TechRadar News

• The Fantastic Four: First Steps director has responded to criticism of its visual effects
• Matt Shakman gave a polite but abrupt reply to fans who've reacted negatively
• Critics who've seen the Marvel movie are unanimous in their praise of its CGI

Matt Shakman has given a blunt response to anyone who's reacted negatively to The Fantastic Four: First Steps' visual effects (VFX).

Speaking to TechRadar, the Marvel movie's director gave a polite albeit direct 10-word reply to fans who've said they're less than impressed by some aspects of the film. Of particular note is its computer generated imagery (CGI) and special effects, which have come in for some criticism since the first trailer for First Steps was released in February.

For one, reactions to Reed Richards' elastic superpowers and the Silver Surfer's aesthetic, both of which were unveiled in First Steps' official trailer, were mixed when said footage dropped in April. Then there's those who initially found fault with how The Thing looks. Oh, and let's not forget how many folks hit out at how Giganto, one of the first villains that The Fantastic Four fought in the comics and who's expected to appear in First Steps, looked in a *checks notes* promo tie-in advert for the Little Caesar's restaurant chain.

Ahead of the Marvel Phase 6 film's release, I asked Shakman for his thoughts on said criticism and whether he and First Steps' hundreds-strong VFX team felt weighed down by it.

"I think the visual effects look beautiful in this movie," he replied frankly.

Initially, some people weren't enamored with The Silver Surfer's look (Image credit: Marvel Studios)

Now, some readers might think Shakman is dodging the question and/or giving a stock answer that tows the company line.

However, numerous individuals who've already seen one of the most anticipated new movies of the year, including critics, have reacted positively to the VFX in the final cut. Threads on the r/MarvelStudios and r/MarvelStudiosSpoilers sub-Reddits are full of social media posts from journalists praising the CGI and other special effects, so it seems the initial negativity to these elements of the film was overexaggerated.

Okay, the reactions in the aforementioned Reddit threads are just a fraction of those who've seen the final Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) movie of 2025. Nonetheless, the fact that there's people hailing First Steps' VFX is evidence that it's not as bad as some fans feared, and that it just needed a little polish and refinement ahead of launch.

You can judge for yourself when the latest Fantastic Four big-screen reboot arrives in a cinema near you on Friday, July 25. In the meantime, read my definitive guide to The Fantastic Four: First Steps or check out the section below for more pre-release coverage of the forthcoming superhero flick.

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Every organization claims security is a priority, yet 91 percent of Security and IT leaders admit they’re making compromises in their security strategies. In today’s environment, compromise has shifted from a failure point to a functional reality of modern enterprise.

Pressed to deliver agility, reduce cost, and keep up with the exponential demands of AI, security teams are being forced to make trade-offs they once would have rejected outright. Visibility is sacrificed for speed. Data quality is sidelined in the rush to deploy. Tools are added faster than they can be integrated. And all of it unfolds under the guise of “acceptable risk,” a term that now shifts depending on the urgency of the business goal at hand.

This is not a story of negligence; it’s one of systemic strain and of an urgent need to reset. As hybrid cloud environments grow more complex and threat actors grow more sophisticated, enterprises must confront an uncomfortable truth: the more compromise becomes routine, the harder it becomes to manage what comes next.

This article explores the consequences of this normalization, the fractures it is creating across the security landscape, and why visibility must be the foundation for regaining control in a world increasingly shaped by AI.

The business of compromise

Security leaders are not compromising out of carelessness. They are making calculated decisions under pressure. With cloud computing environments expanding, AI deployments accelerating, and infrastructure growing more fragmented, the operational burden on security teams is exceeding what existing tools and architectures were built to handle.

When asked where they are making trade-offs, the answers are telling. Nearly half of respondents to our 2025 Hybrid Cloud Security Survey say they lack clean, high-quality data to support secure AI workload deployment. The same proportion report insufficient visibility across their hybrid environments, particularly in lateral traffic, which remains one of the most critical yet overlooked areas for threat detection. Another 47 percent point to tool integration as a key area of compromise, highlighting the strain of managing sprawling tech stacks that fail to deliver cohesive insight.

These issues strike at the foundation of any viable security strategy. Without comprehensive visibility, detection becomes reactive. Without reliable data, AI initiatives carry unquantified risk. Without integrated tools, signal fragmentation makes it difficult to prioritize threats, let alone respond effectively.

The perception of risk is also changing. Seventy percent of Security and IT leaders now consider the public cloud to be their most vulnerable environment, citing concerns over governance, blind spots, and the difficulty of maintaining control across distributed architectures. This represents a departure from the early optimism that once accompanied widespread cloud adoption.

In this climate, compromise has become operationalized. What was once a contingency is now a constant, and the consequences extend far beyond tactical inconvenience. Each trade-off introduces ambiguity into risk calculations, increasing the likelihood that a blind spot becomes a breach. The underlying challenge is not just about resources or tooling. It is about the quiet erosion of standards that were once considered non-negotiable.

Where the cracks are showing

The consequences of compromise are materializing across every layer of the organization. This year, the percentage of organizations reporting a breach rose to 55 percent, a 17 percent increase from last year. Just as concerning, nearly half of security leaders say their current tools are falling short in detecting those intrusions. These failures are not due to a lack of investment. They are the result of environments that have outgrown traditional controls, where more data, more alerts, and more tools do not necessarily translate into better protection.

Tool sprawl is a prime example. Organizations are managing an average of 15 security tools across hybrid environments, yet 55 percent admit those tools are not as effective as they should be. Rather than delivering clarity, this growing stack often introduces friction and gaps. Overlapping capabilities generate noise without insight. And all the while, attackers are adapting faster than defenders can consolidate.

AI tools are compounding the issue. One in three organizations say their network data volumes have more than doubled over the past two years, driven largely by AI workloads. This surge is overwhelming existing monitoring tools and giving threat actors more opportunities to hide in plain sight. Nearly half of respondents report a rise in attacks targeting large language models (LLMs), while 58 percent say AI-powered threats are now a top security concern.

These developments reveal the hard truth that compromises made upstream—in visibility, data quality, and tool integration—are now surfacing downstream in the form of missed threats, delayed response times, and a growing sense that risk is outpacing control.

Visibility as a strategic equalizer

But at its core, the issue is not how much data flows through an environment, but how little of it can be fully understood or trusted. Without clear insight into where data travels and how it behaves, risk remains obscured. Eighty eight percent of Security and IT leaders say access to network-derived telemetry is essential for securing AI deployments, which speaks to a broader shift.

As systems become more distributed and threats more subtle, traditional log-based telemetry is no longer enough. What organizations need is complete visibility into all data in motion, across all environments, at all times.

For CISOs, the implications go beyond threat detection. Without complete visibility, risk management becomes reactive. Security teams operate in the dark, relying on fragmented signals and assumptions rather than intelligence. And when accountability is high, but authority is limited, the gap between what leaders are responsible for and what they can control becomes a vulnerability.

Fusing network-derived telemetry with log data is the only way to close the space between what organizations believe is secure and what is actually at risk. This deep observability is what transforms fragmented environments into something defensible, and what gives teams the situational clarity to not just respond to threats, but to contain them before they escalate.

