TechRadar News

• Polite Guard looks to help keep chatbots polite and less prone to exploitation
• With NLP at its core, it works by classifying text on a four point scale of politeness
• The dataset and source code are available on GitHub and Hugging Face

Intel has unveiled Polite Guard, an open source AI tool aimed at assessing the politeness of a text and allowing AI chatbots to remain consistently polite to customers.

In a post to the Intel Community Blog, the latest addition to Intel’s AI portfolio hopes to provide a standardized framework for evaluating linguistic nuance in AI-driven communication.

Leveraging natural language processing (NLP), Intel claims that Polite Guard, in classifying text into four different categories of polite, somewhat polite, neutral and impolite, helps mitigate AI vulnerabilities by "providing a defense mechanism against adversarial attacks".

Intel Polite Guard's role for SMBs

According to Intel, Polite Guard reinforces system resilience by ensuring consistent polite output even when handling potentially harmful text.

The company hopes that this approach will "[improve] customer satisfaction and loyalty" for businesses implementing it.

Released under the MIT license, Polite Guard grants developers the flexibility to modify and integrate it into their own projects.

Its dataset and source code are available on Github and Hugging Face, with further developments to be published via the Intel Community blog.

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Before the breakout success of Reacher on Prime Video, two of Lee Child’s novels featuring the righteous and herculean titular character had been adapted on the big screen with Tom Cruise in the lead role. Following the mixed critical reception to the second of these film adaptations, a decision was made to pivot to a TV series. It's one that fans of the character certainly seem to have appreciated, as well as its original creator.

I'm absolutely convinced no book author would ever do a feature film in preference to [a streaming TV series]

Lee Child, Jack Reacher author and Reacher producer

It has been an interesting experience for Child, who has been involved in both film and TV adaptations – and currently serves as an executive producer on Reacher.

Given streaming television has been a relatively recent development within the lifespan of the Reacher novels, the first of which was published in 1997, it makes sense that a film would be the first choice for an adaptation.

But now technology has advanced and the streaming TV series is well-established, Child has settled on a favorite way to bring Reacher to the screen after his experience in both.

"My preference is for streaming television. Simply for that running time you've got. It's such a luxury. Feature films are so tight that it's an absolute joy to have time to do all the little bits, the quiet bits, the fun bits, and the tender bits. You know, that feels great," the author tells TechRadar about one of the best Prime Video shows.

"I'm absolutely convinced no book author would ever do a feature film in preference to that. There are some great, great movies, of course, but they're very different from the books. Whereas the streaming seasons can be very faithful to the books."

(Image credit: Amazon Prime Video)

The move looks to have paid off for Reacher, too, with monumental streaming numbers and a strong critical reception for the first two series. Now, Reacher season 3 is about to drop on Prime Video on February 20 with an adaptation of Persuader: “a classic lone-wolf Reacher story” in which he puts himself in more dangerous situations while undercover with the DEA.

After that, though, could season four be when we see TV adaptations of the books One Shot and Never Go Back, or are those stories considered done in Child’s eyes?

“In my mind, they're not done now. I would revisit them absolutely, but I think not as a matter of urgency. Let's do something that hasn't been done in any medium yet. But yeah, I would certainly do the ones that were features, but they're on the back burner, rather than the next one.”

As for what’s in store for Reacher season 4, well, we might find out sooner than you think. Plans have been in motion for a while since that early renewal in October and progressing at a pace.

“That's already decided and prepared in advance. It's written and it's ready to go. It's going to start shooting in the summer. The speculation of what next would really be about season five. And, you know, let's hope that happens.”

The first three episodes of Reacher season 3 will debut on Prime Video from February 20.

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• Some reports mistakenly claimed Windows 11 24H2 has dropped support for Intel 8th, 9th, and 10th-gen CPUs
• Microsoft has made it clear this isn’t the case
• The confusion arose due to a support document which is correct, but aimed at PC makers, so it only applies to new, not existing, Windows 11 systems

Windows 11 hasn’t dropped support for some older Intel processors with its latest incarnation, the (rather problematic) 24H2 update, despite some reports that are floating around claiming this is the case.

Windows Latest brings this clarification, complete with word from Microsoft that these older Intel 8th, 9th, and 10th-generation processors are still fully compatible with Windows 11 24H2, and nothing has changed in that respect.

So where did this errant idea originate? It came from an official list of supported CPUs for Windows 11, which was indeed very recently updated for the 24H2 release, whereupon the mentioned Intel chips were removed.

However, the key point is that this is a support document that lists processors that are okay to use for laptop and PC manufacturers in their new Windows 11 devices. The text clearly states: “OEMs [PC makers] may use the following CPUs for new Windows 11 devices.”

There’s a clear difference between CPUs recommended to go in new Windows 11 PCs, and chips that are in existing PCs which are supported by Windows 11. Something has changed in the former case – those mentioned Intel processors are now considered too out of date to be included with a new machine packing 24H2 (even though they’re still technically okay) – but nothing has changed in the latter case with existing devices.

In short, you’ll be fine to upgrade to Windows 11 24H2 if you’re using an Intel 8th, 9th, or 10th-gen chip, there’s no need to worry on that score.

Windows Latest received a clarification direct from Microsoft with a statement that the “requirements haven’t changed” for Windows 11 24H2, and indeed they haven’t been modified since the OS was first released.

In a separate support article elsewhere on the Windows Hardware Development portal, regarding the CPU requirements for Windows 11 which are provided, Microsoft also notes: “Changes to the processors listed do not indicate or impact a customer’s existing Windows support and are intended for OEMs to determine processors which may be used in new Windows devices.”

(Image credit: Shutterstock) Analysis: It’s easy to see where confusion crept in

That clears up the matter definitively, then. That said, there is something of an oddity in that the Windows 11 system requirements page – the official effort for consumers – links across to a ‘list of approved CPUs’ which is the aforementioned recommendations for OEMs, not consumers (as Tom’s Hardware flagged).

