over the past few months, and we might now have our first glimpse of it thanks to a now-deleted trailer from third-party accessory manufacturer Satisfye.

The video was for the Zengrip 2 specifically, and the trailer for the add-on seemingly showed us a blurry Nintendo Switch 2 model which highlighted a similar overall design to the original but with the rumored extra button which has been teased.

There are questions around whether this leak is legitimate or merely a way to stoke up hype for a Nintendo Switch grip, but with a release date announcement for the Switch 2 possible before the end of 2024, even, we might not have long to wait before we see the console for real.

• Read more: Nintendo Switch 2 leak may have revealed the first look at the new handheld

4. Apple crowned the 17 best App Store apps

(Image credit: Kino)

Following Google’s recent announcement of the best Android apps of 2024, Apple has revealed the 17 apps it thinks are the best its App Store had to offer us this year.

iPhone App of the Year Kino will help you capture better videos, Mac App of the Year Adobe Lightroom will help you edit those videos and other snaps, while Apple Arcade Game of the Year Balatro+ will help you lose a lot of hours from the working day (I’m definitely not speaking from experience on that one. Not at all).

There are a lot of good picks among them, so you’ll want to see what the winners have to offer users across iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, Apple TV, and Apple Vision Pro.

• Read more: Apple names the 17 apps you should download now

3. Sora video generation looks scarily good

(Image credit: Future)

OpenAI has been busy of late, giving us a slew of big new reveals as part of its 12 Days of OpenAI event.

This week, it finally gave us access to Sora, its new AI video-generation platform that lets you generate shockingly realistic-looking videos. We’ve been giving it a test and even in our brief hands-on it’s clear that the tech will bring about a video creation revolution – though maybe not in a great way.

You can give it a try at Sora.com once you log into your ChatGPT Plus account; you need at least that level of access to start creating up to 50 generations a month, while Pro gets you unlimited. However, while it is kinda fun to play around with the software to create fun clips, their realistic look can’t help but set off fears that this technology could be abused.

The tech isn’t perfect right now, with our own tests generating dogs with tails that grow and disappear at random, for example – but it is something to be wary of as you browse the web. It's all very impressive, sure, but it's about to become a lot harder to tell what is and isn’t real online.

• Read more: I just used Sora for the first time and it blew my mind

2. iOS 18.2 took Apple Intelligence up a notch

(Image credit: Apple / Kino / NYT / Moises)

Apple Intelligence has, to put it mildly, been feeling a little lacking. That was until this week, when iOS 18.2 rolled out with some much-needed updates to Apple's AI.

These include Genmoji and Image Playground for generating custom emoji and images using text prompts, ChatGPT integration into Siri for more in-depth answers, and the rollout of Apple Intelligence to non-US English – meaning you can access it in the UK and Australia without changing your phone’s language settings.

It wasn’t just for iPhones either; Apple Intelligence updates came to Apple’s full suite of products via iOS 18.2, iPadOS 18.2, and macOS Sequoia 15.2 updates.

• Read more: The biggest Apple Intelligence upgrade yet for iPhone, iPad, and Mac is here

1. Samsung’s Project Moohan broke cover

(Image credit: Google)

The worst-kept secret in tech – even more so than the Switch 2 – finally got unveiled this week, with Samsung and Google showcasing Project Moohan, the pair’s mixed-reality headset. And yes, it does look a lot like an Apple Vision Pro.

Powered by the Android XR platform, Moohan will launch sometime in 2025, with the developer kit rolling our right now to app creators so they can make software ahead of the headset’s release.

Details are light on the ground with regards to cost, a precise release date, and even battery life and weight – but we do know that Samsung has a pair of AR glasses up its sleeve, too. Once again, though, we’ll have to wait a while before we hear more about them, and even longer until we can try the specs out for ourselves.

• Read more: Google and Samsung reveal Project Moohan mixed-reality headset and Android XR

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 clues.

