TechRadar News

• Ubisoft released PC requirements for Assassin's Creed Shadows
• The extreme ray tracing preset needs an RTX 4090 for 60fps
• An RTX 3080 can run Shadows with 'selective' ray tracing at 1440p, achieving 60fps

Nvidia's latest RTX 5090 GPU makes notable performance leaps over the previous generation's flagship GPU, with additions such as Multi Frame Generation improving performance using ray tracing at 4K in games - and while the performance is impressive based on our RTX 5090 review, Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed Shadows hardware requirements suggest an RTX 4000 series GPU (or older) will suffice.

With the long-awaited title now available for pre-order and set for launch on March 20, Ubisoft has revealed the PC requirements (pictured below). As expected, the RTX 4090 is the highest recommended GPU for the extreme ray tracing preset at 4K to achieve 60 frames per second - this is while using DLSS 3.7, as DLSS 4 isn't confirmed for the title yet.

If the RTX 4090 couldn't run Shadows at those settings and maintain a good frame rate, there would be reasons to worry about the game - but as some of the other requirements reveal, an RTX 4070 Ti Super will reportedly be enough for standard ray-tracing and achieve 60fps at 4K, while an RTX 3080 will do the same at 1440p.

We'll need to wait and see how the game performs on PC, as hardware requirements are rarely a good indication of optimization quality. Despite this, with the benefit of Frame Generation and the included XeSS and FSR 3.1 upscaling methods from Intel and AMD alongside Nvidia's DLSS 3.7, it's safe to say that an RTX 4000 series (and even an RTX 3000) GPU should be comfortably enough for gamers.

(Image credit: Ubisoft) DLSS, FSR, and XeSS are the future of PC gaming, whether we like it or not

With features like frame-gen becoming more popular among many Nvidia, AMD, and Intel users, PC gaming will never be the same again. While ‘super-resolution’ (AI upscaling a lower rendered resolution to a higher output resolution) has been at the forefront of PC ports for a long while for providing better performance and image quality, it hasn’t faced as much criticism until now due to the addition of frame generation - which is being labeled as 'fake frames' by some users.

By using interpolated frames, the risk of increased input latency is present - fortunately, features like the new Reflex 2 from Nvidia are designed to reduce this. Yet other issues such as artifacting and ghosting (while improved) are still present in some games, which is evident in Daniel Owen's Multi Frame Generation testing in Cyberpunk 2077 as seen on YouTube.

I've already made my frustrations and worries about the future of optimization in PC games known - and while I have no doubts that Nvidia will work even harder at improving DLSS Frame Generation more as time goes by, not all GPU owners will have access to it (at least, for now). Hopefully, game developers don't lose sight of ensuring games are capable of running in an acceptable fashion without relying solely on frame generation to do the job.

You may also like...

• Maybe AMD's Radeon RX 9070 series GPUs aren't midrange after all - early Black Ops 6 benchmark shows a 99fps average at 4K without even needing FSR
• AMD's decision to make FSR 4 exclusive to its new GPUs is a disappointing compromise in a bid to beat Nvidia - I hope it's worth it
• Intel is taking the budget GPU market by storm - leaked Arc B570 benchmark shows solid performance for a very reasonable price

• Security researchers discover hundreds of fake Reddit and WeTransfer pages
• These are used in an elaborate scheme to deploy the Lumma Stealer
• The pages are well-built and probably distributed via SEO poisoning and malicious landing pages

There are hundreds of fake Reddit and WeTransfer websites out there, all designed to trick people into downloading and running the Lumma Stealer malware, experts have warned.

Cybersecurity researchers from Sekoia have shared a complete list of the pages on GitHub, which includes 59 fake Reddit pages, and 407 fake WeTransfer pages.

The tactic is simple: the fake Reddit page displays a thread in which a person asks help finding a specific piece of software. One of the responses shares a link to the fake WeTransfer page, where the tool can be downloaded. Other people in the thread share their thanks for the contribution, and the discussion continues.

Targeting forensic analysts

The researchers could not say for certain how victims end up on these pages, but it’s safe to assume there is a little SEO poisoning, malicious landing pages, or instant messaging communication involved.

The choice of fake software is also curious. Usually, that is where researchers could find clues to who the targets are. If the attackers are faking software development tools, the targets are devs. If they’re faking games, crypto wallets, or Discord clients, the targets are retail buyers in the Web3 space.

In the example shared by Sekoia researchers, the attackers went for OpenText Encase Forensic - a tool used for scanning, collecting, and securing forensic data for law enforcement, government agency and corporate investigations. This is not exactly software the police, cybersecurity pros, or enterprises would pirate, and also not something average internet users would need.

Both the Reddit and WeTransfer pages were designed to look almost identical to the originals. Their URLs both contain brand names, followed by random numbers and characters. They are both on .org and .net top-level domains, further boosting their legitimacy.

However, clicking the download button on the WeTransfer one leads to Lumma Stealer hosted on “weighcobbweo[.]top.”

Via BleepingComputer

You might also like

• Top WordPress plugins found to have some serious security flaws, so make sure you're protected
• Here's a list of the best antivirus tools on offer
• These are the best endpoint protection tools right now

• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is coming on April 24, 2025
• The Xbox Developer Direct revealed a massive, explorable world map
• The map will be dotted with secrets and optional bosses to find

We've got a lot more information on the upcoming Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 thanks to its lengthy appearance at January 23's Xbox Developer Direct. This includes a closer look at combat, characters and a fully explorable 3D world map.

A new official Xbox Wire post goes into more detail on the upcoming turn-based RPG, which is the debut project of French developer Sandfall Interactive. The post includes information about a feature that caught my eye the most - a massive overworld that players are able to explore akin to classics like Final Fantasy 6, Chrono Trigger and Secret of Mana.

“Since the day I started working on this project in Unreal engine, I wanted a world map,” said creative director Guillaume Broche. “I feel like it’s such a cool thing that has almost completely disappeared from the face of the gaming industry. Like, nobody does that anymore, and for me it was such a crucial and important part of what made the old-school JRPGs unique."

Broche went on to describe the world map as "very big" and will be dotted with "hidden bosses" and "tons of secrets." From the glimpses we've seen, the world map also looks utterly stunning, presenting a fractured world with the hauntingly warped Eiffel Tower as its centerpiece.

Broche also talked about Clair Obscur: Expedition 33's turn-based combat. Particularly, its context sensitive prompts for attacks and parrying that aren't too dissimilar to those seen in Xbox 360 classic Lost Odyssey.

It does seem like the game is going to be fairly challenging, but Broche stressed that there will be various difficulty modes. He also encouraged players to experiment with different character builds and combos, which both seem to be a huge focus. Broche hopes players will "break the game, because it's made for that!"

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 will release on April 24 for Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PS5 and PC. It'll also be available on Xbox Game Pass on day one of release.

You might also like...