So, Microsoft could do with tidying up its support literature here, as it’s easy to see how someone might become confused. If you don’t read the full text of the article, you won’t spot the reference to OEMs (and who reads everything these days?).

What are you supposed to do, then, as a consumer wondering about the exact CPU requirements for Windows 11? Well, Microsoft evidently doesn’t want you poring over any lists of supported processors, and instead recommends you run the PC Health Check app – which admittedly is an easy and hassle-free way to see if your computer does indeed support Windows 11. (Also checking for every possible requirement, not just the processor).

I’d still recommend Microsoft cleans up the mentioned support documentation, though, to ensure that any possible confusion is kept to a minimum, because clearly, as this episode illustrates, there’s some room for befuddlement.

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• PS5 Slim 30th Anniversary stock looks to be available by invitation again
• This is the second such text from the EE Store I've received in recent weeks
• Sony and other retailers have given no word on any official restocks to come

For the second time in a matter of weeks, I have received another invite via SMS from the EE Store offering me PS5 Slim 30th Anniversary stock.

As a result, I'd recommend keeping your phone close if you've received messages from the store before or are (or were) an EE customer. This might be one of our last best ways to pick up one of the sought-after console bundles with no word on other retailers or official restocks for weeks now.

Even though I moved from EE to O2 last Black Friday, I'm still receiving alerts and offers from the EE Store - so it could be the same for you if you did something similar in recent months.

Today, I received a second message (the first coming a couple of weeks ago) inviting me to buy a PS5 Slim 30th Anniversary bundle. This is the same bundle that EE has sold since the pre-order phase, which consists of the Limited Edition PS5 Slim bundle, an extra Midnight Black DualSense, and a £50 EE Gamecard voucher, all for £539.

Thus, once again, I reckon it's worth keeping your phones close this week as you may get a wonderful invite to buy the rare bundle.

For what it's worth, the link in the SMS is special and can't be replicated on a regular browser, either on mobile or desktop, with the below message popping up.

(Image credit: EE)

The message is headed "You can't get there, from here." and goes on to say "If you're looking for the Sony PS5 Digital 30th Anniversary Limited Edition Bundle, you need to access via a special link we've issued to customers."

If you're looking for an alternative and have also had an eye on the 30th Anniversary Edition DualSense controller, then EE can also help you out with another bundle. The store has been one of the few places where the controller has been readily available - though it has almost always been in bundles like the one below. Still, it is worth a look if you're up for a PS5 Slim by coincidence too.

Scroll down to the bundle section on this PS5 Slim listing page and you'll soon see the 30th Anniversary DualSense bundle that EE claims can save you £19.99.View Deal

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• Fortnite is adding Sub-Zero next season, finally becoming the first game where Street Fighter vs Mortal Kombat is possible
• Xbox boss Phil Spencer wants to be 'transparent' during Xbox showcases, will continue putting PlayStation and Nintendo logos in its trailers
• Fortnite: Lawless gets first trailer highlighting the new season's battle pass roster and the chaos of Crime City

• A new SDR module is coming for Framework 16, fitting the GPU slot
• Designed for C-UAS, it’ll detect, track, and possibly neutralize rogue drones
• It packs serious processing power with custom cooling for FPGA and DSP chips

We’re big fans of Framework’s modular laptops - as while many notebook makers have shifted towards soldered components, making even simple upgrades all but impossible, Framework’s approach lets you get the laptop you want and make whatever upgrades you need to the hardware.

You can choose the processor, mainboard, RAM, and even components like the webcam, screen, keyboard and expansion cards. The company even offers a RISC-V mainboard, created by DeepComputing, and most recently, Framework announced its Laptop 16 device can now support up to 26TB of superfast Gen4 SSD storage.

In 2024, the company open-sourced 3D CAD designs for its Laptop 16, giving users the ability to 3D print custom components. Over on X, Lukas Henkel at Open Visions, which designs and develops innovative hardware solutions, announced he is taking advantage of this flexibility by making a Software-Defined Radio (SDR) module for a customer in the Counter-Unmanned Aircraft Systems (C-UAS) sector.

(Image credit: Lukas Henkel) Taking down drones

This new product will fit into the Framework 16 GPU module form factor, resulting in what Henkel describes as a “nice, fully enclosed solution with lots of processing power and a very high-bandwidth link between the radio and the host system.”

In a later post, Henkel explained he needs to “customize the heat pipe and heat spreader for the Framework Laptop SDR module in order to cool both the FPGA and DSP” because the reference implementation is “designed for only a single heat source.” Fortunately, he reports, “the form factor provides enough Z-height for these kinds of modifications.”

Although Henkel doesn’t go into detail about what the SDR module will be used for or how it will work, being in the C-UAS sector, we can assume it will detect, track, and potentially neutralize unauthorized or hostile drones. This kind of technology is often used in military, law enforcement, and security applications, but it's the first time we've seen it being integrated so smartly into a laptop in this way.

I'm developing an SDR module for a customer in the C-UAS sector. The system will fit into the Framework 16 GPU module formfactor resulting in a nice fully enclosed solution with lots of processing power and a very high bandwidth link between the radio and the host system. The… pic.twitter.com/oyHyfjr6GBJanuary 3, 2025

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• Qualys uncovers two bugs in OpenSSH
• The flaws could be used in Machine-in-the-Middle and Denial-of-Service attacks
• Patches are available, as well as some mitigations

OpenSSH carried two vulnerabilities that were enabling machine-in-the-middle (MitM) attacks and denial-of-service (DoS) attacks, experts have warned.

Cybersecurity researchers from the Qualys Threat Research Unit (TRU), who discovered the flaws and helped patch things up, noted they spotted two vulnerabilities, one tracked as CVE-2025-26465, and another tracked as CVE-2025-26466.

The former allows an active MitM attack on the OpenSSH client when the VerifyHostKeyDNS option is enabled, while the latter affects both the OpenSSH client and server, and enables pre-authentication DoS attacks.