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 #552) - today's words

(Image credit: New York Times)

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• GOING
• SOLE
• REAL
• BUTTER
• FLUKE
• SOLD
• DIVA
• SOL
• ONCE
• SOLO
• TANG
• YUAN
• POUND
• TWICE
• WORLD
• MULLET

NYT Connections today (game #552) - hint #1 - group hints

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

• YELLOW: Things with fins
• GREEN: The bids are in 
• BLUE: Spending power
• PURPLE: No mugs

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 #552) - hint #2 - group answers

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

• YELLOW: FISH 
• GREEN: WORDS IN AN AUCTION-ENDING PHRASE 
• BLUE: GLOBAL CURRENCIES 
• PURPLE: WORDS BEFORE "CUP"

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

NYT Connections today (game #552) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Connections, game #552, are…

• YELLOW: FISH FLUKE, MULLET, SOLE, TANG
• GREEN: WORDS IN AN AUCTION-ENDING PHRASE GOING, ONCE, SOLD, TWICE
• BLUE: GLOBAL CURRENCIES POUND, REAL, SOL, YUAN
• PURPLE: WORDS BEFORE "CUP" BUTTER, DIVA, SOLO, WORLD

• My rating: Moderate
• My score: Perfect

There was one head-scratcher in every group today – making it one of those strangely satisfying games.

WORDS BEFORE “CUP” definitely warranted its Purple status, but even the Yellow group had a FISH that could just as easily have been one of the GLOBAL CURRENCIES.

How much is the fish?

25 Tang to you.

You could say it was a FLUKE, but I made it home without a hitch.

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Friday, 13 December, game #551)

• YELLOW: FANTASY CREATURES DRAGON, GIANT, PIXIE, TROLL
• GREEN: EMAIL FOLDERS DRAFTS, SENT, SPAM, TRASH
• BLUE: CITRUS SODAS CRUSH, SPRITE, SQUIRT, STARRY
• PURPLE: ANIMAL HOMOPHONES BORE, LINKS, PHISH, TOWED

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.

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 #286) - hint #1 - today's theme What is the theme of today's NYT Strands?

• Today's NYT Strands theme is… Nothing can stop me!

NYT Strands today (game #286) - hint #2 - clue words

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

• STONE
• DEAR 
• SENT
• TESTED
• PART
• NOTE

NYT Strands today (game #286) - hint #3 - spangram What is a hint for today's spangram?

• Seize the day types

NYT Strands today (game #286) - hint #4 - spangram position What 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 #286) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #286, are…

• FIRE 
• PASSION
• DRIVE 
• DEVOTION
• INTENSITY
• PURPOSE
• SPANGRAM: GO GETTER

• My rating: Easy
• My score: 1 hint

Being the CEO of my organization (employees: one, me), I like to think that I bring passion, drive, and a sense of purpose to the production of the daily Strands hints and answers page. I am passionate about completing these puzzles one day at a time with methodical professionalism and focused intensity.

It is with a great source of pride that I completed today’s Strands in record time (well, less than 20 minutes) to achieve the stretch goal of returning to bed for a snooze. Being a GO GETTER is sooo exhausting.

How did you do today? Send me an email and let me know.

Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Friday, 13 December, game #285)

• LOVER
• EVERMORE
• FEARLESS
• FOLKLORE
• MIDNIGHTS
• SPANGRAM: ALBUMTITLE

What is NYT Strands?

Strands is the NYT's new word game, following Wordle and Connections. It's now out of beta so is a fully fledged member of the NYT's games stable and 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.

Quordle was one of the original Wordle alternatives and is still going strong now more than 1,000 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 #1055) - hint #1 - Vowels How many different vowels are in Quordle today?

• The number of different vowels in Quordle today is 3*.

* 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 #1055) - hint #2 - repeated letters Do any of today's Quordle answers contain repeated letters?

• The number of Quordle answers containing a repeated letter today is 1.

Quordle today (game #1055) - hint #3 - uncommon letters Do the letters Q, Z, X or J appear in Quordle today?

• No. None of Q, Z, X or J appear among today's Quordle answers.

Quordle today (game #1055) - 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 #1055) - hint #5 - starting letters (2) What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?

• S

• O

• T

• D

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

Quordle today (game #1055) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #1055, are…

• SPIEL
• ONSET
• TIGER
• DITTO

I love you Quordle… I’ve always loved you…

DITTO

I was at it from the ONSET today determined to tame the four-word beast. But no.

