TechRadar News

• Final Cut Pro 11 for Mac and Final Cut Pro for iPad 2.1 are available now
• The anticipated auto captions features is now on the Mac
• Upgrades include AI boosts plus a new version of Final Cut Camera

Alongside brand new versions of Logic Pro for the Mac and iPad – and a few weeks after Apple dropped new Macs and teased a forthcoming version of its pro video editor – the technology giant has officially dropped Final Cut Pro 11, Final Cut Pro for iPad 2.1, plus some major updates to Final Cut Camera.

Much like Logic Pro for iPad’s major update in May 2024 and the rollout of Apple Intelligence, these latest updates circle around AI. Well, AI and delivering on many features requested from users. We have a hunch that many of these will make Final Cut Pro fans – either on the Mac or iPad – plenty happy.

Final Cut Pro 11 on the Mac is ushering in a number of AI-powered features that use Apple’s own on-device language model and the Neural Engine of M1, M2, M3, and M4-powered Macs.

One of the most anticipated after a tease when Apple unveiled the Mac mini is Transcribe to Captions, which, as the name suggests, lets you automatically create accurate captions in an instant. Closed captions will appear after processing the video, and Final Cut Pro does this on-device with Apple’s language model.

(Image credit: Apple)

Transcribe to Captions joins Magic Mask, which can automatically select and highlight people or objects. This might eliminate the need for rotoscoping or setting up a green screen, among other more time-consuming edits like color correction.

If you have an Apple Vision Pro or dream of producing a film for the wearable spatial computer, Final Cut Pro can now edit spatial videos. While this was first teased back at WWDC 2024, the ability to edit and create Spatial Videos for playback on Apple Vision Pro is now shipping with Final Cut Pro 11.

You’ll be able to import footage from an iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, iPhone 16 Pro Max, iPhone 15 Pro, or iPhone 15 Pro Max, as well as a Canon EOS R7 with Canon’s RF-S7.8mm F4 STM DUAL lens.

(Image credit: Apple)

On the iPad, Final Cut Pro for iPad 2.1 brings four new tools to one of the most unique experiences for the touch-first video editing solution. Live Drawing, which lets you easily create video animations with an Apple Pencil, has new watercolor, crayon, fountain, and monoline pen options to express yourself better. Additionally, like on the Mac, there are new transitions, title cards, color presets, sound effects, and video effects within Final Cut.

When adding clips to the timeline or browsing it, you can now pinch-to-zoom with your fingers to adjust the clip height. With an Apple Pencil Pro, you’ll now feel haptics based on whatever you’re adjusting – this is long-awaited, especially if you invested in Apple's flagship stylus.

Last but not least, Final Cut Camera is getting some long-request features. For starters, it now has a level with roll and tilt indicators to ensure you get the best shot possible from any angle. Plus, if you’re using this to capture footage on an iPhone 16 Pro or iPhone 16 Pro Max, you can now record at up to 4K resolution at 120 frames per second.

(Image credit: Apple)

This latest update also allows you to record Log-encoded HEVC video when shooting with just one or multiple devices, and you can enable a LUT – lookup table – preview simultaneously.

While not a complete redesign or major change to Final Cut Pro, these updates across Final Cut Pro for Mac and iPad and Final Cut Camera for iPhone will likely make a big difference. They seek to help folks speed up workflows and edits and answer the call for some directly requested features.

You'll get these updates for free if you already have Final Cut Pro for Mac or iPad. However, if you’re new, you must pay or subscribe. Final Cut Pro 11 for the Mac is $299; on the iPad, it’s $4.99 a month or $49.99 a year. Final Cut Camera is still a free app for the iPhone.

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• Samsung is rumored to be working on a tri-fold
• It could take on an 'infolding' form factor
• A screen size of 9-10 inches has been predicted

The Huawei Mate XT foldable has attracted a lot of attention for its triple-folding mechanism, and its very high price – and a new leak suggests Samsung's own rival tri-fold is going to take a different approach to the form factor.

As per ET News (via @Jukanlosreve), Samsung's effort is going to be launching in 2025, with the design finalized by the end of this month. That design is expected to be an 'infolding' one, with both 'side' screens folding inwards.

The three screens on the Huawei Mate XT fold back on each other, so the far left screen acts as the main display when the device is folded shut. In the Samsung model, there would need to be an additional screen on the back somewhere.

That's the case with the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6, and other foldables like the Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold, where one panel has displays on both the front and back. A similar trick would be needed on the new tri-fold, when it appears.

Keep on folding

Samsung is planning to launch a foldable device that folds twice. The design and launch model are expected to be finalized later this month. Also, unlike Huawei, Samsung’s triple-fold device will fold inward twice.https://t.co/7hMnKmHVnWNovember 14, 2024

Part of Samsung's thinking is that having an infolding device protects the main screen from scratches and other damage, according to the report. If Samsung does take this route though, one of the hinges will need to be bigger than the other.

We do have a few more details from the ET News report, based on industry sources. The new Samsung foldable is said to be coming with a screen size of around 9-10 inches when unfolded (the main screen on the Galaxy Z Fold 6 is 7.6 inches).

The article also adds that Samsung is hoping to boost demand for foldables and protect itself against its competitors with the new device, which is no surprise – the Huawei Mate XT is only available in China, but has grabbed a lot of headlines and interest.

We will still see the standard Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Galaxy Z Flip 7 next year however, and rumors of a Samsung Galaxy Z Flip FE are refusing to go away. With Apple circling too, 2025 is likely to be the biggest year for foldables yet.

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• Chipmaking giant AMD is laying off 1,000 of its 26,000 workers
• The company wants to focus on artificial intelligence and data centers
• Data center revenue accounted for 51% of AMD’s entire revenue last quarter

AMD has confirmed it will be laying off around 1,000 workers, or 4% of its headcount, as it looks to shift its internal focus towards AI.

The chipmaker believes that by losing the 1,000 workers, it will be able to focus more on areas of its business with significant growth potential, such as AI servers and data center hardware.