Just because compromise has become the norm does not mean it has to remain the standard. Risk can be recalibrated, but only if visibility is treated as the foundation for a more resilient, forward-looking security strategy.

We list the best online cybersecurity course.

This article was produced as part of TechRadarPro's Expert Insights channel where we feature the best and brightest minds in the technology industry today. The views expressed here are those of the author and are not necessarily those of TechRadarPro or Future plc. If you are interested in contributing find out more here: https://www.techradar.com/news/submit-your-story-to-techradar-pro

Screenshots and PDFs have long served as the fallback tools of digital recordkeeping. They're easy to create, straightforward to file, and for a long time, they seemed “good enough.” But in today’s regulatory environment, where agencies like the SEC and FINRA are demanding complete, contextual, and verifiable records, “good enough” is quickly becoming a liability.

As communications become more dynamic and digital interactions more complex, static captures are increasingly out of step with the needs of modern compliance, and the expectations of U.S. regulators. Recent guidance and enforcement trends make it clear: partial records or flattened archives are no longer sufficient.

Compliance professionals have always adapted to new requirements and risk environments. It’s time to ask whether our current tools still meet the moment. For many firms, that answer is starting to shift.

Digital Communications Have Changed Dramatically

Not long ago, archiving a digital interaction was relatively straightforward. You saved an email. You took a screenshot of a webpage. It was static, predictable, and mostly text-based.

That’s no longer the case. Communications happen across platforms that are constantly updating - live chat software, dynamic websites, embedded widgets, interactive forms, and more. A webpage might display differently depending on who views it, or when. A chat thread might be edited minutes later, or disappear altogether.

In other words, what you're trying to capture isn’t standing still. It’s changing in real-time, sometimes invisibly, and when it comes to compliance, those changes matter a lot. Trying to preserve that complexity with a flat image or PDF is like trying to understand body language by looking at a photograph. You get part of the picture, but not the full story.

Why Static Archives Aren’t Enough Anymore

1. They Strip Away Context: Static captures freeze a single moment. They don’t show what came before or after, or how a page or chat evolved. That’s fine - until someone asks how a user experienced a disclosure, or when a message was edited, or whether a page displayed something different two hours later. In those moments, a flat PDF cannot elaborate.

2. They Lack Authenticity: A screenshot looks official, but lacks credibility. It’s difficult to verify when it was taken, whether it shows the whole interaction, or if it’s been altered. In a legal or regulatory setting, that opens the door to doubt and risk.

3. They Don’t Scale: Modern communications move fast and in high volume. Manually capturing and filing screenshots or PDFs is time-consuming, error-prone, and unsustainable. And if you’ve ever tried to search across a thousand PDFs for a single keyword, you know it’s far from ideal.

4. They’re Out of Step with Regulator Expectations: Agencies like the SEC and FINRA are no longer content with partial records. They want full, accurate reconstructions of conversations - especially those that touch customers and investors, or include compliance-sensitive content. They’ve made that clear in recent enforcement actions focused on off-channel communications and poor recordkeeping.

5. They Don’t Capture the Brand Experience: Even outside of compliance, faithfully preserving what happened still matters. Static archives miss how users interacted with a brand, how journeys unfolded, or how dynamic elements behaved. For marketing, product, support, or legal teams, that’s a real gap. Replay delivers full, authentic re-creations of digital experiences, helping brands understand and protect the moments that matter.

What’s the Alternative? Time-Accurate, Replayable Records

A growing number of compliance teams are moving toward replay-capable archiving systems, which not only save a file or a message, but allow you to recreate the experience as it happened.

With replay, you're not capturing a still image. You're preserving a moment in time that you can revisit, navigate, and verify.

Users can...

1. Revisit a webpage exactly as a user saw it - scrollable, clickable, and live with the same styling and interactive elements.

2. Watch how a digital disclosure evolved over time, with version histories intact.

3. Overlay and compare two captures of the same site or chat to quickly spot differences, updates, or unauthorized changes.

4. Provide regulators or auditors with a full, interactive view, backed by metadata and time-stamped proof.

Replay doesn’t just meet the letter of compliance, it helps meet the spirit of transparency, accuracy, and accountability.

Why Replay is a Better Fit for Today’s Risk Environment

Replayable archives offer a number of meaningful advantages for modern compliance. They provide a more accurate record, capturing conversational nuance rather than just a snapshot of what someone happened to say at a single point in time. These records are also auditable by design: time-stamped, tamper-resistant, and rich with metadata that supports their authenticity.

Beyond that, they’re easier to work with. Unlike static files buried in folders, replayable records can be indexed and searched dynamically across platforms, reducing the time and effort it takes to locate specific communications.

Perhaps most importantly, they improve the defensibility of your compliance posture. Regulators and legal teams don’t just receive an image, they can interact with a faithful reconstruction of the communication as it originally appeared and functioned. It’s a shift from passive recordkeeping to active, immersive documentation, a much stronger foundation for meeting both regulatory expectations and internal accountability standards.

Compliance is Evolving, Our Tools Should Too

Screenshots and PDFs were once enough. They were functional, and often the best available option. But the tools that served us well in a simpler digital world aren’t necessarily correct for today’s dynamic landscape.

Replay archiving isn’t just a technical upgrade, it’s a strategic one. It allows compliance teams to respond with confidence, investigate with precision, and align more closely with regulatory scrutiny, without adding unnecessary complexity.

Final Thought: Compliance Can’t Be Flat in a 3D World

In today’s regulatory environment, context and clarity aren't luxuries, but necessities. While static records might offer a snapshot, modern compliance often requires the ability to press play and experience the linear journey, first-hand.

The good news? The technology exists. And the case for using it is only getting stronger.

When it comes to compliance, seeing what happened should include seeing how it happened, and when. And for that, the PDF and screenshot era belongs in the scrapbook.

We list the best PDF merger tools.

This article was produced as part of TechRadarPro's Expert Insights channel where we feature the best and brightest minds in the technology industry today. The views expressed here are those of the author and are not necessarily those of TechRadarPro or Future plc. If you are interested in contributing find out more here: https://www.techradar.com/news/submit-your-story-to-techradar-pro

• Beelink GTi15 Ultra offers vapor cooling in a chassis barely larger than a paperback novel
• A fingerprint reader and dual 10GbE ports are rare finds on any mini PC
• External GPU support solves one problem and creates three others in terms of cost and footprint

Beelink’s GTi15 Ultra mini PC has been launched with features more commonly associated with full-sized desktops.

The standout elements include dual 10Gb Ethernet LAN ports, a fingerprint reader, and support for external graphics - additions which suggest it is built for users who demand more than casual browsing or media playback, especially those looking to downsize without giving up specific performance perks.

Compared to its predecessor, the GTi14, the new GTi15 Ultra brings an Intel Core Ultra 9 285H processor, but the raw CPU performance gain is modest, about 11%, based on internal benchmarks.

Marginal CPU gains, sharper GPU contrast

Beelink’s GTi15 Ultra doesn’t emerge in a vacuum; it’s the next step in a mini PC lineage that has gradually pushed the envelope.

