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Spoilers follow for Arcane season 2's first six episodes.

I love Arcane. Just ask anyone who's listened to me wax lyrical – with increasing regularity, some might say – about the history-making Emmy award winner since it made its Netflix debut in November 2021.

With its predecessor ending on a stunning cliffhanger, the wait for Arcane season 2 has been excruciating. However, as the saying goes, "good things come to those who wait", so I've constantly reminded myself that the three-year gap between seasons would be worth it.

And it absolutely was. Having watched its first six episodes, I staunchly believe Arcane's second and final chapter is a monumental artistic and narrative achievement that, its final three installments notwithstanding, is a near-perfect duology capper to Netflix, Fortiche Production, and Riot Games' first League of Legends (LoL) animated adaptation.

The hunt begins

Caitlyn (center) forms a strike team to hunt down Jinx after the latter's attack on Piltover's council (Image credit: Netflix)

Season 2 begins mere moments after its forebear's dramatic finale. Jinx's (Ella Purnell) deadly attack on Piltover's council leaves three of its members dead, including Caitlyn's (Katie Leung) mom Cassandra, and many others, Viktor (Harry Lloyd) among them, severely wounded.

As the council's traumatized leader Jayce (Kevin Alejandro) attempts to save Viktor's life and his fellow councillor/love interest Mel (Toks Olagundoye) mobilizes the rest of Piltover's scarred ministers to plan their next move, a grief-stricken Caitlyn takes matters into her own hands. Establishing a five-member strike team that includes Jinx's estranged and guilt-riddled sister Vi (Hailee Steinfeld), Caitlyn leads her newly-formed squad into Zaun with three aims: capture Jinx, shut down production of the dangerous and addictive substance known as shimmer, and neutralize anyone still loyal to Zaun's recently deceased defacto leader Silco (Jason Spisak), such as Sevika (Amirah Vann).

Arcane's main strength lies in its approach to compelling us to emotionally invest in each individual's journey

Succeeding won't be easy. Silco's death has ignited a civil war among Zaun's chem-barons, with gang bosses like Smeech (Lenny Citrano) taking advantage of the current power vacuum to try to become the undercity's new crime kingpin.

Caitlyn's squad, then, may have a hard time tracking down Jinx at such a tempestuous time. Plus, with Zaunites learning of Jinx's successful strike on PIltover's powerbrokers, Vi's younger sibling suddenly finds herself installed as a revolutionary figure they can rally behind – a development that'll make Caitlyn and Vi's mission even harder to accomplish.

Ambessa enjoys a far bigger role in this season than Arcane's first installment (Image credit: Netflix)

As a character-driven spectacle, Arcane's main strength lies in its approach to compelling us to emotionally invest in each individual's journey. It's not unlike HBO's Game of Thrones in that respect, with the evolution – and, in some instances, de-evolution – and decision-making of its morally complex cast provoking viewers to frequently switch allegiances between them. Indeed, the war that erupts between Piltover and Zaun will flip audiences' devotion to some characters on its head, with Zaun's major players adopting more heroic roles early in season 2 and Piltover-based individuals positioned as Arcane's new antagonists-in-chief.

Arcane's overarching story undergoes its own evolution in its final season

What struck me most, though, is how the overarching plot undergoes its own structural evolution. Like season 1, episodes follow multiple storylines, with some converging to satisfyingly form conducive, singular narratives as season 2 progresses. However, each chapter's focus on specific characters – established members of its strong female contingent gifted even more agency than last season, or otherwise – lends them an unexpected yet gratifying individuality.

Elora and Mel get caught up in a supernatural and political thriller as season 2 progresses (Image credit: Netflix)

Take episode 1, titled 'Heavy Is The Crown', for instance, whose narrative is anchored by a heartbroken and vengeance-fuelled Caitlyn. Meanwhile, season 2's third episode, aka 'Finally Got The Name Right', sheds light on Ambessa's past, her reasons for traveling to Piltover, and the mysterious dangers that lurk in the shadows of her home nation Noxus. Then there's episode 4, named 'Paint The Town Blue', where Jinx learns of her symbolic position among Zaun's downtrodden populace that instigates her transition from villain to unlikely anti-hero. There's a natural, appropriate progression to most characters' season 1 arcs, too, with plenty of space devoted to exploring the vulnerabilities, desires, and newly-formed motivations that trigger Arcane's so-called heroes to explore their dark sides, and vice versa with their supposedly villainous counterparts.

Season 2's genre expansion adds new storytelling dimensions and narrative weight that I didn't expect

Season 2's exploration of additional subgenres is a welcome bonus, too. Whether it's the gradual evolution of Mel's storyline that becomes a conspiracy thriller-cum-supernatural horror, the slasher-style introduction of a terrifying new LoL champion teased in Arcane season 2's first clip and a gorgeous season 2 poster, or the highbrow sci-fi aspects that punctuate Viktor's arc, season 2's genre expansion adds new storytelling dimensions and narrative weight that I didn't expect. If season 1 was a largely grounded story with fantasy and sci-fi elements weaved into it, its sequel is almost the complete opposite, especially once season 2 reaches its midway point.

Daring and in-demand dynamics

Isha and Jinx's endearing relationship is one of many new dynamics in season 2 (Image credit: Netflix/Riot Games/Fortiche Production)

Arcane's final season is just as eager to introduce new character dynamics, too. Tense alliances Ambessa shares with Caitlyn and Singed, plus a three-pronged team-up between Jayce, Ekko, and Heimerdinger, make particularly engrossing viewing due to each character's wildly different backgrounds and upbringings. The inclusion of Isha (Lucy Lowe), a young girl Jinx saves from chem-baron Chross' goons, is equally fascinating, wit Isha's sibling-like idolization of Zaun's reluctant freedom fighter reminding me of Jinx's sisterly reverence of Vi in season 1's first act.

Make a mental note for a specifically 'CaitVi' moment in episode 3 that's... as crowd-pleasing and sensitively handled as you'd expect

You shouldn't worry about previously established relationships being overshadowed by these new coalitions, either. For instance, there are plenty of captivating and heart-rending moments centered on 'CaitVi', the Arcane fandom's affectionate term for Caitlyn and Vi's 'will they, won't they' dynamic. Indeed, season 2 reunites them just 10 minutes into its premiere for a scene that offers the briefest insight into the compelling and explosive escalation of their romance-fuelled, melodramatic bond this season. I'd advise you to make a mental note for a specifically 'CaitVi' moment in episode 3 that's not only been a long time coming but is also as crowd-pleasing and sensitively handled as you'd expect.

