TechRadar News

xAI's debut of the Grok 3 AI model allowed CEO Elon Musk and his team to show off the power of the latest iteration of Grok. Slightly lost in the benchmarking fireworks is what happens to the Grok 2 model, though. While Grok 3 is exclusive to Premium+ subscribers on X, Grok 2 will be even more accessible than before as it will shortly be open-source.

Grok 2 has been the default model for every Grok user, but the underlying engine will now have a chance to spread far further. Usually, AI models from big companies are locked down. You get access to them through paid subscriptions, and you can use them, but you can’t really see how they work or modify them to suit your specific needs. Open-sourcing Grok 2 means that developers will be able to dig into its code and customize it for use in entirely new applications.

Just how open the open-source version of Grok 2 will be is unclear, though. Sometimes, companies say open source even when they retain or hold back at least a little of their proprietary work. Still, Grok 2 is likely to have a second life in the hands of an open-source community that can tweak and experiment with it.

Despite its name, OpenAI has moved away from open-source. Its most powerful models remain proprietary. GPT-4, for example, remains locked down, with no open-source version in sight. Musk's deliberate contrast with OpenAI certainly appears, at least somewhat.

After stating his distrust of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman last fall, Musk highlighted his plan to open-source xAI models after completing the next iteration to contrast with ChatGPT's creator.

Worth noting that @xAI has been and will open source its models, including weights and everything, As we create the next version, we open source the prior version, as we did with Grok 1 when Grok 2 was released.October 4, 2024

Open thought

Not that xAI is unique in pursuing the open-source vision. Meta has dabbled with the open-source movement by releasing aspects of its Llama models since they first launched. The sudden superstar of AI, China-based DeepSeek, has also been pushing hard to open-source AI.

The open-sourcing of Grok 2 means they might lead to some intriguing AI tools popping up outside the usual walled gardens. We could see smaller companies and independent developers using it to create custom chatbots and personalized AI assistants, like an AI chatbot trained entirely on classic literature or one that helps indie video game developers generate lore for their worlds. They might prove you don’t need a multi-billion-dollar walled garden to develop something groundbreaking.

Then again, some of those creations will depend on what kind of limitations will be baked into the release. Even if xAI means it when it says Grok 2 will be open source, the company could still have its cake and eat it, too. The company can keep its cutting-edge products exclusive but let people have the older version to generate goodwill, get free innovation from independent developers, and maybe attract more people to sign up for Grok.

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Humane AI Pin's short, bumpy ride is over. HP announced on Tuesday (February 18) that it was acquiring the company and absorbing some employees for $116 million. According to a report in Bloomberg, the Human AI pin will be discontinued.

In a release on the acquisition, HP notes that it will "acquire key AI capabilities from Humane, including their AI-powered platform Cosmos, highly skilled technical talent, and intellectual property with more than 300 patents and patent applications." It makes no mention of hardware.

Humane AI was a fascinating wearable AI computing device that arrived in November 2023. Instead of a screen, the device featured a camera to watch your world and a tiny projector; you held out your hand and could see little messages and information from the pin. You interacted with the platform through voice and gestures. It sounded, at the time, like the future.

Humane AI Pin, though, ran aground in April 2024 when early adopters delivered scathing reviews. YouTube giant Marques Brownlee called it "The worst product I've ever reviewed... for now." That conclusion and a collection of other terrible reviews more or less sealed its fate. Well, that and issues with the batter clip that may have been a fire hazard. Even TechRadar rated it one of the biggest tech flops of 2024.

HP AI gets Humane

HP, though, sounds more than impressed with the system's AI capabilities and plans to weave them (or some form of them) throughout HP products. From the release: Humane's engineers "will help us create an intelligent ecosystem across all HP devices from AI PCs to smart printers and connected conference rooms. This will unlock new levels of functionality for our customers and deliver on the promises of AI."

For HP, which has been comparatively quiet on the AI innovation front, this acquisition could be a real boon to its business. As for the Humane AI team, they have nothing but praise for their new owners. In a release on the Humane website, Bethany Bongiorno and Imran Chaudhri, Co-founders of Humane, wrote, "We’re excited to join HP at such a pivotal moment in the industry and help shape the future of intelligent experiences,” said.

Humane's release also makes no mention of the AI Pin.

This is good news for Humane AI fans and, obviously, less good news for those who paid $699 for the pin. Perhaps HP will offer them, discounts on whatever HP products end up featuring Humane AI.