“As part of aligning our resources with our largest growth opportunities, we are taking a number of targeted steps that will unfortunately result in reducing our global workforce by approximately 4%," a company spokesperson said in a statement. "We are committed to treating impacted employees with respect and helping them through this transition.”

AMD to lay off 1,000 workers

Given its strong financial performance last quarter, the change it seen more as a strategic shift rather than a reaction to financial worries, unlike key rival Intel.

AMD had doubled its headcount in recent years to tackle the surge in demand for high-performance processors used in AI data centers, however its revenue has only climbed 23%. Although recent figures suggest growth is strong, it’s likely that the company overestimated its human resource requirements, hence the adjustment.

Two weeks ago, AMD confirmed a third-quarter revenue of $6.82 billion, up 18% year-over-year and up 17% compared with the previous quarter. It also boasted of a record data center segment revenue, up 122% year-over-year and 25% quarter-over-quarter to $3.5 billion, or more than half (51%) of its entire revenue.

Despite strong figures, AMD’s market cap has fluctuated over the past year with several peaks and troughs. Share prices are up 16.2% in 12 months, compared with a 194.5% rise in Nvidia share prices during the same period. Intel shares are down 36.8%.

In the most recent quarterly report, AMD CEO Dr Lisa Su said: “Looking forward, we see significant growth opportunities across our data center, client and embedded businesses driven by the insatiable demand for more compute.”

AMD isn’t the only company making adjustments to staffing – a few months ago, Intel confirmed it would be laying off 15,000 workers, or 15% of its headcount, in relation to poor financial performance.

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• Garmin could soon add support for rucking workouts
• A rumor says the feature could arrive by the end of year, possibly alongside a new Instinct 3
• Rucking is a new fitness trend that involves walking with a weighted backpack.

A new leak claims that some of the best Garmin smartwatches on the market could soon add support for rucking, one of the hottest new trends in fitness.

The news comes by way of leaker @Jw, reported by the5krunner. According to the report, Garmin is "about" to add a new Rucking sport profile that will let users track dedicated rucking sessions, with options to add the weight of their pack manually. Once you're off, your Garmin will reportedly track distance and pace, as well as the impact of the exercise on overall fitness stats including VO2 Max.

As the report points out, it would make Garmin the first smartwatch manufacturer to offer dedicated rucking tracking. According to the report, the feature could arrive by the end of the year, and may debut alongside a rumored new Instinct 3, although the report notes that there's "no new intel on that" and files it as speculation.

What on earth is rucking?

(Image credit: Getty Images / Javier Zayas Photography)

If you've never heard of rucking and don't know what it is, then don't worry, you're not alone. Not to be confused with the ferocious contest for the ball at the breakdown in a game of rugby, rucking is a trendy new form of exercise that involves walking with a weighted rucksack (hence the name) in the pursuit of better fitness.

Rucking puts lower impacts on your knees and ankles compared to running, but the increase in weight you're carrying means it's almost as effective at burning fat. This makes it ideal for really anyone, but especially people who might struggle with the demands running can place on their joints.

It's a technique used by the military for training, and Garmin's rumored adoption of tracking for the trend could signal that it's about to go mainstream.

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• Google has launched a standalone Gemini app on iPhone
• The app gives iPhone users access to Gemini Live
• This new Gemini app is the best way to experience Google AI on iOS

Google has unveiled a standalone iPhone Gemini app that includes support for Gemini Live, the incredibly smart AI voice mode.

Gemini was previously available via the Google app for iOS by clicking through tabs, but now this standalone version makes it incredibly easy to access Google's AI chatbot whenever you want.

The Gemini app has iOS-specific features like Dynamic Island integration and even supports Gemini Extensions for apps like Gmail, allowing you to ask Gemini questions about your inbox.

Earlier this week, the app appeared on the App Store in the Philippines but now users around the world can get a taste of everything Gemini has to offer.

Free to download from the App Store, you can subscribe to Gemini Advanced for more features via an in-app purchase which costs $18.99 / £18.99 / roughly AU$30. With Gemini Advanced you can take advantage of Gemini Live, one of the most impressive AI voice assistants we've tested so far.

Gemini Live on iPhone

(Image credit: Google)

Gemini Live works very well in our initial testing of the Gemini iOS app. It has seamless Dynamic Island and Lock Screen integration so you can quickly interact with AI without opening the app, and it's very responsive to even the most difficult prompts.

Gemini Live's natural voice is seriously impressive and considering we're still waiting for Siri to take its final Apple Intelligence form, this could be the go-to for a lot of people looking for the ideal virtual assistant for the best iPhones.

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• Turntable.fm returns as Hangouts, a collaborative music app
• Create your own virtual space for music sharing
• You and your friends can take turns to DJ

From flared jeans to fascism, it's a well-known fact that if you hang around long enough everything old comes back again. And if you remember turntable.fm, the collaborative streaming music platform of the early 2010s, you'll get a flash of déjà vu when you look at the newly launched Hangout. It looks and works very much like turntable.fm, and that's no bad thing. (And just to clarify, this is nothing to with Google Hangouts, which closed its virtual doors in November 2022).

The idea behind Hangout is simple: you create your own personal space, which is called a Hangout, and you and your friends can then take turns being the DJ. There are over 100 million officially licensed tracks to choose from, and you can take part from multiple platforms: your web browser, your iOS device or your Android device.

What's different from turntable.fm?

Hangouts comes from Turntable Labs, a spin-off from the original Turntable.fm. That service suffered from one big problem when it launched: it had no official deals in place with any record labels, so operated within a gray area that limited what it could do. Instead of getting licenses from the record companies, it claimed to be a non-interactive radio station, which meant you couldn't play your own choice of music if you were the only person in the room and only US residents could use it. It did sign licences in 2012 with four major music labels, but the site shut down the following year.

Hangout clearly doesn't want to repeat that history, hence the licenses being in place from the get-go. But with former Turntable.fm VP of technology Joseph Perla at the helm, it clearly hopes to recapture the magic of the original without any of the other issues. However, it also has a rival – and that too has a turntable.fm connection, as it is run by former turntable CEO, Billy Chasen. That one's called deepcut.fm, and it's a rebranded (and very retro-looking) version of turntable.fm.