• Ninja Gaiden 4 is the Xbox Developer Direct mystery game, and is being co-developed by Team Ninja and PlatinumGames
• South of Midnight looks absolutely stunning, and it's now got an official release date
• Insomniac still can't confirm if Marvel's Wolverine will launch in 2025

Our best smartwatches guide is one we have to update on a regular basis, and it looks likely that Samsung is going to launch another contender for the list in the not-too-distant future: we're expecting the Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 to arrive sometime during 2025.

It will be the successor to the Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 from 2024, and it will keep up Samsung's tradition of launching a new smartwatch (or two) every year. The thinking is that it might also be joined by another wearable or two when launch day comes around.

Nothing is official yet, but here we've gathered together all of the Galaxy Watch 8 leaks and rumors that have come our way so far: there's information here on everything from a release date to design changes, and we'll be updating this guide on a regular basis too.

Cut to the chase

• What is it? The 2025 Galaxy Watch
• When is it out? Probably July 2025
• How much will it cost? Probably at least $299 / £289 / AU$549

Samsung Galaxy Watch 8: release date predictions and pricing

The Galaxy Watch 7 (Image credit: Samsung)

• Expect a July 2025 release
• The previous model started at $299 / £289 / AU$549

There haven't been any specific rumors about when the Galaxy Watch 8 will appear or how much it might cost, but we can make some educated guesses by looking at this upcoming wearable's immediate predecessor: check out our comprehensive Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 review for full details.

The Galaxy Watch 7 broke cover on Wednesday, July 10, 2024 – alongside the Galaxy Watch Ultra, the Galaxy Z Fold 6, and the Galaxy Z Flip 6, you might remember – and there's no reason to think Samsung is going to deviate too far from the same schedule in 2025. In other words, we can expect the Galaxy Watch 8 to show up around July 2025.

We've already seen the grand unveiling of the Samsung Galaxy S25 series, so it would make sense for an updated line of foldables to be introduced around the middle of the year – with a new smartwatch or two in tow as well. It's likely that we'll also be treated to the Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 at the same time.

As for pricing, again we have to rely on what we know about the existing model: the Galaxy Watch 7 starts at $299 / £289 / AU$549 for the 40 mm version – with the larger 44 mm and LTE models costing more. There's been no word as to whether the Galaxy Watch 8 will be more or less expensive, but that gives you an idea of the general price point.

Samsung Galaxy Watch 8: leaks and rumors

The Galaxy Watch 7 (Image credit: Samsung)

• The Classic model could return
• Gesture support may be incoming

It's fair to say there hasn't been a flood of Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 leaks so far – it's been more like a trickle, to be honest. However, that should change as we get closer to the expected release date for the wearable, and we heard plenty about the Galaxy Watch 7 before it eventually broke cover.

One rumor that has emerged is that we could see the return of the Classic model. In 2024, we got the Galaxy Watch 7 and the Galaxy Watch Ultra, but in 2023 Samsung launched the Galaxy Watch 6 and the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic – our full Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 Classic explains all the key features of the watch.

The Classic model has typically been more expensive and larger, with a rotating bezel to help with navigating controls and menus. If it does make a return in 2025, it might mean we get three smartwatches from Samsung this year – though the leak about it making a comeback doesn't offer much in the way of detail.

Samsung has reportedly been working on MicroLED smartwatch display tech, so this is also a potential future upgrade in the Galaxy Watch line. Likewise, Samsung is reportedly going back to the square design in the future.

We've also seen Samsung patents pointing to smartwatch gestures for controlling TVs and an improved strap mechanism – but patents being patents, there's no guarantee we'll ever see these features, and they are unlikely to be ready for the Galaxy Watch 7. We'll keep our ears to the ground and let you know if we hear more.

Samsung Galaxy Watch 8: what we want to see

Three Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 models (Image credit: Samsung)

As good as the Galaxy Watch 7 is, there's always room for improvement when it comes to wearables. Based on our experiences with the Galaxy Watch 7, and what we've seen from other smartwatches recently, here's what we're hoping for from the Galaxy Watch 8.

1. The return of the rotating bezel

Let's start with the new feature we want that has been rumored: the return of the Classic model with the rotating bezel. We're hoping Samsung can find room for a standard, Classic, and Ultra model this year, as a physical bezel makes such a difference when it comes to controlling what's on screen – saving a lot of rather imprecise finger jabbing.

2. Improved battery life

Yes, it's the perennial request from all smartwatch owners, because it makes a noticeable improvement to day-to-day use. When a watch like the Garmin Instinct 3 is offering up to 24 days of battery life – and that's the model with the AMOLED screen by the way – then the 24 hours or so you get from the Galaxy Watch 7 feels like it's way below par.

3. A revamped look

If you look back through the history of Galaxy watches past, you'll see there hasn't been too much in the way of variation when it comes to the design, and this time around we're hoping that changes. We're less sure about how you would innovate on the standard smartwatch design – but we think Samsung's team could come up with something.

4. Some added AI – as long as it's useful

Samsung has bet heavily on AI in recent months, and the way AI can summarize and simplify life should make it perfect for adding to the convenience of wearables – but Samsung needs to make sure any AI features (like assistant support or notification summaries) are useful and accurate, rather than just there for the sake of more AI.

5. Broader Android support

We get why Samsung wants to develop a seamless experience for Galaxy phone owners with the Galaxy Watch, but other Android users miss out on certain features and tricks. Making the Galaxy Watch 8 more compatible with the Fitbit app and Android more generally would give the wearable extra appeal outside of the Samsung ecosystem.

You might also like

• iPhone 16 Pro review: pocket-sized brilliance and no concessions
• iPhone 16 Pro Max review: a beautiful, intelligent beast
• Best iPhone: which Apple smartphone reigns supreme?

• Purported Nvidia RTX 5080 Geekbench results have been shared
• They suggest roughly a 20% gen-on-gen uplift compared to the RTX 4080
• However, the RTX 5080 appears to come up short compared to the older RTX 4090

With the RTX 5090 now reviewed and fully evaluated – as an undoubtedly powerful GPU, albeit to the point of overkill in many ways – the attention of the benchmark-spilling world has turned to the RTX 5080.

Reviews of this second Blackwell GeForce GPU are imminent, and thanks to Benchleaks (via Tom’s Hardware), we’ve caught a purported Geekbench result (be skeptical with it, as with any such spillage).

The results are for the graphics tests from Geekbench and they suggest that the RTX 5080 will hit a score of around 262,000 in Vulkan and 256,000 in OpenCL.

That would represent about a 20% generational increase (just over) in performance compared to the RTX 4080 with the Vulkan score, but less than 10% for OpenCL. As Tom’s notes, Blackwell Vulkan performance appears stronger than OpenCL.

As our sister site further points out, the Vulkan score here is actually quite close to the RTX 4090, but the RTX 5080 is some way off with OpenCL, as the last-gen flagship is about 20% faster than the new graphics card.

The RTX 5090 is around 40% and 45% faster than the RTX 5080, if you were wondering how the new flagship stacks up, but again this is based on rumors.