Season 2 provides opportunities to explore new partnerships, such as an Ekko-Jayce team-up (Image credit: Netflix)

Vi and Jinx's seemingly irreparable bond gets a striking amount of airtime as well. Outside of what Arcane season 2's official trailer teased, I don't want to ruin what's in store for the deuteragonists' shared storyline. However, I will say it goes to some unexpected places and that viewers should anticipate numerous incendiary and tear-jerking scenes – some of which occur earlier than I'd foreseen – involving the iconic pair. I'm not afraid to admit that I cried, just like Arcane star Ella Purnell told me she did, during some emotionally charged scenes that herald the beginning of the end of Vi and Jinx's story.

Similarly fraught but respect-laced bonds are also examined to varying degrees, including Jayce and Viktor's increasingly unprincipled partnership, and Jinx and Sevika's burgeoning odd-couple dynamic that juxtapose 'CaitVi' in histrionic and amusing ways. Season 2 finds ample opportunities to devote more screen time to Arcane's supporting cast, too. Smeech, Piltover councillors Salo (Josh Keaton) and Shoola (Mara Junot), and another newcomer in Piltovan enforcer Maddie (Katy Townsend) feature enough to make me believe that their inclusion, and overall importance to the story, is worthwhile.

Lore lessons and animated enhancements

Netflix, Riot, and Fortiche get creative with season 2's drop-dead gorgeous animation and art styles (Image credit: Netflix/Riot Games/Fortiche Production)

And what of Arcane's Art Nouveau-inspired painterly animation style? Already mesmerizing to look at, season 2's rich visuals are not only more cinematic in scope but creatively ambitious in design. Whether it's the somberness of the sketch-penciled backdrops that contrast the vivid colors of 'CaitVi' during Cassandra's funeral, episode 3's pop-art-influenced opening sequence, or visual flourishes like the vapor trails from Jinx's pistol spelling out 'Poow' in episode 2, Fortiche has dialed Arcane's visual fidelity all the way up to 11.

Sevika's season 2 showdown with Smeech... is easily in my top three fights

Fortiche's determination to refine every aspect of this show is further evidenced by its animated improvements. Season 1 was jaw-dropping, but its successor feels bolder and more innovative, especially from an action viewpoint. Duels and large-scale battles – of which there are many, for anyone who felt the first season was lacking in physical confrontations – are more violent, heart-pounding, and breathtaking than before. Anime-inspired graphics energize some fights, such as Sevika's season 2 showdown with Smeech, in laugh-out-loud ways, too – honestly, the Sevika and Smeech bout is easily in my top three fights in Arcane, it's that inventively fun.

Some of season 2's fight scenes have a real anime quality to them (Image credit: Netflix/Riot Games/Fortiche Production)

Long-time LoL fans will be very satisfied with Arcane's attention to detail from a lore perspective as well. Season 1 wasn't lacking in references to Riot's hugely popular game series – neither is season 2, with episode 5's game of tellstones one of myriad nods to LoL – but its follow-up fleshes out this region of Runeterra in an engrossing manner. The expansion of LoL's mythology, particularly from Hextech, Hexcore, and Rune standpoints, is fulfilling for League devotees and casual viewers alike. Elsewhere, confirmation about a long-standing rumor concerning Singed, coupled with intriguing glimpses into Vander and Silco's collective past, may rewrite some key aspects of Runeterran history and League mythos, and go some way to answering eight big questions I had heading into Arcane's second season.

Yes, Viktor, I'm disappointed with these slight season 2 problems, too (Image credit: Netflix)

Infatuated as I am with Arcane, I have a couple of minor gripes with this masterpiece of an animated show's final hurra.

For one, its occasionally chaotic pacing leaves little room to deal with the fallout, or rekindling, of some relationships, nor does it find the time to fully examine the existential themes in its middle act. It's commendable that Arcane's creators want to maintain consistency across the show's episodic runtimes. The lack of self-indulgent plot exposition means viewers' intelligence is not insulted and episodes don't suddenly grind to a halt, too. Indeed, season 2's exposition dumps are kept to a minimum, with characters only filling in the narrative gaps where absolutely necessary. Still, periodically slowing things down a smidge, for non-plot expository reasons, wouldn't have been to season 2's detriment.

The abrupt discarding of some supporting characters is just as curious. Some viewers may not mind this, but I found it slightly galling that individuals like Sevika, Maddie, and another newcomer Loris (Earl Baylon), whose roles are seemingly pertinent to Arcane's overarching plot, are side-lined at a moment's notice. I hope it doesn't continue, or is even pleasingly resolved, in season 2's final three episodes.

My verdict

Arcane season 2 doesn't just cement the show's place as one of the best Netflix shows ever created, but also as one of the greatest animated TV series of all-time. That's a bold claim to make but, if its final three episodes are as extraordinary as the rest, I'll be fully justified in suggesting as much. If Arcane had run for the five seasons it was reportedly going to do – its creators told me this was "never the plan", for what it's worth – I'd have even more evidence to back that up.

Netflix, Riot, and Fortiche can feel similarly vindicated in their fastidious approach to season 2's development. It may have taken over three years to make Arcane's final season as good as it can be, but it absolutely shows. This is a once-in-a-generation TV series, created with real love and ambition, that tells an intelligent, meticulously crafted, and emotionally captivating story (one set to a banging original soundtrack that'll top my 2024 Spotify Wrapped list). I don't think I'll see a show as ground-breaking as Arcane, nor one I'll worship as much, for a long time. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to watch this two-season wonder, whose story is tailor-made to be streamed back-to-back, again.

Arcane season 2 act 1, comprising its first three episodes, is out now on Netflix. Act 2 and act 3 launch on November 16 and November 23 respectively.

Welcome to another quick hit of tech news courtesy of TechRadar's ICYMI, the column that condenses all of the week's big stories into one handy list so you can catch up on what you might have missed.

What do we have in store for you this week? Well, the task of getting our PlayStation 5 Pro, MacBook M4 and Kindle Colorsoft reviews in front of you dominated our time, and you can see what we thought of them all below, but they were far from the only interesting tech stories. There were also new product releases, some beta software tests and a couple of very tasty leaks to stay on top of, so read on and find out what happened.

7. DJI unveiled its cheapest-ever FPV goggles

(Image credit: DJI)

DJI unveiled the Goggles N3, its cheapest-ever FPV (First Person View) goggles for immersive drone flight. At less than half the price of the Goggles 3, they look like an excellent pairing with the Neo, DJI's cheapest-ever 4K drone with multiple flight control options, including FPV.

In fact, DJI has made a new DJI Neo Motion Fly More Combo, which includes the Goggles N3 plus additional batteries and charging hub, all for less than the pricier Goggles 3 alone.