Millions of victims

For the MitM attack to succeed, the VerifyHostKeyDNS option needs to be set to either “yes”, or “ask”, Qualys said, stressing that the default option is “no.” The attack requires no user interaction, and does not depend on the existence of an SSHFP resource record in DNS. This flaw was present in OpenSSH since December 2014, it was added, just before the release of OpenSSH 6.8p1.

“If an attacker can perform a man-in-the-middle attack via CVE-2025-26465, the client may accept the attacker’s key instead of the legitimate server’s key,” the blog reads. “If compromised, hackers could view or manipulate sensitive data, move across multiple critical servers laterally, and exfiltrate valuable information such as database credentials.”

The second flaw was introduced in August 2023, Qualys added, shortly before the release of OpenSSH 9.5p1. If threat actors can repeatedly exploit it, they may cause prolonged outages or prevent admins from managing servers, it was said.

The bug can be mitigated on the server side by leveraging existing mechanisms in OpenSSH such as LoginGraceTime, MaxStartups, and PerSourcePenalties.

Regardless of potential mitigations, Qualys urges all users to upgrade to OpenSSH 9.9p2, since this version addresses both vulnerabilities. “To ensure continued security, we strongly advise upgrading affected systems to 9.9p2 as soon as possible,” the researchers said.

OpenSSH (Open Secure Shell) is a suite of open source tools that provide encrypted communication, secure remote login, and file transfers over an unsecured network using the SSH protocol.

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Leading VPN firm ExpressVPN has just released a major update to its router with built-in VPN, Aircove.

The update means ExpressVPN's Aircove and Aircove Go devices promise to be faster, more secure, and private. The upgrades include a new guest Wi-Fi feature to give you more control over your privacy, and up to doubled connection speeds than previously. Aircove and Aircove Go are also the first platforms supporting the newly launched Lightway protocol in Rust.

Upon release, the new AircoveOS v5 has had a successful third-party audit from cybersecurity experts at Cure53 under its belt that validates ExpressVPN's security infrastructure.

What's new with AircoveOS v5?

The AircoveOS v5 update was mainly shaped by customers' direct feedback, ExpressVPN explained.

"We listened carefully to what mattered most – from faster connections to isolated network access for your friends and family – and intentionally built these improvements into every aspect of Aircove’s architecture," said David Gilbert, staff product manager for Aircove.

Better performance was certainly one of the users' priorities. With the update, Aircove should reach 330 Mbps speed when using ExpressVPN's Lightway TCP protocol. While this doesn't yet match the fastest VPNs around, it's a considerable improvement and more than plenty to do most online activities without lag.

More notably, the update adds a new guest Wi-Fi feature that allows you to isolate untrusted devices in an independent network. The feature, the provider explains, ensures guest Wi-Fi devices experience the same powerful VPN encryption – without the risks of these interacting with other devices on users’ home networks.

Like the existing device group feature, you can customize the Guest Wi-Fi group by setting a different VPN location and toggling on advanced protections like ad-blocker and parental control.

(Image credit: ExpressVPN) The first of a new era

Aircove and Aircove Go are the first platforms to support the new Lightway protocol re-coded in Rust.

This upgrade – which is set to be rolled out across all other ExpressVPN platforms in the next months – promises to make your VPN experience faster and more secure.

Rust is a modern programming language designed for maximum performance and security. An easier code compared to the previously used C, the Rust-based Lightway is expected to make it easier for the team to adopt fixes and add new features.

The new Lightway protocol includes the NIST standard ML-KEM, too, ensuring Aircove can protect you against upcoming threats.

Cure53 has already given its security validation to AircovOS v5. The experts took apart the code in November and couldn't find any major vulnerabilities. You can read the full Cure53 report here.

All in all, Gilbert said, "The result is our most secure and performant OS yet, and we are thrilled to be delivering an enhanced VPN router experience on Aircove."

• The first teaser trailer for Fortnite Chapter 6 Season 2: Lawless has been released
• The next season will take place in Crime City and will feature a train heist
• Characters like Bill Dill, Midas, Sub-Zero, and more will be featured in the Battle Pass

Epic Games has released the first trailer for Fortnite Chapter 6 Season 2: Lawless ahead of its launch this week.

The next season will take players to Crime City, "where the hustle never stops," and with the new cinematic trailer, we finally got a chance to see the location in all its chaotic glory, alongside a bunch of new characters who will be featured in the upcoming Battle Pass.

It also seems rumors about this chapter featuring another heist are true, as the video kicks off with Big Dill, a playable pickle, robbing a bank while his song 'Runamok' plays throughout the trailer.

"Ransack Fletcher Kane’s banks, pull off a train heist and make an explosive getaway in Battle Royale Chapter 6 Season 2: Lawless," the description confirms.

The trailer soon devolves into mayhem as the bag of gold bars Dill robbed gets handed from one character to the other until it eventually lands in the hands of a mob boss wolfman, who appears to be the antagonist of the season.

We also got our first look at Midas' new look, a returning character who first appeared in Chapter 2 Season 1, and some gameplay within Crime City as players cause trouble with what appears to be a new laser weapon.

Epic Games just confirmed that Mortal Kombat's Sub-Zero will be featured in the new Battle Pass, making him the franchise's first character to be added to the game. Sub-Zero's abilities haven't been detailed just yet, but the trailer did offer a glimpse at his ice powers.

Fortnite Chapter 6 Season 2: Lawless is scheduled to begin on February 21, 2025.

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• Security researchers found two flaws affecting Xerox Versalink MFP printers
• The flaws could be used in "pass-back" attacks to steal login credentials
• Patches and workarounds are already available, so update now

Some Xerox printers are vulnerable to a “pass-back” attack which can be used to steal login credentials, experts have warned.