As interesting as the history is, what really matters is whether anybody's going to use it – and music collaboration has changed somewhat since Turntable's heyday. Apple's SharePlay, Spotify Live and other similar services already offer collaborative listening, and while they don't have Hangouts' cutesy interface, they do already have established customer bases.

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• Watch parties are now available in YouTube VR
• You'll all need to own paid content to watch it together
• You can't watch 360 video together yet

VR gaming, like gaming in general, is always more fun with friends. Hopping into Just Dance VR is fine, but taking it on in a multiplayer session – either online or for couch co-op – is a much more enjoyable experience. The same is true for Walkabout Mini Golf and Beat Saber – and now you can also enjoy shared experiences when watching movies or other content in the YouTube VR app.

Whether it’s watching a 4K movie or your favorite YouTube Short, it’s now possible to host a YouTube watch party with up to seven other guests at the push of a button – no matter where you all happen to be (though it will need to be somewhere with an internet connection).

You’ll want to boot up the free YouTube app on your Meta Quest 3 or Quest 3S (after installing it if you haven’t already), then look above the screen to see the co-watch icon (it looks like a person-shaped outline flanked by two silhouettes), and click it to start your watch party.

From there you can invite people from your followers list – provided you follow each other – by sending them a notification. Once they accept they'll join your virtual group, and then you can decide what you all want to watch.

There are a few restrictions to note, however. As mentioned you’ll have to be following each other, and it's important to note that you want to watch paid-for YouTube content everyone in the party will have to pay for it separately – so you can’t get away with splitting a single rental fee.

Additionally, full-360-degree immersive video is not yet supported, which is a shame as these 3D experiences are among my favorite ways to use the YouTube VR app. Hopefully it'll be added in the near future, but for now I'm excited to start some watch parties with YouTube's huge catalog of 2D content.

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• Xbox boss Phil Spencer says he is pleased with Microsoft's multiplatform push
• Spencer says there are no "red lines" when it comes to releasing more Xbox games on other platforms
• Spencer thinks "the ball is moving in the right direction"

Microsoft's gaming head Phil Spencer has said that there are no "red lines" regarding the release of more Xbox games on PlayStation.

The company's multiplatform push kicked off earlier this year, which saw the likes of Hi-Fi Rush, Grounded, Pentiment, and Sea of Thieves make their way to PS5 and Nintendo Switch. Now, Spencer has revealed that he isn't against seeing more Xbox games released on other platforms, but has held back on confirming which titles.

Speaking in a recent interview with Bloomberg, Spencer said: "I think the ball is moving in the right direction. I think this idea of open platforms, where users have more choice, creators have more choice, you see the momentum, right?"

The Xbox boss continued, saying that he is pleased with the beginning of the multiplatform plan, and, according to Bloomberg, confirmed Microsoft wants to "do more of that" and that it won't rule out any titles in its major franchises.

"I do not see sort of red lines in our portfolio that say ‘thou must not,'" Spencer said, but added that it's too early to decide on the next version of Halo.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle was originally thought to be an Xbox-exclusive title until it received a confirmed PS5 release date this summer.

Bethesda's next major action game will launch on December 9 for Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and PC as a timed exclusive instead, before it arrives on PS5 in Spring 2025.

After the announcement, Spencer explained the surprise PS5 release, calling it a business move for the company.

"Obviously, last spring we launched four games, two of them on the Switch, four of them on PlayStation, and we said we were gonna learn," Spencer said. "We said we'd watch. I think at [the] Showcase, I might have said, from our learning, we're gonna do more.

"What I see, when I look, our franchises are getting stronger. Our Xbox console players are as high this year as they’ve ever been. So I look at it and I say, okay, our player numbers are going up for the console platform. Our franchises are as strong as they’ve ever been."

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• Poor tech uptake has cost the UK economy an estimated £111 billion
• Report claims 676,000 jobs could have been created despite the perceived AI threat
• ‘Digital leaders’ are more likely to see strong turnover growth

A new report from Virgin Media O2 Business and Cebr has highlighted how much is being left on the table by companies that have failed to adopt new technologies, and it could be affecting the entire country as well as their own profits.

The study claims if all British businesses had increased their digital technology usage in 2021, when pandemic-induced digitization was on trend, the UK’s economy would have seen a £111 billion uptick in turnover by 2023 – a sum worth around 3% of the nation’s estimated GDP.

Still today, the study found three in four have not increased their digital technology usage since 2021, highlighting a major gap that could be plugged.

British businesses need more tech

More locally, businesses branded by the report as ‘digital leaders’ – companies actively investing in digital solutions – have seen a 12% growth in turnover, compared with only 5% for their not-so-digitally-inclined counterparts.

Firms with a strong digital culture are nearly twice as likely to have workforces that are prepared for the future than those with weaker digital cultures (81% versus 43%).

“There’s a £111bn boost to the UK economy to be unlocked for those organisations who build strong digital cultures, where technology underpins the way people connect and collaborate with colleagues and customers to drive business outcomes," noted Jo Bertram, Managing Director at Virgin Media O2 Business.

Apart from the direct economic benefits, Virgin Media O2 Business believes that a further 676,000 jobs could have been created by 2023 – a considerable number given the ongoing worry that artificial intelligence could replace human workers.

This in itself is a theory that has been challenged, with experts seeing AI more as a colleague than a replacement – an idea I explored myself at a recent tech conference.

Nina Skero, CEO at Cebr, added: “We encourage UK leaders to use this report as a guide to navigate the challenges and opportunities of a digital workplace. By prioritising cultivating a strong digital culture, organisations can unlock their full potential and drive sustained growth for the UK economy and wider society.”

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• A report suggests the Samsung Galaxy S25 will be unveiled on January 23
• Samsung is apparently aiming to launch the S25 Slim at the same time
• A leaker has reiterated that all S25 models will use a Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset

The wait for the Samsung Galaxy S25 series could almost be over, as according to a report the S25, Galaxy S25 Plus, and Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra will all be announced on January 23.