I’m beginning to think that the only way to complete Quordle is to take it to the edge and hope you get lucky on the final go.

Fortunately, that final scene in Ghost sprang to mind, and with a tear rolling down my cheek I was able to bring this particular baby (wrong movie alert) home.

How did you do today? Send me an email and let me know.

Daily Sequence today (game #1055) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #1055, are…

• TALON
• SNOWY
• CONIC
• CLACK

Quordle answers: The past 20

• Quordle #1054, Friday 13 December: ERECT, REBAR, MOIST, IDIOM
• Quordle #1053, Thursday 12 December: MILKY, CRIER, STORK, DRIER
• Quordle #1052, Wednesday 11 December: BRIAR, NASAL, SHARD, FLUFF
• Quordle #1051, Tuesday 10 December: BEGAN, TRIAL, IDEAL, GUIDE
• Quordle #1050, Monday 9 December: TITAN, FORTE, SPEED, BRIAR
• Quordle #1049, Sunday 8 December: BUNCH, SHINY, MOULT, INTRO
• Quordle #1048, Saturday 7 December: SHAKY, CROOK, GHOUL, VERSE
• Quordle #1047, Friday 6 December: BRAWL, UNTIL, DOWRY, STING
• Quordle #1046, Thursday 5 December: AGING, BICEP, CLOVE, SPILL
• Quordle #1045, Wednesday 4 December: JUDGE, GIVER, GNASH, CLOAK
• Quordle #1044, Tuesday 3 December: FUDGE, THICK, CRANK, STASH
• Quordle #1043, Monday 2 December: TROPE, HOVER, SAUNA, SHAPE
• Quordle #1042, Sunday 1 December: NAIVE, CIRCA, STEAD, MICRO
• Quordle #1041, Saturday 30 November: MAMMA, SNUCK, CRYPT, TAROT
• Quordle #1040, Friday 29 November: JOIST, DROOL, DUSKY, GLIDE
• Quordle #1039, Thursday 28 November: GRADE, WORRY, NOISE, DAISY
• Quordle #1038, Wednesday 27 November: HEART, ROGUE, INEPT, UTILE
• Quordle #1037, Tuesday 26 November: PRIED, FAINT, HURRY, WOOER
• Quordle #1036, Monday 25 November: NUDGE, SNOOP, SHACK, DRYLY
• Quordle #1035, Sunday 24 November: CLOTH, CLAMP, PETTY, CHEST

Character.AI has a new set of features aimed at making interactions with the virtual personalities it hosts safer, especially for teenagers. The company just debuted a new version of its AI model specifically designed for its younger users, as well as a set of parental controls to manage their time on the website. The updates follow earlier safety changes to the platform in the wake of accusations that the AI chatbots were negatively impacting the mental health of children.

These safety changes have been accompanied by other efforts to tighten the reins on Character.AI's content. The company recently began a purge, albeit an incomplete one, of any AI imitations of copyrighted and trademarked characters.

For teen users, the most noticeable change will likely be the division between the adult and teen versions of the AI model. You have to be 13 to sign up for Character.AI, but users under 18 will be directed to a model with narrower guardrails specifically built to prevent romantic or suggestive interactions.

The model also has better filters for what the user writes and is better at noting when a user attempts to bypass those limits. That includes a new restriction on editing responses from the chatbot to sneak around the suggestive content restriction. The company is keen on keeping any conversations between teenagers and its AI personalities PG. In addition, if a conversation touches on topics like self-harm or suicide, the platform will pop up a link to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline to help guide teens to professional resources.

Character.AI is also working to keep parents in the loop about what their teenagers are doing on the website, with controls set to come out early next year. The new parental controls will give parents insight into how much time their kids spend on the platform and which bots they’re chatting with the most. To make sure these changes hit the right notes, Character.AI is working with several teen online safety experts.

Disclaimer AI

It's not just teenagers that Character.AI is looking to help maintain a sense of reality. They’re also tackling concerns about screen time addiction, with all users getting a reminder after they've been talking to a chatbot for an hour. The reminder nudges them to take a break.