Low price doesn't mean low quality, either – the Goggles N3 pack a crisp 1080p screen with an immersive 54-degree field of view, and can perform aerial acrobatics such as flips and rolls with a tilt of your head. They also boast DJI's latest O4 transmission, negligible 31ms latency and neat augmented reality features. At half the price of the Avata 2 with goggles, this new pairing opens up the adrenaline-fuelled world of FPV flight to a whole new audience.

• Read more: DJI’s new cheap goggles make the Neo more affordable for immersive flying

6. iOS 18.2 beta showed us major Apple Intelligence upgrades

(Image credit: Apple / Future)

Apple Intelligence landed with iOS 18.1 but it isn’t quite as spectacular as everyone hoped it would be, largely because some of its most exciting features are currently unavailable. That could change soon, though, and the iOS 18.2 update beta has given us a taste of these missing features.

Genmoji is arguably the big one here. This allows users to create a custom emoji and we’ve already fallen in love with it, declaring it "the kind of feature that will instantly impact society and our online lives." That aside, the iOS 18.2 beta also includes ChatGPT being baked into Siri (though it’ll have restrictions for free users), and the arrival of Image Playground, which offers a more standard alternative to the best AI image generators than Genmoji does.

Beyond AI, 18.2 will bring new camera control tools, easier sharing of lost item information through the Find My service, and the first hints of Siri getting abilities to understand what’s on screen.

• Read more: Apple is adding 3 more useful upgrades to your iPhone with iOS 18.2

5. A leaked benchmark got us excited about the Samsung S25 Ultra

(Image credit: Future)

Apple has long maintained bragging rights over Samsung when it comes to the sheer under-the-hood power of its smartphones, but 2025 could see a momentum shift in favor of the Android manufacturer.

According to a new report, the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra could be even more powerful than the iPhone 16 Pro Max, with the upcoming Android flagship having performed exceptionally well in early benchmark tests.

We’re all but certain that the Galaxy S25 Ultra will use Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset under the hood, and given that the likes of Xiaomi, OnePlus, and Honor have already confirmed that their respective flagships will use the same platform, the future looks extremely bright for Android fans.

• Read more: Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra could be the most powerful phone on the planet

4. Google leaked its Jarvis AI

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

Oh dear! Jarvis, Google’s rumored AI agent that searches Chrome on your behalf, was accidentally leaked by the company itself earlier this week, popping up briefly in Chrome’s extension store before being swiftly removed.

While it didn't stick around for long, it gave us proof that this automated web browser – which Google describes as “a helpful companion that surfs the web with you” – is a real thing. The AI agent is expected to launch in December and will seemingly be able to surf the web, buy products, and even book flights on your behalf.

We're expecting plenty of these agents to spring up over the next few months, as companies try to innovate in the AI space; Anthropic has already released an automated agent to developers, and there also rumors that OpenAI could enter the mix, although we don’t have any information on what a ChatGPT AI agent could look like.

When will Jarvis appear for real? That's unclear, but if you’re excited at the prospect of AI doing mundane web browsing on your behalf, you might not have long to wait.

• Read more: Google accidentally leaks its AI agent that browses the web

3. Amazon’s color Kindle got off to a rough start

(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

We got our hands on the Kindle Colorsoft – awarding it four-and-a-half stars in our review – but we and others noticed that over time it started to develop a frustrating yellow tint at the bottom of its display.

Not every Colorsoft seems to be affected, and in our case the yellowing was not very noticeable, but that hasn’t prevented the store page from being flooded with negative reviews – with Amazon even calling those negative reviewers to learn more about the discoloration problem.

Amazon is still trying to implement whatever hardware or software fix it needs to, but if you already have a yellowed Colorsoft, the company has said it will offer you a refund or a replacement device.

• Read more: The Kindle Colorsoft faces shipping delays

2. We tested the PS5 Pro…

(Image credit: Sony)

The PS5 Pro is finally here and the good news is that it’s a fantastic console that offers an excellent gaming experience. It also introduces the wizardry of PSSR (that's Playstation Spectral Super Resolution, for the uninitiated). However, its price tag and lack of included disc drive really are hefty stings in its tail.

The graphical advancements offered by the PS5 Pro beautifully blend super-high levels of fidelity with fluid and smooth frame rates at the same time, and from our testing, can tangibly elevate the experience of playing games. The extra spec uplifts – such as Wi-Fi 7, an extra 2TB of storage, as well as boosts to non-enhanced PS5 and PS4 games – help to round out a premium package for those who want to be at the bleeding edge of console tech and desire the most performant console going.

All of which is great, but it’s nonetheless a bit of a hard sell for current PS5 users or anyone who's not, y'know, rich, because the advancements here are not truly transformational. Still, if you’re a PlayStation enthusiast and always want to get the most out of both performance and graphics then you'll love it.

• Read more: PS5 Pro review: a high-performing enthusiast console

1. …and we reviewed – and loved – the new M4 Macs, too

(Image credit: Apple)

We’ve also been testing the new M4-powered Macs from Apple – and it's fair to say that we're impressed. And then some…

For instance, our Apple iMac 24-inch review describes the new model as the “best all-in-one computer you can purchase”, a fact helped by its new more affordable price, while our Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch review labeled the laptop “a pro-grade portable that impresses in every area.”

It’s no surprise then that both of those computers were awarded scores of 4.5/5 scores, but we want a step higher for the revamped Mac mini, awarding it one of our rare five-star reviews.

Per our Managing Editor of Core Tech Matt Hanson in our Apple Mac mini review, “Apple has made what was already the best small form factor PC even better thanks to a more compact design, and it packs the new M4 and M4 Pro chips – all while offering incredible value for money as well. I can't recommend this Mac enough.”

• Read more: Apple Mac mini (M4, 2024) review: smaller, faster, better

• New custom malware loader written in JPHP is wreaking havoc
• The custom payload is difficult to detect using cybersecurity tools
• The malware-loader can deploy custom payloads as required

Trustwave SpiderLabs says it has recently uncovered a new form of malware known as Pronsis Loader, which is already causing trouble due to its unique design and tactics.

Pronsis Loader makes use of JPHP, a lesser-known programming language rarely utilized by cybercriminals, and alsoemploys advanced installation techniques, making it more challenging for cybersecurity systems to detect and mitigate.

JPHP, a variation of the popular PHP language, is rarely seen in the world of malware development. While PHP is commonly used for web applications, its integration into desktop malware development is unusual, giving Pronsis Loader an advantage in avoiding detection.

JPHP – a rare choice in cybercrime

Pronsis Loader can evade signature-based detection systems, which are typically designed to recognize more common programming languages in malware. JPHP gives the malware a layer of “stealth” allowing the malware to fly under the radar of many security tools.

