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The latest Nintendo Indie World Showcase has been and gone. August 7's Indie World Showcase, as confirmed by Nintendo's socials, lasted roughly 15 minutes and featured game announcements for both Nintendo Switch 2 and the original Nintendo Switch.

Sadly, Hollow Knight: Silksong didn't appear, but its absence certainly didn't invalidate all the other excellent-looking titles we saw, and after all, Silksong is likely launching soon, so there was no reason to lose heart when it didn't show up in this stream.

We covered the event live, and you can see exactly how at the bottom of this page. Directly beneath this chat, however, is a list of everything announced, just in case you were after a quick list for convenience.

August Nintendo Indie World Showcase: everything announced and shown

Mina The Hollower

• New game from Shovel Knight studio
• Launches 10/31/2025 for Switch and Switch 2
• Demo available today

Well Dweller

• Metroidvania-style game with side scrolling mechanics
• Boss fights
• Coming to Switch in 2026

Nerverway

• Coldblood studio
• Same pixel artist as Celeste
• Pixel action game
• Meet a variety of characters with stories to follow
• Unlockable combat abilities
• Fast-paced combat
• Available 2026
• Nintendo Switch release

Heardling

• From the publisher of Firewatch
• Escort a herd of mysterious creatures
• Puzzle solving
• Nintendo Switch release
• August 21, 2025, release
• Pre-orders open now

Is This Seat Taken?

• Play seating matchmaking with characters in social situations
• Puzzle solving and scenarios to be figured out
• Available today on Switch

Little Kitty, Big City

• Free update
• Cat customizer to give your cat a new look
• Explore new areas and visit familiar friends
• Additional photo mode features with stickers
• Available this year on Switch

Content Warning

• The PC online co-op hit is coming to Nintendo Switch and Switch 2 in 2026

Ball x Pit

• Low-poly pixel art style
• From Devolver Digital
• Over 60 randomized balls to equip
• Collect resources to rebuild your city
• Each level has challenges and boss fights
• Other treasure hunters to meet along the way
• Use their abilities in your own kit
• Coming to Switch and Switch 2 on October 15, 2025

Ultimate Sheep Racoon

• 8-player co-op
• Switch and Switch 2 release
• Winter 2025

Glaciered

• JRPG-action style
• Set 65 million years in the future
• Explore the underwater world as an evolved dinosaur (????)
• Timed console Switch exclusive
• Coming Winter 2025

Ending montage featuring...

• Winter Burrow - Switch, Winter 2025 release
• Undusted: Letters of the Past - Switch, October 2025
• Tiny Bookshop - Available today Switch
• Caves of Qud - Winter 2025 on Switch
• Strange Antiquities - Switch release, September 17. Pre-order now
• Opus: Prism Peak - Fall 2025 for Switch and Switch 2
• Go-Go Town! - Spring 2026 on Switch
• UFO 50 - Switch release later today

August Nintendo Indie World Showcase start time

This Nintendo Indie World Showcase went live on August 7 at 6am PT / 9am ET / 2pm BST / 3pm CEST.

August Nintendo Indie World Showcase: how to watch

Nintendo's 15-minute August 2025 Indie World Showcase was broadcast live on its regional YouTube channels. You could also catch it over at Nintendo's official Twitch page.

Well met travellers!

Greetings and welcome to our live coverage of today's Nintendo Indie World Showcase! We're going to be giving you all the pertinent and crucial information regarding how to catch the stream, while also sharing some of our thoughts, hopes, and predictions along the way!

Strap in, and let's hope we see some absolute bangers!

Indie World start time

Let's start off with the really simple, but really crucial stuff: when the showcase will start.

Nintendo confirmed that the Indie World Showcase will begin at the usual time of 6am PT / 9am ET / 2pm BST.

It's going to run for only about 15 minutes, so you won't have to block off loads of time to catch this stream.

How to watch the Nintendo Indie World Showcase

Next, here's how to watch it, and the best stream to use.

Below is the Nintendo of America placeholder YouTube link, which will go live with the show at start time. You'll also be able to watch it on Twitch if you prefer.

The Silksong question...

(Image credit: Nintendo)

This probably won't be the last time we speak about Silksong, but the big question today is: will we see Silksong in the Indie World Showcase?

Here at TechRadar Gaming, we're split on it. Some of us think that it's just too close to Gamescom now, where it's been confirmed that the game will be playable - and likely shown off during a showcase of some sort.

While others on our team think a snippet or brief look will be enough to keep that hype train going at full speed.

I don't think we'll see a huge amount of the game if it is present today, but something would be excellent.

What else might we see?

Away from the potential Silksong-shaped-elephant in the room, what else could we see? Well, we've done some brainstorming here and have a few ideas about what might appear, but also what we hope to appear...

Hope: Blue Prince to Switch?

(Image credit: Dogubomb)

One indie-shaped announcement we're hoping for is to see Blue Prince make the jump over to Switch and/or Switch 2.

The puzzle adventure game took the world by storm earlier this year and is one of the highlights of 2025 so far. It's a perfect game for the handheld nature of the Switch consoles, and we can't imagine it being a drain on even the older console's hardware either.

What an absolutely welcome addition to the Switch library this would be.

45 minutes to go!

We've got less than 45 minutes to wait now! This is your 45 (ish) minute warning klaxon!

25 minute warning!

Less than half an hour to go now! Only 25 minutes

Hope: Maybe a Hades 2 full release date for Switch 2

Another thing we've been wondering about is whether we might get a full release Hades 2 release date...

it's not a bad shout, and the Hades games absolutely bang on Switch console.

I've been joined by my Nintendo-fan pal Josie who's an expert in the field of all things Nintendo, so she will likely guide you through the show itself, while myself (Rob) and another colleague watch along, grab some snaps, and fill out this live blog with other information.

10 minutes to go!

Good morning, good afternoon and good evening, wherever you are! Josie here, ready to give you the downlow on all things Indie World. I'm excited to see what's in store, with just 10 minutes to go!

It's go-time!

(Image credit: Nintendo UK (YouTube))

And we're about to go live! Let's see what Nintendo has in store for us...

Mina the Hollower

(Image credit: Nintendo)

Starting us strong, we have Mina the Hollower.

Featuring an adorable mousey main character, Mina the Hollower comes from the creators of Hollow Knight. It looks fun, but we've not got much to go off here!

Neverway is made by the pixel artist of Celeste

(Image credit: Nintendo)

Neverway, made by the pixel artist from Celeste, looks like a darker, slightly post-apocalyptic Stardew Valley.

There's even a mention of "paying off debt", so I hope Tom Nook knows he's got some competition there.

Herdling

Ever dreamed of herding yak-like creatures? Well, Calicorns fit the bill, and in Herdling your job is to ascend to the summit of a mountain range. It looks gorgeous, and I can't wait to see how it runs on the Switch 2!

Little Kitty, Big City

(Image credit: Nintendo)

This is one I've been waiting for for quite some time; Little Kitty, Big City is like a cozier, more uplifting version of Stray, where you adventure around a suitably big city as, you guessed it, a little kitty. Now with a free update, there's some fun-looking customization features and a new camera mode I can't wait to try out!

Ball x PIT

(Image credit: Nintendo)

This arcarde-style rogue-like block breaker sees you restore New Ball-bylon, but to me looks more like sensory overload waiting to happen. With tonnes of unlockability, hopefully the mechanics won't age too quickly.

Glaciered

Play as an evolved alien species evolved from dinosaurs in Glaciered, an underwater adventure with real-time combat mechanics and ample explorability around Everwinters oceans.

Release date: This year's holiday season

It's montage time!

Here's all the games we just saw in the whistle-stop montage tour:

Winter Burrow
Undusted: Letters from the past
Cozy bookshop
Caves of Qud
Strange antiquities
OPUS: Prism Peak
Go-Go town
UFO 50

And it's over already!

Short and sweet, as promised, that's all we get this time round! As we feared, there's no Silksong nor Hades II, but there's a good amount to be excited for in there nonetheless. We'll be going over some of those games anounced in more detail shortly!

Is this seat taken?

This simple and sweet puzzler sees you matching seats in various environments to the needs of cute little shape-people. It's not overly complex, but it's a fun addition to your library if you like portable play!

Content warning

The PC online co-op hit will be coming to Nintendo Switch and Switch 2 in 2026. In this horror-comedy hit, you'll dive head-first into spooky scenarios all for the love of clout, filming the scares you experience all in a desperate plea to go viral.

We've updated this page to feature a list of everything announced and shown in the Indie World Showcase, by the way, if you're looking for a one-stop shop of information.

There were some solid announcements today, though perhaps not the crowdpleasers we'd hoped for, but my top picks are definitely Little Kitty, Big City, Herdling and Neverway.