Cybersecurity researchers Rapid7 discovered the vulnerability and reported it in an in-depth analysis, saying that during security testing, it found a vulnerability affecting Xerox Versalink MFP printers. This flaw can be abused either via LDAP, or SMB/FTP, to mount a pass-back attack, and with that in mind, it was given two CVEs: CVE-2024-12510 for LDAP, and CVE-2024-12511 for SMB/FTP. The vulnerabilities were given severity scores of 6.7/10 (medium) and 7.6/10 (high) respectively, and affect firmware versions 57.69.91 and earlier.

“This pass-back style attack leverages a vulnerability that allows a malicious actor to alter the MFP’s configuration and cause the MFP device to send authentication credentials back to the malicious actor,” the researchers explained. “This style of attack can be used to capture authentication data.”

Capturing login credentials

The technical details can be found in the blog post here, but the gist is that if a threat actor gains access to a printer’s admin settings, and LDAP is used for authentication, they can change the LDAP server to the one they control, capturing login credentials.

They can also hijack the printer’s scan-to-file feature to steal SMB or FTP credentials, potentially compromising Windows Active Directory and other critical systems.

"For this attack to be successful, the attacker requires an SMB or FTP scan function to be configured within the user's address book, as well as physical access to the printer console or access to remote-control console via the web interface," the researchers stressed.

"This may require admin access unless user level access to the remote-control console has been enabled."

After being tipped off, Xerox issued Service Pack Service Pack 57.75.53, which fixed the problem for VersaLink C7020, 7025, and 7030 series printers.

Those who are unable to apply the patches immediately are advised to set stronger passwords for their admin accounts, refrain from using Windows authentication accounts with high privileges, and disable the remote-control console for unauthenticated users.

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• A Redditor has received a third-party RTX 5070 Ti before its launch on February 20
• This comes before its February 19 review embargo
• Recent reports suggest that the new GPU will suffer from similar stock issues seen with the RTX 5090 and RTX 5080

Nvidia's RTX 5000 GPU series launch has been a tangled affair, due to numerous issues like limited retailer supply and scalping. Now, if it wasn't bad enough for Team Green already, the RTX 5070 Ti is only two days away from its launch - but one of its third-party models is unfortunately already out in the wild.

Spotted by VideoCardz, a Redditor claims they have already received the Asus RTX 5070 Ti Prime OC GPU, before both the review embargo and the actual launch of the Founders Edition card, which are set for February 19 and February 20 respectively. Leaks and speculation circulating around the new Blackwell GPUs aren't exactly anything extraordinary, but a card actually landing with a buyer days before launch is a pretty wild turn of events.

While it may not prove to be heavily detrimental to the RTX 5070 Ti's launch, it does further underline exactly how messy Team Green's latest GPU launch has been - more reports highlighted by VideoCardz suggest the upcoming GPU could also face the same supply issues seen with the RTX 5090 and RTX 5080, potentially leaving scalpers salivating once again.

The Redditor also mentioned paying more than the retail price, which doesn't come as a surprise - multiple online retailers currently feature inflated prices for third-party RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 cards, so even though the recipient likely paid extra (with the unexpected benefit of getting the RTX 5070 Ti early), there's a high chance the same price inflation will occur for the 5070 family.

(Image credit: Nvidia) It's probably best to stick with your RTX 4000 series GPU for now

Acknowledging the ongoing issues with RTX 5000 availability, the easiest solution is to stick with your RTX 4000 series GPU if you have one. If you're lucky enough, you may even find third-party models of AMD's Radeon RX 7900 XTX (which is only slightly weaker than the RTX 5080) at discounted prices, or you could just wait for Team Red's new Radeon RX 9000 series lineup (assuming those don't get the scalper treatment too).

The only disadvantage you may have with Team Red's RX 7000 series flagship GPU, is potentially no access to FSR 4 - I say this with heavy emphasis on 'potentially', as the upscaling method might not end up being exclusive to the RX 9000 series forever.

While I'm not downplaying the effectiveness of DLSS 4 with Multi Frame Generation on the new Blackwell GPUs, it's just not worth the hassle to overpay to pre-order any of the cards at this point. There will more than likely be restocking in order for RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 GPUs at some point (and likely the same once the 5070 family sells out), but who knows how long that will take.

Right now, if you own an RX 7900 XTX or the likes of an RTX 4080 Super, rest assured, you're not missing out...

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Money no object

We love to give practical buying advice on the latest gadgets here at TechRadar. But sometimes what we love even more is to indulge in the most ridiculous, high-end, cutting-edge, luxurious tech on the planet. That's what we bring you in these Money No Object columns – you can read the whole series here.

If you're reading this (thank you for that, by the way) you're no newbie to the hi-fi game. You know McIntosh – you remember the US specialist's MA6300 integrated amplifier, from the mid noughties, noted the firm's much more recent striking Bluetooth speaker, considered the compact, good-for-anything audiophile amp with streaming smarts and perhaps even visited the company's elite House of Sound venue. But this proposition is new again.

This is the McIntosh DS200, and this big chunk of metal, buttons and classy casework is specifically a streaming DAC. It's the separate for you if you've already got a compatible power amp and preamp (if not, might I suggest Moon's North 791 and 761 solution?) and of course speakers – here, let's go for the Focal Diva Utopia, because this is our hedonistic hi-fi haven and we can imagine whatever we like. Just missing the high-end streaming component to complete it all? McIntosh's got it covered with the DS200.

(Image credit: McIntosh) What makes a McIntosh separate? For me, the sound

As you'd expect, it's compatible with wireless protocols Spotify Connect, Tidal Connect, Apple AirPlay 2 and Google Cast plus Bluetooth. It's equipped with two Wi-Fi antennas and one Bluetooth antenna, as well as an Ethernet port for wired connections.

What about the DAC? It's good: the DS200 features a Quad Balanced eight-channel, 32-bit digital-to-analog converter, so in addition to its streaming capabilities, the DS200 boasts high-resolution digital audio playback via its eight digital audio inputs, including DSD512 and DXD up to 384kHz via USB and 24-bit/192kHz via coax and optical ins. There's also an HDMI (ARC) input to level up your TV and movie audio experiences, which can convert Dolby and DTS multi-channel formats into two-channel audio for optimized playback on your particular system, should you wish.