The malware also uses obfuscation and encryption methods to hide its presence during the initial infection phase. Upon execution, it deploys complex methods to avoid triggering traditional antivirus software and endpoint protection systems. The loader first installs itself silently in the system, disguising its activities by mimicking legitimate processes or applications, making it difficult for both automated security tools and human analysts to spot.

Once installed, Pronsis Loader can download and execute additional malware, including ransomware, spyware, or data exfiltration tools. This modular approach makes the malware highly flexible, allowing attackers to tailor the final payload based on the target’s system or environment. Pronsis Loader is part of an increasing trend in malware development where attackers use loaders as a first step in multi-stage attacks. These loaders, designed to introduce other malware into a system, provide attackers with flexibility.

To combat these evolving threats, security teams should adopt more advanced monitoring and analysis methods, such as behavior-based detection, which can identify malware by its actions rather than its code signatures alone. Additionally, continuous updates to threat intelligence can help identify the use of rare languages and methods like those employed by Pronsis Loader.

"Pronsis Loader marks a notable shift in how cybercriminals are deploying malware, employing JPHP and silent installations to evade traditional detection methods. Its ability to deliver high-risk payloads like Lumma Stealer and Latrodectus makes it particularly dangerous,” said Shawn Kanady, Global Director of Trustwave SpiderLabs.

“Our research uncovers not only the malware’s unique capabilities but also the infrastructure that could be leveraged in future campaigns to give security teams a chance to strengthen their defences,” Kanady added.

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• Apple's now selling a Belkin-made carrying case for the Vision Price
• It's half the price of the Apple-made alternative with plenty of pockets

Since Apple launched Vision Pro in February 2024, the brand has always made a carrying case to accompany – and ultimately protect – the $3,500 Spatial Computer.

It’s not cheap at $199 / £199 /AU$349, but you get a white, puffy, custom-built case to securely carry the headset and the battery and accessories like straps. It’s also a perfect accessory to bring to, say, a campfire because it looks like a giant marshmallow. Now, though, there is another official or rather officially approved option for touting your Apple Vision Pro around, and it’s half the price of Apple’s own case, has more pockets, and features a dedicated slot for an AirTag.

Launched quietly on Apple’s online store the same day four new Macs – the 16-inch MacBook Pro, iMac, Mac mini, and 14-inch MacBook Pro – became available, Belkin’s Travel Bag for Apple Vision Pro is priced at $99.99 / £99.95 / AU$159.95. It's a smaller, more compact gray tote that can easily fit the Vision Pro, a battery, both straps, and other accessories.

(Image credit: Belkin)

For easy travel, the Travel Bag has a handle for quick trots and a larger sash that might be best for bringing it on trips, into an office, or to a friend's house. The main compartment opens up via a zipper, and it has a dedicated spot inside – as well as a tie-down strap – to secure the Vision Pro. Above that, you can store the Vision Pro battery, and you’ll find more room for extra headbands, cables, and even a power brick.

On the front is a zipper pocket and an open one for other odds and ends. You’ll also find a spot for an AirTag. But maybe the best thing here is that Belkin’s bag is a much more affordable option that takes up less space and seemingly has more storage space for various odds and ends.

(Image credit: Belkin)

Its arrival at Apple’s online store came a few days after Belkin’s Head Strap for Apple Vision Pro landed at $49.95 / £44.95. It’s essentially a companion top band for Apple's Solo Knit headband and is all about increasing comfort and hopefully reducing the feel of weight on your head when using the Vision Pro.

We’ll be going hands-on soon with the Belkin Travel Bag and Head Strap for Vision Pro, but if they’re anything like the brand's Battery Holder, which was available at launch, these should be pretty handy.

If you already have a Vision Pro and are keen to pick up either the Travel Bag ($99.95 / £99.95 / AU$159.95), Head Strap ($49.95 / £44.95), or Battery Holder ($49.95 / £49.95), all three are available from Belkin’s online store, Apple’s online shop, and select Apple stores across the United States.

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

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

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

Quordle today (game #1020) - 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 #1020) - 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 #1020) - 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 #1020) - 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 #1020) - hint #5 - starting letters (2) What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?

• F

• T

• A

• S

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

Quordle today (game #1020) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #1020, are…

• FLUME
• THERE
• ATOLL
• SANER

Sometimes the most obvious of words can prove tricky in Quordle. THERE is one that I always have to think about; it's probably the single most common word in the game, but it often escapes my attention. The repeated Es don't help, but even setting that aside it just doesn't occur to me until I really, really think about it.

THERE is one potentially tricky word in this Quordle, but there are others. ATOLL is also a tough one, and SANER could be hard to narrow down depending on the way the letters fell for you.

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

Daily Sequence today (game #1020) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #1020, are…

• RALPH
• BRICK
• VERSO
• ERROR

Quordle answers: The past 20

• Quordle #1019, Friday 8 November: DELAY, NAVAL, MOLAR, SWARM
• Quordle #1018, Thursday 7 November: REPAY, SYNOD, LOATH, PITHY
• Quordle #1017, Wednesday 6 November: SASSY, DRUID, THREW, SLOSH
• Quordle #1016, Tuesday 5 November: BEGET, AMUSE, STONY, LOUSY
• Quordle #1015, Monday 4 November: CHILL, TACKY, GRAPH, PLAZA
• Quordle #1014, Sunday 3 November: QUIRK, HEART, ELBOW, KNOWN
• Quordle #1013, Saturday 2 November: SWUNG, FLOOR, PARER, CRUST
• Quordle #1012, Friday 1 November: FIFTY, GULCH, RECUT, TWEET
• Quordle #1011, Thursday 31 October: TWINE, RIGID, BELCH, AMEND
• Quordle #1010, Wednesday 30 October: SLOOP, BRINE, BROOD, FLUID
• Quordle #1009, Tuesday 29 October: CLIFF, BURNT, SNAKY, POLYP
• Quordle #1008, Monday 28 October: MACAW, LIEGE, GOUGE, CARGO
• Quordle #1007, Sunday 27 October: STUNG, CLOUT, SOWER, BASIS
• Quordle #1006, Saturday 26 October: DUCHY, CANNY, BLOCK, SMART
• Quordle #1005, Friday 25 October: PRANK, EXIST, RUDDY, PICKY
• Quordle #1004, Thursday 24 October: DAIRY, RALLY, CURLY, LABEL
• Quordle #1003, Wednesday 23 October: DROSS, ANNEX, GRAVE, BROKE
• Quordle #1002, Tuesday 22 October: ADORE, SMITH, AFOOT, LUCID
• Quordle #1001, Monday 21 October: TREAD, NINTH, GRIEF, UNSET
• Quordle #1000, Sunday 20 October: CORAL, WHOSE, HEIST, SOAPY

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

What should you do once you've finished? Why, play some more word games of course. I've also got daily Wordle hints and answers, Strands hints and answers and Quordle hints and answers articles if you need help for those too.