Earlier models like the GTi12 Ultra and GTi14 Ultra pioneered the inclusion of a PCIe x8 expansion slot for Beelink’s proprietary EX GPU dock, targeting users who wanted a compact form factor but still needed the option of a desktop-class GPU.

The bigger change, however, lies in the integrated Arc Graphics 140T, which replaces the Arc 8-core iGPU from the previous model.

Despite the branding, this shift may not result in a meaningful leap for GPU-heavy tasks.

The option to connect Beelink’s own external GPU dock certainly offers more flexibility, but not without added cost and space concerns.

With up to 64GB of DDR5 memory and a built-in 145W PSU, the GTi15 Ultra is presented as a serious machine for demanding users.

The dual 10GbE ports point toward a networking edge that could appeal to niche professional workflows, potentially making it viable as a business PC - but in most work settings, such bandwidth far exceeds actual requirements.

The same goes for vapor chamber cooling, which may help thermals but feels more like a talking point than a necessity in typical office scenarios.

Starting at roughly $655 in barebones form and climbing to nearly $880 when configured with 64GB RAM and 1TB storage, this mini PC lands in price territory occupied by capable desktops and laptops.

While the appeal of a sleek video editing PC in such a small footprint is understandable, compromises remain, especially when factoring in the limited internal GPU and dependency on external docks for full graphics performance.

Via Notebookcheck

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• Yahoo Japan is betting big that mandatory AI use can unlock workplace innovation
• The company’s plan starts with automating 30% of daily tasks, like meetings and documents
• Internal tools like SeekAI will handle expenses, research prompts, and summarizing meeting notes

Yahoo Japan is taking a bold step by requiring all 11,000 of its employees to integrate generative AI into their daily work, aiming to double productivity by 2028.

The company, which also operates LINE, plans to make AI tools a standard part of tasks like research, meeting documentation, expense management, and even competitive analysis.

The idea is to shift employee focus from routine output to higher-level thinking and communication by letting AI handle the groundwork and create continuous innovation.

Targeting the 30% first

The rollout begins in the more universal aspects of office life: areas like searching, drafting, and routine documentation, which Yahoo Japan estimates take up about 30% of its employees’ time.

The company has already developed internal tools like SeekAI to manage tasks such as expense claims and data searches using prompt templates.

AI will also be used to help create agendas, summarize meetings, and proofread reports, thereby giving staff more room to concentrate on decision-making and discussion.

This move might seem extreme, but it follows a broader trend of companies trying to harness AI as a productivity tool rather than just a cost-cutting one.

Yahoo Japan's strategy assumes that automation is not just an efficiency tool but a workplace standard, but there is growing evidence that treating AI as a complete replacement for human workers may be shortsighted.

A recent report by Orgvue claims, more than half of UK businesses which replaced workers with AI now regret that decision. This speaks to a crucial distinction: while AI can support and streamline, it often falls short in areas requiring nuance, empathy, or real-world context.

In this light, Yahoo Japan’s model, one that promotes AI as a support layer rather than a substitute, might prove more sustainable.

This is certainly a sign of things to come, and from my perspective, generative AI is not here to erase jobs, even although there are reports of people losing jobs to AI in some regions.

AI should only shift what jobs look like by removing repetitive tasks and freeing up space for critical thinking and creativity, where human input remains indispensable.

Yahoo Japan’s approach, if implemented with care and flexibility, might help shape that shift in a more inclusive and less disruptive way.

Via PC Watch

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• Aokzoe mini PC flaunts a red rocket button with no clear functional explanation
• Branding overwhelms the chassis, with buzzwords replacing useful technical or design explanations
• The processor has real muscle, but the product’s direction feels uncertain and unfocused

Aokzoe has announced its first mini PC powered by AMD’s new Ryzen AI Max+ 395 APU will soon be launched globally.

The company has remained vague about key technical details, but the announcement has stirred attention for its daring design and ambiguous branding.

The mini PC has been previewed with terms like “AI PC,” “A IPC,” and “Hypermind Drive” emblazoned across its surfaces, leaving its final name uncertain.

Design choices raise questions about purpose and practicality

This device is visually striking with a design that flaunts aggressive angles, bright highlights, and an unexplained red “rocket” button, which feels like a custom or programmable function button, possibly for performance mode.

Mini PCs often lean toward understated forms, but Aokzoe has taken the opposite approach.

Branding is everywhere, with large text and graphics dominating the chassis, raising doubts about whether this machine is intended as a functional business PC or a flashy collector's piece.

Speculation has intensified due to the inclusion of the Ryzen AI Max+ 395, a high-end Strix Halo APU.

This processor is part of AMD’s push into AI-enhanced computing and has only recently started appearing in compact desktops.

Although it holds appeal for demanding tasks like content creation, the lack of detailed specs from Aokzoe makes it difficult to gauge whether this mini PC can realistically serve as a capable video editing PC or handle long work sessions typical in business settings.

At this point, the hardware’s potential seems to outpace the product’s clarity.

Nevertheless, from the official images, the front panel of this device includes a USB4 or Thunderbolt port marked with a lightning bolt icon just before the red “rocket” button.

Next is a full-sized SD card reader, a USB-C port, two USB-A ports (likely differing in speed), and a 3.5mm audio jack for headphones or microphone use.

The company will officially confirm the specs of this device intermittently through social media, avoiding formal release timelines or performance benchmarks.

While a global release has been promised, prospective buyers have little more than renderings and vague labels to assess.

For now, it's difficult to say if the product is serious about computing or simply playing with bold visuals and buzzwords.

Although Aokzoe’s approach is not unique, other brands such as GMKtec and Aoostar are also introducing Strix Halo-based systems.

The likes of HP Z2 Mini G1a, GMKTEC EVO-X2, AOOSTAR’s NEX395, and many more have already been announced.

But these devices are usually not cheap, often selling between the $1500–$2000 price range.

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• Two new Garmin watches seem to be imminent
• We might get a cheaper Forerunner this Tuesday
• The Venu 4 could follow the recently launched Venu X1

It looks like there are going to be two new contenders for our list of the best Garmin watches in the very near future, with one official tease and one unofficial leak pointing towards new devices in the coming days and weeks.

To start with what we've heard directly from Garmin, the company has posted a teaser for a new watch arriving on July 22 (this coming Tuesday). The outline of the wearable suggests we're looking at a new Forerunner model.

Well-known tipster the5krunner says it's unlikely that this is an existing model launching in China. It's more probable that it's a China-specific Garmin, or it's a completely new model that's going to be launching globally.

Over at Garmin Rumors, the thinking is that the "1XXX" on the teaser image could refer to the price of the upcoming watch, in yuan. If that guess is right, then we'd be looking at a relatively affordable Forerunner compared to the rest of the series.

The Venu 4

The Garmin Venu X1 (Image credit: Garmin)

As for the less official news, Garmin Rumors (via Notebookcheck) has spotted the first ever mention of the Garmin Venu 4 in the documentation accompanying the Garmin Golf app. Garmin hasn't said anything about this watch, but it looks like it might be on the way.