The existing disclaimers about the AI origins of the characters are also getting a boost. Instead of just a small note, you'll see a longer explanation about them being AI. That's especially true if any of the chatbots are described as doctors, therapists, or other experts. A new extra warning makes it crystal clear that the AI isn’t a licensed professional and shouldn’t replace real advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Imagine a big yellow sign saying, “Hey, this is fun and all, but maybe don’t ask me for life-changing advice.”

"At Character.AI, we are committed to fostering a safe environment for all our users. To meet that commitment we recognize that our approach to safety must evolve alongside the technology that drives our product – creating a platform where creativity and exploration can thrive without compromising safety," Character.AI explained in a post about the changes. "To get this right, safety must be infused in all we do here at Character.AI. This suite of changes is part of our long-term commitment to continuously improve our policies and our product."

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• Marvell partnership extension builds on long-term deal for AWS
• Marvell plans to accelerate silicon design and manufacturing
• AWS continues data center compute upgrades

AWS has announced an expansion to its partnership with Marvell Technology in a bid to boost collaboration on silicon design.

The five-year agreement will see the two firms collaborate on development of several AWS products alongside work designing data center infrastructure hardware.

Through its existing partnership with Marvell, AWS said it has rapidly advanced data center compute, networking, and storage capabilities, delivering efficiency improvements and cost savings both internally and for customers.

Marvell eyes silicon efficiency gains

In a statement, Marvell Technology said the deal will include distribution of custom AI products, optical digital signal processors (DSPs), PCIe retimers, Ethernet switching silicon solutions, and more.

“Building a cost and power efficient cloud at the scale that only AWS can deliver begins with leading-edge semiconductors designed to meet the demanding infrastructure needs of our customers,” said AWS chief executive Matt Garman.

“Our expanded collaboration with Marvell enables us to deploy our comprehensive semiconductor portfolio and specialized networking hardware to advance our mission to provide the industry’s most robust and scalable cloud and AI services to our customers.”

Looking ahead, Marvell said the relationship will enable it to accelerate silicon design, with AWS compute infrastructure supporting future design activities and helping to ramp up time-to-market for product lines.

The company has already embraced a ‘cloud-first’ approach, harnessing AWS’ event-driven architecture (EDA) to improve performance and reduce costs.

“Strengthening our partnership with AWS marks a significant milestone for Marvell, deepening our long-standing relationship in cloud computing and data center semiconductors,” said Matt Murphy, Chairman and CEO at Marvell.

“AWS’s EDA solutions will help Marvell rapidly and securely scale our silicon design process and capabilities to deliver industry-leading accelerated infrastructure with best-in-class time to market.”

AWS isn’t the only major tech company Marvell has partnered with on silicon design lately.

At the OCP Global Summit in early 2024, the firm revealed its collaboration with Meta had developed a new network chip, dubbed FBNIC, aimed at enhancing the tech giant’s internal networking capabilities.

This partnership saw the creation of a Network Interface Controller (NIC) built using a 5nm process that combined custom firmware, software, and hardware.

All told, Meta said the chip had delivered significant network performance improvements.

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• The Intel Arc B580 graphics card has finally released
• It's gotten positive attention due to its price and performance
• This could bring back the budget PC market

The Intel Arc B580 graphics card has finally been released after months of rumors, leaks, and reports about its prospective specs, and so far the reviews of this $250 budget card have been extremely positive.

According to reviews, the Intel card boasts higher performance than both the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 and the AMD Radeon RX 7600 while also coming in at a lower price. While the aforementioned reports had already stated this was the case, official benchmarks from these reviews have all but confirmed it as fact.

Not only is this promising news in its own right, as Intel is offering excellent graphics cards for an even better price point which allows budget-minded gamers an affordable option for their PC without sacrificing performance. But it also heralds an even bigger change in the tech market — the rejuvenation of the budget PC.

How budget PCs can make their return

Building the best budget PC, especially a budget gaming rig, is not only the realm of those who cannot afford a premium desktop, but also a long-honored tradition among hobbyists. Finding PC components under a certain price that still offers a cost-effective value is a challenge with tangible results. We prove this with our own guides on building a budget machine, including one for less than $800.