Let's start with Little Kitty, Big City. As I mentioned earlier, this is one I've had my eyes on since the earliest teasers appeared on X (back in the days of yore when it was still Twitter). I adored Stray, and I've always found it puzzling how the fascinating, mysterious lives of our feline friends aren't more often documented in games. I reckon I'll love the more light-hearted alternative Little Kitty, Big City offers.

My top 3: Herdling

(Image credit: Okomotive)

Next up on my personal hit-list is Herdling, which gives me the vibe of Shadow of the Colossus meets Journey in its tone and art style.

While the post-apocalyptic setting can be a little samey, I love the concept of the game, and from what we've seen in this trailer, there's a lot more to it than just walking around a barren world.

My top 3: Neverway

(Image credit: Nintendo)

Lastly, I've got to touch on Neverway from Coldblood studio. My first non-first-party Switch game was Celeste, which made a profound impact on me at the time, due in large part to its gorgeous art style.

This pixel action game-come-farming sim looks gorgeous, even with the slightly bleak art style. It's packed with a variety of richly detailed characters, unlockable combat abilities and punchy fight sequences, making for an excellent title that'll feel right at home on my Switch 2.

Ultimate Sheep Racoon

(Image credit: Nintendo)

Here's one I missed earlier: Ultimate Sheep Racoon. Probably because I just assumed it was a random collection of words, but can you blame me?

Offering up to 8-player co-op, this whacky racer looks like Happy Wheels-come-Party Animals, coming to Switch and Switch 2 in Winter 2025.

What did you think?

We thought it was a pretty good Indie World Showcase; neither ground breaking, nor really underwhelming.

The lack of Silksong might disappoint some folks, but in reality I'm not that surprised.

We're wrapping up our coverage shortly but we'll keep this page up for posterity and so that you can use it as a resource.

That's all from us!

Now that the dust has settled, we're going to be leaving our live coverage here. Shortly this page will revert to showing our live coverage as it happened from start to finish so you can revisit what was shown in the stream, and we'll keep all the pertinent details at the top of this page so you can get all the info at a glance.

Thanks for joining us, and see you soon!

• Audioengine's new HD3 speakers are out now for $359 (about £267 / AU$550)
• Bookshelf / desktop speakers with Bluetooth and USB-C for Hi-Res Audio
• 60W Class AB amplification and a high-output headphone amp

Audioengine's highly rated HD3 desktop speakers have been out for a while now: the first generation launched in 2016, and both speaker technology and audio formats have evolved a bit since then. Last year, Audioengine upgraded its bigger HD4 models to take advantage of some of the most recent developments, and now it's done the same with the more compact HD3.

Like the previous model, the new Audioengine HD3 Next Gen (2025) speakers are once again designed to sit on a desk or bookshelf, and they're particularly well suited to near-field listening with laptop and desktop computers.

But now they have built-in Bluetooth with aptX HD, as well as a powerful headphone amp. And they've been given an important Hi-Res Audio upgrade too.

(Image credit: Audioengine)Audioengine HD3 Next Gen (2025): key features and pricing

The new Audioengine HD3 Next Gen (2025) speakers have an upgraded DAC, which is 24-bit rather than 16-bit, and they also have USB-C input lossless audio – so they can connect straight to the USB-C port of your machine and pull in the highest-quality sound that the best music streaming services have to offer.

The headphone amp is a high-output OPA2134 amplifier outputting up to 380mW into 32 ohms.

Frequency response is 65Hz to 22kHz (the larger HD4s go lower in the bass) which should be fine for close listening without requiring extra low-end thump, and near-field listening is of course what these speakers have been designed for. If you do want a sub, Audioengine's S6 six-inch subwoofer goes down to a more subterranean 33Hz.

The integrated amplifier is an analog Class AB amp with 30W peak per channel, rather than the more traditional Class D amplification you expect here – this has the potential to make them more dynamic and sharper in details.

The speakers are a 2.75-inch woofer and a 0.75-inch tweeter per speaker. The cabinets are real wood, not MDF, and there are improved finishes in high-gloss Piano White, Real Walnut Veneer and Satin Black.

Given their small size and some great spec decisions, these look like interesting potential candidates for our list of the best stereo speakers when it comes to something compact and active. We look forward to giving them a test.

The Audioengine HD3 Next Gen is available in the US for $359 and the S6 sub is $299. UK and other pricing and availability haven't been announced just yet but the HD3 price works out pre-tax as £267 / AU$550.

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For many businesses, 2020 was a fundamental year, marking the shift to a cloud-first mentality as companies around the globe embraced public cloud solutions. At the time, the cloud appeared to be an obvious choice, offering reduced infrastructure costs, scalability, and unmatched flexibility.

However, as is often the case with rapidly evolving technologies, the wider implications of such a significant shift only became apparent over time. Many companies weren’t fully prepared for the long-term consequences of migrating their data, especially regarding how vital that data truly was. In recent years, as regulations have tightened and the value of data has become more apparent, organizations are reassessing their strategies.

Today, businesses are facing a mix of pressures that are forcing them to reconsider their reliance on public cloud infrastructure. Surging cloud costs, mounting regulatory demands (both local and international), issues around data sovereignty, and geopolitical concerns regarding dependency on a few U.S.-based cloud providers are all prompting organizations to explore alternatives. As a result, the idea of "cloud repatriation", or more broadly, "data repatriation" is gaining traction.

The movement towards repatriation: it's already happening

There’s clear evidence that the trend of moving data back from the cloud is well underway. A 2024 CIO survey from Barclays revealed that 83% of enterprises are planning to move workloads from public cloud to private or on-premises solutions, up from just 43% in 2021. Additionally, 94% of IT leaders have already engaged in some form of cloud repatriation project, and 25% of organizations in the UK have migrated at least half of their workloads back on-premises. Within our own client base, we've seen a growing number of cloud-native companies realize that remaining in the cloud is no longer economically sustainable for their long-term success.

Shifting back to private cloud, on-premises, or colocation solutions offers several advantages: more predictable pricing compared to fluctuating cloud bills, lower latency from being closer to end-users, and greater business resilience due to a more diversified set of infrastructure providers.

Additionally, with some large cloud providers admitting they can’t guarantee data stays within a specific jurisdiction during transfer, these alternative infrastructure options help businesses stay compliant with data protection laws, such as those in the UK and EU, while avoiding financial penalties and reputational harm.

Maximizing the potential of private data

There’s also a growing realization that many organizations have underutilized the value of their private data. Studies show that private data vastly outnumbers public data, with a ratio of 9 to 1. This is especially concerning as AI and digital business processes continue to expand. By reclaiming ownership of their data through repatriation, businesses can have greater control, unlock more cost-effective opportunities, and customize how they use that data, ultimately extracting more value from it.

For example, while public cloud tools like Co-Pilot and ChatGPT are not private, companies using colocation and private infrastructure to build their own AI models can retain ownership of intellectual property, benefiting from cutting-edge technologies while protecting their sensitive data.

The threat of data tariffs: a changing economic landscape?

While the benefits of data repatriation are clear, there are potential hurdles ahead. As more companies consider moving their data, cloud economics could face a shift toward data tariffs. The recent introduction of tariffs, like those imposed during the Trump administration, has highlighted the global implications of trade policy. While industries like manufacturing have felt the immediate effects, the service-based economies of the UK, where data plays a central role, may be next in line.

If tariffs are applied to data transfers from U.S. cloud providers to the UK, the cost of data repatriation could rise significantly. This makes it all the more critical for companies to weigh the financial and operational risks of continuing to rely on foreign cloud providers. Beyond the direct financial impact, businesses also need to consider the potential political leverage these providers could have over their operations.

In today’s world, where data is increasingly viewed as an economic asset, companies need to carefully consider the implications of allowing foreign entities to manage their most sensitive information. The rapid shifts in global politics over the past few years show just how quickly international relations can change, and the potential economic consequences of those changes. Ensuring control over their own data will help businesses better shield themselves from external disruptions.

2025: a turning point for IT strategy

All signs point to 2025 being a crucial year for businesses reevaluating their cloud strategies. However, companies looking to move away from public cloud solutions need to be fully informed about the viable alternatives. UK-based cloud providers, for instance, may offer clear advantages, such as data sovereignty, compliance with regulations, and reduced latency, making them a compelling option for businesses.

Public cloud services, while still important, are not a one-size-fits-all solution. The future of enterprise IT will rely on making strategic decisions that account for more than just cost, embracing a mix of cloud solutions, private infrastructure, and on-premises resources that are tailored to a company’s specific needs and workloads.

Rather than a wholesale departure from public cloud, businesses are likely to adopt a hybrid model that blends public, private, and on-prem infrastructure. This approach will enable organizations to optimize performance and costs while building long-term resilience in an ever-evolving digital world.

We've featured the best cloud database.

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

• GSA is partnering with OpenAI to provide federal agencies with ChatGPT
• These will cost each agency just $1 for the year
• AI models present serious environmental, security, and 'hallucination' concerns

OpenAI has announced it has partnered with the US General Services Administration (GSA) to offer ChatGPT Enterprise for the entire federal executive branch workforce at ‘essentially no cost’ meaning just $1 per agency for the next 12 months.