That’s according to South Korean site FNNews (via @Jukanlosreve), citing “industry sources.” It’s a date that makes sense, since based on past form we always expected to see the Galaxy S25 range appear in either January or February.

The site adds that the launch event is likely to happen in San Francisco, and that – surprisingly – the Samsung Galaxy S25 Slim might be unveiled at the same time.

An unexpectedly early arrival for the S25 Slim

We’ve heard rumblings that Samsung was working on a ‘Slim’ model, but most leaks so far have suggested this thinner phone would arrive two or three months after the rest of the line.

Apparently though, the Samsung Galaxy S25 Slim is in the final stages of development, and Samsung is hoping to have it finished in time for a January 23 launch, so that it can have as much of a head start as possible on the slim iPhone 17 Air that’s rumored to be landing later in 2025.

It sounds then like there’s a chance the Galaxy S25 Slim won’t be ready in time, though perhaps in that case Samsung will still announce it on January 23, with the phone then going on sale later than the rest of the Galaxy S25 models.

We’d take all of this with a pinch of salt anyway. This is the first real Samsung Galaxy S25 release date leak we've seen, so until other sources start agreeing or disagreeing it’s hard to say how likely this all is.

I reiterate that all versions of the Galaxy S25 series in the world adopt Snapdragon 8 Elite, and will not adopt Exynos.November 13, 2024

In other Samsung Galaxy S25 news, leaker @UniverseIce has reiterated their claim that every model in the line will be equipped with a Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset, everywhere in the world.

That’s an unusual approach for Samsung, which typically uses its own Exynos chipsets in some regions, but this seems to be the consensus among leakers now, so we’d say it’s likely that the Snapdragon 8 Elite will indeed be used everywhere.

That should be good news, as typically Samsung’s Exynos chipsets can’t quite match the Snapdragon alternatives for performance.

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The pressure on businesses to digitize has changed how they operate, fueling a growing trend of adopting new technologies to stay competitive and improve efficiencies. However, this drive towards modernization is leading to an overuse of point solutions that are designed to address one specific problem within an organization. The result? Sprawling and disconnected technology stacks across businesses that are draining efficiency and disrupting the flow of work.

In recent years, many teams had two major priorities – enable business in a heavily remote world and drive growth at all costs. And because they had the access to capital needed to buy technology, many adopted a range of incremental technologies to address specific challenges across their departments. Whether it was a new employee time off request tool for HR or a new tax compliance management tool for finance, organizations were constantly bringing in new software and doing so with little regard to existing processes.

Fast forward to today and businesses find themselves in a different position than in recent years. The focus for many is on driving efficiency and enabling people to do their most productive work. But instead of their existing technology working for them, in many cases, it’s draining efficiency even further.

Software overconsumption and underutilization drain efficiency

Many organizations have the best of intentions when acquiring software – they are adopting it to help do tasks better, faster, and smarter. But challenges arise when organizations have deployed more software than they need, have redundant technologies, haven’t integrated the systems, or aren’t utilizing the software to its full extent.

The beauty of software-as-a-service (SaaS) is that it’s easier for organizations to adopt, implement, and use technologies to solve specific challenges. But it’s also because of those exact same reasons that businesses find themselves in the position they’re in today. Teams have been able to purchase their own software solutions to solve their specific challenges and individual processes. This increases the agility of teams to solve problems with technology, but it also creates disruptions to broader processes and workflows across an organization.

Those implications show up in many forms. Business leaders and teams now have siloed data, unnecessary technology spend, and disrupted processes that prevent people from being efficient and work flowing as it should. IT teams are also burdened by an overwhelming amount of software implementations and added security concerns that come with software adoption without proper governance.

To solve these challenges, many organizations have started looking for ways to consolidate their technologies.

Software consolidation takes center stage

A recent report shows that 72% of CIOs are concerned about the impact of app sprawl, while another found that midsize companies waste an average of £18 million annually on unused software licenses. And according to Canva’s 2024 CIO report, 64% of organizations say they don’t have enough staff to train employees on new technologies. The data is clear – organizations need to consolidate their technology stacks. And that’s exactly what they’re doing to achieve widespread efficiency across departments.

But a successful software consolidation strategy requires more than cutting technology – it must take process into account.

Think about how work flows through an organization. It requires data to move between people and technology. So, if an organization is consolidating its technology stack, it’s important to understand what technology is necessary to keep, ensuring that business processes and workflows move as efficiently as possible.

End-to-end process automation enables organizations to identify where inefficiencies lie in their processes today, including the technology that isn’t working for them. It also allows organizations to apply automation to orchestrate workflows across departments for maximum efficiency. And because disconnected and siloed data is a key driver of software consolidation, process automation enables business leaders to easily build applications that bring optimized workflows and processes to life.

Taking a strategic approach with process in mind can help to uncover overlapping tools, underutilized licenses, and replace point solutions with easy-to-use applications that allow work to flow efficiently and effectively through an organization. By consolidating software with process in mind, organizations can easily adopt new technologies in the future, like AI tools, on top of already optimized workflows. This will make adoption and implementation easier, while also preventing disruption to processes.

If the primary mandate for organizations today is efficiency, then the path to operational excellence starts by empowering your team members by removing friction from work. Reducing the sprawl of software and optimizing processes to connect data between people and systems is a key factor in removing that friction.

Technology can solve your efficiency challenges, if adopted and used with process in mind. Without process, there’s a good chance that technology is a main reason your people and teams are struggling to be productive and efficient.

We've rated the best small business 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

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 Wordle today, NYT Connections today and Quordle today pages for hints and answers for those games.

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

• Today's NYT Strands theme is… Name of the game

NYT Strands today (game #256) - hint #2 - clue words

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

• CART
• CARD
• CARDS
• LUMP
• LUMPS
• LOCK

NYT Strands today (game #256) - hint #3 - spangram What is a hint for today's spangram?

• It's a mystery

NYT Strands today (game #256) - hint #4 - spangram position What are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?