However, in recent years the two major manufacturers of graphics cards — AMD and Nvidia — have been investing less and less in budget cards, which in turn has negatively impacted the cheap PC build. But with Intel’s Arc B580, there’s finally more competition in the market as the tech giant proves that impressive performance can come with a reasonable price tag.

The best-case scenario is that Intel’s continued presence in the budget graphics card market will encourage (and even force) Team Green and Team Red to keep competing with it by releasing their own cheaper cards. This would in turn help to bolster the cheap PC market, which is a boon for many buyers and hobbyists.

In the end, it turns out that Intel's decision not to give up on desktop graphics cards after the Battlemage line was its best decision, as the tech giant clearly has a hit niche on its hands. Especially considering the current and possible future market for tech.

• I've never taken Intel's GPU competition seriously, but the Arc B580 has left me no choice
• Intel Battlemage GPU spotted in benchmark – chill out, PC gamers, there’s no need to panic over that leaked B580 core count
• Intel’s next-gen Arc B580 spotted, backing up rumors of a December launch for Battlemage GPUs

Disney Plus has been known for its fair share of revivals, but something feels oh so right at home with this one. Malcolm in the Middle – a beloved sitcom that ran for seven seasons, is coming back as a four-episode arc that will stream on Disney Plus, as confirmed by Variety.

And here’s some even better news, especially if you’re keen to see the return of your favorite dysfunctional family. Frankie Muniz, Bryan Cranston, and Jane Kaczmarek are all set to return to their respective roles, and Linwood Boomer, the original series creator, is back on board for the revival.

You wouldn’t want a revival without the iconic cast, right? The cast is stoked as well in a teaser video that Frankie Muniz posted on Instagram and Threads, opening with iconic "Malcolm, Malcolm, Malcom!" and Muniz noting he's been waiting for 18 years to find out "where Malcolm and his family are now."

Post by @frankiemuniz4 View on Threads

In a statement, Disney Branded Television President Ayo Davis said, “Malcolm in the Middle is a landmark sitcom that captured the essence of family life with humor, heart, and relatability. Its hilarious and heartfelt portrayal of a lovably chaotic family resonated with audiences of all ages, and we’re so excited to welcome the original cast back to bring that magic to life again. With Linwood Boomer and the creative team at the helm, these new episodes will have all the laughs, pranks, and mayhem fans loved – along with a few surprises that remind us why this show is so timeless.”

Clearly, the team behind the revival – or reboot – is quite excited to welcome the iconic show back, and its teased family reunion. Variety reports the official logline as: “Malcolm (Muniz) and his daughter are drawn into the family’s chaos when Hal (Cranston) and Lois (Kaczmarek) demand his presence for their 40th wedding anniversary party.”

Indeed, it is a time jump, but like other revivals, this should hit the right tone and deliver a fun, meaningful reunion to reunite all the characters. Additionally, this seems more in line with what the creator is going after and not being pressured by the studio for a full-length season to be produced. It’s the story that Boomer and co. are hoping to tell.

No release date is set yet, but when the Malcolm in the Middle revival is ready, it’ll stream on Disney Plus. Of course, if you’re keen to stream some other titles, check out our favorite of the new arrivals to Disney Plus here.

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• This new ChatGPT feature helps organize interactions with the AI chatbot.
• Within a Project, ChatGPT remembers specific instructions and relevant data.
• The Projects feature is rolling out now for ChatGPT Plus, Pro, and Teams subscribers.

Day Seven of 12 Days of OpenAI may not have included a conversation with Santa Claus like the day before, but the new Projects feature for ChatGPT would likely appeal to his elves.

OpenAI CPO Kevin Weil and his compatriots debuted Projects with a demo showcasing how it can organize your interactions with ChatGPT, including any files and data. Imagine a digital version of a messy desk covered in papers representing your talks with ChatGPT. Projects are the virtual file drawer full of neatly labeled folders put together by an assistant who has read each word on those papers.