The DS200 also sports both balanced and unbalanced analog outputs, meaning it'll fit in with pretty much any existing audio system. For instance, it's factory-set in fixed output mode, with an option to switch to variable for direct connection to a power amp, allowing the DS200 to control volume in a fully digital audio setup.

And I can't end this piece without mentioning McIntosh's design language. The DS200 Streaming DAC is every bit the black glass faceplate, rotary control knobs, illuminated logo and custom-machined aluminum end caps I love about the company.

Ready for the big question? The DS200 be available in March through authorised McIntosh dealers with an official price of $4,000 / £5,890 / €5,990, which is around AU$6,302, if we take the US dollars figure as a guide. Look, I can't afford it. But that doesn't mean I wouldn't want to buy it…

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The way I listen to music is functional. I have playlists for the gym, background music for work, and upbeat tracks to push me through an afternoon slump. My choices are tied to specific activities and times of day, so when Spotify introduced Daylist in September 2023, I was hooked.

Daylist is a dynamic, personalized playlist that updates throughout the day based on your listening habits. It curates tracks that match past choices, adjusting to different times and, in theory, moods. It’s ideal – open it, laugh at the AI-generated playlist names, hit shuffle, and go, no thinking required.

But is that a good thing? At first, I loved it. But over time, it shifted from something I enjoyed to something I heavily relied on without realizing. And now, I’ve started to notice a pattern – the same themes, the same kinds of tracks appearing again and again.

Which makes me wonder: Am I stuck in an AI-curated loop, feeding the same preferences back into the system until my tastes become a closed circuit? Is Spotify’s recommendation algorithm making me predictable – and, dare I say it, boring?

(Image credit: Shutterstock) How do recommendations work?

Personalized content is a huge part of Spotify’s success, and Daylist is just one of many recommendation-driven features. There’s Discover Weekly, Release Radar, Daily Mix, On Repeat, Repeat Rewind, Your Daily Podcasts, and more.

Seasonal playlists, like Spotify Wrapped, also keep things fresh. Spotify’s approach has been so successful that other streaming services have followed suit, refining their own playlist and recommendation engines to compete.

Some playlists are curated by actual humans at Spotify, but most rely on recommendation algorithms. The system pulls from several inputs: what you listen to, what you skip, what you save, your location, age, broader listener behavior, and general trends. One key method is collaborative filtering, which analyzes users with similar habits to recommend music you might like.

Another technique, content-based filtering, examines song characteristics – like tempo, genre, and instrumentation – to find patterns and suggest similar tracks. Then there’s context-aware filtering, which considers time of day, location, and past listening behaviors – this is what powers Daylist.

These techniques work together to keep recommendations fresh but still personal. Even when it feels like the algorithm is just recycling my old favorites, it’s actually introducing new songs that fit my tastes – just with enough variety to keep things interesting.

(Image credit: Spotify) The filter bubble

There’s a downside to all this personalization. The more I listen to algorithmic recommendations, the more my choices get reinforced, creating what’s known as an echo chamber or filter bubble.

And it’s not just Spotify. Netflix, YouTube, news apps – they all work the same way, feeding us more of what we already like, sometimes at the expense of real discovery.

This isn’t new. For years, our digital experiences – and even our tastes – have been shaped more by recommendations than by our own curiosity. Convenience is baked in, making it harder to break free. And let’s be honest – these platforms are designed to keep us scrolling, watching, and listening, not questioning what’s next.

Breaking free from The Algorithm

If AI-driven recommendations are keeping me in a musical rut, what’s the solution? The fixes are simple – almost embarrassingly so – but I needed the reminder.

Lately, I’ve been making an effort to seek out new music. I’m listening to more music podcasts, radio stations, and asking friends for recommendations. Even just recognizing that I might be stuck is a step forward.

I’ve also been using Spotify more intentionally – shuffling through my library to rediscover old favorites, searching for artists instead of mindlessly clicking on the dreamy color gradient of Daylist. This morning, instead of opening Daylist, I played a new music playlist. Not a huge step, but a small one.

(Image credit: Future)

Because as much as I love the convenience of an algorithm telling me what to listen to, what to like, what to care about, I don’t love how it commodifies music. These platforms aren’t designed to help us discover hidden gems or support emerging artists – they champion what’s already trending. Their real goal? Keeping us engaged and making money.

And yet, there’s something magical about human curation, randomness, and chance discoveries. But that kind of exploration takes effort, patience, and a willingness to get it wrong sometimes. Can we ever code that into an algorithm? It feels too messy, too human – but maybe one day.

Then again, maybe I’ve got it all wrong. Maybe these recommendation engines do understand something deeply human – just not the part we like to admit. We say we love discovery, that we crave newness. But when it comes to entertainment – movies, TV, music – maybe we’re not that adventurous. Maybe we just like things to feel familiar.

Maybe it’s not Spotify making me boring. Maybe I’m just boring.

• PLL Electric Utilities confirms data leaked online
• It was stolen from a third-party vendor during MOVEit hack
• No banking or payment information was leaked

It has been almost two years since the MOVEit MFT data breach fiasco, but businesses and their customers are still feeling the consequences.

PLL Electric Utilities is the latest to confirm information stolen back in 2023 has now been leaked online, as one of its vendors was exposed through MOVEit.

“The information did not extend beyond basic information such as name, address, phone number, email address and account number,” a company spokesperson said. Banking or credit card information, social security numbers or account passwords were not disclosed, since PPL did not share this data with the compromised vendor in the first place - but the information can still be used in phishing attack, identity theft, social engineering, and more.

Millions of victims

“This issue is completely unrelated to PPL’s systems and critical infrastructure across all our service areas,” the company said.

The 2023 MOVEit data breach was a large-scale cyberattack exploiting a zero-day vulnerability in MOVEit Managed File Transfer, a file transfer software built by Progress Software. It was discovered in late May 2023, when the flaw allowed attackers to execute SQL injection attacks and gain unauthorized access to sensitive data.