First: top, 3rd column

Last: bottom, 5th column

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

NYT Strands today (game #256) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #256, are…

• PLUM
• GREEN
• PEACOCK
• MUSTARD
• ORCHID
• SCARLET
• SPANGRAM: CLUESUSPECTS

• My rating: Moderate
• My score: 2 hints

I have mixed feelings about today's Strands puzzle. On the one hand, it's a nicely challenging instalment that I had to use my brain (and memory) to solve. On the other, it has a couple of anomalies that slightly detract from the experience.

The theme here is CLUESUSPECTS, as the spangram has it, and setting aside the fact that it's called CLUEDO in the UK, I have no issue with it as a concept. However, I am a little miffed about the fact that one of the answers is ORCHID. I'm not an expert, but my online research has led me to understand that ORCHID was only added as a character, in place of Mrs (or Chef) White in 2016, and was removed again in 2023. Given that CLUE/CLUEDO has been around since the 1940s, that seems an oddly short change to reflect here. Plus, Mrs SCARLET was called Mrs SCARLETT with two Ts from 1949 until 1963, then lost the second T in the US, then regained it in 2016. Which is fine – but then you have the SCARLET spelling from one era and the ORCHID character from another. It's all just a little messy.

On the other hand, I'm being petty. This Strands puzzle is fine, though I needed two hints to establish what the concept actually was. Once I had it, it was easy enough to solve, even allowing for the slight weirdness around a couple of the answers. Anyway, it made me want to play it again for the first time in several decades, so that's no bad thing.

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

Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Wednesday, 13 November, game #255)

• HUMAN
• GIBBON
• KANGAROO
• PANGOLIN
• MEERKAT
• OSTRICH
• SPANGRAM: BIPEDAL

What is NYT Strands?

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

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

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

Enjoy playing word games? You can also check out my Wordle today, NYT Connections today and NYT Strands today pages for hints and answers for those puzzles.

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 #1025) - 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 #1025) - 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 #1025) - hint #3 - uncommon letters Do the letters Q, Z, X or J appear in Quordle today?

• Yes. One of Q, Z, X or J appears among today's Quordle answers.

Quordle today (game #1025) - 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 #1025) - hint #5 - starting letters (2) What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?

• E

• T

• C

• C

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

Quordle today (game #1025) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #1025, are…

• EXALT
• TASTE
• CRONY
• CLOUT

I'm on a bit of a roll with Quordle at the moment. Having suffered a couple of losses a few months ago, I now have a 55-game streak and even seemingly tough games are proving no match for my three-start-word-strategy. This, obviously, is the kiss of death and I wouldn't be surprised if my luck changed tomorrow, but for now at least I'm on easy street.

EXALT and TASTE are the two potentially difficult words today, on account of the uncommon X and the repeated T respectively. But my start words gave me the other 18 letters I needed, so adding in that X and T was a simple task. Harder challenges no doubt await.

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

Daily Sequence today (game #1025) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #1025, are…

• RUPEE
• BUILT
• SNORE
• STACK

Quordle answers: The past 20

• Quordle #1024, Wednesday 13 November: YEARN, ELBOW, SURGE, PINEY
• Quordle #1023, Tuesday 12 November: CHORD, ATTIC, OLIVE, EIGHT
• Quordle #1022, Monday 11 November: COPSE, REGAL, GRUNT, GOODY
• Quordle #1021, Sunday 10 November: GROIN, FAULT, FERRY, SUITE
• Quordle #1020, Saturday 9 November: FLUME, THERE, ATOLL, SANER
• Quordle #1019, Friday 8 November: DELAY, NAVAL, MOLAR, SWARM
• Quordle #1018, Thursday 7 November: REPAY, SYNOD, LOATH, PITHY
• Quordle #1017, Wednesday 6 November: SASSY, DRUID, THREW, SLOSH
• Quordle #1016, Tuesday 5 November: BEGET, AMUSE, STONY, LOUSY
• Quordle #1015, Monday 4 November: CHILL, TACKY, GRAPH, PLAZA
• Quordle #1014, Sunday 3 November: QUIRK, HEART, ELBOW, KNOWN
• Quordle #1013, Saturday 2 November: SWUNG, FLOOR, PARER, CRUST
• Quordle #1012, Friday 1 November: FIFTY, GULCH, RECUT, TWEET
• Quordle #1011, Thursday 31 October: TWINE, RIGID, BELCH, AMEND
• Quordle #1010, Wednesday 30 October: SLOOP, BRINE, BROOD, FLUID
• Quordle #1009, Tuesday 29 October: CLIFF, BURNT, SNAKY, POLYP
• Quordle #1008, Monday 28 October: MACAW, LIEGE, GOUGE, CARGO
• Quordle #1007, Sunday 27 October: STUNG, CLOUT, SOWER, BASIS
• Quordle #1006, Saturday 26 October: DUCHY, CANNY, BLOCK, SMART
• Quordle #1005, Friday 25 October: PRANK, EXIST, RUDDY, PICKY

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 Wordle hints and answers, Strands hints and answers and Quordle hints and answers articles if you need help for those too.

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 #522) - today's words

(Image credit: New York Times)

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• GRAIN
• DRAIN
• TOTAL
• CUBE
• SYRUP
• SHRED
• SIGNATURE
• SAP
• JAM
• TAX
• POWDER
• ROCK
• EMPTY
• GROOVE
• TIP
• EXHAUST

NYT Connections today (game #522) - hint #1 - group hints

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

• Yellow: Use up
• Green: I'm really feeling this, man
• Blue: Service not included
• Purple: The sweetest thing

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 #522) - hint #2 - group answers

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

• YELLOW: DEPLETE
• GREEN: PLAY MUSIC WITH PASSION
• BLUE: WORDS ON A RESTAURANT RECEIPT
• PURPLE: FORMS OF SUGAR

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

NYT Connections today (game #522) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Connections, game #522, are…

• YELLOW: DEPLETE DRAIN, EMPTY, EXHAUST, SAP
• GREEN: PLAY MUSIC WITH PASSION GROOVE, JAM, ROCK, SHRED
• BLUE: WORDS ON A RESTAURANT RECEIPT SIGNATURE, TAX, TIP, TOTAL
• PURPLE: FORMS OF SUGAR CUBE, GRAIN, POWDER, SYRUP

• My rating: Easy
• My score: Perfect

This is probably one of the easiest Connections games we've had in a few weeks. The first couple of groups, yellow and green, were obvious collections of synonyms, while blue was not much harder; it doesn't take a genius to spot that TAX, TIP and TOTAL go together, and in that context SIGNATURE is an easy addition. Would I have got purple, FORMS OF SUGAR, if not by default? We'll never know for sure, but I suspect that if the other three hadn't been so simple I might have put POWDER and GRAIN together at least, then built from there. I'm not complaining, of course – I've had a couple of failures lately, so I'll take every victory I get, even if it wasn't a particularly challenging game.