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

NYT Connections today (game #517) - today's words

(Image credit: New York Times)

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• THRONE
• SHRED
• GNARLY
• POWDER
• RADICAL
• BATH
• LICK
• POWER
• TWISTED
• ROOT
• REST
• BENT
• TRACE
• WARPED
• EXPONENT
• OUNCE

NYT Connections today (game #517) - hint #1 - group hints

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

• Yellow: Crooked
• Green: A little bit
• Blue: Math terms
• Purple: First part of words for a place where you do your business!

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 #517) - hint #2 - group answers

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

• YELLOW: CONTORTED
• GREEN: SMALLEST AMOUNT
• BLUE: ALGEBRA TERMS
• PURPLE: WORDS BEFORE “ROOM” TO MEAN LAVATORY

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

NYT Connections today (game #517) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Connections, game #517, are…

• YELLOW: CONTORTED BENT, GNARLY, TWISTED, WARPED
• GREEN: SMALLEST AMOUNT LICK, OUNCE, SHRED, TRACE
• BLUE: ALGEBRA TERMS EXPONENT, POWER, RADICAL, ROOT
• PURPLE: WORDS BEFORE “ROOM” TO MEAN LAVATORY BATH, POWDER, REST, THRONE

• My rating: Moderate
• My score: Perfect

You sometimes need a bit of luck in Connections, just as you do in Wordle. Case in point: the way I solved the purple group today. I thought that the connection was 'words that go after foot', with REST, POWDER and BATH all seeming to fit, just about. It wasn't a great connection, but I thought it was worth a shot. For the fourth I decided that THRONE might work – maybe FOOT THRONE was a posh word for a foot rest that I hadn't heard? Stupid, yes, but I gave it a go and was surprised and delighted to see that it was correct. Well, sort of. The connection was actually WORDS BEFORE “ROOM” TO MEAN LAVATORY, amusingly enough. They all count though, eh?

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

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Friday, 8 November, game #516)

• YELLOW: ESCAPADE ANTIC, CAPER, EXPLOIT, STUNT
• GREEN: KINDS OF PICKLES DILL, KOSHER, SOUR, SWEET
• BLUE: RISQUÉ ADULT, BLUE, SPICY, SUGGESTIVE
• PURPLE: CUT THE ___ CHEESE, CORD, DECK, MUSTARD

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.

Strands is the NYT's latest word game after the likes of Wordle, Spelling Bee and Connections – and it's great fun. It can be difficult, though, so read on for my Strands hints.

Want more word-based fun? Then check out my Wordle today, NYT Connections today and Quordle today pages for hints and answers for those games.

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

NYT Strands today (game #251) - hint #1 - today's theme What is the theme of today's NYT Strands?

• Today's NYT Strands theme is… Generation jam

NYT Strands today (game #251) - hint #2 - clue words

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

• SINE
• LEND
• STUN
• LIME
• RULE
• BAND

NYT Strands today (game #251) - hint #3 - spangram What is a hint for today's spangram?

• GrungePop?

NYT Strands today (game #251) - hint #4 - spangram position What are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?

First: top, 3rd column

Last: bottom, 3rd column

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

NYT Strands today (game #251) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #251, are…

• BLUR
• OASIS
• PAVEMENT
• TOOL
• NIRVANA
• SUBLIME
• SPANGRAM: NINETIESBANDS

• My rating: Moderate
• My score: Perfect

I have slightly mixed feelings about this Strands puzzle. On the one hand, the subject is NINETIESBANDS, and in many ways that's my specialist subject. I'm a huge music fan (and former music journalist) and the '90s was my era. Two of the bands in today's list, PAVEMENT and BLUR, are among my favorites ever, and I have a soft spot for NIRVANA too.

On the flip side, what on earth does 'Generation jam', the theme clue, refer to? I have no idea whatsoever. And setting that aside, this may prove very difficult for people who are either too young or too old to be familiar with the likes of TOOL and SUBLIME, who aren't necessarily household names (or aren't these days, at least). Still, rather this than yesterday's silly emoji-based game.

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

Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Friday, 8 November, game #250)

• SHAKE
• WAVE
• CLAP
• PRAY
• PINCH
• FIST
• POINT
• PEACE
• SPANGRAM: HANDGESTURES

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.

Character AI has a huge catalog of virtual personalities derived from history, fiction, and the imaginations of users. But, sometimes, you might make a character and later decide you don't want to have it on the platform anymore.

And while you can't actually outright delete third-party AI-generated characters, in this guide, we will show you how you can manage them for yourself and others.

Hide and overwrite character

(Image credit: Future)

Because Character AI does not offer a delete button for the AI personalities, you can't make them disappear from the servers. But you can edit them and their availability to the point that it doesn't matter.

Making the chatbot private means no one will see it but you, all but making it invisible. You can also take more drastic steps and overwrite everything about the chatbot with gibberish or punctuation to wipe the personality away more thoroughly.

Here's how to hide or obscure your Character AI personalities:

• Open Character AI and log in to your account.
• Select the character you want to send to oblivion from the left sidebar to open a chat with it.
• Click on the three dots in the character's profile on the right-side panel and click on the "Edit button.
• At the bottom of the AI's profile is the "Visibility" option.
• Change that setting to private.
• Click the "Save Changes" button on the bottom right.
• If that's not enough, you can overwrite your creation.
• Edit the character's details in the profile by replacing the name, description, and other details with N/A or any other placeholder text.
• Save the changes like you did to make the chatbot private.

(Image credit: Future) Stop Meta AI summaries

Meta AI's comment summaries can be a nice way to sum up long or complex posts, but they also fill up your screen at times. If you find these summaries unhelpful, here’s how you can turn them off:

• Open Facebook on a web browser or as a mobile app and go to the settings menu.
• Click or tap on "Settings" within the “Settings & Privacy” “ menu.
• Open up the "Posts" sub-menu as indicated in the image above.
• Slide the “Allow Comment Summaries on Your Posts” to the left.
• Once toggled off, you shouldn't see the AI summaries anymore after you reload the website or app.

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• The AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D processor sold out in most retailers
• Scalpers have been doubling the prices on preorder listings
• As components sell in waves, this issue will be fixed soon

Trying to get ahold of the AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D, one of the best processors on the market right now? Good luck, since it’s sold out pretty much everywhere.