When you start a Project, you need to name it and assign it a color to make it easier to find. Then, you can group related chats and upload any relevant files. You can also set specific instructions for ChatGPT to follow while working within that particular Project space. This means if you’re collaborating on a screenplay or building a website, you don’t have to keep reminding ChatGPT about the details every time you start a new chat. You can add existing chats to a Project, start new ones, and even pull in data from your files mid-conversation. Plus, features like SearchGPT and Canvas all play nicely within the Project space.

(Image credit: Future)

If Projects feels familiar, that's because it's a feature that some of ChatGPT's rivals already offer, most notably Claude, Anthropic's AI chatbot. So, OpenAI is catching up in some ways, offering a solution to a common frustration. Until now, keeping track of conversations with ChatGPT often meant dealing with a cluttered sidebar and a lot of scrolling.

While OpenAI has made strides with features like memory and customization, the ability to group chats and files into coherent, themed bundles is arguably as significant as switching from Post-It notes to binders.

Projects are also useful for building websites. You can upload design files and content ideas and specify your preferred coding languages. ChatGPT can then help you generate code for the site and improve any design or content. Unlike the usual ChatGPT coding help, the AI will remember what you've already worked on together because it happens within the same Project space.

(Image credit: Future) Tidy AI

Weil and his team demonstrated Projects with various ways the tool might be employed. Since Santa was absent, he showed how to use Projects to organize a Secret Santa exchange instead. Instead of shuffling between spreadsheet tabs and copy-pasting the same info a million times, you create a Project with whatever rules and budget have been agreed upon, including a spreadsheet with everyone’s wish lists. All your Secret Santa data lives there, and you can tell ChatGPT to manage it, even having the AI send out anonymous emails with gift assignments.

Of course, there are a few potential issues. For one, the effectiveness of Projects depends on how clearly you communicate with ChatGPT. As the demo shows, being vague can lead to unintended results (like revealing Secret Santa secrets). Further, organizing through Projects won't make up for any sloppy prompts or not checking for errors in the output.

You'll need a ChatGPT Plus, Pro, or Teams subscription to use Projects for now, though those on the free tier will get access soon. Still, they may need to make a note to remind them about it since they don't have Projects available yet.

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• Microsoft announces new AI model Phi-4
• It's available to developers and researchers now
• Performs well at math tasks despite its small scale

Microsoft has announced a brand new AI model called Phi-4, which is a small language model (SLM) in contrast to the large language models (LLM), that chatbots like ChatGPT and Copilot use. As well as being lightweight, Phi-4 excels at complex reasoning which makes it perfect for math and language processing.

Microsoft has released a set of benchmarks showing Phi-4 outperforming even large language models like Gemini Pro 1.5 on math competition problems.

(Image credit: Microsoft)

(Image credit: Microsoft) Breakthroughs in post-training

Small language models, like ChatGPT-4o mini, Gemini 2.0 Flash, and Claude 3.5 Haiku tend to be faster and cheaper to run compared to large language models,. However, their performance has increased dramatically with recent versions.

For Microsoft, these improvements were made possibly through breakthroughs in training Phi-4 on high-quality synthetic data sets and post-training innovations. Since the bottleneck for improving AI ability has always been the vast amount of processing power and data required for the training (sometimes called the ‘pre-training data wall’), AI companies have instead been looking at ways to improve the post-training development to improve performance.

Phi-4 is currently available on Azure AI Foundry, a platform for developers to build generative AI applications. So, while Phi-4 is available under a Microsoft research license agreement, you can’t simply start chatting with it, as you would with Copilot or ChatGPT. Instead, we'll have to wait and see what people produce with it in the future.

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• The rise in LOLbins used in attacks this year has been significant
• Most common ones used include RDP, PowerShell, cmd.exe, and net.exe
• Sophos has shared mitigation tips for anyone affected

The rise in the abuse of Microsoft’s LOLbins (Living Off the Land binaries) in the first half of 2024 has been nothing short of alarming, a new report from Sophos has claimed.