“Helping government work better – making services faster, easier, and more reliable—is a key way to bring the benefits of AI to everyone," the company said.

"At OpenAI, we believe public servants should help shape how AI is used. The best way to do that is to put best-in-class AI tools in their hands—with strong guardrails, high transparency, and deep respect for their public mission."

Tools and training

OpenAI was also awarded a $200 million US defence contract to provide AI data collection, admin, and ‘proactive cyber defense’ tools. This contract aims to bring AI to the forefront of defense, looking to ‘improve both the day-to-day experience of public service and to help government employees feel more empowered, more efficient, and more supported in their critical missions.’

Given the vital and sensitive work of federal agencies, it should be noted that recent studies by OpenAI itself have identified that new ChatGPT models are hallucinating more than previous models, with GPT 03 hallucinated 33% of the time during the firm’s PersonaQA benchmark, a test involving questions about public figures.

Worryingly, this figure rose to 51% in the SimpleQA benchmark - a general knowledge based test, and the 04-mini (a smaller new model) performed even worse, with a 79% hallucination rate.

OpenAI have assured that research is ongoing regarding AI hallucinations, and that there's a consistent effort to address the reliability of models. Hallucinations are tracked by the company, and there are guides available for developers to help improve the model's accuracy.

Artificial intelligence is permeating through all different industries, with wide scale adoption across both professional and personal environments.

AI companies, like ChatGPT’s OpenAI, have significant influence in the US administration, and are leveraging this influence to presumably create a dependency, or at least a level of reliance, within government agencies.

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In June, the UK government announced landmark legislation for cyber and digital defense.

The proposal, forming part of the Strategic Defence Review, signals a pivotal shift in national priorities, especially for industrial organizations operating within sectors defined as Critical National Infrastructure (CNI, such as energy, water, healthcare, transport and digital infrastructure).

As these sectors accelerate digital transformation to meet decarbonization and efficiency goals, they’re simultaneously becoming more vulnerable to cyber threats in an increasingly volatile and unpredictable world.

In this environment, it’s strategically vital for operators of critical infrastructure to partner with the right organizations that bring the expertise needed to safeguard essential systems. The risks of navigating this landscape alone, without the right support, can lead to serious and far-reaching consequences.

As Peter Kyle, Secretary of State for Department for Science, Innovation and Technology notes in his forward to the Cyber Security and Resilience Bill policy statement, last year, a cyber attack against a supplier to NHS hospitals in London caused more than 11,000 appointments and procedures to be postponed. In some cases, the patients had to wait months before they could be seen.

Meanwhile, it’s reported that in 2024, almost two thirds of water and energy providers were affected by cyber attacks. While there are no known cases of the attacks disrupting everyday services – in many of these cases, even those involving ransomware, the key target for the attackers is data, not infrastructure – it’s not difficult to imagine the potential consequences of one which did.

Just think about what would happen if a water company couldn’t provide water for drinking or bathing to people’s homes. Or if an energy provider found itself in a position where a disruptive cyber attack against its operational technology resulted in power outages across a region, or whole country.

These may only be theoretical examples of cyber attacks against critical infrastructure and the operational technology (OT) that controls it – but it isn’t a far-fetched idea at all. Indeed, a 2016 cyber attack against a power station in Ukraine plunged a whole region of the country into darkness during the middle of winter.

It wouldn’t take much for an attacker who breached IT systems to move laterally to OT systems. The threat of cyber attacks against critical infrastructure represents a national security risk, because the consequences aren’t just restricted to computer systems or data, they can impact people’s everyday lives and their basic needs.

Obsolete operational technology

With so much of the critical infrastructure we rely on increasingly connected to cloud services, the sensors and devices on the Internet of Things (IoT) and now, even AI systems, we’re truly in the digital age. Or so it seems.

However, the reality is that much CNI we rely on is still based on legacy operational technology, software and operating systems. These systems continue to be used because they’re bespoke, designed specifically for the tasks at hand.

Much of this legacy infrastructure was designed and built without internet connected systems in mind, meaning that all these years later, much of this hardware and software is outdated, bordering on obsolete, and difficult to secure against cyber threats.

The reason for this is simple: if the hardware or software is no longer supported by the manufacturer, it’s also no longer receiving security updates.

Even if security patches are available, it’s extremely difficult to take critical infrastructure offline to apply them. All of this means that OT, be it potentially patchable, or running on legacy systems which might even be decades old are extremely vulnerable to evolving cyber threats – especially if the equipment being used hasn’t been properly certified.

Securing critical national infrastructure

The government has warned how the unprecedented threat to CNI poses a risk to UK citizens, which is why it announced its plans to invest over £1 billion to enhance the UK’s digital and cyber capabilities.

Key to securing CNI is ensuring that appropriate processes are in place for assessment and prevention of threats, vulnerabilities and other issues. And when necessary, that rapid support is available to respond to suspected breaches, attacks or other incidents.

While the government’s plans on securing CNI are welcomed, it’s also important for the organizations responsible for running and maintaining operational technology to ensure they have the plans in place to react while also ensuring that the most vital operations remain active.

Therefore, the government’s budget should continue to prioritize spending on securing CNI, both around securing legacy systems and ensuring the assessment and prevention of issues, as well as ensuring that digital transformation programs to modernize the IT behind infrastructure adheres to the concept of Secure By Design at the development stage.

It’s also important to follow secure deployment guidelines and configurations when integrating the technology into real-world operating environments. And moving to Secure By Operations approach for the ongoing maintenance and oversight of assets.

Secure by Operations becomes critical when technology is evolving at such a rapid pace, and even ‘simple’ system misconfigurations can lead to cyber incidents. The use of artificial intelligence (AI) has increased the potential and speed for both positive and negative consequences. A cyberattack on a single stakeholder in the value chain can cause significant operational, financial, or reputational damage to other organizations reliant on the affected operator or their technology.

Indeed, the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has warned how AI “the growing incorporation of AI models and systems across the UK’s technology base, and particularly within critical national infrastructure, almost certainly presents an increased attack surface for adversaries to exploit.”

But industrial AI can also be used to bolster cybersecurity security, not just with automated cyber defenses, but for predictive maintenance of operational technology. Much like how AI can be used to assess the ongoing condition of cyber-physical systems, the predictive capabilities of industrial AI can be used to anticipate potential cyber threats before they become a problem.

For example, with the right information and instructions – especially when provided by the right partner – AI could anticipate what the vulnerabilities or even threat groups are the biggest risk to the infrastructure at that time, providing the human defenders with vital information to help ensure systems remain protected from malicious threats.

Human cyber defenders

The human cyber defenders are key here. While AI can help boost cybersecurity, humans are still a vital part of the loop. It’s people who are responsible for securing systems and it’s vital for people to work together towards this goal.

Cybersecurity professionals may be working for competing organizations, but in order to properly ensure that CNI is defended against cyber threats, collaboration is key; industry support groups should implement knowledge sharing, best practices such as Secure By Design and Secure By Operations, as well as proactive threat mitigation for critical assets and partnerships.

As the threat landscape evolves, it’s also important for the industry to work together. If one provider successfully defends against a cyber attack, that information could help others to do the same. By working together, we can ensure the resilience and security of our critical infrastructure for the future.

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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

Avengers: Doomsday – key information

- Set to arrive in December 2026
- Filming began in May
- No trailer released yet
- 27-strong cast confirmed so far
- Story synopsis yet to be unveiled
- Two big comic book series offer clues about its story
- Plenty of rumors circulating online
- Will set up Avengers: Secret Wars

Avengers: Doomsday feels like it's a long way away – and I say that in spite of its revised launch date, which means it won't land in theaters until December 18, 2026.

Indeed, even though filming is well underway on Avengers 5, there's lots of work to be done on the highly anticipated Marvel movie before it's ready to be released.

Luckily, there's been plenty of news and rumors about the superhero film in recent months, and you can learn all about them in this guide. So, whether you want more details on its cast, plot, or something else entirely, this hub is your one-stop shop to the next film starring Earth's Mightiest Heroes. Possible Doomsday spoilers follow, so proceed with caution.

Avengers: Doomsday release date

A post shared by The Russo Brothers (@therussobrothers)

A photo posted by on

Avengers: Doomsday will launch worldwide on December 18, 2026. Originally, it was due to arrive next May, but Marvel delayed Doomsday and its sequel in late May.

As both movies' directors Joe and Anthony Russo confirmed on Instagram (see above), filming began on the Marvel Phase 6 film in early May. More recently, Anthony Mackie told ScreenRant that the cast and crew were "in the midst" of its shooting schedule, but that he was "nowhere close" to wrapping on the project yet. Expect the cameras to roll for many more months, then.

Avengers: Doomsday trailer – is there one?