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

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Wednesday, 13 November, game #521)

• YELLOW: THINGS THAT ARE YELLOW CANARY, LEMON, MINION, MUSTARD
• GREEN: BUILDING ADD-ONS ADDITION, ANNEX, EXTENSION, WING
• BLUE: CONCERNS FOR A DENTIST CALCULUS, CAVITY, PLAQUE, TARTAR
• PURPLE: WORDS THAT SEEM LONGER WRITTEN THAN SPOKEN COLONEL, PHARAOH, WEDNESDAY, WORCESTERSHIRE

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.

• O2 has created an AI granny that will trap scammers in meandering conversations to waste as much of their time as possible
• Daisy is trained on real anonymized scammer data in partnership with well-known scambaiter Jim Browning of the YouTube channel Tech Support Scams
• New survey reveals that 7 in 10 (71%) of Brits would like to get their own back against scammers that have tried to trick them or their loved ones.

You might not have thought it possible, but grannies will be leading the AI revolution and fighting back against scammers. We’re talking about Daisy (also written dAIsy), the AI granny created by O2 to trap scammers into a long and futile conversation, so they waste as much time as possible on the phone as they try to get her to input her bank details into her computer.

If you listen to dAIsy working her AI-magic on scammers in the video below you'll be able to hear that she is indistinguishable from a human and responds to the scammers by playing into people’s preconceptions about senior citizens not being comfortable with technology. Scammers become increasingly frustrated as they try and try to get her to enter a fake web address into her browser, or enter her personal information, only to have to endure long and meandering conversations that ultimately lead to nowhere.

Thanks Grandma

Daisy isn’t an AI feature you can add to your personal phone account, rather it is a phone number that O2 Virgin Media has managed to get added to a list of online ‘mugs lists’ used by scammers targeting UK consumers. dAIsy is available to answer the phone to scammers no matter what time they call, 24/7. Her goal is to keep the scammers on the phone for as long as possible so that they have less time to ply their treacherous trade against real people.

Murray Mackenzie, Director of Fraud at Virgin Media O2, said: “We’re committed to playing our part in stopping the scammers, investing in everything from firewall technology to block out scam texts to AI-powered spam call detection to keep our customers safe. But crucially, Daisy is also a reminder that no matter how persuasive someone on the other end of the phone may be, they aren’t always who you think they are."

O2 Virgin Media has set up a webpage offering tips, tricks, and advice on dealing with scammers. A recent survey by the company revealed that 7 in 10 (71%) of Brits would like to get revenge on scammers who have tried to trick them, or their loved ones. But why waste your own time when a convincing chatbot with all the time can help fight back against scammers?

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• Five Eyes alliance has revealed the most exploited vulnerabilities of 2023
• Zero-day exploits were the primary concern, with CVE-2023-3519 was at the top of the list
• Businesses urged to patch as soon as possible to stay safe

The Five Eyes intelligence alliance has revealed the most routinely exploited vulnerabilities for 2023. The joint advisory, made with contributions from agencies in the US, UK, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada, has called for organizations to patch the security flaws to mitigate network exposure.

The agencies confirmed what many in the industry will know all too well, that threat actors focus their attacks on zero-day attacks, with 12 out of the top 15 exploited vulnerabilities initially exploited as a zero-day.

“In 2023, malicious cyber actors exploited more zero-day vulnerabilities to compromise enterprise networks compared to 2022, allowing them to conduct cyber operations against higher-priority targets,” the advisory warned.

Injections and escalations

The top vulnerability for 2023 was CVE-2023-3519, a code injection in NetScaler ADC/Gateway using Citrix as the vendor, which was the tactic used in critical infrastructure attacks in the US last year, and had a severity rating of 9.8, making it a critical flaw.

Another high severity flaw in the top three, CVE-2023-20198, was one that Cisco issued a patch for in October 2023, which allowed attackers to create accounts on affected devices with privileged access, gaining full control over the device.

The agencies, as always, strongly encouraged end-user organizations to continually update software and applications, implement a robust patch management process, and perform regular secure systems backups to ensure your company stays safe against cyberattacks.

“Malicious cyber actors continue to have the most success exploiting vulnerabilities within two years after public disclosure of the vulnerability," the advisory warned,

“The utility of these vulnerabilities declines over time as more systems are patched or replaced. Malicious cyber actors find less utility from zero-day exploits when international cybersecurity efforts reduce the lifespan of zero-day vulnerabilities.”

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Whether you’re a singer or songwriter, in a band, a musician, or a podcaster, there is a good chance that you use Logic Pro on the Mac or iPad to produce, edit, and eventually export. Apple gave Logic Pro a significant upgrade in May alongside new iPads and truly infused it with AI in the form of session players.

Now, though, with Logic Pro for Mac 11.1 and Logic Pro for iPad 2.1, Apple’s expanding on some core capabilities and adding a plugin with some historical significance – at least in the music industry.

A bevy of new features, led by the Quantec Room Simulator plug-in, are rolling out today as a free update for both platforms. First, a bit of a history lesson on the Quantec Room Simulator – it’s built from the original documentation and algorithms of the physical piece of hardware created by Wolfgang Buchleitner, which enables a distinct and accurate reverb adjustment. It’s been used by countless artists, including Peter Gabriel, who uses it at live shows for building harmonic drones and on records including Passion and Us.