The Sophos 2024 Active Adversary Report, which analyzes cases handled by its Incident Response (IR) and Managed Detection and Response (MDR) teams, says that in H1 of this year, hackers used 187 LOLbins in their attacks, a 51% increase compared to 2023. In 2021, the team observed exactly 100 LOLbins used.

Living Off the Land Binaries are legitimate executables and scripts native to operating systems, often pre-installed, that attackers abuse to perform malicious actions while evading detection. They are trusted tools, such as PowerShell or cmd.exe, making their activity harder to distinguish from normal administrative tasks.

RPD rules the landscape

Sophos says commonly abused LOLbins this year included RDP, PowerShell, cmd.exe, and net.exe, with RDP alone implicated in nearly 89% of cases. This didn’t come as much of a surprise for the researchers, too: “For the most part the names in the figure above are no surprise to regular readers of the Active Adversary Report – RDP rules the landscape, with cmd.exe, PowerShell, and net.exe making their usual strong showing,” they said.

Furthermore, binaries usually used for discovery or enumeration seem to be most prevalent, as of the top 29 LOLbins, 16 served such a purpose. Microsoft’s tools are being increasingly leveraged due to their legitimacy, signed status, and ubiquity within operating systems, it was said.

To mitigate the abuse of Microsoft LOLBins, organizations should adopt a multi-layered security approach, Sophos concludes.

This includes a number of things, from restricting access to commonly abused tools, to monitoring and logging the use of the binaries. Furthermore, they should implement endpoint detection and response solutions (EDR), and disable unused LOLbins. Finally, regularly applying software updates and educating employees on recognizing phishing and social engineering attacks can further reduce risks, they said.

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• Qualcomm talks 6G innovations beyond speed, integrating AI and IoT
• 6G promises enhanced coverage, and efficiency
• AI-native design will optimize networks and enable new use cases

The transition from 5G to 6G is set to redefine the wireless landscape, offering advancements that go far beyond speed and connectivity.

Qualcomm, a key player in wireless innovation, is building on its 5G legacy to explore the possibilities of 6G, which is expected to integrate artificial intelligence, advanced IoT applications, and seamless connectivity between terrestrial and non-terrestrial networks.

Targeted for deployment in the 2030s, 6G promises to unlock new opportunities across industries and address the growing demands of an increasingly connected world.

In an exclusive interview with TechRadar Pro, John Smee, Global Head of Wireless Research at Qualcomm, discussed the future of 6G, outlining how the company is looking to build upon the advancements of 5G and 5G Advanced.

He also highlighted Qualcomm's role in contributing to the research and development of the technology, explaining that 6G will not only enhance key performance indicators like coverage, capacity, and efficiency but also enable transformative use cases such as digital twins and edge computing.

What are the key technological advancements in 5G that are paving the way for 6G development?

There are quite a few key advancements in 5G and 5G Advanced that are paving the way for 6G. Here are just a few examples:

• Air interface foundation: we believe 6G will build on the OFDM foundation, with a focus on improving coverage, spectral efficiency, and capacity in both legacy FDD and TDD bands as well as new spectrum.
• MIMO/duplex evolution: 6G Giga-MIMO will enable new upper midband spectrum (6-15 GHz) delivering additional wide-area capacity and reusing the existing 3.5 GHz macro cell sites and backhaul. Evolution to full duplex can deliver better coverage and flexibility to meet growing data demand.
• Wireless AI: 5G Advanced kickstarted the era of AI in wireless, improving network/device performance and efficiency. AI will be an integral part of the 6G system design, with AI-native protocols across multiple layers of the stack.
• Wireless sensing: the 5G-Advanced study of integrate sensing and communication (ISAC) can complement positioning to make the wireless network more efficient and open new business opportunities for the ecosystem.
• Integrated TN/NTN: 5G introduced 5G non-terrestrial networking (NTN) by enabling satellites to deliver global coverage leveraging the cellular standard and modem implementations. 6G is expected to build on this foundation to support a seamless interworking of terrestrial networks and NTN.

How do you see the transition from 5G to 6G impacting businesses, and are there specific industries that will benefit the most?