(Image credit: Nvidia) Analysis: In line with other speculation, pretty much

As always when looking at benchmarks, synthetic results aren’t as valuable as real-world gaming tests, and Geekbench is not the first place anyone would turn to for a metric to judge a graphics card’s gaming prowess by. But nonetheless, this does give us something of a clue about where the RTX 5080 might land in terms of raw power for PC games.

And, as this hint goes, it’s pretty much what I expected. Pushing the OpenCL score to one side, I’d say a 20% performance uplift (for rasterized, non-DLSS, non-ray tracing games) sounds about on the money, based on previous spinning from the rumor mill – but obviously we’re still a long way from being able to draw that conclusion.

It’s worth remembering that games which support DLSS 4 (and Nvidia’s new frame generation tech, MFG) can expect a way, way bigger frame rate boost from the RTX 5080, or indeed any of the new Blackwell desktop graphics cards. And it's equally worth noting that while the RTX 4080 was an undoubted major leap in performance for an xx80-class graphics card, the price that Nvidia stuck on it was shocking at the time, and meant we weren’t a fan in our review (and this GPU did not fly off the shelves by any means, back in the day).

We’re now more acclimatized to Nvidia’s weighty pricing at the higher-end, and of course, with the RTX 5080, its MSRP has dropped back to $999 in the US (compared to $1,199 for the RTX 4080). So that’s something of a win for consumers, albeit a grand is still an eye-watering sum to be parting with for a desktop GPU.

Nvidia’s RTX 5080 arrives on January 30, alongside the RTX 5090, with the RTX 5070 and 5070 Ti following in February at some point. If you’re planning on buying the GPU next week, we’ve got a list of the best places to keep an eye on for stock of the RTX 5080. However, this graphics card is rumored to be short on stock, and so could sell out very quickly – you might need a fair bit of good fortune to land your next-gen GPU.

You might also like

• Nvidia abandons the problematic 12VHPWR RTX 4080 power connector with a much longer one for the RTX 5080 FE
• Rumored prices for third-party RTX 5080 graphics cards soar above Nvidia’s MSRP, and I’m worried entry-level models will sell out in a flash
• Nvidia RTX 5050 was missing in action at CES 2025 – but the budget GPU might just have been spotted in a surprising laptop

• Security researchers found an Elasticsearch index with millions of entries
• The database contained personal information on millions of Georgians
• It was traced back to an unnamed German cloud provider

A German cloud service provider has unintentionally exposed sensitive data on probably the entire population of Georgia, security researchers are saying.

Cybersecurity expert Bob Dyachenko, of SecurityDiscovery.com said they recently discovered an non-password-protected Elasticsearch index containing a “wide range of sensitive personal details” belonging to Georgians. The index hosted two indices, one with almost five million personal data records, and another with more than seven million.

Given that the entire population of Georgia counts less than four million people, it’s safe to assume that even with numerous duplicate entries, all of its citizens could be at risk of identity theft, phishing, and more.

Shutting down the leak

The archives contained people’s ID numbers, full names, birth dates, genders, phone numbers, and other sensitive information.

“The data appears to have been collected or aggregated from multiple sources, potentially including governmental or commercial data sets and number identification services,” Dyachenko said.

The researchers traced the instance back to a server owned by a German cloud service provider. The researchers did not name the company, and said that the server was taken offline “shortly after discovery”. It was left unclear if the company was notified of the leak. Therefore, we also don’t know if any threat actors found the archives in the meantime, and if the data had been exfiltrated elsewhere.

“Without clarity on data ownership, recourse for affected individuals is limited, and it remains challenging to enforce data protection laws or seek accountability,” the researcher said. “This leak highlights the complexities of cross-border data protection and regulation.”

Via Cybernews

You might also like

• Huge data breach exposes over 600,000 records, including background checks, vehicle, and property records
• Here's a list of the best antivirus tools on offer
• These are the best endpoint protection tools right now

• "News briefs" will appear on the Google TV For You page
• Will recommend related videos of "top news stories"
• Only in the US, and only being tested with some users

Google is experimenting with AI-powered news summaries and recommendations that you'll be able to see on your Google TV. This seems like a very bad idea.

The feature, called News Briefs, was spotted by Android Authority on the Google support pages. It will use "Gemini models and human evaluation" to provide narrated overviews of top news stories and "related YouTube videos from trusted news sources."

So far it's only being tested with selected users, and it's only being tested in the US. And I hope that at the end of the test, they kill it with fire.

The Google TV platform already has Gemini built-in, but evidently we're doing to get more of it. (Image credit: Google) The problem with AI news is simple

The thing about AI is that, for want of a better description, it's a massive miscommunication machine. To take a pretty innocuous example, Apple's AI headlines have been a disaster, and its AI summaries on my iPhone are often hilariously wrong.

Again and again we see very clear evidence that AI can't be trusted currently. Sometimes it's funny – as the Associated Press found in the summer of 2024, Gemini will happily tell you that astronauts have played with cats on the moon – but sometimes it's much more serious; the same report notes that Google's AI shared the conspiracy theory that Barack Obama is muslim.

The problem with AI is that what we're told is AI… isn't. It's like a very high-powered autocorrect, a prediction machine, and when its data is bad – and it often is – then it produces bad information with great confidence. And online there's an entire ecosystem based on making bad information and feeding it into social media such as YouTube.

Given YouTube's track record in recommendations – NBC News is one of many organizations that demonstrated a political and religious bias in the content being recommended to people, for example – having AI-powered news recommendations pushed to us even when we haven't asked to see new sounds terrifying.

And on top of that, I get plenty of nightmarish news delivered to me all day, every day on my phone – perhaps if I've turned on my TV it's to escape, or be distracted, or entertained. Some people love to watch rolling news (or news-style) networks all day, but some of us use our TV to focus elsewhere.

There's enough bad news in the world right now. I really hope Google TV isn't going to add more of it.

You might also like

• The AI lie: how trillion-dollar hype is killing humanity
• AI will end aging and death, according to this professor
• ChatGPT Operator is the next step in letting AI organize your life

• Apple has removed claims that CarPlay 2 will arrive in 2024 from its website
• The company has confirmed it’s still working with “several” car makers
• But there’s no indication of when CarPlay 2 might launch

Apple’s CarPlay 2 system is designed to help you manage maps, media and more inside your car. It was meant to arrive in 2024, yet for one reason or another, that never happened. And now, we’ve finally had official word from Apple on what we can expect to see in the future.

In an official statement provided to MacRumors, Apple said that “several” car manufacturers would be incorporating CarPlay 2 into their vehicles, and that each company would share more details at the appropriate time. However, there was no indication of when that might be.

In full statement Apple said: "The next generation of CarPlay builds on years of success and insights gained from CarPlay, delivering the best of Apple and the automaker in a deeply integrated and customizable experience. We continue to work closely with several automakers, enabling them to showcase their unique brand and visual design philosophies in the next generation of CarPlay."

In a similarly vague style, Apple added that "each car brand will share more details as they near the announcements of their models that will support the next generation of CarPlay".

Apple also confirmed to MacRumors that it is committed to the current generation of CarPlay, which it says is available in over 98% of new cars sold in the United States.