Ransomware actors known as Cl0p were the ones exploiting the bug to steal data from organizations worldwide. The attack impacted more than 600 organizations and roughly 40 million individuals, including governments, financial institutions, healthcare providers, and major corporations. Among more notable victims are U.S. federal agencies, British Airways, Shell, and BBC.

The Cl0p ransomware gang is estimated to have extorted between $75 million and $100 million. Despite a low percentage of victims opting to pay, the group secured substantial sums from a select few who met their high ransom demands.

Via The Record

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• Epic Games has confirmed that Mortal Kombat's Sub-Zero will be coming to Fortnite in the next season
• This makes it the first game to feature characters from both Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat at the same time
• Sub-Zero will be featured in the battle pass for Chapter 6: Season 2

Fortnite will officially get characters from the Mortal Kombat universe in Chapter 6 Season 2.

Epic Games shared the announcement in a recent X / Twitter post, where artwork confirmed that the next season will add Mortal Kombat icon Sub-Zero as an earnable skin in the game's new Battle Pass.

The addition of Sub-Zero makes Fortnite the first game to allow for a Mortal Kombat vs Street Fighter showdown by featuring characters from both fighting game franchises at the same time.

The popular battle royale welcomed Street Fighter's Ryu and Chun-Li back in 2021, followed by Cammy, Blanka, and Sakura later. With both fighting games now finally represented in Fortnite, we can probably expect some creative one-on-one battles between players, minus the bloody violence, of course.

Step forward and state your name. Except you, Sub-Zero. We know who you are...C6S2 | 2.21.25 pic.twitter.com/A6B9YjVHyYFebruary 14, 2025

So far, Sub-Zero is the only Mortal Kombat to be confirmed for the game, but there's a chance more characters will be added in the future, like Scorpion, Mileena, Johnny Cage, and Raiden.

Fortnite Chapter 6 Season 2: Lawless is scheduled to kick off on February 21, 2025. The new season will take place in Crime City and will also let you play as a pickle called Big Dill, as well as returning character Midas.

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I'm really gonna miss the iPhone SE. Oh, I know it's not going anywhere, but that iconic design with its last vestige of a home button is sure to disappear, and be replaced by something elegant and also very similar to all other current iPhone 16 models. That technical and aesthetic shift could sap the iPhone SE of what made it special (or Special Edition), and that would be a crying shame.

When, if the rumors are true, Apple unveils the iPhone SE 4 tomorrow (February 19), the Cupertino tech giant will have its work cut out for it. No one expects the 4.7-inch screen, single rear camera, and arguably very iPhone 8 design to survive. But unveiling a $500 iPhone SE that looks almost exactly like an iPhone 16 mini but with no defining characteristics would be a mistake, and it's one I truly hope Apple doesn't make.

There are signs that things could go a different way. Chief among them is Apple CEO Tim Cook's teaser post, which included a GIF that appeared to show the reflection of… something. Some believe they can clearly see the reflection of the next SE in that Apple logo. I, however, see something different.

Get ready to meet the newest member of the family.Wednesday, February 19. #AppleLaunch pic.twitter.com/0ML0NfMeduFebruary 13, 2025

I wonder if Apple was teasing an all-white iPhone with a design that splits the difference between the flat edges of the iPhone 16 lineup and that classic iPhone SE of 2022. At the very least, it would mean the iPhone SE 4 looks unlike anything else in the iPhone lineup.

Realistically, if Apple doesn't do something unexpected with the design, I struggle to see how the SE can be a 'Special Edition'. We're already fairly certain that it will get the Dynamic Island (or at least the dreaded notch) and Face ID. It will, by European Union decree, be a USB-C port design, and will have at least an A17 Pro so it can support Apple Intelligence, because Apple wants that AI stuff everywhere.

It won't have class-leading cameras. If the iPhone SE 4 follows in the footsteps of its predecessors, it will have a single rear camera (but it might be 48MP) and a 12MP front-facing FaceTime camera.

This is all expected.

Mini SE

I suppose there is a chance that the iPhone SE will instead take up the mini mantle and be a reskinned iPhone 13 mini. Back in 2022, the iPhone 13 mini was a little powerhouse with a dual-camera system and the A15 Bionic driving almost all the same photographic experiences you could get on the full-size iPhone 13. At 5.4 inches, the iPhone 13 mini screen is still larger than the iPhone SE's 4.7-inch display.

If Apple goes that route, it would just have to update the screen to accommodate the Dynamic Island (or notch). I don't know if Apple would go fully Super Retina on what is supposed to be a $500 phone. The iPhone 13 mini, by the way, cost $699 / £679 / AU$1,199.

Apple's iPhone mini line never sold well, but this was likely due to that price. The cheaper iPhone SE 4 could fare better. Still, none of the changes I've described put this phone in the 'special' realm.

To be fair, I really don't know what could make the iPhone SE 4 'special'. It's unlikely that Apple would introduce some out-of-band innovation that none of the iPhone 16 models have. That's not Apple's way. The SE line is a trickle-down model; it gets what the other phones have in due course, and tech innovation does not flow upstream.

Still, I'm excited about this mid-year iPhone unveil. Apple doesn't do it very often, and it could be a great opportunity for it to surprise us, and make the iPhone SE 4 as truly special as I want it to be.

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2025 is a watershed moment for AI in the enterprise, especially generative AI. Businesses across industries are integrating the technology at scale and with their critical systems and objectives. By the end of the year, more than three-quarters of enterprises will have deployed the technology, according to Gartner – up from just five percent in 2023.

This is the year that AI truly becomes entwined with business’ most coveted data, influencing their strategic decisions and interfacing directly with their customers. Meanwhile, AI regulations are proliferating: The EU AI Act is rolling out across Europe and several U.S. states have introduced AI bills.    

More than ever, enterprises must ensure their AI systems are trustworthy: explainable, fair, robust, transparent, and privacy-respecting. Only then can AI be a net positive for business. But how do they do so?