Earlier this year the Garmin Venu X1 was launched, but based on this new information, that wasn't the true successor to the Garmin Venu 3 – although the brief mention we have of the Venu 4 doesn't tell us too much about it.

Given what Garmin has been doing with its other flagship wearable refreshes, there's a good chance the Venu 4 will come with a brighter screen, an updated user interface, a flashlight, and some additional health features and fitness metrics.

However, there have been no other leaks or rumors to date to give us any hints about what's coming. As soon as Garmin makes either of these smartwatches official, we'll of course bring you all the details on TechRadar.

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• AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 9995WX workstation CPU has 96 cores and 192 threads
• It is set to go on sale with an expected priced of around $13,000
• Zen 5-based Threadripper offers 26% gain over predecessor but costs 30% more

The AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 9995WX could be the most expensive desktop CPU ever listed at retail, with a rumored price of $13,000.

This price point is more than double that of AMD’s own EPYC 9655, a 96-core data center chip which can be found for just over $6,100.

Built on the Zen 5 architecture and using a 4nm process, the 9995WX targets workstation professionals who need extreme performance in AI, media, design and engineering workflows.

30% price hike

The chip features 96 cores, 192 threads, and a base clock of 2.5 GHz, boosting up to 5.4 GHz. It supports up to 144 usable PCIe lanes and 8-channel DDR5 ECC RAM running at 6400 MT/s.

There’s also 128MB of L3 cache. While the specs are aimed at users with heavy workloads, the high cost puts it in a niche category. No cooler is included and a dedicated graphics card is required.

The 9995WX is part of the new Threadripper 9000 series, with AMD skipping the 8000 line entirely.

It offers a generational improvement over the Zen 4-based 7995WX, including a reported 26% performance gain.

Even so, the price increase over the previous generation is steep, sitting at 30% higher than the 7995WX.

While this could be justified for some niche professionals, it narrows the market to those with extremely specialized needs.

Preorders are expected to open on July 23, with listings appearing on B&H Photo Video and other retailers.

Although AMD has not confirmed final pricing, Videocardz notes patterns across multiple stores point to a consistent number near $13,000.

The rest of the lineup includes 24-core to 64-core models, with price hikes ranging from 4% to 17% over previous generations.

Intel currently lacks a direct workstation-class competitor in this category, and with AMD pushing core counts and prices even higher, the gap remains wide.

This latest Threadripper generation extends AMD’s lead in ultra-high-end desktop processors, at least for now.

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Looking for a different day?

A new Quordle puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Sunday's puzzle instead then click here: Quordle hints and answers for Sunday, July 20 (game #1273).

Quordle was one of the original Wordle alternatives and is still going strong now more than 1,100 games later. It offers a genuine challenge, though, so read on if you need some Quordle hints today – or scroll down further for the answers.

Enjoy playing word games? You can also check out my NYT Connections today and NYT Strands today pages for hints and answers for those puzzles, while Marc's Wordle today column covers the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about Quordle today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

Quordle today (game #1274) - hint #1 - VowelsHow many different vowels are in Quordle today?

• The number of different vowels in Quordle today is 4*.

* Note that by vowel we mean the five standard vowels (A, E, I, O, U), not Y (which is sometimes counted as a vowel too).

Quordle today (game #1274) - hint #2 - repeated lettersDo any of today's Quordle answers contain repeated letters?

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

Quordle today (game #1274) - hint #3 - uncommon lettersDo 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 #1274) - 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 #1274) - hint #5 - starting letters (2)What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?

• K

• S

• P

• F

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

Quordle today (game #1274) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #1274, are…

• KNEED
• SNAIL
• PINTO
• FEAST

After an easy ride with my first three guesses I was undone by a silent letter.

Without an S and seeing no other letters that could precede the letter N, I had presumed that it would have to start with a vowel so opted for “ended” – but ended up regretting it due to my neglect of the letter K. Sneaky.

Daily Sequence today (game #1274) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #1274, are…

• MINER
• CRUST
• GRAPE
• ROBIN

Quordle answers: The past 20

• Quordle #1273, Sunday, 20 July: GRACE, COUNT, EGRET, GIANT
• Quordle #1272, Saturday, 19 July: EARLY, CLICK, TRITE, SPREE
• Quordle #1271, Friday, 18 July: CINCH, FOYER, FUDGE, TAFFY
• Quordle #1270, Thursday, 17 July: CRESS, TABOO, POWER, HATER
• Quordle #1269, Wednesday, 16 July: UNCLE, NADIR, REMIT, BROOM
• Quordle #1268, Tuesday, 15 July: VILLA, FLECK, TIGER, CRANE
• Quordle #1267, Monday, 14 July: SURGE, PIZZA, PAPER, POPPY
• Quordle #1266, Sunday, 13 July: KAYAK, DECRY, RUDDY, HATER
• Quordle #1265, Saturday, 12 July: WREAK, NANNY, CLASP, STAIN
• Quordle #1264, Friday, 11 July: LAPEL, DRAIN, FROND, GROSS
• Quordle #1263, Thursday, 10 July: CROSS, WHEEL, UNDID, PENCE
• Quordle #1262, Wednesday, 9 July: SHIRE, SIXTH, SINGE, IMAGE
• Quordle #1261, Tuesday, 8 July: PLIED, PRANK, GAWKY, OXIDE
• Quordle #1260, Monday, 7 July: DROLL, TRUCE, TWIRL, SINCE
• Quordle #1259, Sunday, 6 July: AMPLY, SPAWN, EXTOL, RIDGE
• Quordle #1258, Saturday, 5 July: HAVEN, SNAKE, DREAM, TORUS
• Quordle #1257, Friday, 4 July: FAVOR, SKUNK, GAWKY, FLUFF
• Quordle #1256, Thursday, 3 July: DANCE, EYING, GLAZE, EGRET
• Quordle #1255, Wednesday, 2 July: INANE, SCOUR, ELITE, ULCER

Looking for a different day?

A new NYT Connections puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Sunday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Connections hints and answers for Sunday, July 20 (game #770).

Good morning! Let's play Connections, the NYT's clever word game that challenges you to group answers in various categories. It can be tough, so read on if you need Connections hints.