(Image credit: Apple)

Apple essentially acquired the tech to rebuild the Quantec Room Simulator as a plugin that’s now included with Logic Pro for Mac and iPad. This lets you add natural-sounding effects to anything – be it spoken word, music, or even foley sounds. There are two routes for using it: one that is more vintage and one that is updated modern.

Beyond the Quantec Room Simulator plug-in, Logic Pro is getting “Reorder Mixer Channels” that allow you to rearrange various strips individually or in groups. You can also add your own personal sounds on the iPad via Sample Folders, which can pull from connected storage, the Files app, or iCloud Drive. You can now more easily search for plug-ins on the Mac thanks to a new categorization. These are some handy additions that should let you make the most of Logic Pro, either by using the built-in tools or pulling from other sources.

The Quantec Room Simulator will also be one to try out, and of course, a Logic Pro update wouldn't be complete without some new sounds. To fill that need, Apple’s also adding a Modular Melodies Synth Pack at no additional cost.

Of course, if you’re new to Logic Pro for Mac or iPad, there is a cost associated with it. On the Mac, it’s a one-time purchase of $199.99 in the United States, and on the iPad, it’s either $4.99 a month or $49.99 a year. These updates are now rolling out with Logic Pro for Mac 11.1 and Logic Pro for iPad 2.1.

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Sony Afeela might be just what this sleeping self-driving EV industry needs. There, I said it, and it's a change of heart that comes from finally sitting inside the prototype collaboration between Sony and Honda. Sony Afeela, the EV with the silliest name, may offer everything you want, including AI, in a next-level self-driving electric automobile.

It's been a long road for Sony Honda Mobility's Afeela EV prototype self-driving car. We first heard about it years ago when it was still called Sony Vision S. The rebrand introduced two years ago at CES 2023 was met with some head-scratching, though.

Vision S was cool. Afeela is a softball for wordplay mockery. Part of the problem is that Sony, for the most part, kept the media at arm's length. That changed this week when Sony started inviting the press to a Classic Car Club hanger on Manhanttan's West side.

(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)

Afeela is a joint project between Sony and Honda, and company reps insist that it's a 50-50 endeavor. Honda did not simply build an EV and ask Sony for its branding consent. Instead, the fingerprints of both companies are all over the car.

In hindsight, the Classic Car Club might not have been the best place to showcase Afeela's relatively low-key design. Outside the building, a collection of pricey, eye-popping sports and classic cars sat. The gray Afeela sat lonely in the cavernous hanger, looking much the same as it did when I saw it at CES last year and the year before that. Sony did tell me that other color options will be available when the EV goes on pre-order next year and ships in 2026.

Step inside

Sony's intention this time, though, was not just to antiseptically tout Afeela's capabilities. I was almost immediately invited to sit in the mostly white interior.

First, though, I had to figure out hope to open one of the sedan's four doors. While most EVs have recessed handles, the Afeela has none. I was quickly shown how the car could communicate with the companion app on your phone and swing the door open as you approached the car. If app control is not your thing, small buttons are hidden near each window. One press and the door swung open on its own. There's another button inside the door that I used to open and close the car door.

As I settled into the comfortable bucket seat, the chair shifted forward, and the yoke-style steering wheel lowered toward my lap. My gaze was instantly drawn to the virtually full dashboard touchscreen. We swiped it to see various content options. It supports customization, gaming (there was somewhat incongruously a PlayStation controller sitting just below the dash, but we never got it to work with the car), and even movies. You can slide content toward or away from the driver. There will be a method for assuring that a movie playing on the far right of the screen does not distract the driver, though Sony could not describe the technology that will make this possible.

(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)

My favorite use of this display was as a giant navigation map. We pinched and zoomed in and out on it and swept up to transform it into a 3D, 360-degree rendering view.

The dash right in front of me, which is also customizable, has an image of the car and the Fortnite logo above it. I never got to drive the EV, and Sony Honda Mobility has been mum about certain key specs, such as range. However, this screen offered a clue.

I noticed the 0 MPH readout and a "Range" readout to the far left. The bar appeared to be 84% full and promised 234 miles remaining. That could mean Afeela will be in the 250 or even 275mph range, which would more or less match the base range of a rear-wheel motor Tesla Model 3.

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(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)Image 2 of 2

(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)

This being a prototype, there were many things I couldn't experience (like a test drive) or examine, like the trunk and frunk. Even the 360 spatial audio sound system was incomplete, but they were willing to let me listen. It played music. but also sonic soundscapes that were ear and cabin-filling. The EV will include sound-suppressing features that should mean even if we blasted the music, people outside the car might not be able to hear it.

Afeela uses a combination of cameras (they would not tell me how many) and Lidar sensors for autonomy and to deliver information about surroundings, other cars, and pedestrians to the driver. Along with a standard side view and a rearview mirror, a pair of screens can show you a more complete view from each side of the car (Sony never turned these on in my demo). The rearview can switch between a standard mirror and a rear camera feed.

I also slipped into the spacious rear seats and was confronted by what looked like a 12-inch touchscreen (there was one on the back of each front seat). They showed maps but could be used to display movies, play games, access music, and more.

The EV is big on themes, and depending on which one you choose (or even create), the ambient lighting embedded throughout the car will adjust, as will the sounds. I like the Fortnite blue hue we ended up with.

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(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)Image 6 of 6

(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff) A rolling computer

Afeela is a smart car. While Sony Honda Mobility wouldn't detail the manufacturer, they claim the EV has a powerful system on a chip (SoC) capable of 800 ToPs (Trillions of Operations Per Second) and that supports on-board machine learning AI that, in combination with all the cameras and sensors, should deliver Sony Honda Mobility's goal of Level 3 and Level 2+ autonomy.

That means the car will be able to drive itself, but it'll still require the driver to maintain contact with the steering wheel as a backup. Company representatives told me the system is well-equipped to handle nighttime driving and bad weather. The car will also get regular over-the-air system updates.