The transition from 5G to 6G is expected to significantly enhance wireless connectivity improving fundamental KPI’s for coverage, capacity, and performance while enabling new services like AI, sensing, and digital twins. 6G will be designed to meet the increasing data transfer needs of connected AI-powered devices. Targeting 2030 deployment, 6G can efficiently enable intelligent computing everywhere creating new opportunities for value creation at the edge. Industries such as healthcare, manufacturing, transportation, and education will continue their transformations to leverage connected AI and the enhanced capabilities of 6G.

Can you explain the role of AI, and specifically Generative AI, in enhancing 5G networks and its potential impact on 6G?

AI is poised to significantly enhance 5G and 6G system performance, operational efficiency, and user experiences, as well as unlock new use cases at scale. For instance, by leveraging AI for network optimization, predictive analytics, and automated configuration, these networks can achieve greater efficiency, reliability, and security. Generative AI can simulate various network scenarios and create synthetic data to train machine learning models, ensuring robust network performance even in complex environments. These technologies enable advanced applications like real-time edge computing, personalized services, and seamless integration with a wide range of devices. Generative AI will also often be implemented on the device and as applications expand this will increase the 5G and 6G communications data demand on uplink and downlink.

AI native is intended to make the system perform better by either replacing functional blocks with AI implementations, or allowing AI to better manage the protocol, network node, device, etc. so that it can adapt more flexibly to support a larger variety of enterprise and consumer experiences. The AI native paradigm can give more implementation flexibility and bring more innovation and differentiation to the devices and networks.

AI native can be in at least the two following forms:

• Replacing existing functionality with AI – e.g., there are a number of use cases in 3GPP (beam management, CSI feedback, positioning, mobility) that are being studied to see if there is a better solution with AI. One aspect of AI native is to include more of these features across layers, protocols and network/device for improved performance with AI. Especially relevant is work in 3GPP and ORAN to improve network automation with AI and the associated use cases. Cross node AI is also a potential example of this where the function is replaced by AI at the network and device.
• Enable AI as a part of the protocol behavior – to change the actual protocols to be defined to be AI friendly so that the protocol can adapt to the combination of radio, device and application state to determine how best to serve the traffic. This changes how the function operates to incorporate AI.

What are the expected benefits of 6G over 5G in terms of speed, latency, and connectivity?

6G will not just be designed to achieve higher speed and lower latency, but it will also focus on bringing significant efficiency enhancements to capacity, coverage, energy consumption, and deployment cost. Additionally, 6G will focus on enabling faster deployment of new services and growing the surface area of operator opportunities. The focus will be driven by use cases to create new value for the broader wireless ecosystem and society.

How will 6G technology influence the development of IoT and generative AI technologies?

6G will bring an integrated design for eMBB and IoT with shared objectives of enhanced connectivity, extended coverage, added functionalities such as positioning and sensing that allow the devices to interact more effectively with their environment, and add more use cases of IoT. Ambient IoT, which will operate without batteries using energy harvesting techniques, will help proliferate low cost IoT sensors and further integrate the physical and digital worlds. Networks and devices will support real-time AI processing and decision-making at the edge, creating value for IoT applications independent of centralized cloud systems.

How is Qualcomm contributing to the research and development of 6G technology?

Qualcomm has a storied heritage in wireless technology, including groundbreaking innovations in 5G technologies. We are building on a strong foundation to advance connectivity across all technologies including 5G Advanced, 6G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and more. We are leading the ecosystem in technology research and development, working closely with industry technology leaders such as mobile operators, OEMs, and academia to bring future innovations to life.

How do you envision the future of mobile communication evolving with the advent of 6G?

The future of mobile communication with the advent of 6G is envisioned as a continuum that builds upon the advancements of 5G, focusing on integrating AI into networks and devices. 6G aims to enhance the efficiency and economics of existing and new use cases in the 2030s, such as multi-device plans, fixed wireless services, AR glasses, self-driving cars and elderly-care service robots. The evolution will also involve integrated sensing and communication, enabling new solutions like digital twins and RF sensing. Additionally, 6G will leverage existing infrastructure to provide cost-effective upgrades in existing spectrum on uplink performance and edge data processing, as well as add significant capacity in new spectrum.

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