275 million views. 50+ trending topics. 27 chairs. 5+ hours.One massive thank you to the greatest fans in the universe. pic.twitter.com/uS6hrX8ZypMarch 28, 2025

No. There won't be a full trailer for a long time, either.

Marvel could release a brief teaser at D23 Expo 2025 (August 29 to 31), but I'd be shocked if we see or hear anything until sometime in 2026, especially in light of the movie's recent release date delay. I'll update this section once a trailer is released.

Avengers: Doomsday confirmed cast

#AvengersDoomsday. Now in production. pic.twitter.com/G84UVU8HOcMarch 26, 2025

Here's the 27-strong cast for Avengers: Doomsday that's been announced so far:

• Robert Downey Jr as Doctor Victor von Doom
• Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic
• Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm/The Invisible Woman
• Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm/The Human Torch
• Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm/The Thing
• Chris Hemsworth as Thor
• Tom Hiddleston as Loki
• Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson/Captain America
• Danny Ramirez as Joaquin Torres/Falcon
• Sebastian Stan as James 'Bucky' Barnes/The Winter Soldier
• Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova
• David Harbour as Alexei Shostakov/Red Guardian
• Wyatt Russell as John Walker/US Agent
• Hannah John-Kamen as Ava Starr/Ghost
• Lewis Pullman as Bob Reynolds/Sentry
• Paul Rudd as Scott Lang/Ant-Man
• Simu Liu as Shang-Chi
• Letitia Wright as Shuri/Black Panther
• Winston Duke as M'Baku
• Tenoch Huerta Meija as Namor
• Patrick Stewart as Charles Xavier/Professor X
• Ian McKellen as Erik Lehnsherr/Magneto
• James Marsden as Scott Summers/Cyclops
• Kelsey Grammar as Henry 'Hank' McCoy/Beast
• Rebecca Romijn as Raven Darkholme/Mystique
• Alan Cumming as Kurt Wagner/Nightcrawler
• Channing Tatum as Remy LeBeau/Gambit

The headline news is that Downey Jr, who played Tony Stark and his superhero alias Iron Man between 2008 and 2019, is back in the MCU. With Stark sacrificing himself in Avengers: Endgame, it seemed that the actor responsible for kickstarting Marvel Studios' shared universe had run out of comic book movie road. However, following a crowd-cheering reveal (or a desperate Hail Mary move, depending on who you ask) at San Diego Comic-Con 2024, Downey Jr announced his MCU return as Doctor Victor von Doom.

One of Marvel's most iconic villains and long-time adversary of The Fantastic Four in Marvel Comics, Doom will be the primary antagonist of Avengers: Doomsday and its sequel Avengers: Secret Wars. Fan confidence in Downey Jr's portrayal of Doom has grown since last year, too, especially after some behind-the-scenes photos showed how dedicated Downey Jr was being to bring the fan-favorite villain to life.

Is that the only character he'll play, though? Some fans think not. Indeed, Downey Jr sparked a new Doomsday theory over a possible dual role in July, so place your bets now on whether we'll see a different universe's Iron Man appearing in this film.

A post shared by Robert Downey Jr. (@robertdowneyjr)

A photo posted by on

There has been lots – and I mean lots – of other casting news and speculation in the months since filming began, too.

For starters, Chris Hemsworth is rumored to be Doomsday's second lead. That's in spite of comments made by The Fantastic Four: First Steps director Matt Shakman, which were misinterpreted by numerous outlets who thought he was suggesting Pedro Pascal's Reed Richards would lead the Avengers in Doomsday – and, by proxy, be the second name on the call sheet. Pascal (via Entertainment Weekly (EW)) and Shakman (per IGN) have since clarified that isn't the case.

As for the rest of the confirmed cast, 23 other actors members (alongside Downey Jr, Hemsworth, and Pascal) were confirmed via a lengthy livestream event in late March. Some inclusions spoiled what happened in Thunderbolts* and First Steps. Meanwhile, others were surprise additions to the roster, such as numerous legacy X-Men characters from 20th Century Fox's defunct mutant-centric comic book movie universe.

Tom Holland wasn't part of Doomsday's initial 27-strong cast reveal in March (Image credit: Sony Pictures/Marvel Entertainment)

There were many notable absentees from the initial cast list, but Marvel insists "there's always room for more" announcements.

That could include former Captain America star Chris Evans, who was rumored to have signed on. He's since played down those claims via ScreenRant. Tom Holland, who'll reprise his role as Peter Parker in Spider-Man: Brand New Day is another curious no-show – for now, anyway – as is Hugh Jackman, who wouldn't be drawn on whether he's appear as Wolverine (per The View).

On the potential appearances front, Joe Locke's Billy Maximoff/Wiccan could feature, with the actor's mentor Steven Sater suggesting as much on TikTok (per the DailyJLocke X/Twitter fan account). The Hollywood Reporter (THR) has also claimed Hayley Atwell's Peggy Carter is going to have a role to play. Lastly, Wong, the MCU's current Sorcerer Supreme, was apparently seen in leaked Avengers: Doomsday set images in mid-April.

Don't get your hopes up over Daredevil showing up in Avengers 5 (Image credit: Marvel Studios/Disney+)

Four actors have seemingly ruled themselves out of appearing, though.

Benedict Cumberbatch has claimed Doctor Strange will only show up in Secret Wars. Meanwhile, Elizabeth Olsen seemingly denied that Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch is in either of the next Avengers movies. Halle Berry (per the Black Girl Nerds podcast) says she won't be reprising Ororo Monroe/Storm, either, and Charlie Cox has denied Matt Murdock/Daredevil will join the film's ensemble (via THR).

Until more cast additions are revealed, read my article on 17 Marvel heroes I want to see added to Doomsday's cast. Then, see what the Russo brothers told me about whether we'll see other Marvel heroes from Disney+ shows appear in Avengers 5.

Avengers: Doomsday story speculation

Marvel is keeping a very tight lid on Doomsday's story (Image credit: Marvel Studios)

Potential spoilers follow for Avengers: Doomsday's plot.

Avengers: Doomsday's story brief hasn't been revealed yet but, thanks to the last three MCU film releases, some puzzle pieces have fallen into place. For more on what they tell us, read my Captain America 4 ending explained, Thunderbolts* ending explained and First Steps ending explained articles.

Next, the Russos told me the next two Avengers flicks will take inspiration from both 'Secret Wars' comic book series. The MCU hasn't directly adapted many comics storylines, so it's interesting to hear them confirm as much. Regardless, I won't spoil anything about either comic book run here in case you haven't read them. That said, Marvel detectives think they've solved Avengers: Doomsday's story – or, at the very least, part of it, so I'm curious to see if their theory is proved correct once the film is released.

In March, it appeared other story elements and cast announcements had been ruined by apparent concept art for Doomsday and Secret Wars leaked online. However, the Russos said this artwork doesn't spoil anything significant, so read into that what you will.

The Fantastic Four are expected to play a key role in Avengers: Doomsday (Image credit: Marvel Studios)

Even if that leak gave us some idea about Doomsday and Secret Wars's plots, it doesn't mean their narratives won't have changed during production. Speaking to THR, Rebecca Romijn said the script was still being adjusted in late July, so what's shown in the aforementioned art may not be used anyway.

Moving away from spoilers, Anthony Mackie has opined (per IGN) that Avengers: Doomsday will recapture "that old Marvel feeling", whatever that means. He also told Deadline he'd like to see Cap 2.0 team up with the Fox-Verse's first iteration of the X-Men – and, if he gets his wish, it could see the mutants and Sam Wilson face off against The Fantastic Four. Indeed, speaking to Buzzfeed, Alan Cummings let slip that he'll fight Pascal's Mister Fantastic in Avengers 5, so a hero on hero battle could be part of proceedings.

It seems like everyone will make up at some stage, though. Behind-the-scenes images (thanks to the MCU News and Rumors X/Twitter fan account for the screenshots) show Ramirez's Falcon, Moss-Bachrach's The Thing, and Russell's US Agent standing in the same room together, so teamwork will eventually be the order of the day to tackle Doom.

A post shared by Robert Downey Jr. (@robertdowneyjr)

A photo posted by on

A voyage to Earth-828 will be on the cards, too. Marvel President Kevin Feige confirmed (via ComicBook.com and Marvel.com) that scenes had been shot in the Baxter Building, so expect some MCU heroes to go on a multiversal road trip to The Fantastic Four's home universe. Another set leak indicates we'll revisit the Time Variance Authority (TVA), which isn't a huge surprise considering Loki's involvement in this flick.

Given the two-part nature of Doomsday and Secret Wars, it's likely we'll see the pair take a leaf out of Infinity War and Endgame's book, with Avengers 5 ending on a potentially lethal cliffhanger. Anthony Mackie has already suggested this'll be the case (via Collider). Meanwhile, Hemsworth gave Marvel fans a shock when he posted a 'thank you' video on YouTube that had people wondering if Thor was going to die in Avengers: Doomsday.