Afeela uses these smarts to get to know you and make adjustments, like switching up the morning commute routine if it knows – via access to your calendar – that you have a meeting this morning and offers faster routes to ensure you make it on time.

The app-connected bumper displays is kind of cool. It can show off special messages and, as seen here, even tell you how much battery is left. I wonder if they would consider letting drivers rent out the space to advertisers. (Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)

Even though Sony Honda Mobility is promising pre-orders next year and delivery by 2026, it still has nothing to say about the price. While the car and its technology-crammed interior are exciting, and the exterior is pleasantly attractive, the Afeela adds up to a big question mark in the EV space.

No one outside the company knows how it will drive, exactly how far it can go, what its 0-to-60mph capabilities are, or how all those in-cabin capabilities will work for the driver and passengers in the real world.

What we do know, though, is what Afeela means. Here's how one Sony Honda Mobility representative described it to me:

At the center of the mobility experience is to create a feeling. Take that idea of creating a feeling, sandwich in augmentation, economy, and affinity, and you get A Feel A, and that's where Afeela comes from."

Okay, we'll take his word for it.

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• Amazon just launched Haul, where all products are $20 or less ... way less
• You won't score free shipping with Prime
• This Temu, Shein, or TikTok Shop alternative is home to a host of products

Look at Temu, Shein, and TikTok Shop – now Amazon wants a piece of the ultra-low-cost, generally patience-required shopping buzz. The answer? Well, that’s Amazon Haul.

Amazon Haul is a new mobile-only experience within the Amazon app that offers dozens upon dozens of ultra-affordable products, including fashion, home goods, tech accessories, and even jewelry. While Amazon normally heralds Prime at every opportunity, it’s not featured here.

To score free shipping that isn’t all that fast – delivery estimates are one to two weeks – you’ll need to spend at least $25. Otherwise, shipping is $3.99 for that same time frame. In fact, that fee might be more than what the product you want costs, as some items – including a Stainless Steel Couple Ring—are just $0.99.

(Image credit: Future/Jacob Krol)

All products on Amazon Haul are under $20, and the experience is very much like a social feed. A rolling top banner rotates with options like “Warm layers. Cool prices.” or “Activewear that won’t stretch your budget.” This is a quick attention grabber, with rolling stats below it and then many featured products across categories. Amazon is also leaning toward emojis and bright colors for the design here. Regardless of product type, Amazon offers additional discounts for Haul, including 5% off when you spend $50 or more and 10% off when you spend $75 or higher.

Haul might be safer than purchasing from Temu or Shein because Amazon backs it with the brand's A-to-Z Guarantee, which offers some consumer protection. Also, you can contact Amazon’s customer support if something goes wrong. You can return any item that costs more than $3.00 within 15 days; it seems like you’re out of luck for lower-priced options, though.

Like TikTok Shop, Temu, or Shein, Haul is clearly designed to encourage purchasing and you can move through it pretty quickly – from homepage to category to product to checkout. The product pages are also a bit more brief than a standard Amazon one. Take this Water Ripple Pattern Phone Case” for example; it has six photos, most of which are of the actual product and minimal details, including an estimated delivery time frame, details on the product, and then similar choices in case you don’t like this one.

(Image credit: Future/Jacob Krol)

Amazon Haul is live now in beta in the Amazon app and on the mobile version of the shopping site in the United States. It’s early days, though, with Amazon’s VP of Worldwide Selling Partner Services, Dharmesh Mehta, saying that Amazon will “continue to listen to customers as we refine and expand it in the weeks and months to come.”

Further, it’s evident what Haul is all about – lower-priced products from a more trusted name, at least in Amazon’s eyes, as all purchases are “ backed by Amazon’s A-to-Z product guarantee so customers can shop with confidence that the products they’re purchasing are safe, authentic, and in the condition expected.”

It offers a wide range of products, including fashion – shoes and jewelry – as well as home goods, electronics, accessories, kitchen, beauty, and sports. You’ll also find seasonal items, including a ton of stuff geared toward the holidays; you’ll just want to order soon enough so you can haul, haul, haul.

I was able to start browsing Amazon Haul in beta right from the Amazon app on an iPhone, though if you’re not seeing it, you may want to check for an update and ensure you’re in the United States. I’ll browse the virtual aisles of this new low-cost experience and report on what I find – just give me about two weeks time.

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• Researchers discover Golssue - a new tool for extracting GitHub user emails
• It is being sold for $700 on the dark web
• Such a high-precision tool could lead to dangerous supply chain attacks

GitHub users are allegedly being targeted in a brand new phishing campaign, according to SlashNext.

The company recently published an article titled “GoIssue – The Tool Behind Recent GitHub Phishing Attacks”, detailing the tool, which, from the headline, appears to have already been put to use.

However, the article’s body mostly discusses the potential risks and the ways it could be used to facilitate targeted phishing campaigns and other cyber attacks. It outlines the features of GoIssue and how attackers "could" use it to target GitHub users, suggesting hypothetical scenarios rather than confirming any specific incidents where the tool has been deployed.

Discount for early adopters

In any case, Golssue is definitely a sophisticated hacking tool, and GitHub users should be on their guard.

SlashNext claims Golssue can extract email addresses from public GitHub profiles, and send bulk emails directly to people’s inboxes. That way, crooks could craft highly targeted, convincing phishing emails, which could result in GitHub users losing access to their profiles, or having projects compromised with malware in supply-chain attacks.

"Whether you're aiming to reach a specific audience or expand your outreach, GoIssue offers the precision and power you need," Golssue’s developer, a threat actor called ‘cyberdluffy’ said in an ad posted on the dark web.

To purchase a custom build of the tool, you will need to pay $700. Access to the source code can also be acquired, but for $3,000. TheHackerNews found on October 11, the developer slashed the prices to $150 and $1,000 respectively - for the first five customers. So, we might assume that no groups used it just yet.

GitHub is a web-based platform that provides version control and collaboration features for software development projects. It is extremely popular, and as such, often targeted by various criminal groups.

Via SlashNext

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