Stuck in traffic

(Image credit: Apple)

Several weeks into 2025, Apple’s CarPlay website was still claiming that CarPlay 2 would launch in 2024 – something that clearly wasn’t possible. Interestingly, Apple has only just updated its site to remove the 2024 reference.

We don’t know what exactly caused the delay to CarPlay 2, but there were signs of trouble long before the most recent announcement. In 2023, for example, Apple promised it would reveal which automakers would be supporting CarPlay 2 that year – in the end, it did so in December, right before the deadline.

That said, it’s clear that Apple is still working on CarPlay 2. Earlier in January, images leaked on X depicting an updated dashboard that’s presumably destined for the auto system.

And with the latest announcement, Apple has confirmed CarPlay 2 is still on the way – but if you were hoping its arrival would be imminent, you’ll have to be patient a while longer.

You might also like

• Here’s what Apple’s CarPlay 2 looks like, according to leaked screenshots
• Apple promised us CarPlay 2.0 in 2024 – but it hasn't arrived yet
• Where is Apple CarPlay 2? A 2024 launch is looking unlikely, but not impossible

• OpenAI's new reasoning model o3-mini is launching soon
• Sam Altman has now confirmed it will be available to free tier users
• ChatGPT Plus users will get "tons of o3-mini usage"

OpenAI announced the upcoming rollout of its incredibly smart new reasoning model earlier this week, and now we've got even better news: o3-mini will be available for free.

Sam Altman confirmed the news on X yesterday, stating "Big news: the free tier of ChatGPT is going to get o3-mini!" The OpenAI CEO also confirmed that Plus members, those paying $20/£20/$AU30 a month will get "tons of o3-mini usage", which is great for those who want to take full advantage of the new model.

o3 and o3-mini were unveiled in December as part of OpenAI's "12 Days of OpenAI" event, which also saw the official release of Sora in the US, OpenAI's AI video generation tool.

o3-mini is a substantial upgrade to the o1-mini reasoning model released last year, allowing users to get answers to complex scientific and math problems. There's no exact timeframe on when o3-mini will be available, but Altman confirmed on January 17 that it will launch in API and ChatGPT in "a couple of weeks."

Once o3-mini does become available (to free, Plus, and Pro users) you'll be able to get help with questions that require thought and reasoning. In the new model you'll even be able to adjust the thinking time to give the AI model more time to work out an answer. There will be a "low compute" option for quick responses and a "high compute" option for tasks that require extra thinking power.

big news: the free tier of chatgpt is going to get o3-mini!(and the plus tier will get tons of o3-mini usage)January 23, 2025

o3-mini is free for all

When OpenAI announced the new model in December, my first thought was "how long will we have to wait to try this for free?" Luckily, Altman and co has given free users a nice surprise to kick off 2025 with this announcement that o3-mini will in fact be free.

We don't have any more info on how many prompts you'll be able to ask o3-mini for free, but hopefully there's a decent amount of free usage so that everyone can take advantage of the future of AI reasoning models.

o3-mini hits the perfect sweet spot between a reasoning model and a more general usage model, and OpenAI hopes this new middle ground will break through into the mainstream and become a daily tool for the average consumer. As soon as we get access to o3-mini we'll be putting it through its paces, so stay tuned to TechRadar for all the upcoming ChatGPT o3-mini news.

You may also like

• OpenAI starts the release of its o3 mini AI model for ChatGPT, and it's got a nice speed boost over o1
• 12 Days of OpenAI - Everything that was announced, including ChatGPT, Sora, o1, o3 and more
• Sam Altman reveals your biggest requests for OpenAI in 2025 and there are two I'd love to see happen

• The first Android 16 public beta is now here
• You can install it now if you have a newer Pixel phone
• Live Updates is one of the new features

Google has pushed out the first public beta version of Android 16, which means early adopters can give it a spin: and among the new features already spotted by users is Android's take on Live Activities in iOS.

As announced by Google (via Android Police), the Android equivalent of Live Activities is Live Updates. These persistent updates on screen "help users monitor and quickly access important ongoing activities" Google says.

Right now, the updates are "suggested only for ride sharing, food delivery, and navigation use cases", but we can expect more categories to be added over time. Eventually, any developer who wants to should be able to take advantage of them.

As we've seen on iPhones, these kinds of live updates can be handy for everything from sports scores to audio recorders. They mean you can keep up to date with something without having the app open, and they'll be a welcome addition to Android.

More to come

Live Activities on iOS (Image credit: Apple)

There's quite a lot more in the first Android 16 public beta, including improved support for apps on larger screens: If you use a larger display (like the one on the Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold), you should see less in the way of letterboxing.

Then we have improved support for high-resolution video recording and editing, a more consistent predictive back experience (where you see a preview of the screen you're going back to), and preparations for deeper Gemini integration.

We can look forward to plenty more in the way of new features as the Android beta testing phase continues – numerous upgrades have already been rumored, including changes to notifications. A full launch of Android 16 is expected in June.

Right now, if you want to give the beta a try, you need to have a Pixel phone (a Pixel 6 or later) and be enrolled in the Android Beta Program (which is free). As always with betas, expect bugs and crashes – we wouldn't recommend doing this on a phone you rely on.

You might also like

• The developer preview of Android 16 is here
• Android 16 is coming sooner than we thought
• These are the best Android phones right now

• Apple is facing a class-action lawsuit over its Apple Watch bands
• The lawsuit alleges that Apple "hides" the existence of PFAS in its products, claiming this is false advertising
• Apple has hit back, saying its bands are safe to wear

Apple has been hit with a class-action lawsuit alleging that some of the company's best Apple Watch bands contain dangerous levels of "forever chemicals."

The suit was filed in California on January 21, on behalf of customers who've bought Apple's Watch Sport Band, Ocean Band for the Apple Watch Ultra 2, and the Nike Sport Band. It states that Apple "advertises these Products as designed to support and further human health and wellness, environmentally sustainable, and suitable for everyday use and wear. However, in truth, they contain excessive levels of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (“PFAS”), which are toxic to human health and the environment."

The suit has been filed in the wake of a University of Notre Dame study that found elevated levels of these 'forever chemicals' in smartwatch bands.

The study found that "many" bands advertised to contain fluoroelastomers also contained high concentrations of PFAS, with some very high concentrations, particularly in more expensive bands.

Based on the study's findings, this suit alleges that Apple knows its products contain PFAS, and knows they're harmful to consumers (the company is phasing them out), but does not inform consumers which products contain the harmful chemicals.

The suit continues: "Instead, in respect of watches, Defendant continues to hide the existence of PFAS at the point of purchase and otherwise. They also affirmatively promise the opposite: that these Products are specifically designed to aid human health and are environmentally friendly. Consumers therefore reasonably would have no way of knowing the products are laced with harmful chemicals and instead believe what Defendant falsely promises."

The suit also alleges that Apple could have chosen not to use these materials, but elected to put them in the bands to give it an advantage over its competition.

Apple's response – is your Apple Watch band dangerous?