Hemsworth has since said (per THR) that said video was taken out of context, but I wouldn't be stunned if the next Avengers film kills off a bunch of current and legacy Marvel characters to make its ending hit as hard as possible.

How will Avengers: Doomsday set up Secret Wars and the MCU 2.0?

Avengers: Secret Wars will arrive in December 2027 (Image credit: Marvel Studios)

The short answer is: I don't know. Nobody outside of Avengers: Doomsday's cast and crew, plus Marvel executives, know how it'll specifically impact Secret Wars.

Nevertheless, the Russos and Feige have confirmed that the MCU will undergo a soft reboot post-Secret Wars. The former have said they're actually telling "a beginning story" with the next two Avengers movies, while Feige has insinuated (via Variety) that Secret Wars will act as a "reset" for Marvel's cinematic juggernaut.

Outside of this "reset" setting the stage for an exciting future that'll be all about the X-Men, it's unclear what form it'll take or which heroes will populate it. Considering Avengers 6 won't be out for another two and a half year (at the time of this article's latest update), it'll be a while before we find out, too.

For more Marvel coverage, find out how to watch the Marvel movies in order. Alternatively, see if you agree with my ranking of the best Marvel movies, which MCU films made it onto my best superhero movies list, and/or get the lowdown on Daredevil: Born Again season 2.

Industry 4.0 is reshaping the manufacturing industry and one of the key catalysts to its success is AI. But, given its productivity and quality benefits, why do over 60% of UK manufacturers not have AI implemented into their operations? It’s not as simple as other plug-and-play add-ons, AI needs to be fed on quality data and that’s lacking in today's manufacturing industry.

AI systems are only as good as the data they are fed on. Here, Nicholas highlights the roadmap data needs to follow before it can be fed into AI systems to gain actionable insights – from data cleaning and storage to the hybrid pathway to smart factories.

AI success hinges on AI-ready data. So much so that Gartner predicts 60% of AI projects unsupported by AI-ready data will be abandoned by the end of 2026. There is no shortage of data in the manufacturing industry. Data comes from machine sensors, IoT devices, and control systems but this raw data is not AI-ready straight away. First, it must be cleaned, contextualized, structured, and processed.

AI can easily miss signals or raise false alarms when it’s fed on uncontextualized data. For manufacturers to ensure this is the case, a data platform with secure governance and quality control is required. This foundation can ensure AI is fed accurate and reliable data. Here are the steps manufacturers need to take to make AI-ready data a reality:

1: Data hygiene – simplifying data ensures a smooth AI journey

The multiple sources of data in the manufacturing industry can cause headaches for AI when trying to interpret and understand the data. Ensuring data is accurate, consistent, and complete is crucial.

Contextual metadata such as machine ID, timestamps, digital product passports, and batch numbers can help manufacturers fix errors, handle missing values, validate sensor outputs, remove duplicates, and flag anomalies before data is fed into AI platforms.

2: Management & Security – clear data ownership is key in the most cyberattacked industry

For three years running, manufacturing has been the most cyberattacked industry and with data coming from multiple sources, the threat of cyberattacks is vast. Manufacturers need to ensure sensitive data is securely managed by utilizing role-based access control and encryption.

First, clear ownership of data needs to be established with access rights and compliance rules, then a data catalogue can be developed so stakeholders know where data is, when it’s available, and how to access it.

3: Make data silos a thing of the past – centralize and contextualize data

One of the biggest barriers to effective data use in manufacturing is the siloing of Operational Technology (OT) and Information Technology (IT). To overcome this, data must be brought into a central platform. But consolidation alone isn’t enough – standardized definitions are needed to align data from the top floor to the factory floor.

Using a unified namespace or knowledge base helps connect equipment, processes, and sensor streams, reducing confusion and enabling consistency across the business.

With these foundations in place, manufacturers can transform raw industrial data into a structured digital twin. The next step? Feeding that data into advanced analytics and machine learning.

4: Old legacy and batch processes won’t cut it – time to upgrade your system

Once raw manufacturing data has been cleaned and contextualized, the next challenge facing manufacturers is where the data can be stored and processed. Many manufacturers still operate with outdated legacy databases and nightly batch processes which are unable to operate at the speed of Industry 4.0. In fact, over one-quarter of UK organizations have stated legacy technology as a key barrier to AI growth.

Enter, modern data architectures. These systems are flexible, scalable, and capable of handling large datasets and enable high-stake manufacturing environments such as supply chains, production lines, and maintenance schedules to operate with real-time insights.

5: Unify your business with a data lakehouse

In enabling real-time data insights, data can no longer be stored in data lakes, a traditional centralized system that can store large quantities of raw data in its native format. These are great for encapsulating sensor readings or machine logs for deeper analysis but without governance or structure they can quickly turn into ‘data swamps’. To move to the next level manufacturers, need to adopt a data lakehouse.

A data architect that combines the scale and flexibility of data lakes with the governance and schema management of a data warehouse allows for all areas of the business to work from one unified platform. This means everyone from data scientists who are interested in the raw, unstructured data, to business analysts who want well-structured data tables can work and collaborate using the same system.

But that’s not all. Through enabling machine learning, business intelligence and predictive analysis, data lakehouses can store data cheaply while enforcing structure to foster collaboration and speed up analysis.

6: Speed is everything on the factory to reduce maintenance downtime

Given the fast-paced nature of the manufacturing industry, data loses value if it arrives late. Take a factory setting for example. If a crucial machine overheats or malfunctions, it needs to be reported and flagged instantly for maintenance to be actioned.

Real-time streaming technologies process sensor data the moment it’s generated, enabling immediate action when issues arise. But the benefits go further – automated fault detection can spot anomalies in machine temperature or vibration, while live dashboards give operators instant visibility into throughput and quality.

The result? Faster response times, fewer disruptions, and smarter process adjustments reduce downtime, minimize waste, and boost efficiency.

7: Unlock smart factories with a hybrid edge-to-cloud model

In today’s modern manufacturing industry, many data architectures process all data following an edge-to-cloud model. Edge computing devices in the factory handle the here-and-now tasks such as local inference for anomaly detection or filtering sensor noise and cloud computing devices store large-scale analytics, historical data analysis, and advanced AI model training. This hybrid model gives manufacturers low latency at the edge and the ability to tap into the vast quantities of data in the cloud systems.

The predictive maintenance aspect of the manufacturing digital transformation journey will benefit greatly from this approach as the edge devices do the real-time monitoring and the cloud utilizes aggregated data from multiple locations to refine AI models. This is crucial for manufacturers as a recent McKinsey report stated that predictive maintenance can reduce maintenance costs by 10 to 40% and downtime by 50% and increase asset lifetime by 20 to 40%.

Manufacturers must handle data with care to unlock AI’s true potential

The manufacturing industry is almost there in unlocking the true potential of AI. Manufacturers already have the data they need to make some strategic shifts and benefit from the powers of Industry 4.0 and AI. It’s not a simple process turning raw industrial data into AI-ready data, but the efficiency, quality, and profitability benefits make the process worth it!

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• Trend Micro warns its customers about a critical-severity flaw in its endpoint protection solution
• It released a mitigation as it works on a patch
• Users are advised to apply the mitigations as soon as possible

Trend Micro is warning customers of an ongoing attack which abuses a critical severity vulnerability in one of its products.

The company said it recently discovered a command injection vulnerability in its on-prem version of the Apex One Management Console - an advanced endpoint security solution designed to protect enterprise networks from a wide range of threats.

The vulnerability is tracked as either CVE-2025-54948, or CVE-2025-54987, depending on the CPU architecture, and was assigned a severity score of 9.4/10 (critical). It allows threat actors to remotely run arbitrary code, including malware.

Working on a patch

Trend Micro said it aims to release a patch in mid-August 2025, which should also restore this function.

"For this particular vulnerability, an attacker must have access to the Trend Micro Apex One Management Console, so customers that have their console's IP address exposed externally should consider mitigating factors such as source restrictions if not already applied," the company said.

"However, even though an exploit may require several specific conditions to be met, Trend Micro strongly encourages customers to update to the latest builds as soon as possible."

So far, the company has seen at least one attack taking place in the wild, although it did not detail where, against whom, if it was effective, or who the threat actors are.

Since Apex One is mostly used in enterprise environments, and the bug allows remote code execution, it is safe to assume miscreants are using it to drop infostealers and ransomware encryptors, while stealing sensitive files for extortion.

With the flaws now being being abused in the wild, Trend Micro released a mitigation measure to help defend its customers as it works on a patch. The mitigation, according to the Japanese CERT, disables admins from using the Remote Install Agent function to deploy agents from the console.

Via BleepingComputer

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Looking for a different day?

A new Quordle puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Thursday's puzzle instead then click here: Quordle hints and answers for Thursday, August 7 (game #1291).