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• iProov study finds older adults struggle most with deepfakes
• False confidence is widespread among the younger generation
• Social media is a deepfake hotspot, experts warn

As deepfake technology continues to advance, concerns over misinformation, fraud, and identity theft are growing, thanks to literacy in AI tools being at a startling low.

A recent iProov study claims most people struggle to distinguish deepfake content from reality, as it took 2,000 participants from the UK and US being exposed to a mix of real and AI-generated images and videos, finding only 0.1% of participants - two whole people - correctly distinguished between real and deepfake stimuli.

The study found older adults are particularly susceptible to AI-generated deception. Around 30% of those aged 55-64, and 39% of those over 65, had never heard of deepfakes before. While younger participants were more confident in their ability to detect deepfakes, their actual performance in the study did not improve.

Older generations are more vulnerable

Deepfake videos were significantly harder to detect than images, the study added,as participants were 36% less likely to correctly identify a fake video compared to an image, raising concerns about video-based fraud and misinformation.

Social media platforms were highlighted as major sources of deepfake content. Nearly half of the participants (49%) identified Meta platforms, including Facebook and Instagram, as the most common places where deepfakes are found, while 47% pointed to TikTok.

"[This underlines] how vulnerable both organizations and consumers are to the threat of identity fraud in the age of deepfakes," said Andrew Bud, founder and CEO of iProov.

"Criminals are exploiting consumers’ inability to distinguish real from fake imagery, putting personal information and financial security at risk."

Bud added even when people suspect a deepfake, most take no action. Only 20% of respondents said they would report a suspected deepfake if they encountered one online.

With deepfakes becoming increasingly sophisticated, iProov believes that human perception alone is no longer reliable for detection, and Bud emphasized the need for biometric security solutions with liveness detection to combat the threat of ever more convincing deepfake material.

“It’s down to technology companies to protect their customers by implementing robust security measures," he said. "Using facial biometrics with liveness provides a trustworthy authentication factor and prioritizes both security and individual control, ensuring that organizations and users can keep pace with these evolving threats."

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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 Tuesday's puzzle instead then click here: Quordle hints and answers for Tuesday, February 18 (game #1121).

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 #1122) - 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 #1122) - 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 2.

Quordle today (game #1122) - hint #3 - uncommon letters Do the letters Q, Z, X or J appear in Quordle today?

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

Quordle today (game #1122) - hint #4 - starting letters (1) Do any of today's Quordle puzzles start with the same letter?

• The number of today's Quordle answers starting with the same letter is 0.

If you just want to know the answers at this stage, simply scroll down. If you're not ready yet then here's one more clue to make things a lot easier:

Quordle today (game #1122) - hint #5 - starting letters (2) What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?

• A

• T

• V

• D

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

Quordle today (game #1122) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #1122, are…

• ABATE
• TROVE
• VENUE
• DRAPE

Yesterday I tried four start words. I found it quick but risky, so today I used three start words, going for Nymph as a vowel-free attempt. It sort of worked – I certainly felt like I solved the puzzle quicker and there were fewer brain jams – but I still think it was a high-risk tactic. It did, however, make getting DRAPE a good deal easier with the uncommon P making an appearance.

I’m uncertain if any technique heightens the chances of a better finish, though, as it still took me eight attempts, the same result as I’m getting using the Wordle one-word-at-a-time method for the Daily Sequence.

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

Daily Sequence today (game #1122) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #1122, are…