Fluoroelastomer bands are very popular with smart watch accessory makers (Image credit: Future)

In response to the suit, Apple told TechRadar: "Apple Watch bands are safe for users to wear. In addition to our own testing, we also work with independent laboratories to conduct rigorous testing and analysis of the materials used in our products, including Apple Watch bands."

Apple also pointed us to its history of removing harmful chemicals from products and manufacturing, and noted that its own restrictions often go beyond the relevant regulations when it comes to protecting human health.

The suit alleges that the aforementioned study found elevated levels of PFAS in bands "including" Apple's, a claim that is not immediately supported by the study results. As we mentioned in our initial story reporting the study, the public data does not indicate which manufacturers' bands were found to have high levels of chemicals; they're not identified by name, but by a sample ID. Tested brands included Apple, CASETiFY, Fitbit, Google, and Samsung.

PFAs and their risk

(Image credit: Future)

The presence of PFAS in consumer products is a complicated issue. Research indicates that PFAS are linked to increased risk and incidences of certain types of cancer, and the chemicals are dubbed "forever chemicals" because their structure is so durable that they don't degrade or break down over time.

However, there are other caveats. There's only a small body of research on the risk of absorption of PFAS through the skin, with some specialists suggesting that absorbing a significant amount through the skin is unlikely.

Furthermore, the testing in the aforementioned study involved chemically extracting the compounds in the band to confirm levels, which doesn't replicate the experience of someone wearing a smartwatch.

As for the suit, it's seeking the usual swathe of relief, injunctions requiring Apple to change its business practices, and monetary compensation for affected users. You can read the lawsuit in full here.

You may also like

• The Apple Watch is going big on eco-friendly straps – here are the best ones so far
• I've spent 10 years with Apple Watch, and after 10 minutes with the Galaxy Watch Ultra, I can't believe Samsung skipped this feature
• After 10 years of Apple Watch, the company reveals the one thing it got wrong about its users

According to recent data from the International Energy Agency, industrial sectors, such as chemical manufacturing and mining, currently contribute 25% of all global CO2 emissions and 37% of all global energy consumption.

Industries face increasing pressure to develop net-zero roadmaps. As sustainability rises on the corporate agenda, digitalization contributes to a clear, strategic path to achieving commercial, operational, and sustainability goals for today's industrial enterprises.

Industry 4.0: Accelerating Sustainability in Industrial Enterprises

Industrial enterprises are increasingly implementing Industry 4.0 to achieve greater operational efficiency and sustainability across their operations. The Internet of Things (IoT) stands out as a significant enabler of sustainability within industrial enterprises. IoT technology combined with seamless connectivity facilitates the continuous flow of real-time data by linking devices, machines, and sensors across the industrial site, which helps reduce fuel, waste, energy consumption and carbon emissions.

For instance, IoT sensors capture real-time energy data from machinery and equipment across entire facilities, allowing enterprises to identify inefficiencies and make precise adjustments to reduce energy waste and lower utility bills. Additionally, IoT technology tracks production outputs and material usage in real-time, helping companies better align supply with demand and swiftly address issues such as overproduction and misallocation of resources. This minimizes the environmental impact of enterprise operations while fostering a more efficient operational model, delivering significant commercial benefits for businesses.

Industrial Edge and Private Wireless Networks Strengthening Sustainability

Industrial enterprises increasingly recognize digitalization's sustainability benefits, with Industry 4.0 applications powered by private wireless networks driving significant operational improvements and footprint reductions. In fact, according to the 2024 Industrial Digitalization report, by deploying private wireless networks, 79% of enterprises surveyed by GlobalData, reported a reduction in carbon emissions.

Industry 4.0 use cases require the kind of high bandwidth, low latency connectivity provided by 4.9G/LTE and 5G private wireless networks to ensure uninterrupted operations to realize the sustainability and efficiency benefits that come with Industry 4.0.

For example, with reliable worker communication, workers have instant access to the right expertise to repair malfunctioning machinery – this not only reduces truck rolls and fuel use, but also ensures quick repairs to lower unnecessary energy consumption by faulty equipment.

Drones can be used for remote inspections of dangerous or hard-to-reach locations, also reducing vehicle-based inspections and identifying potential issues early before major breakdowns and expensive repairs are required, which often consume more resources and produce more waste. Remote-controlled machines, such as port cranes or robots in chemical plants, can significantly improve the efficiency and safety of operations, while reducing energy consumption and associated carbon emissions.

As global ESG commitments become more stringent, industrial enterprises must invest in the right tools to build towards their sustainability goals. The Private Wireless Sustainability Calculator provides enterprises with a clear digitalization path to reach their goals. Combining handprint and footprint analysis, the calculator helps enterprises estimate how new Industry 4.0 use cases, powered by high-performance private wireless and industrial edge, are helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions as well as worker safety incidents.

Currently available for mining, ports and chemical manufacturing, enterprises can use insights from the calculator to make informed decisions and guide operational planning and investment choices. The calculator shows that digitalization and use cases like critical worker communication and environmental monitoring are critical tools to support their sustainability goals while also driving operational efficiencies and profitability.

A Data-Driven Approach to Sustainability

Reliable data lies at the heart of a successful sustainability strategy – without it, enterprises are operating in the dark, using inaccurate views of their footprint and the impact operational changes have on their ESG targets, skewing reporting, decision-making and long-term planning. IBM reports that 41% of executives name inadequate data as a top barrier to ESG progress. Yet, despite this, KPMG found that almost 50% of companies still manage ESG data manually in spreadsheets, making reporting extremely time-consuming and prone to human error.

Digitalization allows enterprises to collect comprehensive real-time operational technology (OT) data from all systems, machines and sensors. With an on-premises industrial edge, that data gets aggregated into a single data hub, eliminating data siloes to enable a single unified view on sustainability performance across the operation. Access to all operational data in real-time enables teams to align their efforts with sustainability goals and support ESG reporting, leading to more efficient resource management, optimized production schedules, and minimizing waste. Having the right digital foundation enables industrial enterprises to make immediate progress while setting the stage for future sustainability and increased profitability.

In asset-intensive environments such as manufacturing or port operations, all processes are interlinked and dependent on one another. Any interruption or issue in this chain will result in interruptions and losses for the entire process. This means that there is a need for continuous operations, underpinned by redundancies and mission-critical performances with reliability of 99.99% or more across connectivity, and operational technology (OT).

We've compiled a list of the best Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software.

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

• Syntilay has launched AI-designed, 3D-printed shoes.
• The footwear was designed with a mix of Midjourney and Vizcom AI
• The $150 shoes use smartphone foot scans for a fully customized fit.

If you like Crocs but wish they had more of a science-fiction backstory, you're in luck. A startup company named Syntilay is using AI and 3D printing to produce a new line of shoes. The futuristic footwear is available now for $150 a pair. These slides aren't cheap, but innovation rarely is.