According to Digital Trends, just minutes after the first listings went live, they immediately sold out. Naturally, resellers have been capitalizing on this opportunity by selling the “preorders” for a higher price than what they initially paid – in other words, scalping. The retail price is $479 and most of these listings on eBay are $900 and over. Though none of those have sold as of this writing, one buyer recently purchased a chip for $564.

Even we at TechRadar can confirm how difficult it’s been, as we haven’t been able to secure one from a standard retailer as of yet. You can keep checking on online retailers like Amazon, Newegg, and B&H Photo, but of course, they’re all out of stock as of now. Even AMD’s official online store has no stock despite a limit of one per customer.

There is one place you can get your hands on the Ryzen 7 9800X3D and that’s at Micro Center. However, you’ll have to go to its brick-and-mortar store to get your hands on one there right now.

There is another silver lining to this and it’s that scalpers won’t be having the last laugh. As more come back in stock in waves, demand will eventually lower enough to make their jacked-up listings worthless.

This could take another few months for this to happen, so keep checking back with the official retailers until you can get your hands on one too. Some lucky buyers on the AMD subreddit are already celebrating getting a hold of one themselves, so it’s not impossible. Meanwhile, you can also check out more of the best AMD processors if you need your fix now.

Why is the Ryzen 7 9800X3D so sought after?

It’s a little surprising that the Ryzen 7 9800X3D is already garnering a lot of attention, as the rumors and reports have been positive in terms of performance. According to one report, it will have eight Zen 5 cores with a 4.70GHz base clock speed, which can be boosted up to 5.20GHz, 96MB of 3D V-Cache, and may have an 8% performance boost over AMD's current high-end gaming processor.

In terms of overclocking, pros have been pushing the processor to its limits and finding out it can hit as high as nearly 7GHz for clock speeds. One user ran Counter-Strike 2 at 1080p (max graphics settings) and hit 1,262.9 frames per second (fps). There was another test with Valorant and the CPU averaged close to 1,100 fps at 1080p resolution (maxed-out settings), reaching over 1,500 fps at times.

It’s clear how big this processor is, and why so many scalpers saw a golden opportunity to take advantage of it. But with any large tech launch, given enough patience and anyone who wants it will be able to buy it legitimately in a matter of months, if not sooner.

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• Trillium offers 4x training boost, 3x inference improvement over TPU v5e
• Enhanced HBM and ICI bandwidth for LLM support
• Scales up to 256 chips per pod, ideal for extensive AI tasks

Google Cloud has unleashed its latest TPU, Trillium, the sixth-generation model in its custom AI chip lineup, designed to power advanced AI workloads.

First announced back in May 2024, Trillium is engineered to handle large-scale training, tuning, and inferencing with improved performance and cost efficiency.

The release forms part of Google Cloud’s AI Hypercomputer infrastructure, which integrates TPUs, GPUs, and CPUs alongside open software to meet the increasing demands of generative AI.

A3 Ultra VMs arriving soon

Trillium promises significant improvements over its predecessor, TPU v5e, with over a 4x boost in training performance and up to a 3x increase in inference throughput. Trillium delivers twice the HBM capacity and doubled Interchip Interconnect (ICI) bandwidth, making it particularly suited to large language models like Gemma 2 and Llama, as well as compute-heavy inference applications, including diffusion models such as Stable Diffusion XL.

Google is keen to stress Trillium’s focus on energy efficiency as well, with a claimed 67% increase compared to previous generations.

Google says its new TPU has demonstrated substantially improved performance in benchmark testing, delivering a 4x increase in training speeds for models such as Gemma 2-27b and Llama2-70B. For inference tasks, Trillium achieved 3x greater throughput than TPU v5e, particularly excelling in models that demand extensive computational resources.

Scaling is another strength of Trillium, according to Google. The TPU can link up to 256 chips in a single, high-bandwidth pod, expandable to thousands of chips within Google’s Jupiter data center network, providing near-linear scaling for extensive AI training tasks. With Multislice software, Trillium maintains consistent performance across hundreds of pods.

Tied in with the arrival of Trillium, Google also announced the A3 Ultra VMs featuring Nvidia H200 Tensor Core GPUs. Scheduled for preview this month they will offer Google Cloud customers a high-performance GPU option within the tech giant’s AI infrastructure.

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• New report that Nvidia might enter consumer CPU market
• It would most likely be Arm's based
• Chips could be announced in 2025 and launch 2026

Intel and AMD currently have a stranglehold on the PC processor market, as the vast majority of consumers' PC processors come from these two manufacturer. But if this latest report is true, that duopoly could soon be challenged.

According to a new report from DigiTimes (reported on by PCGamesN), Nvidia may be planning to enter the consumer processor market by developing a new Arm-based CPU. Currently, Qualcomm’s Snapdragon chips have exclusive rights to Windows on Arm; however, according to Arm CEO Rene Haas, that’s set to change in 2024 with the recent news of that deal ending. There’s also the possibility stemming from Arm threatening to cancel Qualcomm’s Arm license, not to mention the rumors of Qualcomm potentially buying Intel.

While there’s no definitive answer for when this processor will launch, if ever, the report from Digitimes states that an announcement of the Nvidia chips could happen in September 2025, with a possible launch date of March 2026.

How much further can Nvidia push it?

It sounds like a smart move from Team Green, as it could use its vast reputation in the PC world to further push into the PC processor market and give Intel and AMD some much needed competition.

However, the lack of an x86 license might pose an issue for Nvidia. There’s a chance that it could be acquired through Qualcomm, if the two manufacturers join up and the rumors about the latter purchasing Intel become a reality.

Then there’s also the possibility that Team Green could be heading into the gaming processor market, which would pair nicely with its already dominant graphics cards. Of course, such an endeavor would take quite a bit of investment as Nvidia would have to dedicate a lot of resources to porting games to the Arm architecture.

And though the performance has proven to be well-optimized and impressive in its own right, Windows on Arm is still unsupported natively by most PC software and games, a hurdle that also holds back gaming on Macs. But if Valve could get a host of PC games to support Linux through SteamOS for the Steam Deck, then there’s definitely a chance that Nvidia could push for the same for Arm.

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• A newly publicized patent shows Samsung had created a design for a tri-fold device in 2021
• This adds to recent rumors that the company is exploring new phone form factors
• There is still no confirmation from Samsung regarding a tri-fold device

The long-rumored Samsung Galaxy tri-fold might not be entirely mythological after all, if a newly-published patent is anything to go by.

The US Patent and Trademark Office has publicized a patent document that details design specifications for a tri-fold device alongside a conventional booklet-style foldable device.