What should you do once you've finished? Why, play some more word games of course. I've also got daily Strands hints and answers and Quordle hints and answers articles if you need help for those too, while Marc's Wordle today page covers the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Connections today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

NYT Connections today (game #771) - today's words

(Image credit: New York Times)

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• FREEZING
• FOOT
• EXTRA
• CONTRACTION
• ICING
• SHRINKAGE
• CONDENSATION
• MELTING
• POSSESSIVE
• YADA YADA
• BONUS
• REGIFTING
• FESTIVUS
• QUOTE
• GRAVY
• VAPORIZATION

NYT Connections today (game #771) - hint #1 - group hints

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

• YELLOW: Something on top
• GREEN: States of water
• BLUE: Jerry and friends
• PURPLE: A punctuation mark in common

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 #771) - hint #2 - group answers

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

• YELLOW: ADDITIONAL PERK
• GREEN: PHASE TRANSITIONS FOR LIQUIDS
• BLUE: CONCEPTS FROM "SEINFELD" 
• PURPLE: WHAT ' CAN INDICATE

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

NYT Connections today (game #771) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Connections, game #771, are…

• YELLOW: ADDITIONAL PERK BONUS, EXTRA, GRAVY, ICING
• GREEN: PHASE TRANSITIONS FOR LIQUIDS CONDENSATION, FREEZING, MELTING, VAPORIZATION
• BLUE: CONCEPTS FROM "SEINFELD" FESTIVUS, REGIFTING, SHRINKAGE, YADA YADA
• PURPLE: WHAT ' CAN INDICATE CONTRACTION, FOOT, POSSESSIVE, QUOTE

• My rating: Easy
• My score: Perfect

I interpret the idiom ‘it’s all GRAVY' as meaning that being alive and healthy is already fantastic and whatever else life brings you is a bonus. Other people may interpret it as an endless supply of free gravy or possibly that everything tastes like gravy, but either way it's a positive thing. Well, unless you don’t like gravy.

Anyway, I digress. Today’s gift from Connections was the wonderful CONCEPTS FROM “SEINFELD” including, in my opinion, its crowning achievement in creating a public holiday for “the rest of us”. An excuse for me to watch a couple of classic episodes in my lunch hour.

Fortunately, I had the other three groups quickly completed before I had to even contemplate the purple foursome.

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Sunday, July 20, game #770)

• YELLOW: MOVE TO THE MUSIC BOP, BOUNCE, GROOVE, SWAY
• GREEN: INHALATION DRAG, DRAW, PUFF, PULL
• BLUE: MARTINI SPECIFICATIONS DRY, GIN, SHAKEN, TWIST
• PURPLE: ___WORD BUZZ, CROSS, LOAN, PASS

What is NYT Connections?

NYT Connections is one of several increasingly popular word games made by the New York Times. It challenges you to find groups of four items that share something in common, and each group has a different difficulty level: green is easy, yellow a little harder, blue often quite tough and purple usually very difficult.

On the plus side, you don't technically need to solve the final one, as you'll be able to answer that one by a process of elimination. What's more, you can make up to four mistakes, which gives you a little bit of breathing room.

It's a little more involved than something like Wordle, however, and there are plenty of opportunities for the game to trip you up with tricks. For instance, watch out for homophones and other word games that could disguise the answers.

It's playable for free via the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.

Looking for a different day?

A new NYT Strands puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Sunday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Strands hints and answers for Sunday, July 20 (game #504).

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

• Today's NYT Strands theme is… I fold!

NYT Strands today (game #505) - hint #2 - clue words

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

• BANK
• BRINE
• FLOW
• SHIFT
• TURBO
• WHEY

NYT Strands today (game #505) - hint #3 - spangram lettersHow many letters are in today's spangram?

• Spangram has 7 letters

NYT Strands today (game #505) - hint #4 - spangram positionWhat are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?

First side: left, 4th 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 #505) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #505, are…

• KITE
• FROG
• FISH
• CRANE
• BUTTERFLY
• SPANGRAM: ORIGAMI

• My rating: Hard
• My score: 2 hints

It took me until my fourth word, which was CRANE, to understand the significance of “I fold!”. After that it was a case of finding a letter-O close to an edge and connecting ORIGAMI.

Despite this moment of revelation, today’s search didn’t get any easier – mainly because a crane is the most obvious shape you can make, but also because hundreds of items can be created by folding a square piece of thin paper.

Thankfully, FLOWER and BUTTERFLY were easy to spot, but even though there were only five letters left I still struggled to see HEART (trying “earth” first – maybe you just screw the paper up into a ball).

Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Sunday, July 20, game #504)

• WRAP
• BIKINI
• SARONG
• TRUNKS
• SANDALS
• SWIMSUIT
• SPANGRAM: BEACH ATTIRE

What is NYT Strands?

Strands is the NYT's not-so-new-any-more word game, following Wordle and Connections. It's now a fully fledged member of the NYT's games stable that has been running for a year and which can be played on the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.

I've got a full guide to how to play NYT Strands, complete with tips for solving it, so check that out if you're struggling to beat it each day.

• More folding iPhone details have leaked
• We have more hints about pricing and battery capacity
• The phone could launch next year

We're getting closer and closer to the foldable iPhone being a real rather than a rumored device, and new leaks suggest that the handset is going to set two records for Apple's smartphone series to date.

These leaks come from tipster Dingzhuo Digital and Mydrivers (via Wccftech). Bear in mind that we are relying on Google Translate here – and that nothing is certain until Apple makes the device official (which will probably be next year).

First up, the folding iPhone is apparently going to have the largest battery of any iPhone to date, with this leak putting the capacity at 5,000-5,500 mAh. For comparison, the Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max that launched last September packs in a 4,685 mAh battery.

We'll have to see how that works out in terms of actual battery life between charges. The foldable iPhone will of course have two screens that need powering, and a larger screen to light up when unopened (which could be 7.74 inches, corner to corner).

Paying the price

The latest Samsung foldable: the Galaxy Z Fold 7 (Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)

The second part of this leak is the pricing of this device, and it's no surprise that the foldable iPhone is set to be the most expensive iPhone in history – far exceeding the starting price of the iPhone 16 Pro Max, which is set at $1,199 / £1,199 / AU$2,149.

This leak puts the price at more than 15,000 yuan in China. That works out as $2,090 / £1,560 / AU$3,205 with a rough currency conversion at today's rates, but those are unlikely to be the final figures Apple settles on internationally.

Previous rumors have put the price of the folding iPhone somewhere between $1,800 and $2,500, depending on which tipsters and analysts you want to believe. Whatever the final figure ends up being, you're certainly going to have to pay a lot for this phone.

Before we get the folding iPhone though, we're going to get the iPhone 17 series, which will include the iPhone 17 Air in place of the iPhone 16 Plus. If Apple sticks to its usual schedule, we should see those handsets in September.

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• Hackers launched attacks just one day after the flaw’s full technical write-up was made public
• Many servers stayed vulnerable for weeks despite a fix being released long before the disclosure
• Null byte injection in the username field lets attackers bypass login and run Lua code

Security researchers have confirmed attackers are actively exploiting a critical vulnerability in Wing FTP Server, a widely used solution for managing file transfers.

Researchers at Huntress say the flaw identified as CVE-2025-47812 was disclosed publicly on June 30, and exploitation began almost immediately, just a day later.

This vulnerability allows unauthenticated remote code execution (RCE), enabling attackers to run code as root or SYSTEM on vulnerable servers.

Wing FTP Server remains vulnerable in unpatched systems

Wing FTP Server is deployed across enterprise and SMB environments, and it is used by more than 10,000 organizations globally, including high-profile clients such as Airbus, Reuters, and the US Air Force.

The vulnerability exists in versions 7.4.3 and earlier and has been patched in version 7.4.4, which was released on May 14, 2025.

Despite the fix being available for over a month, many users remained unpatched when technical details were made public.

Security researcher Julien Ahrens, explained the issue stems from improper input sanitization and unsafe handling of null-terminated strings.