Syntilay uses a mix of AI tools supplemented by human artistry to create its shoes, which look more than a little like a deep sea fish at first glance. The designers relied on Midjourney to develop the basic shape of the shoe. After that, a human artist refined the idea with a sketch for inspiration uploaded to Vizcom AI, which produced a 3D model based on the sketch. AI then helped design and embed textures and patterns into the shoe design, completing their look.

Entrepreneur Ben Weiss founded Syntilay, but it has the backing of Reebok co-founder Joe Foster, who added some credibility to the idea. The shoes come in five colors: orange, red, beige, black, and blue. They are supposed to evoke the work of Syd Mead, the artist behind the iconic visuals in Blade Runner and Aliens.

AI shoes

The $150 shoes are 3D printed in Germany and specially made for each customer, shipping out after about three weeks. If you want to buy a pair, you are asked to scan your feet with a smartphone camera so that the shoes will fit perfectly, even adjusting for the usual slight differences between people's right and left feet.

There’s also the matter of practicality. While scanning your feet with a phone camera sounds straightforward, not everyone is eager to go full techie just to buy shoes. And what happens if the fit isn’t quite right after all that scanning and printing? These are hurdles Syntilay will need to address as it scales its operations.

The question, of course, is whether the market is ready for AI-driven footwear. Syntilay's shoes will have to prove they are worth the expense and wait when it comes to things like comfort and durability.

$150 is a pretty big price tag when generic slides similar to Crocs can cost $20 or even less. Syntilay has to hope its design, custom-fit promise, and the gimmick of AI design win over early adopters.

There have certainly been personalized shoes before, but combining AI and 3D printing may entice those looking to be trendsetters.

You might also like...

• This new AI modeler can turn pictures into 3D sculptures in seconds
• Amazon’s new AI chatbot wants to be your personal shopper for impulse buys
• Amazon thinks AI helping you buy clothes is better than you sending back whatever doesn't fit

• Perplexity AI has released a mobile app for Android
• The Perplexity Assistant offers voice, text, and camera-based interactions for tasks such as booking rides and identifying objects
• The assistant integrates with apps and leverages real-time information and task automation

AI conversational search engine Perplexity is going mobile on the Google Play Store with a new Android app. Peeplexity's app pitches itself as a kind of digital Swiss Army knife that can manage tasks for you, including making reservations and identifying objects through your phone’s camera. Best of all, the app is free and speaks 15 languages.

By leveraging Perplexity’s own search engine, the assistant can also tap into real-time web information, so it’s not just regurgitating pre-programmed answers. This should, in theory, make it smarter and more versatile than many of its competitors. To juggle all of those abilities, Perplexity can maintain context across multiple tasks. That means it won't double-book you and will remember what you like and don't like.

"You can do many cool things like booking an Uber, finding dinner tables, playing an old YouTube video, playing songs, getting directions, and translating Shakespeare, all with voice and a simple action button or gesture," Perplexity CEO Aravind Srinivas explained on X. "Cool thing about this is everything stays in context. You can start with a conversation about some question you have and follow up to set an action related to it, e.g., getting an alert ahead of a basketball game."

Say you want Perplexity to help with your dinner plans. The AI will look for restaurants, check reviews, suggest dishes for you, and book the table on OpenTable, all in one conversation. Srinivas admitted that the restaurant booking "doesn't always work" but promised it would be sorted out soon.

Introducing Perplexity Assistant.Assistant uses reasoning, search, and apps to help with daily tasks ranging from simple questions to multi-app actions. You can book dinner, find a forgotten song, call a ride, draft emails, set reminders, and more.Available on Play Store. pic.twitter.com/UHdUIiDOzDJanuary 23, 2025

Here are a few more examples of what Perplexity Assistant can do. We can’t wait to see how you use it.Get it here: https://t.co/H4J9cr68So pic.twitter.com/F7ibSFfrgqJanuary 23, 2025

Perplexity resolved

This launch comes on the heels of Perplexity’s broader expansion efforts, including rolling out Sonar, an API that lets businesses integrate Perplexity’s search tech into their own apps. It’s part of a growth strategy that also includes acquiring the professional social media platform Read.cv. Clearly, Perplexity is trying to build an ecosystem where its AI doesn’t just answer your questions but also becomes an indispensable part of your daily workflow. Whether it’ll succeed in creating a full-blown AI assistant that people can’t live without remains to be seen

Perplexity is facing a crowded market, so anything to stand out will be useful. To beat ChatGPT, Google Gemini, or Apple's latest enhancement of Siri through Apple Intelligence will require a lot of creativity from Perplexity. Still, if Perplexity's app can deliver consistently with its multimodal capabilities and app integrations, it stands a real chance of muscling aside those rivals, at least partly.

People love novelty, but they hate frustration. If Perplexity can avoid or quickly squash any bugs, you might see a lot of people becoming far less perplexed about AI apps as a concept.

You might also like...

• Perplexity's AI search engine goes deep to get your answers
• Get ready for AI to serve Google Search-style ads
• AI meets democracy on Perplexity AI's new Election Information Hub

Quordle was one of the original Wordle alternatives and is still going strong now more than 1,000 games later. It offers a genuine challenge, though, so read on if you need some Quordle hints today – or scroll down further for the answers.

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

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

Quordle today (game #1096) - hint #1 - Vowels How 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 #1096) - hint #2 - repeated letters Do any of today's Quordle answers contain repeated letters?

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

Quordle today (game #1096) - hint #3 - uncommon letters Do the letters Q, Z, X or J appear in Quordle today?

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

Quordle today (game #1096) - 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 2.

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 #1096) - hint #5 - starting letters (2) What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?

• G

• S

• S

• T

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

Quordle today (game #1096) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #1096, are…

• GRIND
• STOCK
• SERVE
• TOUCH

Despite a very good start getting STOCK and TOUCH in the first four turns I labored to finish today’s Quordle.

I’m struggling with a head cold at the moment and I think it showed with my guesses for SERVE, where I tried SEVER even though I already knew the word couldn’t end in ER. 

Sometimes it’s such a struggle to extract a guess from my brain that I rush to type it before thinking. This is not, frankly, very helpful for Quordle…

How did you do today? Let me know in the comments below.