The patent document, originally filed by Samsung in 2021, depicts a tri-fold device with a Z-shaped hinge, similar to the Huawei Mate XT.

The Mate XT became the world’s first tri-fold device when it launched in September, but it remains a China-exclusive device at the time of writing – leaving global markets open for Samsung or another competitor.

As MSPowerUser reports, the Samsung patent details new screen technology such as a strengthened barrier layer to protect the inner display with openings to reduce strain at the hinges. The design also includes an anti-reflective coating made of synthetic resin or another unspecified material.

Other construction materials mentioned include glass and stainless steel.

Image 1 of 4

The tri-fold design detailed in the patent. (Image credit: US Patent and Trademark Office)Image 2 of 4

The tri-fold hinge concept detailed follows the same design as the Huawei Mate XT (Image credit: US Patent and Trademark Office)Image 3 of 4

The barrier layer design concept features openings that reduce strain on the display (Image credit: US Patent and Trademark Office)Image 4 of 4

The tri-fold design concept appeared alongside a conventional booklet-style foldable design concept. (Image credit: US Patent and Trademark Office)

Samsung has long been tipped as the likely leader in the race to release a globally available tri-fold phone, which would sit alongside the company's Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Galaxy Z Flip 6. Indeed, we recently reported on claims from Korea that Samsung is looking into new phone form factors.

Prior to this, we reported that a leaked codename for a new foldable model with no analog in the current Samsung lineup may refer to a potential tri-fold device.

Though this new (or rather, newly discovered) patent doesn’t confirm that the proposed Samsung tri-fold is due for release, or even in the works, it does tell us that Samsung has given serious consideration to the tri-fold concept.

With how much we’re hearing about a Samsung tri-fold at the moment, it’s hard not to take this as an encouraging sign – though it’s important to remember that most of the above is based on rumors for the time being.

It’ll be up to Samsung to confirm the development of a tri-fold Galaxy device, if and when it sees fit, so be sure to keep up with our Samsung phones coverage to catch the latest updates.

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• BlueNoroff seen targeting crypto businesses with new piece of malware
• The malware establishes persistence and opens up a back door
• It can download additional payloads, run Shell commands, and more

Devious North Korean state-sponsored threat actors known as BlueNoroff have been spotted deploying a brand new piece of malware to attack their victims.

Cybersecurity researchers SentinelLabs sounded the alarm on the new campaign, noting BlueNoroff is a subgroup of Lazarus, an infamous North Korean organization that mostly targets cryptocurrency businesses and individuals in the West. It is attributed with some of the biggest crypto heists in history.

Usually, the group would “groom” their victims on social media, before deploying any malware. In this campaign, however, they’ve decided for a more direct approach.

Hidden Risk

As SentinelLabs explains, BlueNoroff targets its victims, mostly crypto businesses, with a phishing email seemingly forwarded from a crypto influencer.

The email contains fake news about the latest developments in the cryptocurrency sector, in the form of a .PDF file that redirects victims to a website under the attackers’ control. That website will sometimes serve a benign Bitcoin ETF document, and sometimes a malicious file called “Hidden Risk Behind New Surge of Bitcoin Price.app”.

The name is taken from a genuine academic paper from the University of Texas, the researchers added. The entire campaign is thus named “Hidden Risk”.

The malware comes in multiple stages. The first stage is a dropper app, signed with a valid Apple Developer ID, which was revoked in the meantime. This dropper will download a decoy PDF file which should keep the victim busy while the second-stage payload is deployed in the background.

This payload is called “growth”, and its goal is to establish persistence and open up a back door to the infected device. It only works on macOS devices, running on Intel or Apple silicon, with the Rosetta emulation framework. The final stage is to check in with the C2 server for new commands every minute, which include downloading and running additional payloads, running shell commands, or terminating the process.

The campaign has been active for at least a year, the researchers said.

Via BleepingComputer

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• The OneXFly F1 Pro will be the first handheld gaming PC featuring AMD’s Ryzen AI 300 series APUs
• Multiple models will be available at the end of November 2024
• It's expected to outperform the rumored Ryzen Z2 Extreme handheld gaming PCs

The handheld gaming PC market has been reignited ever since Valve released the Steam Deck - an affordable option for many gamers that inspired a new generation of rivals, including the likes of Asus’ powerful ROG Ally, and now the OneXFly F1 Pro ($1,099 / around £849 / around AU$1,660) is set to kickstart the next generation.

Using AMD’s Ryzen AI 370 and 365 APUs, OneNetbook’s F1 Pro will be the first ‘Strix Point’ APU for handheld gaming PCs as spotted by VideoCardz - they will be driven by AMD’s RDNA 3.5 architecture, which Team Red claims will improve performance and battery life. Both APUs will feature 12 Zen 5 cores and 24 threads, which could open the door for high-level performance on each model.

While we await Asus’ next move for a ROG Ally X successor (rumored to use the Ryzen Z2 Extreme APU), this will give a strong hint at what the next-gen could look like performance-wise for Strix Point handheld gaming PCs. It’s also important to note that it’ll start at $1,099 with 32GB of RAM (up to 64GB depending on the model), which is becoming a system requirement for optimal performance and visuals in many games such as Returnal.

As well as the strong APU specifications, the F1 Pro will utilize a 1080p OLED display providing direct competition to Valve’s Steam Deck OLED - though considering the Steam Deck OLED’s pricing ($549 / £479 / AU$899), it will more than likely remain a more popular option despite its weaker performance.

(Image credit: OneXPlayer) Can the OneXFly F1 Pro compete with other handheld gaming PCs?

Without a doubt, the OneXFly F1 Pro will outperform current handheld gaming PCs from Valve, Asus, and Lenovo, thanks to the Ryzen AI 300 series APUs. Now, there’s no confirmation from other handheld makers (including the Nintendo Switch 2’s reveal or release date), but rumors suggest both Lenovo and Asus will use the Ryzen Z2 Extreme APU in future handhelds.

Despite the Ryzen Z2 Extreme APU being anticipated to be the weaker Strix Point silicon chip compared to the Ryzen AI 370 and 365 (according to leaks), AMD claims RDNA 3.5 could improve battery life which was a weak point for the Z1 Extreme Ally (fortunately, ROG Ally X’s battery is much better as mentioned in our review).

While this new handheld arms race is exciting, pricing could still be the deciding factor for most gamers. There are currently no reviews on OneNetbook’s new handheld gaming PC, so we will have to wait and see how it fares in terms of battery life and fan performance (cooling) - as well as overall value for money, which could really determine if it will be able to beat the Steam Deck or Nintendo Switch 2.