The weakness allows a null byte injected in the username field to bypass authentication and insert malicious Lua code into session files.

These files, when deserialized by the server, trigger code execution at the highest system level.

One attacker created malicious session files that used certutil and cmd.exe to fetch and execute remote payloads.

Although the attack was ultimately unsuccessful, thanks in part to Microsoft Defender, researchers noted that the intruders attempted to escalate privileges, perform reconnaissance, and create new users to maintain persistence.

Another attacker reportedly had to look up how to use curl mid-attack, and one even involved a second party during the operation.

This shows the persistence of attackers who are likely scanning for exposed Wing FTP instances, including those running outdated versions.

Even if attackers lacked sophistication, the vulnerability remains highly dangerous.

Researchers recommend upgrading to version 7.4.4 immediately, but where updates aren’t possible, disabling HTTP/S access, removing anonymous login options, and monitoring session file directories are essential mitigation steps.

Three additional vulnerabilities were reported: one enabling password exfiltration through JavaScript, another exposing system paths via an overlong cookie, and a third highlighting the server's lack of sandboxing.

While these pose serious risks, CVE-2025-47812 has received the highest severity rating due to its potential for complete system compromise.

Via The Register and BleepingComputer

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Marvel’s First Family is primed to light up the silver screen starting on July 25, 2025 in The Fantastic Four: First Steps, the fifth attempt at a live-action Hollywood transformation for the comic book icons, this time as a retro-futuristic affair starring Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach and directed by Matt Shakman (WandaVision).

Attempts at its adaptation as a Hollywood feature film since the unreleased Roger Corman-led movie in 1994 and the last version being director Josh Trank’s 2015 disaster have had a poor track record, with each successive effort failing miserably to capture the spirit, heart and style of The Fantastic Four. But one of the most satisfying ways to experience the gamma-ray’d metahuman gang is by engaging with one of the many fun Fantastic Four animation series presented over the years.

The antidote to live-action superhero fatigue or just a warm-up?

(Image credit: Marvel Entertainment Group)

By far the most overlooked example of these flashy cartoon shows is Fantastic Four: The Animated Series. It’s a natural way to gear up for Marvel Studios’ $200 million summer tentpole by absorbing its familial dynamics and splashy fun that skirt the dated humor, primitive character design and sterile backgrounds of Hanna-Barbera’s The Fantastic Four animated series that appeared on Saturday mornings from 1967-68. There was also The New Fantastic Four, a short-lived 1978 series which strangely had no Human Torch and swapped H.E.R.B.I.E. the Robot due to licensing rights and rumored fears that kids might light themselves on fire!

Airing for two “fantastic” seasons starting on September 24,1994 and ending on February 24, 1996, The Fantastic Four: The Animated Series lasted for two 13-episode outings and is currently streaming all 26 chapters on Disney+. It was originally produced by Genesis Entertainment and New World Entertainment, then broadcast in syndication as part of The Marvel Action Hour (aka Marvel Action Universe) with Iron Man taking flight for the first half of the program and The Fantastic Four jumping in to finish with its 22-24 minute episodes.

Who first created the Fantastic Four?

(Image credit: Marvel Comics)

Conceived by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in 1961, this close-knit superhero team dealing with inter-dimensional villains and everyday domestic responsibilities was the House of Idea’s biggest selling title of the decade and even sported the auspicious title of The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine on its cover.

The main lineup of scientific genius Reed Richard (Mister Fantastic), Sue Storm (Invisible Woman), Johnny Storm (The Human Torch), and Ben Grimm (The Thing) has been an ongoing roster since their experimental space flight first found themselves peppered with cosmic radiation that was the cause of their uncanny superpowers.

The timeless appeal of the animated classic

Dr. Victor von Doom as seen in Fantastic Four: The Animated Series (Image credit: Marvel Entertainment Group)

Any self-respecting ‘90s-era animated series need a seriously cheesy theme song and Fantastic Four: The Animated Series has that one locked down tight with a goofy anthem that’s even sillier than the tunes written for the original The Karate Kid, but that’s exactly why we love it! We forgive the show for its early campiness.

Written by Ron Friedman, Glen Leopold, Elwin Ransom and a handful of others, and executive produced by Avi Arad, Stan Lee, and Rick Ungar, it showcased everything essential about the Fantastic Four, their messy interpersonal affairs and thrilling crimefighting against notorious foes like Galactus, Doctor Doom, Ego-The Living Planet (Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2), Silver Surfer, Annihilus, Psycho-Man, Skrulls, Mole Man, Puppet Master, Blastaar and Sub-Mariner.

Fellow comic book heroes that were featured in multiple storylines and cameos throughout the two seasons included The Inhumans, The Incredible Hulk, Thor, Ghost Rider, Daredevil, and many others. Season 2 improved greatly with the arrival of Philippine Animation Studios taking over for Wang Film Productions.

The premiere episode of the debut season is a hoot, with the Fantastic Four recalling their origin story before a studio audience during a taping of Dick Clark’s Scholarship Telethon TV show, with the real Dick Clark actually voicing himself. Subsequent installments all carry the authentic Fantastic Four flair.

Helping to usher in the last golden age of TV cartoons

Black Bolt and Mister Fantastic in Fantastic Four: The Animated Series (Image credit: Marvel Entertainment Group)

Often overshadowed by the quaint charm of the 1967 Hanna-Barbera series, Fantastic Four: The Animated Series often pulled stories from legacy story arcs written by Stan Lee and drawn by Jack “King” Kirby with later illustrator John Buscema and other artists who picked up the pen.

In particular, the two-part segment, The Silver Surfer and the Coming of Galactus, was taken directly from the 1965 comic book event displayed in Fantastic Four #48-50, which was the inspiration for the screenwriters in crafting their own plot for this month's The Fantastic Four: First Steps.

Remember that this renaissance of ‘90s animation also brought us X-Men: The Animated Series, Batman: The Animated Series, and Gargoyles, so it’s the ideal chance for fans to revisit this nostalgic, highly entertaining, and vastly under-appreciated Fantastic Four cartoon show that many of a certain generation hold dear to their hearts. With its solid vocal cast, smart writing, sharp animation, and vibrant colors, give Fantastic Four: The Animated Series a heroic spin on Disney+!

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It’s been a long seven-ish years since Bethesda presented The Elder Scrolls 6 trailer in 2018 at what was then E3. Yet in the subsequent years, we’ve heard precious little about the next Elder Scrolls game. Of course, we’ve had Starfield to fill that gap, which no doubt ate into the resources Bethesda had to commit to The Elder Scrolls 6.

Yet despite a lot of work on the game, and the Shattered Space expansion, while our Starfield review put a decent amount of praise on the ambitious space exploration game, it failed to have the impact, both initial and lasting, as The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim; that game has been updated, expanded, tweaked, and relaunched on numerous platforms to the extent of being a meme.

And while Bethesda itself evolved more into a publisher, as well as still running its own studio, there’s an argument that we need a new Elder Scrolls game to really pull the developer back into the gaming narrative, rather than see it as a company that’s been absorbed into the behemoth that is Microsoft Gaming.