Daily Sequence today (game #1096) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #1096, are…

• MADAM
• SPAWN
• LOVER
• SIGHT

Quordle answers: The past 20

• Quordle #1095, Thursday 23 January: RUGBY, SASSY, WORRY, BANAL
• Quordle #1094, Wednesday 22 January: SLANT, TRUNK, WOOZY, EATEN
• Quordle #1093, Tuesday 21 January: CHART, VIGOR, PRINT, SPAWN
• Quordle #1092, Monday 20 January: SIXTY, THONG, TATTY, ROBIN
• Quordle #1091, Sunday 19 January: WREST, RINSE, SCOUR, CANNY
• Quordle #1090, Saturday 18 January: BLARE, ITCHY, BICEP, PIPER
• Quordle #1089, Friday 17 January: CATCH, WEARY, SWOON, LATHE
• Quordle #1088, Thursday 16 January: PARTY, BLUNT, TWEED, PLANT
• Quordle #1087, Wednesday 15 January: RISEN, PLATE, RURAL, ENVOY
• Quordle #1086, Tuesday 14 January: SWARM, SCRAP, ONION, BELCH
• Quordle #1085, Monday 13 January: EYING, GIDDY, CHEAP, PETAL
• Quordle #1084, Sunday 12 January: BRIEF, PETAL, WOMAN, FELON
• Quordle #1083, Saturday 11 January: ASCOT, FIBER, ROGUE, SMELL
• Quordle #1082, Friday 10 January: BIGOT, INLET, LEECH, TUNIC
• Quordle #1081, Thursday 9 January: RESET, HUMOR, TENOR, IMAGE
• Quordle #1080, Wednesday 8 January: MINCE, SADLY, RISEN, VOUCH
• Quordle #1079, Tuesday 7 January: CREED, FILET, ROUTE, TAPER
• Quordle #1078, Monday 6 January: PIVOT, WOOLY, GRUNT, GROOM
• Quordle #1077, Sunday 5 January: BORAX, JUDGE, CADET, SALON
• Quordle #1076, Saturday 4 January: CORER, CRATE, QUASI, EXIST

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

• Today's NYT Strands theme is… Get smart

NYT Strands today (game #327) - hint #2 - clue words

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

• THIN
• SUCK
• SELL
• BUCK
• TEEN
• HILL

NYT Strands today (game #327) - hint #3 - spangram What is a hint for today's spangram?

• Next level

NYT Strands today (game #327) - hint #4 - spangram position What are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?

First side: top, 5th column

Last side: bottom, 4th column

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

NYT Strands today (game #327) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #327, are…

• QUICK
• BRILLIANT
• BRIGHT
• CLEVER
• INTELLIGENT
• SPANGRAM: THATS GENIUS

• My rating: Easy
• My score: Perfect

Spotting a Q in a Strands puzzle is always a great headstart and after a QUICK opener the rest fell into place quite easily today.

The only real sticking point was the Spangram, which was made up of two words and which jarred a little thanks to the absence of an apostrophe in THATS GENIUS – not that this is possible in Strands, it’s just sad to see their disappearance from the world.

As an English teacher might put it: people only write “Thats” instead of “That’s” because they’re lazy. And that’s the truth.

How did you do today? Let me know in the comments below.

Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Thursday, 23 January, game #326)

• MILK
• BUTTER
• CHEESE
• GELATO
• CUSTARD
• YOGURT
• SPANGRAM: DAIRY PRODUCTS

What is NYT Strands?

Strands is the NYT's new word game, following Wordle and Connections. It's now out of beta so is a fully fledged member of the NYT's games stable and can be played on the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.

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

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

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

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

NYT Connections today (game #593) - today's words

(Image credit: New York Times)

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• LITTER
• NICOTINE
• ROUGH
• TRADE
• CABBAGE
• BROOD
• LINE
• POINT
• REFLECT
• STARE
• INTERRUPT
• WORK
• CRAFT
• MUSE
• SOUL
• PONDER

NYT Connections today (game #593) - hint #1 - group hints

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

• YELLOW: Weighing things up
• GREEN: Mean energy
• BLUE: Profession
• PURPLE: Add a word that rhymes with “catch”

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 #593) - hint #2 - group answers

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

• YELLOW: CONTEMPLATE 
• GREEN: RUDE THINGS TO DO
• BLUE: VOCATION 
• PURPLE: -_PATCH 

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

NYT Connections today (game #593) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Connections, game #593, are…

• YELLOW: CONTEMPLATE BROOD, MUSE, PONDER, REFLECT
• GREEN: RUDE THINGS TO DO INTERRUPT, LITTER, POINT, STARE
• BLUE: VOCATION CRAFT, LINE, TRADE, WORK
• PURPLE: -_PATCH CABBAGE, NICOTINE, ROUGH, SOUL

• My rating: Moderate
• My score: 3 mistakes

I saw the Yellow and Purple groups very quickly today, but really struggled with two theoretically easy connections – RUDE THINGS TO DO and VOCATION.

There must be a technique where, after you make one guess and get the “one away…” alert, you then solve it on the next – but I’m uncertain of what it is. I guess it helps if you have three answers locked in and are just looking for the fourth, but too often I'm not entirely sure of which ones are right and which wrong. I spend far too long randomly trying things than stopping to think logically.

Still, I got there in the end today, solving the Green group on the last chance and not needing to worry about Blue.

How did you do today? Let me know in the comments below.

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Thursday, 23 January, game #592)

• GREEN: RESULTS OF SOME DIGGING DITCH, HOLE, PIT, TRENCH
• YELLOW:  TYPES OF ACADEMIC COURSES DISCUSSION, LAB, LECTURE, SEMINAR
• BLUE: ONES WEARING ROBES BOXER, JUDGE, MONK, WIZARD
• PURPLE: ___ UP BATTER, BOTTOMS, CHIN, LAWYER

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.

• Phishing campaign mimics CAPTCHA to deliver hidden malware commands
• PowerShell command hidden in verification leads to Lumma Stealer attack
• Educating users on phishing tactics is key to preventing such attacks

CloudSek has uncovered a sophisticated method for distributing the Lumma Stealer malware which poses a serious threat to Windows users.

This technique relies on deceptive human verification pages that trick users into unwittingly executing harmful commands.

While the campaign primarily focuses on spreading the Lumma Stealer malware, its methodology could potentially be adapted to deliver a wide variety of other malicious software.

How the phishing campaign works

The campaign employs trusted platforms such as Amazon S3 and various Content Delivery Networks (CDNs) to host phishing sites, utilizing modular malware delivery where the initial executable downloads additional components or modules, thereby complicating detection and analysis efforts.

The infection chain in this phishing campaign begins with threat actors luring victims to phishing websites that mimic legitimate Google CAPTCHA verification pages. These pages are presented as a necessary identity verification step, tricking users into believing they are completing a standard security check.

The attack takes a more deceptive turn once the user clicks the "Verify" button. Behind the scenes, a hidden JavaScript function activates, copying a base64-encoded PowerShell command onto the user’s clipboard without their knowledge. The phishing page then instructs the user to perform an unusual series of steps, such as opening the Run dialog box (Win+R) and pasting the copied command. These instructions, once followed, cause the PowerShell command to be executed in a hidden window, which is invisible to the user, making detection by the victim almost impossible.

The hidden PowerShell command is the crux of the attack. It connects to a remote server to download additional content such as a text file (a.txt) containing instructions for retrieving and executing the Lumma Stealer malware. Once this malware is installed on the system, it establishes connections with attacker-controlled domains. This allows attackers to compromise the system, steal sensitive data, and potentially launch further malicious activities.

To guard against this phishing campaign, both users and organizations must prioritize security awareness and implement proactive defences. A critical first step is user education.

The deceptive nature of these attacks - disguised as legitimate verification processes - shows the importance of informing users about the dangers of following suspicious prompts, especially when asked to copy and paste unknown commands. Users need to be trained to recognize phishing tactics and question unexpected CAPTCHA verifications or unfamiliar instructions that involve running system commands.