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

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

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

Quordle today (game #1292) - hint #1 - VowelsHow many different vowels are in Quordle today?

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

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

Quordle today (game #1292) - hint #2 - repeated lettersDo any of today's Quordle answers contain repeated letters?

• The number of Quordle answers containing a repeated letter today is 3.

Quordle today (game #1292) - hint #3 - uncommon lettersDo 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 #1292) - 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 #1292) - hint #5 - starting letters (2)What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?

• K

• K

• R

• B

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

Quordle today (game #1292) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #1292, are…

• KNEEL
• KINKY
• RALPH
• BOOZY

Another very difficult round and a close shave for me that came down to one last Hail Mary guess.

KINKY took me ages to get after failing with “windy” but it’s one I should have thought of as a regular player, as this word has come up a couple of times this year.

Daily Sequence today (game #1292) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #1292, are…

• MINCE
• MISER
• FLUME
• TIMID

Quordle answers: The past 20

• Quordle #1291, Thursday, 7 August: PLUNK, PROXY, CURVY, PEARL
• Quordle #1290, Wednesday, 6 August: RISKY, APART, FAUNA, HANDY
• Quordle #1289, Tuesday, 5 August: ROAST, SLICK, AUDIT, BILLY
• Quordle #1288, Monday, 4 August: MACAW, SINCE, COLON, CHIRP
• Quordle #1287, Sunday, 3 August: MOTIF, LEERY, LOFTY, BURST
• Quordle #1286, Saturday, 2 August: WARTY, PUPAL, CLEAR, SLICE
• Quordle #1285, Friday, 1 August: ACTOR, MEALY, WIDTH, ADOBE
• Quordle #1284, Thursday, 31 July: STYLE, VALET, AGONY, ALLOY
• Quordle #1283, Wednesday, 30 July: DEBAR, ADMIN, FOLIO, USAGE
• Quordle #1282, Tuesday, 29 July: BATCH, TOPIC, MURKY, BUNCH
• Quordle #1281, Monday, 28 July: CANDY, TRYST, SHIRT, FORGO
• Quordle #1280, Sunday, 27 July: TRAWL, BALER, PIANO, MINCE
• Quordle #1279, Saturday, 26 July: MUDDY, SAINT, KINKY, POLAR
• Quordle #1278, Friday, 25 July: BONUS, RESIN, CEDAR, MADAM
• Quordle #1277, Thursday, 24 July: AGONY, VERVE, GLEAN, MINUS
• Quordle #1276, Wednesday, 23 July: OZONE, PENCE, ROOMY, WIDER
• Quordle #1275, Tuesday, 22 July: OPTIC, GIDDY, VOCAL, ADULT
• Quordle #1274, Monday, 21 July: KNEED, SNAIL, PINTO, FEAST
• Quordle #1273, Sunday, 20 July: GRACE, COUNT, EGRET, GIANT

Looking for a different day?

A new NYT Connections puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Thursday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Connections hints and answers for Thursday, August 7 (game #788).

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

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

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

NYT Connections today (game #789) - today's words

(Image credit: New York Times)

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• DEGREE
• DRAW
• PAC-MAN
• VEST
• PAINT
• PRESENT
• TIE
• DOODLE
• MARVEL
• SQUARE
• SPACE
• EVEN
• DOZE
• GRANT
• CONFER
• PASS NOTES

NYT Connections today (game #789) - hint #1 - group hints

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

• YELLOW: Words that describe a 1-1 scoreline 
• GREEN: To give
• BLUE: Drifting off
• PURPLE: Two consonants with several meanings

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 #789) - hint #2 - group answers

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

• YELLOW: MAKE EQUAL, AS A SCORE 
• GREEN: BESTOW 
• BLUE: THINGS YOU MIGHT DO DURING A BORING CLASS/ MEETING 
• PURPLE: WORDS AFTER THE LETTERS "MS" 

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

NYT Connections today (game #789) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Connections, game #789, are…

• YELLOW: MAKE EQUAL, AS A SCORE DRAW, EVEN, SQUARE, TIE
• GREEN: BESTOW CONFER, GRANT, PRESENT, VEST
• BLUE: THINGS YOU MIGHT DO DURING A BORING CLASS/ MEETING DOODLE, DOZE, PASS NOTES, SPACE
• PURPLE: WORDS AFTER THE LETTERS "MS" DEGREE, MARVEL, PAC-MAN, PAINT

• My rating: Hard
• My score: Fail

Today’s Connections flew way over my head. I’d already used up two mistakes on the easiest group, so the odds were stacked against me.

And yes I did think DRAW, PAINT and DOODLE should be in a group together and in search of a last one picked PRESENT for no logical reason whatsoever – this was not my greatest day.

If you found this edition straightforward and the word SPACE didn’t send you into a tailspin of confusion (surely it should have said “space out”) then kudos. 

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Thursday, August 7, game #788)

• YELLOW: MOUSE ACTIONS CLICK, DRAG, HOVER, SCROLL
• GREEN: PERFORATE BORE, PIERCE, POKE, PUNCH
• BLUE: ONES WITH POINTY EARS BATMAN, DEVIL, ELF, VULCAN
• PURPLE: WIMBLEDON WINNERS BORG, GRAF, KING, SINNER

What is NYT Connections?

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

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

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

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

Looking for a different day?

A new NYT Strands puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Thursday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Strands hints and answers for Thursday, August 7 (game #522).

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

• Today's NYT Strands theme is… Kings of swing and bebop

NYT Strands today (game #523) - hint #2 - clue words

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

• HARD
• DUETS
• STAIR
• WARD
• FATE
• SAFE

NYT Strands today (game #523) - hint #3 - spangram lettersHow many letters are in today's spangram?

• Spangram has 8 letters

NYT Strands today (game #523) - hint #4 - spangram positionWhat are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?

First side: bottom, 3rd column

Last side: top, 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 #523) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #523, are…

• DUKE
• COUNT
• HAWK
• DIZZY
• CANNONBALL
• YARDBIRD
• FATS
• SPANGRAM: JAZZ CATS

• My rating: Hard
• My score: 1 hint

Thanks to my father’s love of old-time jazz I was pretty familiar with most of the “cats” we were searching for today, but I had to google YARDBIRD and HAWK.

For the record, today's words referred to pianists DUKE Ellington, FATS Domino and COUNT Basie, saxophonist CANNONBALL Adderley, and trumpeter DIZZY Gillespie.

The last two words were nicknames for two legendary saxophonists – Yardbird for Charlie Parker and Hawk for Coleman Hawkins.

Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Thursday, August 7, game #522)

• STEADY
• SOUND
• DEVOTED
• FIRM
• CONSTANT
• UNWAVERING
• SPANGRAM: HOLD FAST

What is NYT Strands?

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

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

• Gemini CLI gets Github Actions version with full integration into your repo
• It's an autonomous agent and collaborator all in one
• There are free tiers with plenty of requests

Just weeks after Google launched Gemini CLI, its open source AI agent to integrate Gemini into a user's terminal, the company has partnered up with Microsoft-owned GitHub to launch Gemini CLI GitHub Actions.

The company described Gemini CLI GitHub Actions as a free, beta-stage AI teammate that lives within a GitHub repo, capable of acting as an autonomous agent and an on-demand collaborator.

Gemini CLI GitHub Actions can auto-label, prioritze and filter new issues, provide instant feedback on quality, style and correctness, and collaborate on-demand with the @gemini-cli command to write tests, implement fixes, brainstorm and more.

GitHub teams up with Google to bring Gemini CLI to users

Speaking about how the tool was built, Senior Software Engineer Jerop Kipruto and Senior Director Ryan J. Salva explained: "When community members noticed our new workflows, they asked us to share what we’ve built."

"Triggered by events like new issues or pull requests, it works asynchronously in the background, using the full context of your project to automatically handle tasks," the software workers explained in a blog post.

Google also noted its commitment to enterprise-grade security, noting that Vertex AI and Gemini Code Assist Standard/Enterprise users can use Google Cloud's Workload Identity Federation (WIF) to eliminate the need for long-lived API keys, tightening security by reducing the risk of compromise.

The GitHub Actions version of Gemini CLI is available to try in beta today – Gemini Code Assist Free Tier users get 60 requests per minute and 1000 requests per day, but other account types have different quotas.

In a separate post before GitHub's involvement, Google boasted the Gemini command line interface (CLI) tool gives developers the "most direct path from your prompt to [its] model."

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• Alien: Earth includes four new dangerous lifeforms alongside the Xenormorph
• Series creator Noah Hawley didn't want to overpopulate it with dangerous aliens
• There needed to be a valid reason for their introduction, Hawley added

Alien: Earth creator Noah Hawley has explained why he restricted himself to only introducing four new terrifying alien lifeforms in his latest TV project.

Speaking to TechRadar, the Fargo and Legion showrunner said he didn't want to go overboard and add in a zoo's worth of dangerous extraterrestrials for the series' humans and artificial beings to deal with.