Trustworthy AI requires a framework with two important perspectives: AI governance, which sets and enforces rules to ensure AI systems are safe and ethical. And AI security, which monitors AI behavior, securing AI models, data, and applications.   

When approached together, AI governance and AI security provide a 1 + 1 = 3 effect, bridging business imperatives with compliance requirements, enterprise risk, and CISO mandates. Safe, ethical systems are easier to secure; and secure systems are easier to govern. But enterprises are often overwhelmed and underprepared, and their governance and security efforts are frequently siloed – which can seriously undermine AI initiatives and investments.

Without governance + security, trust falls apart

Here is an analogy: Imagine a food manufacturer with a meticulous governance process. They carefully oversee how ingredients are grown, procured, stored, and mixed. Yet that same company keeps their factory doors unlocked and does not place tamper-proof seals on their products. Do you trust them?

On the flipside: Imagine a food manufacturer that carefully secures its factories and products – but does little to govern how food is grown, procured, stored, and mixed. Do you trust them? 

This same logic apples to AI. You cannot govern a system that is not secure. And you cannot secure a system without proper oversight.

A mix of fragmented tooling, poor communication, and skills gaps are driving this problem. There are a dearth of integrated, end-to-end tools and processes for AI security and AI governance. In many businesses, data scientists and model validators are using ad-hoc security and governance point solutions, sometimes not even formally supported by the organization. Recent IBM research revealed that fewer than half of companies surveyed are taking key steps towards trustworthy AI like reducing bias (27%), tracking data provenance (37%), making sure they can explain the decisions of their AI models (41%), or developing ethical AI policies (44%).

There is also a major skills gap: The people who create and maintain AI models are not cybersecurity experts. And security experts generally are not versed in AI. That may be why only 24% of current generative AI projects have a component to secure the initiatives, according to the IBM Institute for Business Value.

These shortcomings carry steep costs. Enterprises not only miss the full potential of AI, but also invite a range of risks and threats. Improper AI governance and security can result in incorrect outputs, including hallucinations, bias, hate, and profanity. Data breaches can become more common – costing businesses millions of dollars and violating compliance mandates. And vulnerabilities can proliferate, creating attractive targets for bad actors.

 Bridging the gap

AI governance and AI security are shared responsibilities. The two disciplines have common objectives: heightening visibility and mitigating risk. Both are also closely tied to data: Properly governing AI requires data governance. And properly securing AI requires data security.

To properly entwine the two, collaboration must happen both at the table and in the tech. Security experts need a seat at the governance table, and vice versa; CISOs, CROs, CCOs, and CSOs should be in regular communication. Their respective frameworks and strategies should be interoperable, and their investments should complement each other to avoid gaps and redundancies.

Meanwhile, the underlying technology for security and governance must be one unified, cross-functional experience. This allows employees working on day-to-day model governance and cybersecurity to stay in constant contact with shared visibility. The problem of shadow AI – unauthorized models running within an organization – provides a clear example. If just one AI model eludes governance, it undermines the whole governance strategy. AI security products can help eliminate this risk, pinpointing shadow AI models and automatically feeding them into the requisite AI governance tool. This interplay can also apply to misconfigurations and vulnerabilities.

As businesses race toward generative AI adoption, it is not enough to have individual approaches to AI governance and AI security. Businesses should have one shared approach, from the executive level down to their tactical tools. This collaboration enables businesses to unlock the power of AI – safely and securely.

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• Netskope uncovers new Go-built backdoor spreading malware
• It uses Telegram as its C2 infrastructure to send commands
• The backdoor is most likely of Russian origin, experts warn

A new backdoor threat has been spotted using Telegram as its command-and-control (C2) infrastructure, researchers have warned.

Cybersecurity researchers from Netskope observed a new backdoor built in Golang, also known as Go, a programming language best known for its simplicity, concurrency support, and efficiency in building scalable backend systems, cloud services, and networking applications.

The backdoor is capable of executing PowerShell commands, can self-destruct, and checks for and executes predefined commands. However, what makes it really stand out from the crowd is its C2 infrastructure - it uses a special function to create a bot instance, using a Telegram API token generated via Botfather. Then, it uses a separate function to continuously listen for incoming commands from a Telegram chat. Before executing any predefined actions, the malware verifies the received command’s validity.

Challenging defense

Using Telegram, or other cloud services, as a C2 server is nothing new, the researchers explained, but it is dangerous, since it is difficult for security pros to differentiate between malicious and benign information flow.

“Although the use of cloud apps as C2 channels is not something we see every day, it’s a very effective method used by attackers not only because there’s no need to implement a whole infrastructure for it, making attackers’ lives easier, but also because it’s very difficult, from a defender perspective, to differentiate what is a normal user using an API and what is a C2 communication,” Netskope said in the article.

Besides Telegram, threat actors often use OneDrive, GitHub, Dropbox, and similar cloud apps, making defenders’ lives difficult.

Netskope did not discuss the number of potential victims, but did stress that the malware is most likely of Russian origin.

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• A small amp promising supreme sound
• The AP-507 joins TEAC's Reference 500 Series
• Due out in spring, it costs $2,299 / £1,899

Money no object

We love to give practical buying advice about the latest gadgets here on TechRadar. But sometimes what we love more is to indulge in the most ridiculous, high-end, cutting-edge, luxurious tech on the planet. That's what we bring you in these Money no object columns – you can read the whole series here.

Are you a hardcore audiophile who has just won the lottery? Then great news! TEAC has just announced a super-high end amp that promises to bring big sounds to your surround system all wrapped up in a compact box.

From a specs perspective, TEAC’s AP-507 stereo power amplifier is exactly the sort of luxury product we love to attach our Money No Object label to.

Due out later this spring and priced at an eye-watering $2,299 / £1,899, the AP-507 promises to deliver top-tier audio engineering squeezed into a small form-factor design that won’t dominate your living room.