• ZEBRA
• BILLY
• AUDIO
• SHIRE

Quordle answers: The past 20

• Quordle #1121, Tuesday 18 February: TAMER, SCRUB, BRICK, DRIFT
• Quordle #1120, Monday 17 February: SADLY, WAFER, LITHE, IDIOM
• Quordle #1119, Sunday 16 February: GHOUL, AFIRE, COVEN, FIERY
• Quordle #1118, Saturday 15 February: CREEP, CONDO, GRILL, FANCY
• Quordle #1117, Friday 14 February: MEDIA, ELUDE, THUMB, WIDOW
• Quordle #1116, Thursday 13 February: SCALP, DWELL, AMPLE, TRUNK
• Quordle #1115, Wednesday 12 February: SHOOK, GRADE, POLAR, SEEDY
• Quordle #1114, Tuesday 11 February: HEAVY, CIRCA, PESKY, SCION
• Quordle #1113, Monday 10 February: TWIXT, FRESH, GUISE, TABBY
• Quordle #1112, Sunday 9 February: TAPIR, SHAKE, TOKEN, SEVEN
• Quordle #1111, Saturday 8 February: AFOOT, ALIKE, HUMUS, TOWEL
• Quordle #1110, Friday 7 February: PETAL, ABASE, AMONG, CORER
• Quordle #1109, Thursday 6 February: MADAM, SCAMP, FAUNA, TRACK
• Quordle #1108, Wednesday 5 February: SIXTH, VERVE, BLURB, CACTI
• Quordle #1107, Tuesday 4 February: BIRTH, DRAWN, MILKY, JOIST
• Quordle #1106, Monday 3 February: SLEET, TENSE, SEIZE, SCAMP
• Quordle #1105, Sunday 2 February: LOUSY, PENNE, CHUMP, SALVE
• Quordle #1104, Saturday 1 February: FACET, BLISS, FLUFF, FRANK
• Quordle #1103, Friday 31 January: PARER, SYNOD, BRAWN, BANJO
• Quordle #1102, Thursday 30 January: WEEDY, CHIRP, STALE, SUGAR

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 Tuesday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Strands hints and answers for Tuesday, February 18 (game #352).

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

• Today's NYT Strands theme is… Pick your own prefix

NYT Strands today (game #353) - hint #2 - clue words

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

• LUCK
• SALE
• CLEAR
• BLUR
• SOLD
• MALE

NYT Strands today (game #353) - hint #3 - spangram What is a hint for today's spangram?

• Small fruits

NYT Strands today (game #353) - hint #4 - spangram position What are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?

First side: left, 5th row

Last side: right, 4th row

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

NYT Strands today (game #353) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #353, are…

• ELDER
• STRAW
• HUCKLE
• BLUE
• RASP
• SALMON
• GOLDEN
• BLACK
• SPANGRAM: BERRIES

• My rating: Moderate
• My score: 1 hint

Interestingly, BERRIES is a linguistic invention and many languages other than English do not gather these small fruits into a single food family and instead have unique words for STRAWberry, RASPberry, etc.

The truth is they are not related at all. The word berry comes from the Latin for grape – but we don’t think of grapes as berries – and was just used to describe small fruits. Meanwhile, to add to the confusion what some people think is a HUCKLEberry, other people think of as a BLUEberry.

Like mushrooms, berries are an area you have to be careful if foraging in the wild. Many varieties, including ELDER, will give you a very upset stomach, while some, including Virginia Creeper Berries, can be fatal to humans. Perhaps it would be a good idea to not give them a name that includes the same suffix as things that are delicious.

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

Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Tuesday, 18 February, game #352)

• JELLYFISH
• SPORPION
• HORNET
• PLATYPUS
• BUMBLEBEE
• SPANGRAM: STINGERS

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.

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 Tuesday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Connections hints and answers for Tuesday, February 18 (game #618).

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 #619) - today's words

(Image credit: New York Times)

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• TICK
• TOCK
• DING
• DOCK
• NICK
• COCK
• PONY
• МОСК
• CHIME
• PIG
• WHARF
• SCRATCH
• LIGHTHOUSE
• CUCKOO
• DENT
• BOARDWALK

NYT Connections today (game #619) - hint #1 - group hints

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

• YELLOW: Beachside architecture
• GREEN: Little accidents
• BLUE: Birdy clock 
• PURPLE: Add a word that wags

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 #619) - hint #2 - group answers

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

• YELLOW: STRUCTURES BY THE SHORE 
• GREEN: SMALL IMPERFECTION 
• BLUE: SOUNDS A CUCKOO CLOCK MAKES 
• PURPLE: _ TAIL 

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

NYT Connections today (game #619) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Connections, game #619, are…

• YELLOW: STRUCTURES BY THE SHORE BOARDWALK, DOCK, LIGHTHOUSE, WHARF
• GREEN: SMALL IMPERFECTION DENT, DING, NICK, SCRATCH
• BLUE: SOUNDS A CUCKOO CLOCK MAKES CHIME, CUCKOO, TICK, TOCK
• PURPLE: _ TAIL COCK, MOCK, PIG, PONY

• My rating: Moderate
• My score: 1 mistake

I get bamboozled when there’s lots of small rhyming words. Today, I wasted time thinking we were looking for a group of words connected to a nursery rhyme, but the answer was the much more straightforward SOUNDS A CUCKOO CLOCK MAKES.