No sweetroll update

Like BioWare before it, changes in ownership have arguably seen Bethesda lose some of its hefty kudos in the gaming world. Now we have the likes of Larian, FromSoftware, CD Projekt Red, and indie outfits like Team Cherry, all garnering gamer galvanization.

While I feel that Bethesda, as a studio, needs to both revitalize and notably evolve its approach to open world games, there’s no doubt a new TES game would have an impact; The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered made a surprise splash, so there’s a lot of scope for TES 6 to do the same but bigger and better.

Yet we’ve not had any update regarding TES 6; we know it’s being worked on and is past the pre-production stage, going by the odd comment from Bethesda frontman Todd Howard. But we’ve got no idea how far into development TES 6 might be.

Maybe naively, I’d hoped for some TES 6 hints at the Xbox Games Showcase last month, but no such luck.

So my own speculation would put TES 6’s launch date somewhere in 2027.

I'd take an arrow to the knee for an update...

Working back from there, I’d say we could expect to see a trailer with game footage sometime in 2026, possibly during next year's summer showcase.

I feel Microsoft needs such a potential big hitter to enthuse potentially beleaguered Xbox fans; Fable might go some way to doing that, but outside of Halo, which has somewhat withered in the vine lately, and Gears of War, there’s arguably not a lot of heavy-hitting IP for Xbox to draw upon as this console generation matures. I don’t count Call of Duty as that’s more of a multiplatform proposition, and expected year-on-year.

Of course, you could suggest that Microsoft’s approach to making everything playable anywhere is a way to evolve beyond platform/service exclusives. And I’d not argue against that. But I still feel TES 6 has the scope to be one big hurrah for this console generation, even if it comes to PlayStation.

And for Bethesda, if it can innovate beyond the somewhat simplistic mission structure and exploration seen in Starfield, and borrow storytelling-wise from the likes of Baldur's Gate 3 and others, TES 6 could be an exciting return to form for the studio. Just when that return will happen, I have no idea.

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The Paper season 4: key information

- The first four episodes will be released on September 4
- Entirely new cast, except for Oscar Nuñez, who reprises his role
- The plot follows a declining Midwestern newspaper
- There's no official trailer yet

The Paper is Peacock's follow-up to the hit NBC series The Office, a beloved sitcom that is one of my firm favorites. This is our first time diving into this world since 2013, and I am intrigued to see how it will play out.

While set in the same universe as The Office, the creators have confirmed that The Paper is set in a new company, and we've moved out of Scranton, Pennsylvania, to a new location.

The Office's Greg Daniels and Late Night with Conan O'Brien's Michael Koman are the ones behind the series, so it looks like it's in good hands.

With The Office being such a hit and a show I quote daily, it'll be interesting to see if The Paper can reach the same highs or, at the very least, be a highly entertaining entry into the mockumentary genre.

Here's everything we know about The Paper so far.

The Paper release date

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A photo posted by on

The Paper will be exclusively on Peacock, with the first four episodes dropping on September 4. It will then have a weekly release schedule with two episodes arriving until the season finale on September 10.

So those wanting to binge-watch might be disappointed, but it's definitely nice having a double bill to enjoy each week after the show's four-episode premiere.

The Paper trailer speculation

Right now, we don't have an official trailer for The Paper, but we should expect to see it closer to the release date.

When it does drop, it's likely fans will be hopeful that it'll match the quality of its predecessor, so the pressure is on for the new Peacock show. Only time will tell, as we haven't seen any video footage from the show yet.

The Paper confirmed cast

While we don't have a trailer yet, we do know who will be in the cast, and we've got a very familiar face showing up for a new job.

Oscar Nuñez will reprise his role as The Office’s Oscar Martinez, and he's now working in the accounting department at The Truth Teller.

Speaking about his return at an NBCUniversal Upfront, Nuñez said: “I told Mr. Greg Daniels that if Oscar came back, he would probably be living in a more bustling, cosmopolitan city. Greg heard me, and he moved Oscar to Toledo, Ohio, which has three times the population of Scranton. So, it was nice to be heard.”

Elsewhere, we've got a brand new cast, including Domhnall Gleeson as a new hire and Sabrina Impacciatore, who is described as the "no nonsense managing editor" of The Truth Teller.

The rest of the newsroom includes Chelsea Frei, Melvin Gregg, Ramona Young, Gbemisola Ikumelo, Alex Edelman, and Tim Key.

The Paper story synopsis

Confirmed to be set in the same universe as The Office, the same fictional documentary crew that once filmed the lives of Dunder Mifflin employees will now be setting their sights on The Truth Teller.

With that in mind, the new series will follow the everyday chaos at this fictional small-town newspaper. There's big work to be done, though, as the paper's publisher begins recruiting volunteer reporters to try and keep the presses running. A plot has teased that we should expect "all the dysfunction, awkwardness, and heart" that we saw in The Office, which should reassure long-term fans.

Will The Paper return for season 2?

Right now, we don't have any details about a potential season 2 but if that changes we'll be sure to update you.

For now, it's up to season one to make a good first impression so this is likely where Peacock's focus lies.

• Hackers didn’t need Paddy Power and Betfair users’ passwords to start building targeted scams using personal betting activity
• Even without card details, stolen emails and IPs can power highly convincing fraud attempts
• Gamblers are now prime targets for phishing messages tailored to their habits

A major data breach affecting up to 800,000 users of two popular online betting platforms has raised concerns about phishing risks and the role of artificial intelligence in exploiting exposed personal data.

The incident, confirmed by Flutter Entertainment, the parent company of Paddy Power and Betfair, compromised user IP addresses, email addresses, and online activity linked to individual gambling accounts.

Although no passwords or payment details were exposed, cybersecurity experts caution the stolen data could still be used to mount highly targeted attacks.

Passwords are safe, but you need to remain vigilant

Flutter, which operates several major gambling brands including Sky Bet and Tombola, acknowledged the breach and described it as a "data incident" that has since been contained.

The company has told users there is, “nothing you need to do in response to this incident,” although they were advised to remain vigilant.

With 4.2 million average monthly players across its UK and Irish platforms, the exposure of even a fraction of its user base could be serious.

Harley Morlet, chief marketing officer at Storm Guidance, warned those who regularly spend large amounts of money on these sites could be at greater risk.

“With the advent of AI, I think it would actually be very easy to build out a large-scale automated attack,” he told the BBC's Today programme.

“Basically, focusing on crafting messages that look appealing to those gamblers.”

Tim Rawlins, director and senior adviser at the NCC Group, echoed those concerns, urging customers to be wary of emails that reflect their personal betting patterns.

“You might re-enter your credit card number, you might re-enter your bank account details, those are the sort of things people need to be on the lookout for and be conscious of that sort of threat.”

“If it's too good to be true, it probably is a fraudster who's coming after your money,” he added.

Rawlins also stated that AI is making phishing attempts harder to detect, noting a rise in the sophistication of fraudulent emails.

The risk is especially acute in spear phishing campaigns, where stolen data is used to tailor messages that closely mimic legitimate correspondence.