In addition to education, deploying robust endpoint protection is essential for defending against PowerShell-based attacks. Since attackers in this campaign rely heavily on PowerShell to execute malicious code, organizations should ensure that their security solutions are capable of detecting and blocking these activities. Advanced endpoint protection tools with behavioural analysis and real-time monitoring can detect unusual command executions, helping to prevent the malware from being downloaded and installed.

Organizations should also take a proactive approach by monitoring network traffic for suspicious activity. Security teams need to pay close attention to connections with newly registered or uncommon domains, which are often used by attackers to distribute malware or steal sensitive data.

Finally, keeping systems updated with the latest patches is a crucial defense mechanism. Regular updates ensure that known vulnerabilities are addressed, limiting the opportunity for attackers to exploit outdated software in their efforts to distribute malware like Lumma Stealer.

"This new tactic is particularly dangerous because it plays on users' trust in widely recognized CAPTCHA verifications, which they encounter regularly online. By disguising malicious activity behind what seems like a routine security check, attackers can easily trick users into executing harmful commands on their systems. What’s more concerning is that this technique, currently distributing the Lumma Stealer, could be adapted to spread other types of malware, making it a highly versatile and evolving threat,” said Anshuman Das, Security Researcher at CloudSEK.

You may also like

• Exela Stealer uses Discord to steal Windows user's data
• Lumma Stealer malware linked to GitHub comments
• Criminals are using YouTube videos to trick victims

• Sextortion scams evolve with personalized tactics and heightened intimidation.
• Threat actors exploit invoicing platforms to bypass email security filters.
• Robust email filters and training help counter sextortion threats effectively.

Sextortion scams are becoming more complex and personal as the scams now frequently target individuals across different sectors with greater precision creating a sense of immediate threat.

Cofense Phish Defense Center (PDC) recently observed a notable evolution in sextortion scams, which unlike earlier versions, which relied primarily on generic scare tactics, now use more sophisticated strategies, often bypassing traditional security measures.

The campaigns now personalize emails, including personal details such as the target's home address or phone number directly in the email body, in order to capture the recipient's attention and adds a layer of credibility to the scam.

Exploitation of fear through technical jargon

These emails generally originate from random Gmail accounts, which are harder to trace, rather than the typical impersonated addresses seen in earlier scams.

In addition to personal information, scammers have escalated their approach by including images of the target’s supposed home, workplace, neighbourhood or street in attached PDF files.

The email addresses the recipient by name and provides a specific location, followed by threats of a physical visit if the target fails to comply. This blend of personal details and digital intimidation is a shift from the simpler sextortion scams that used to rely solely on the fear of compromised online privacy.

The scam emails claim that the target’s device has been infected with spyware, often citing "Pegasus" as the malware responsible for the supposed breach. Threat actors use technical jargon to manipulate recipients with the hope that they have a limited understanding of cybersecurity. The emails claim that the attacker has been monitoring the victim for an extended period, gathering sensitive information, and even recording videos of them.

In some cases, the scammer adopts a casual tone lacing the message with slang or compliments to make it seem as if they have been closely observing the target's life. The message typically concludes with two choices: ignore the email and face public humiliation or pay a ransom in cryptocurrency to ensure the alleged compromising material is never released.

A recurring part of these scams is the demand for payment in Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies. Scammers often provide a Bitcoin wallet address, sometimes alongside a QR code to facilitate the payment process.

Another notable shift in sextortion campaigns is the use of invoicing services to deliver phishing emails. These services allow threat actors to send emails that bypass certain security protocols by disguising the sender's information. Since these invoicing platforms handle the email's delivery, their legitimate headers and content often allow the message to avoid detection.

To combat these evolving scams, individuals and organizations must stay informed and vigilant. Educating users about the nature of sextortion scams and the tactics employed by attackers can reduce the likelihood of falling victim.

You might also like

• Phishing emails using SVG attachments to get away with attacks
• Gmail remains by far the most popular email service
• Stay safe online with the best firewall software around

• OpenAI has officially launched it's first AI Agent: Operator
• It's works within a web browser to complete tasks for you, and is out now as a limited research preview
• Operator can make a dinner reservation, fill out a form, and complete other web tasks

OpenAI is always looking for the next big thing to add to ChatGPT, and after months of rumors, including a report from earlier this week that teased a launch, the technology giant’s first AI Agent is here. Operator is designed to complete web tasks for you, all with a touch of a button.

Essentially, Operator is a Computer Using Agent (CUA) that uses GPT-4o’s visual skills to browse and search the web. This means that it can understand the context of what to search for, and thanks to its multi-modality, it understands what it sees as it searches. It’s available now as a research preview for ChatGPT Pro subscribers in the United States.

Operator is described as “an agent that can use its own browser to perform tasks for you." OpenAI released a demo showing Operator browsing the web as we (that is, we humans) do. You might ask Operator to book a dinner reservation for you, fill out an arduously long form, order groceries from a service, or even book a flight. It can use OpenTable to find and book a reservation at a restaurant, as shown in the demo. Operator will even walk you through its steps.

Operator is a ‘research preview,’ so know that it’s in its early days. OpenAI does impose some limitations. We haven’t had the chance to go hands-on yet, but it certainly looks impressive. This is OpenAI’s first entry into the world of AI agents, which will likely be the theme of the year in the realm of artificial intelligence.

OpenAI writes in a blog post announcing Operator that it “is one of our first agents, which are AIs capable of doing work for you independently—you give it a task and it will execute it.” This hints that not only are there other agents in the pipeline – Altman confirmed this during the live demo – but that they're all based around the notion of doing things for you – a big step in the quest to make AI even more helpful, giving us some time back.

Operator is powered by the new Computer Using Agent (CUA) model, which pairs GPT4o’s vision skills with advanced reasoning. This all comes together to let Operator understand and use elements within a browser – the search bar, various buttons, and on-screen content.

(Image credit: OpenAI)

OpenAI explains that “Operator can ‘see’ (through screenshots) and ‘interact’ (using all the actions a mouse and keyboard allow) with a browser,” allowing it to functionally use a browser to complete a task. That’s pretty neat, especially if it works at a high rate of success, and according to the blog post, it can self-correct.

However, as with most new AI tools and skills, it will likely take some time for this to become truly useful in the real world. That will also require OpenAI to open it up to more folks, though as an early research preview it’s still certainly an impressive demo.

For now, if you’re in the United States and subscribed to ChatGPT Pro, you can try it out on OpenAI’s website. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman teased that it would eventually arrive in other countries and be added to the ChatGPT Plus subscription. As we remember from some of the announcements from 12 Days of OpenAI, Europe will likely take a bit longer.

You might also like

• Samsung Galaxy Unpacked – Galaxy S25 Ultra, S25 Edge and 9 things we learned
• Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 review: the supercar of graphics cards
• I’ve used an iPhone for 15 years, but Samsung Galaxy S25’s new AI briefing feature makes me want to give Android a try