In fact all the groups were much less challenging than my initial hunches – DENT, DING, NICK and SCRATCH I was thinking were results of vehicle accidents (when really they were just SMALL IMPERFECTIONs) and BOARDWALK, DOCK, LIGHTHOUSE and WHARF I thought could be unique to a particular city (rather than merely STRUCTURES BY THE SHORE).

The lesson I’m taking is not to overlook the obvious.

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

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Tuesday, 18 February, game #618)

• YELLOW: CRATER CAVITY, HOLE, HOLLOW, PIT
• GREEN: ACCESSIBLE AVAILABLE, HANDY, NEARBY, READY
• BLUE: SUBSTANTIAL, AS A MEAL FILLING, HEARTY, SOLID, SQUARE
• PURPLE: BRITISHISMS BUTTY, CHIPPY, FOOTY, TELLY

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.

• JapanNext challenges high-end market with affordable 5K monitor
• VESA compatibility, adjustable stand, and multiple connectivity options
• Multitasking is made easier with PIP and PBP modes, it doesn't support Wi-Fi or Bluetooth

French startup JapanNext has introduced one of the most affordable true 5K monitors on the market.

Priced at €650 (approximately $680), the snappily named JN-IPS275K-HSPC9 (originally in French) business monitor supports Picture-in-Picture (PIP) and Picture-by-Picture (PBP) modes, allowing users to view content from multiple sources at the same time.

"It is truly a pride to release this type of monitor exclusively in Europe," said Victor HUON, Japannext Europe's Chief Marketing Officer in a translation from French. "It is a real alternative to all those looking for a 5K monitor offered by other brands at much higher prices."

A new player in the 5K monitor market

The monitor features a 27-inch IPS panel with a 5120 x 2880 resolution, while supporting 100% sRGB and DCI-P3 color coverage, along with 178-degree viewing angles, minimizing color distortion.

A 2000:1 contrast ratio, 350 nits brightness, a matte finish, support for 1.07 billion colors, and HDR compatibility enhance contrast and color depth. And to get that perfect angle, the monitor features height adjustment (110mm), tilt (-5° to 20°), rotation (15° dual), and pivot (90°).

It features multiple ports, including DisplayPort 1.4 and USB-C 3.1, both capable of delivering 5K resolution at 60Hz. An HDMI 2.0 port is also available, though it's limited to outputting 5K at 30Hz. USB-A and USB-B ports are included for peripherals, along with audio output and built-in 3W speakers.

It's also VESA-compatible (100x100mm), allowing users to mount it on a stand or wall.

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• US military agencies and defense contractors hit by infostealer malware
• The malware can exfiltrate victim's data
• Researchers discovered thousands of infected devices

Despite their multi-billion dollar budgets, US agencies have been infected by Infostealer malware, and have had credentials and information stolen from official devices.

A report from Hudson Rock has revealed for as little as $10 per computer, criminals can ‘purchase stolen data from employees who work in classified defense and military sectors’.

Infostealers are a type of malware that has developed as a crucial tool for cybercriminals. As the name suggests, they gather sensitive information stored on a victim’s device, usually to leverage in identity theft, extortion, or financial fraud - but in this case, it’s likely to be confidential or classified data, potentially relating to national security.

Infostealers don’t rely on brute-force attacks, but instead prey upon human error - here’s what we know so far.

Supply chain compromise

Researchers found infected users from six contractors; Lockheed Martin, BAE systems, Boeing, Honeywell, L3Harris, and Leidos. These defense contractors work on seriously advanced military technology, including warships, F-35 jets, and more - Lockheed Martin alone was awarded $5.1 billion worth of contracts by the Department of Defence in 2024.

In total, 472 third-party corporate credentials were exposed, including Cisco, SAP Integrations, and Microsoft from contractors. Businesses, organizations, and even government departments are increasingly interdependent, and supply chain vendors have been frequently utilized in attacks- “if an adversary wanted to infiltrate a defense contractor’s supply chain, this would be their golden ticket,” the report confirms.

The report outlined an example of how Honeywell’s infrastructure was compromised - including its internal intranet, an Active Directory Federation Services login, and an Identity and Access Management system. Researchers discovered 398 infected employees and 18,527 infected users for Honeywell systems over the years, and just one compromised employee held 56 corporate credentials for Honeywell’s infrastructure, as well as 45 additional third-party credentials - showing the scale of the risk.

But contractors weren’t the only victims, with infections found in US Army, US Navy, FBI, and Government Accountability Office (GAO) systems too, with local authentication data for OWA, Confluence, Citrix, and FTP found, which ‘suggests an adversary could move laterally inside military systems’.