For users now wondering how to protect themselves, relying solely on a free antivirus or even a standard Android antivirus app might not be enough.

While an antivirus solution can block known malware, it’s less effective against cleverly written emails that coax victims into handing over sensitive information themselves.

Instead, a layered approach that includes caution, skepticism, and good cyber hygiene remains the best defense.

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• The Mowrator S1 is an all-wheel drive lawnbot for tricky yards
• Can also function as a snow plough, trailer hitch and more
• Operates using videogame-style remote control

Lawnbots are great for neat, mostly flat, grass-covered lawns. But what if you have something more challenging? What if your lawn is lumpy, bumpy, overgrown, filled with roots, or super-steep? What if you have a paddock or a field that needs to be kept in check?

Mowrator has come to the rescue. Its Mowrator S1 is not so much a lawnbot as an all-in-one, consumer-grade, yardwork Transformer.

For lawncare, you can think of it like a ride-on mower, but shrunk down, powered by electricity, and operated by remote control. Available in four-wheel drive and two-wheel drive versions, it's equipped with a 21-inch long, straight blade. It can handle thick, tall or wet grass, get into the awkward areas usually off limits to mowers, and scale slopes of up to 85% (about 40 degrees).

When summer is over, the modular design can be reconfigured to deal with the demands of different seasons. There's a snow blade attachment, it can vacuum up dropped leaves in fall, and you can hook up a trailer and use it to transport things like fertilizer.

Yardwork... but make it fun

Most robot lawn mowers navigate independently, but this one is remote-controlled. So while it's a more hands-on choice, it's perfect if your yard has terrain, roots, or foliage that a traditional lawnbot can't handle. And you can still mow, plough snow or clear leaves from the comfort of your sofa, while monitoring the M1's progress out of the window.

It could be a particular game-changer for seniors or anyone struggling with the physical strain of staying on top of yard work – it'll take care of a variety of strenuous pushing and lifting tasks for you.

It also – frankly – looks incredibly fun to use. It's ready to go straight out of the box so there's none of the tedium of mapping the space, and you drive it using a game-style remote. A five-tier obstacle detection and avoidance system provides backup for unexpected hazards.

The Mowrator M1 can mow 1.125 acres on a single charge (an added an extra chassis fan cools the system while mowing, to prevent overheating) and there's fast charging to take the battery back to full in just 90 minutes. It's powered by four independent motors, and Morator says it has the same strength as a gas mower but without the emissions or noise.

The Mowrator S1 is available to buy now, with pricing starting from $2,499 / £2,578.

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• ChatGPT can’t tell if a site was hacked, expired, or repurposed for casino spam
• AI-generated answers may seem reliable, even when they cite completely hijacked and fake sources
• Expired charity domains are reborn as gambling sites and still pass as trustworthy AI sources

ChatGPT is quickly becoming a go-to source for people seeking recommendations, from online services to local businesses, but new evidence suggests its AI-generated suggestions may not always be grounded in trustworthy sources.

In fact, some are being drawn from websites that have either been hacked or whose domains have expired and been repurposed, often to promote online casinos and gambling platforms.

Over the past several months, James Brockbank, managing director and founder at Digitaloft, has been documenting how widespread the problem has become, uncovering examples of ChatGPT citing content from sites that have clearly been manipulated.

Exploiting gaps in AI source validation

In one instance, a functioning legal practice’s website, run by attorney Veronica T. Barton, had pages recommending UK casinos buried within it.

“Their site has been hacked and this page added,” Brockbank noted after reviewing the evidence.

In another case, a site once affiliated with a United Nations youth coalition had been transformed into a platform pushing “casinos not on GamStop.”

Although the listicle it hosted contained only one external link, it led to yet another repurposed domain.

The pattern continued with expired domains, including one that had belonged to a now-defunct arts charity previously linked by the BBC, CNN, and Bloomberg.

That domain, now pushing gambling content, was cited by ChatGPT in response to a query about no-deposit casinos.

These tactics exploit weaknesses in how ChatGPT selects and cites sources, as unlike traditional search engines, the model lacks mechanisms for verifying the legitimacy of a site’s ownership or editorial intent.

As a result, content injected onto compromised websites can surface in its answers without any obvious red flags to the user.

ChatGPT appears to favor recent content and still attributes authority based on legacy domain reputation, even when the domain’s content has no continuity with its past - which opens the door for bad actors to manipulate visibility through means that have little to do with credibility.

The bottom line is that users turning to ChatGPT for recommendations should not assume that every answer is backed by a credible source.

A quick check of the cited site’s authority, its history, ownership, and relevance can go a long way in avoiding misleading or harmful suggestions.

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• Obfuscated JavaScript allowed attackers to slip past detection and launch credential theft in real time

A new Magecart-style attack has raised concerns across the cybersecurity landscape, targeting ecommerce websites which rely on the OpenCart CMS.

The attackers injected malicious JavaScript into landing pages, cleverly hiding their payload among legitimate analytics and marketing tags such as Facebook Pixel, Meta Pixel, and Google Tag Manager.

Exepers from c/side, a cybersecurity firm that monitors third-party scripts and web assets to detect and prevent client-side attacks, says the injected code resembles a standard tag snippet, but its behavior tells a different story.

Obfuscation techniques and script injection

This particular campaign disguises its malicious intent by encoding payload URLs using Base64 and routing traffic through suspicious domains such as /tagscart.shop/cdn/analytics.min.js, making it harder to detect in transit.

At first, it appears to be a standard Google Analytics or Tag Manager script, but closer inspection reveals otherwise.

When decoded and executed, the script dynamically creates a new element, inserts it before existing scripts, and silently launches additional code.

The malware then executes heavily obfuscated code, using techniques such as hexadecimal references, array recombination, and the eval() function for dynamic decoding.

The key function of this script is to inject a fake credit card form during checkout, styled to appear legitimate.

Once rendered, the form captures input across the credit card number, expiration date, and CVC. Listeners are attached to blur, keydown, and paste events, ensuring that user input is captured at every stage.

Importantly, the attack doesn’t rely on clipboard scraping, and users are forced to manually input card details.

After this, data is immediately exfiltrated via POST requests to two command-and-control (C2) domains: //ultracart[.]shop/g.php and //hxjet.pics/g.php.

In an added twist, the original payment form is hidden once the card information is submitted - a second page then prompts users to enter further bank transaction details, compounding the threat.

What stands out in this case is the unusually long delay in using the stolen card data, which took several months instead of the typical few days.

The report reveals that one card was used on June 18 in a pay-by-phone transaction from the US, while another was charged €47.80 to an unidentified vendor.

This breach shows a growing risk in SaaS-based e-commerce, where CMS platforms like OpenCart become soft targets for advanced malware.

There is therefore a need for stronger security measures beyond basic firewalls.

Automated platforms like c/side claim to detect threats by spotting obfuscated JavaScript, unauthorized form injections, and anomalous script behavior.

As attackers evolve, even small CMS deployments must remain vigilant, and real-time monitoring and threat intelligence should no longer be optional for e-commerce vendors seeking to secure their customers’ trust.

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