Since its inception, the Alien franchise has been dominated by a single bioweapon: the Xenomorph. Other life-threatening alien species have appeared in the Ridley Scott-created universe, including crossover films with another classic '80s creature in the Predator, aka the alien race known as the Yautja. Nonetheless, the Xenomorphs, in conjunction with the earlier stages of their lifecycle in the egg-like Ovomorphs and parasitic Facehuggers, have been the main credible threat in the franchise's near-50 year history.

Until now, anyway. The Alien universe's inaugural TV series, which debuts on Hulu (US) and Disney+ (internationally) later this month, will aim to give established fans and newcomers sleepless nights with its new contingent of lethal organisms. Alien: Earth's official trailer already teased two of those horrifying creatures, but how they – and the other two species that are yet to be unveiled – seek out and attack their prey is rightly being kept under wraps for now. Hey, Hawley and company have got to save some surprises for the sci-fi horror show's release.

Alien: Earth's flora-based alien organism is as creepy as its fauna contemporaries (Image credit: FX Networks)

Fascinating and frightening as these monsters appear to be, I have wondered if Alien: Earth's creative team initially planned to include more species in the eight-part series and, if so, why this quartet was chosen over other potential candidates. What better way to find out, then, than going directly to the source and asking Hawley himself?

"No," Hawley told me when I asked if he conceived any more creatures than those that made the cut. "They're all introduced as part of the storytelling, so there needed to be a specific reason to include them.

"It wasn't that there was a big vending machine of alien life that I was going to add in," Hawley continued. "The design process was sort of form following function. Really, the idea was to come up with these creatures' behaviors that are as disquieting as what Ridley [Scott] created with the different phases of the Xenomorphs' lifecycle. So, it was always about trying to top the squeamishness of the movies. From there, we started a designing them with [special effects and prop company] Weta Workshop that led to the creatures you see in the show."

Alien: Earth will hatch with a two-episode premiere on August 12 in the US and make its debut internationally on August 13. Before it launches, read my Alien: Earth review to see what I thought of its first six episodes.

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• Sonos has a plan to fight tariffs: raise prices
• It announced this in its recent Q3 earnings presentation
• The price hike will go into effect "later this year"

If you have your eye on a Sonos speaker and live in the US, you might want to act sooner rather than later – as price hikes are incoming.

This doesn’t seem to be a complete repeat of the company's 2021 hikes which saw Sonos tech go up in price for seemingly no reason. Instead, the multi-room audio giant says these higher costs come as a direct result of the tariffs which are making it more expensive to import from the countries in which Sonos runs its manufacturing operations.

The news comes via Sonos’ latest quarterly earnings presentation. The Q3 PDF includes a page dedicated to an “Overview of Sonos Tariff Exposure” where it explains that it shifted most of its manufacturing from China to either Vietnam and Malaysia – with only certain accessories such as speaker stands and some of its Sonance co-branded speakers still being made in China.

While that means most of Sonos' products will dodge the 30% tariff imposed on Chinese-made goods, models made in Vietnam and Malaysia will still face 20% and 19% tariffs (based on rates as of the time of writing on August 7).

(Image credit: Sonos)

Alongside these pricing adjustment plans Sonos adds that it does have some “manufacturing flexibility,” however it only describes moving production between its Vietnam and Malaysian operations, rather than shifting production to the US to dodge import taxes.

So unless tariff plans change – either through Trump backing down, a trade deal with these nations, or some other governmental action – Sonos’ tech will be going up in price. As will, we expect, the cost of Sonos- and Sonance-branded accessories.

Precisely how much of a cost increase the actual speakers will see is yet to be announced, and we don’t yet know exactly when the price hike will come either – with the company perhaps waiting to see if the situation changes before making its final decision.

Sonos also says it is currently evaluating what, if any, changes it should make to its promotional strategies – perhaps suggesting the discounts we’ll see in upcoming sales (like Black Friday) might be tweaked too, in that they could be less significant than we currently hope.

For now we’re speculating on what Sonos' precise actions will be; all we know for certain is that some kind of price increase is coming to the US "later this year", so if you’ve been waiting to buy some of the best Sonos soundbars and speakers, you might want to stop waiting.

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• Trump adminstration is imposing 100% tariffs on semiconductors
• However TSMC looks to be exempt
• The news comes alongside a $100 billion Apple investment in US manufacturing

The Trump presidency has been underscored by consistent but evolving threats of tariffs on just about all trading partners and industries - and has now imposed a 100% tariff levy on semiconductors being imported into the US.

The tariffs will have an exception for firms that build in America, or have committed to do so, Reuters reports, perhaps obvious given the President’s ambition to bring tech manufacturing and development to home soil.

As with plenty of other Trump plans, these tariffs aren’t yet fleshed out, and their parameters are unclear. What is clear though, is the continued prioritisation of US firms over trade partners, despite the US’s limited chipmaking manufacturing capabilities.

Investments growing

One key question is how TSMC will be affected - as the world’s largest chip manufacturer is based in Taiwan.

Since TSMC has factories in the US, it is set to receive an exemption from the tariff, news which prompted a 5% rise in the firm’s stock price.

Samsung and SK Hynix, two major South Korean firms, are also said to be exempt, with South Korea benefiting from favorable trade deals between Washington and Seoul.

Also apparently exempt is Apple, as the tariff announcement comes alongside the news that the tech giant will be investing a whopping $100 billion into the US market

This move brings Apple’s total pledge to $600 billion following an earlier commitment to invest $500 billion and hire 20,000 US workers in the next four years.

"Companies like Apple, they're coming home. They're all coming home,” President Trump told the press, confirming Apple’s plans to expand its supply chain and manufacturing capabilities.

“$600 billion, that’s the biggest there is.” he continued, “The company is also unveiling its ambitious new American manufacturing program which will bring factories and assembly lines across our country all roaring to life.”

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• Cybernews found an unprotected database containing sensitive data on millions of MagentaTV users
• Around 324 million logs were contained within
• The database has since been locked down, but users should be on their guard

MagentaTV, a TV and streaming platform owned by German telecommunications giant Deutsche Telekom has been found leaking sensitive customer information for months.

In a blog post, security researchers from Cybernews said in June 2025, it found an unprotected Elasticsearch instance, hosted by Serverside.ai, which is a server-side ad insertion platform.

The archive weighs 729GB, and contains more than 324 million log entries. These entries contained users’ IP addresses, MAC addresses, session IDs, customer IDs, and user agents. Furthermore, some of the logs contained HTTP headers from requests the customers were sending.

Hijacking sessions and impersonating users

Deeper investigation determined the database belonged to MagentaTV, and that it was receiving between 4 and 18 million new logs every day.

“In theory, HTTP headers, including customer IDs and session IDs, could be used for session hijacking, allowing attackers to log into customer accounts without needing to know any personal account information or passwords. However, in the real world, additional security measures preventing such session hijacking were likely in place,” Cybernews researchers said.

Theoretically, there are plenty of things threat actors could do with this information.

They could use IP addresses to find people’s real-life locations, or could use MAC addresses to identify, or track, specific devices, even spoofing them in certain scenarios. Session IDs (if still valid) could be used to hijack active sessions, impersonate users, and gain access to their accounts or personal data.

Customer IDs could allow threat actors to reconstruct user profiles, leading to spear phishing, social engineering, or credential stuffing campaigns, while HTTP headers might contain browsing activity, cookies, authentication tokens, and more.

MagentaTV most likely started leaking the data in February 2025 and plugged the hole after being tipped off by Cybernews.

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It's the one we've all been waiting for – ChatGPT-5 is will be released in the next few hours! Earlier in the week OpenAI CEO Sam Altman teased that "something big" was coming on Friday, but then today the OpenAI account on X.com tweeted: "LIVE5TREAM THURSDAY 10AM PT".

Notice the use of a 5 instead of an "S" in the word "LIVE5TREAM"? That can mean only one thing: ChatGPT-5 is coming!

With a livestream kicking off at 10AM PT, 1PM ET, and 6PM BST, we'll embed the watch link as soon as it's live below, and TechRadar will bring you the news as it breaks.

So what can we expect? Well, the speculation is that ChatGPT-5 models (the names of a few of which have already been leaked) will be leaps and bounds ahead of the ChatGPT-4 models that we currently use in terms of performance.

What we don't know yet is which of the various OpenAI subscription offerings will get access to the new ChatGPT-5 models first, and will it be available to free users as well? We'll keep you up to date with the latest news as it breaks here.

ChatGPT-5 accidentally leaks hours before launch

As we sit down with snacks and drinks watching the screen and waiting for a live stream to appear for the imminent launch of ChatGPT-5 it appears that a leak on GitHub has revealed the name of the different ChatGPT-5 models.