TEAC claims that despite its adorable “letter size” footprint, the AP-507 will embody “the pinnacle of audio design”, joining the firm’s Reference 500 Series of luxury sound gear. Like the rest of the range, the AP-507 amp – which will be available in black and silver – has been “designed to give music enthusiasts complete control and flexibility” when it comes to fine-tuning their sound systems.

The Japanese audio expert is making some impressive claims that would seem to justify the AP-507’s bank balance-obliterating price tag. Sporting the firm’s next-gen custom tuned ‘NCOREx’ power amplifier module, it could be a dream amp to pair with some of the best stereo speakers.

Amped up

(Image credit: TEAC)

This tech will supposedly deliver an ultra-immersive three-dimensional soundstage, and TEAC says the AP-507 will deliver super-accurate, high efficiency, low distortion sounds thanks to its proprietary dual-mono buffer amplifier. Which is a lot of techy audio terms in order to get across that the AP-507 should make your existing speaker system sound pretty damn glorious.

Designed to be both compact and flexible, the AP-507 offers a trio of listening modes: stereo, Bi-AMP and BLT mono, all delivered at 170 watts, which really is a lot for something so small.

It’s also a lovely-looking piece of audio equipment. Then again, you’d expect that from a high-end amp that costs this kind of money – still, I love the classy aluminum chassis. Its 2.8mm thick, semi-floating top plate – also made from aluminum – is also rather eyeball-arousing.

Obviously that $2,300 / £1,899 price point is going to mean the TEAC AP-507 is a cute and compact amp that is going to be for hardcore audiophiles who've simply run out of space for a big rack system.

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• A Reddit user spotted AMD's Ryzen 7 7800X3D at an astonishingly low price at a Walmart store
• A similarly deep discount on Intel's i5 14600K was seen at the same store
• This comes amid Nvidia and AMD's preparation for new GPU launches

At a time when the hunt for the latest Nvidia and AMD GPUs is perhaps at its most competitive among PC gamers, you may not be keeping an eye out for CPU deals - but one lucky individual has shared what could be the best CPU discount of the year so far.

As reported by VideoCardz, a Redditor spotted AMD's Ryzen 7 7800X3D at a Walmart store that was discounted to $99.75 (pictured below) due to its PC department closure - an enormous discount from its regular listed price of $399 (£419.99 / AU$780).

The AMD chip is lauded as one of the best gaming processors, boasting eight cores and 16 threads as well as a 4.20GHz clock speed, so this is an absolute steal to say the least.

It's safe to say that you'll likely never find it at such a low price again. It isn't unusual for some listed prices for PC hardware at online retailers to drop far below retail price by mistake (with some orders still honored at that price), but this is a different case as it's a legitimate price drop in-store for whoever grabs it first.

A similar discount was available on Intel's i5 14600K which dropped to an insane $77.25 down from $309 (£229.99 / AU$419.99) - this packs 14 cores and 20 threads, ideal for gaming and multitasking duties. The Redditor didn’t specify which Walmart store this was at, and there’s sadly no sign of such deep price cuts making their way to online retailers - as much as I would love to see that.

7800 3d is 99$ at my Walmart from r/pcmasterrace If only this could happen to GPUs...

Over on the GPU side of things, Nvidia's RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 are already out in the wild, but you're probably not going to find any of them at MSRP thanks to scalpers and an extremely limited supply.

The rest of the RTX 5000 lineup is fast approaching, with the RTX 5070 Ti confirmed to be launching on February 20 and the RTX 5070 following on March 5 - these will go up against AMD's Radeon RX 9000 series cards which are also due to launch in early March, and given the current state of the market, I'd imagine the scalpers will be hard at ‘work’ again.

With this fresh influx of cards, I hope we see significant price drops for both Nvidia's RTX 4000 series and AMD's Radeon RX 7000 series - while we’re unlikely to see discounts as steep as the aforementioned price cut on the 7800X3D, I don't think it's too much to expect some more reasonable pricing - after all, it’s still difficult to find an RTX 4090 below its original launch price, even two years after its launch.

We know that the RTX 4000 series is mostly discontinued at this point since Team Green stopped production of most Lovelace GPUs in preparation for the RTX 5000 series - so if we’re going to start seeing price drops on third-party cards at online retailers, it should be soon.

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• Microsoft has announced a $700m investment into Polish digital infrastucture
• The funds will focus on AI capabilities and cybersecurity
• This is the second phase of the company's expendeture

Microsoft has announced its second major investment in Polish digital infrastructure, with the firm pledging to spend PLN 2.8 billion ($700 million) by June 2026 with the aim of expanding the nation’s ‘hyperscale cloud and artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure’.

Part of the investment will be in collaboration with the Polish National Defence agency in order to enhance the national cybersecurity framework. Poland currently ranks 3rd in Europe and 9th in the world in its vulnerability to attacks from foreign-backed threat actors, according to Microsoft’s Digital Defense report.

That’s not all, as Microsoft confirms there will be a ‘final phase’ after this is completed - although it's not yet clear what that will be.

Expanding the digital sector

Investments are also being made into the Polish language model, Bielik, underscoring a ‘vote of confidence in Poland’s leadership and economy’, Brad Smith, Vice Chair and President of Microsoft confirmed.

In 2020, Microsoft launched the first cloud computing region in Poland, building three independent data centers and investing $1billion in the project.

Between 2020 and 2023, Microsoft also trained 430,000 Polish citizens in digital skills, and has committed to training 1 million Polish teachers, information workers, software developers, with the ‘skills and capabilities to help accelerate Poland’s digital transformation across various sectors’.

“This is an investment that will provide Poles, especially the younger generation, with access to the most modern tools and opportunities offered by the best in the world,” said Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk.

“Microsoft will also be conducting AI training in Poland. Tools, money, and investments are important, as is cooperation with our people and companies, but we will achieve the desired effects also by taking advantage of training opportunities.”

Microsoft’s not alone in its investment in the country, as in 2025, Google spent $2 billion on a new data center in Poland to develop the cloud computing and AI infrastructure.

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