Third-party data breaches have become a major security concern, and emerging threats have found that almost all (98%) of European companies have experienced a third-party breach in the last year.

In late 2024, the US Treasury Department declared a ‘major incident’ after experiencing a breach through its vendor ‘BeyondTrust’ - so these threats are not just hypothetical. There are real dangers associated with national security if third-party vendors are compromised, especially if the vendors hold classified information.

Infostealer risks

How serious is this? Well, it’s not great. As the report points out, “if Infostealers can breach Lockheed, Boeing, the U.S. Army, and the FBI, they can breach anyone”. These breaches reinforce the idea that any organization, no matter how good their cyber hygiene is, or how strong their cybersecurity defenses, can be compromised.

The most common infostealers are Lumma Stealer, Vidar, RedLine, and Medusa - and these can exfiltrate your data in under a minute, so here are some tips to stay safe.

Unfortunately, there’s no one way to avoid Infostealers, it’s mostly about keeping good cyber hygiene. Infostealers primarily rely on user error, like accidentally downloading an infected PDF, pirated software crack, or clicking a malicious link.

Much like with social engineering attacks, the best defense is being aware and staying vigilant. Don’t click on links you don’t trust, don’t visit unverified sites, and if you work in an industry like defense, security, or a government agency - it’s probably best to stick strictly to official sites.

Infostealers are a type of malware, so deploying the best malware removal software can make sure there’s no lingering threat - but to dodge the threat, you need to be on the ball.

Make sure you have a strong password and use unique credentials for each login - it’s a faff, but it keeps you protected. If one password is compromised, then all others can be if you reuse your passwords.

Organizations should be sure to run regular and thorough cybersecurity training sessions for all employees at every level, so that everyone understands the risks and the severity of a breach.

Assessing the security posture of software suppliers and vendors can save you from a critical breach, and with breaches often costing millions of dollars and damaging an organization's reputation, this can be a crucial safety policy for your company.

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Humanoid robots are the hot new thing and no longer the purview of science fiction, but instead a growing fact of life. Even though most are still in the lab or a handful of factories, their skills are more human-like by the minute. These robots walk, run, assist, converse thanks to AI, hang out, dance, and sometimes suffer unfortunate levels of abuse.

One of the more remarkable humanoid bots is Unitree G1, a pint-sized "humanoid agent AI avatar" featuring dozens of joins and motors. I've seen the G1 in person at CES, and it's an impressive feat of engineering. Despite its mobility and dexterity, G1's capabilities are largely a product of remote control and canned or pre-programmed movements.

Even so, the $16,000 (to start) Unitree G1 can maintain balance and precision in the face of unforeseen obstacles. Unitree recently demonstrated this skill in a new video that shows off not only Unitree G1's remarkable dancing skills but also its perseverance in the face of – ahem – adversity. Unitree notes that the skills demonstrated in the video are new and have not yet been rolled out to all customers.

Watching the short video, it's hard not to feel for the G1 as a developer pokes, pushes, and whacks the robot with a stick. In one remarkable moment, the robot throws up its hands and appears to block a blow. Naturally, I silently cheered the robot's efforts. But I think I may be celebrating the wrong thing.

This is not a video about a poor, defenseless robot trying to protect itself. Unitree G1, even with its integrated AI, has no feelings. It literally can not even feel the blows. It's not upset that someone is hitting it. Instead, the robot's program is for dancing and staying upright.

What's impressive here is that nothing, not even these blows, stops Unitree G1; it just keeps on bopping.

Resilient robots are a crucial part of the humanoid robotics development timeline. Such bots will be of little use to us if, when we accidentally bump into them, they fall over and are then stuck on their backs, flailing their arms and legs like Kafka-esque beetles.

As many times as I wince when I see someone "abusing" a robot, I have to remind myself that this is the way. There can be no robot revolution without such "sacrifice'.

A dancing robot is fun. A robot that can stay upright in the face of an attack is a game-changer.

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

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

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

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

Intel Polite Guard's role for SMBs

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

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

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

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

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

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

Lee Child, Jack Reacher author and Reacher producer

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

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

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

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

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

(Image credit: Amazon Prime Video)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

(Image credit: EE)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

(Image credit: Lukas Henkel) Taking down drones

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Millions of victims

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

What's new with AircoveOS v5?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Capturing login credentials

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Money no object

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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