It looks like we will have gpt-5, designed for logic and multi-step tasks, .gpt-5-mini, a lightweight version for cost-sensitive applications, gpt-5-nano, which is Optimized for speed and ideal for applications requiring low latency, and gpt-5-chat, designed for advanced, natural, multimodal, and context-aware conversations for enterprise applications.

That's no moon... that's ChatGPT-5?

Sam Altman has confounded the Internet once again by posting a picture of what appears to be the Death Star from Star Wars rising menacingly from behind a planet.

pic.twitter.com/1u0MOGvJWUAugust 7, 2025

Everybody is a bit confused by the meaning of this, so, who better to ask what it could mean than rival AI, Grok?

When asked what the image could mean, Grok replied: "Sam Altman's image of the Death Star symbolizes the rise of immensely powerful AI, like the anticipated GPT-5—a transformative force with potential risks, echoing Star Wars' superweapon. It's likely teasing OpenAI's next big breakthrough."

Longer than usual

Sam Altman followed up his mysterious Death Star image post on X.com with a more down-to-earth statement in his next post:

"Our livestream tomorrow at 10 am PDT will be longer than usual, around an hour. We have a lot to show and hope you can find the the time to watch!"

our livestream tomorrow at 10 am PDT will be longer than usual, around an hour.we have a lot to show and hope you can find the the time to watch!August 7, 2025

To be honest Sam, an hour is not that long to reveal the details of what could potentially be the new standard in AI chatbots, so I think you should take as long as you need.

Why the Death Star image for ChatGPT-5?

At first, Sam Altman posting a picture of the Death Star in relation to the launch of ChatGPT-5, his own product, seemed like an odd way to market something to me. I mean, what's he trying to say? Is it, "This thing is so scary it could destroy a planet"?

However, when you view it in context of the things he has recently said about AI creating new and unparalleled security risks and that fact that he finds ChatGPT-5 scary, it fits in. On the one hand, Altman is always pushing the narrative of how great AI will be for the future of the world and for the next generation, but at the same time he's always talking about how AI has the potential to be dangerous.

This new type of marketing, where he both praises and criticizes his own product, is certainly nothing new for him, and perhaps it reframes the narrative and puts him ahead of OpenAI's critics? Whatever his reasons, it certainly seems to be working.

ChatGPT-5 is just the beginning

(Image credit: Shutterstock/Adeel Ahmed photos)

As I wait with baited breath for the release of ChatGPT-5 (at 10am PT), I'm thinking about what Sam Altman said just a few days ago. "We have a ton of stuff to launch over the next couple of months – new models, products, features, and more”.

So, earlier this week OpenAI dropped its gpt-oss models, which are designed to run entirely on laptops and phones. In a few short hours we'll get ChatGPT-5, but what next? The next couple of months is a long time, which means we might see quite a few new features being released.

• A leaker claims the iPhone 17 Pro will see a $50 price hike
• That might be accompanied by a storage increase to 256GB
• The iPhone 17 Pro is just weeks away from launching

Apple’s iPhones aren’t known for being cheap, and you’ll certainly pay a premium if you want to buy one. Unfortunately, there are hints that we could see a price hike when the iPhone 17 Pro launches in a month’s time, but it might come with an upgrade that somewhat softens the blow.

The idea of the price rise was recently discussed by leaker Instant Digital on the Chinese social media site Weibo. There, Instant Digital said with some certainty that the iPhone 17 Pro would be $50 more expensive than the current iPhone 16 Pro, pushing its price to $1,049.

It isn't yet clear if this rumored price increase will be global or solely in the US. The source also didn’t mention whether the price of the entry-level iPhone 17 would also shift northwards, but it’s an idea that has been reported separately by the Wall Street Journal.

If correct, it’s a disappointing development, although not exactly an unexpected one. US President Donald Trump’s trade tariffs have increased operating costs for almost every business affected by them, and in many cases that is being passed on to the consumer. Combined with rising component costs, the $50 increase doesn’t entirely come out of the blue.

Still, Instant Digital touched on the topic of whether the iPhone 17 Pro might upgrade its base storage from 128GB to 256GB, although they said that they were uncertain of whether the storage bump would actually materialize. If it does happen, it could be a sensible way for Apple to justify the $50 price rise and make it feel a little more palatable.

On-device or online storage?

(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)

The best iPhones offer some market-leading features, but one area where they’ve fallen behind their rivals is internal storage. The iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, and iPhone 16 Pro all start with 128GB of storage, whereas many rival phones offer more in their base-level offerings. The iPhone 16 Pro Max starts with 256GB of storage, but it’s also the most expensive phone in Apple’s lineup.

If the $1,049 iPhone 17 Pro also comes with 256GB of storage as standard, it could effectively be seen as offering a $50 price cut compared to the 256GB iPhone 16 Pro, which currently costs $1,099. That said, users might not be happy at having to pay another $50 on top of the iPhone’s starting price, especially if they don’t feel they’ll use that extra storage.

I’m not too worried about buying a 128GB iPhone – I did just that when I bought my iPhone 16 Pro – as I’ve never come close to running out of space, partly because I use 200GB of Apple’s iCloud storage to house my iPhone photos.

That costs me $2.99 a month, and I’d have to keep my iPhone for 34 months before my phone plus iCloud subscription becomes more expensive than just buying a 256GB iPhone up front – and it still gives me more total space than a 256GB phone would. By the time those 34 months are up, I may well have decided to upgrade to a newer iPhone, making a 128GB iPhone and iCloud storage combination a good deal in my eyes.

But it’s not for everyone, and many users will prefer a more capacious iPhone to dealing with a 128GB phone and an iCloud subscription. For those people, the iPhone 17 Pro might bring good news, if the larger base storage prediction turns out to be accurate. We’ll know for sure when Apple unveils its new devices to the world this September.

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• Mafia: The Old Country will offer Quality and Performance mode at launch for PS5 and Xbox Series X
• The game will run "at an average of 60FPS" in Performance Mode
• Mafia is also confirmed to be PS5 Pro-enhanced and offer several additional features

Mafia: The Old Country will offer two performance modes on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and is officially PlayStation 5 Pro-enhanced.

Hangar 13 shared the details in a new social media post ahead of the game's release alongside the PC specs, which you can check out below, confirming that the PS5 and Xbox Series X will feature a Quality and Performance mode at launch.

In Performance Mode, Mafia will run "at an average 60FPS", but Hangar 13 didn't say if Quality Mode will be 30FPS or 40FPS.

There is no mention of the Xbox Series S in the post, so we can presume the game will run at a lower frame rate on this platform.

"Players who want to prioritize higher resolution and visual fidelity should select Quality Mode, while players who prefer to prioritize framerate should select Performance Mode," the developer said.

(Image credit: Hangar 13)

In addition, Hangar 13 revealed in a separate post that the game will be PS5-Pro enhanced at launch and will feature several additional features, including support for variable refresh rate, support for 120Hz displays, and higher dynamic resolution in both Quality and Performance mode.

Mafia: The Old Country officially launches tomorrow, August 8.

In this third-person action-adventure game, players will uncover the origins of organized crime as Enzo Favara in a gritty mob story set in the brutal underworld of 1900s Sicily.

Pre-orders for the Standard and Deluxe Editions are still available, and those who secure a copy will receive the Soldato Pack featuring other goodies to use in-game.

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• Organizers confirm Venice attendees affected by a data breach
• Names and contact details were included in the leaked data
• Entertainment is a growing focus for attacks

The Venice Film Festival has confirmed it recently suffered a data breach, with hackers believed to have accessed the personal information of participants, including journalist.

Organizers confirmed the attack occurred on July 7, 2025, with journalists from The Hollywood Reporter confirming they had received breach notification letters revealing the incident.

Affected data could include names, email addresses, phone numbers, mailing addresses and even tax codes for those who were eligible for VAT refunds, according to the report.

Venice Film Festival attendees affected by data breach

During the breach, unauthorized individuals accessed and copied documents stored on the festival's servers, though the IT team "intervened promptly, isolating the affected systems and securing them."

"The competent authorities were immediately informed, and restoration operations were initiated," Venice's IT workers added.

Although the breach is believed to have a limited impact – not involving organizational data, payments, bookings or ticketing – the scope of the data collected could still put individuals at risk.

Under Article 33 of the EU GDPR, controllers must notify the supervisory authority within 72 hours of becoming aware of a breach – delayed disclosure can draw regulatory scrutiny and potential fines. It's unclear when authorities became aware of the incident, but letters appear to have started arriving with those affected on August 5 or 6.

Venice is not alone in being affected by cybercriminal activity – during Cannes 2022, bots overwhelmed its new online ticketing portal.

Germany's KonBriefing Research explains the entertainment sector can be an especially attractive environment for attackers seeking to gain access to high-value personal data.

Venice attendees should consider changing passwords and enabling multi-factor authentication (MFA) to protect accounts, but they should also be aware of potential phishing attempts from Venice-related activities, including La Biennale.

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