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• Researchers spot new phishing campaign distributing Rhadamanthys infostealer
• The crooks are impersonating entertainment, media, and tech firms
• The campaign is automated and abuses Gmail

Scammers have been spotted sending out fake copyright infringement violation claims as part of a new phishing campaign aiming to spread the latest version of the Rhadamanthys Stealer malware.

Cybersecurity researchers Check Point Software, who dubbed the campaign CopyRh(ight)adamanthys, noted the crooks were casting a wide net, targeting as many companies as possible.

At the same time, they were also impersonating a large number of different organizations, but due to their high online presence, and frequent copyright-related issues, the majority (70%) were from the entertainment, media, and tech industries.

End of life

Despite Rhadamanthys being a powerful infostealer, this doesn’t seem to be a campaign orchestrated by a nation-state. Rather, the group behind the attack is most likely financially motivated. In its attack, the group uses dedicated Gmail accounts, sometimes targeting the same victim from multiple addresses. They also seem to be using AI capabilities efficiently, not just to create convincing phishing emails, but also to automate the attacks, as well.

The key of the campaign, Check Point Software argued, is to implement an updated version of Rhadamanthys. The author claims this version comes with advanced AI-driven features, a claim that was apparently refuted. The tool was proven to use older machine learning techniques, seen in optical character recognition (ORC) software.

“The attackers may be leveraging AI-enhanced automation tools to create phishing content and manage the high volume of Gmail accounts and diversified phishing needed for the campaign,” the researchers concluded.

The Rhadamanthys infostealer is a type of malware designed to steal sensitive information from infected systems, including login credentials, browser data, and cryptocurrency wallet details. It operates by capturing data from popular web browsers, email clients, and other applications where users may store credentials or personal information.

The tool can also log keys and record keystrokes, as alternative means of stealing passwords and other sensitive data. The malware is often distributed through phishing campaigns and malicious attachments.

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• Secretlab Skins Lite start a $99 / around £75
• They help protect your chair and customize its look
• Available now from Secretlab

Gaming chair manufacturer Secretlab has revealed the all-new Secretlab Skins Lite, a more affordable version of the existing Secretlab Skins line. These lightweight chair wraps help protect your gaming throne while also offering an easy way to customize its appearance.

Secretlab Skins Lite are available now from the Secretlab website and start at $99 / around £75, which is significantly below the $169 / £169 asking price for the original Secretlab Skins. They use a new material and come in a wide range of designs, including licensed looks inspired by characters like Jinx and Vi from Arcane, Goku from Dragon Ball Z, and Illidan Stormrage and The Lich King from World of Warcraft.

A number of existing Secretlab Skins designs, including the cute Cyberpunk: Edgerunners Lucy and Rebecca editions, will also be offered as Lite variants. The Skins easily fit onto the outside of your chair, with an application process that the company claims takes just three minutes to complete.

They provide complete coverage, maintaining the chair’s ergonomic shape while protecting its fabric against dirt and spills. Skins are also machine washable, which might make them a worthwhile investment if you frequently drop your gaming snacks while playing.

The Skins are compatible with Secretlab Titan Evo series chairs, which are some of the best gaming chairs and most comfortable gaming chairs on the market right now.

Elsewhere, Secretlab also recently released the Secretlab Ergonomic Recliner, another chair add-on that introduces additional leg support. This was followed by the reveal of the Secretlab Titan Evo NanoGen Edition, an enhanced version of the Secretlab Titan Evo that has exceptionally comfortable cushioning and all-new plush materials.

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• Google's Gemini Utilities Extension upgrade is being rolled out
• It will give Gemini more of the powers of Google Assistant
• Gemini Live is still waiting for a similar upgrade

Google Gemini is taking another step closer to becoming the fully-fledged virtual assistant that we all want thanks to a new update rolling out now called “Gemini Utilities Extension” that can control your Android mobile device and apps. While the update is on the way, it could take a few days to reach everybody with an Android device.

The new update means that Gemini will be able to take over tasks like opening websites, apps, and settings that it currently has to farm out to Google Assistant. The Gemini Utilities Extension will work with apps on Android devices only,

The full list of upgrades that the Gemini Utilities Extension contains includes setting timers and alarms, taking a photo or screenshot (even from the lock screen), and controlling media playback.

Gemini vs Gemini Live

(Image credit: Future, Lance Ulanoff)

While the Google Gemini app is a massively powerful upgrade to the original Google Assistant, giving you the ability to search your inbox, produce summaries, and provide helpful advice, Android devices are currently in a strange situation where the Gemini AI still has to revert back to Google Assistant it for some tasks, especially ones that require interaction with an app or Settings. Now, with Gemini Utilities Extension, you'll no longer need to rely on Google Assistant to perform these tasks.

It’s also important not to confuse Gemini with Gemini Live, which is Google’s voice-controlled version of the AI, that enables you to have much more free-flowing conversations than the standard Gemini voice feature in the Gemini app allows. The improvements ushered in by the new Gemini Utilities Extension will not give the same powers to Gemini Live, which still can’t interact with apps and settings on your device.

There is still no news from Google about when we can expect upgrades to Gemini Live that will give it these capabilities. A note on the Gemini Apps help website says simply, “We’re gradually releasing updates to Gemini Live, so the latest changes might not be available to you just yet.”

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• HPE releases patch for six serious security vulnerabilities
• The bugs affected multiple products, and could be used in destructive cyberattacks
• Patching is advised, but workarounds are available

Two critical security bugs were found plaguing Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) endpoints, the company has confirmed, as it released a patch and follow-up security advisory.

As per the bulletin, multiple Aruba Networking Access Points (AP), powered by thee Instant AOS-8 and AOS-10 operating systems, were vulnerable to a total of six flaws, which allowed crooks to mount authenticated remote command execution attacks, create arbitrary files, perform unauthenticated command injection, and more.

Of the six, two were particularly dangerous: CVE-2024-42509, and CVE-2024-47460. These were assigned severity scores 9.8 and 9.0, and could have been abused by sending specially crafted packets to Aruba’s Access Point management protocol (PAPI).

End of life

The remaining four vulnerabilities are tracked as CVE-2024-47461, CVE-2024-47462, CVE-2024-47463, and CVE-2024-47464.

All of them plague AOS-10.4.x.x: 10.4.1.4 and older releases, Instant AOS-8.12.x.x: 8.12.0.2 and below, and Instant AOS-8.10.x.x: 8.10.0.13 and older versions.

If your product is older, and isn’t among the ones listed here, then it’s likely reached its end-of-life status and as such will not be patched. In such cases, HPE advises users to replace the instance with a newer model that is still supported.

Those who are still under HPE’s support should update their access points to these versions:

AOS-10.7.x.x: Update to version 10.7.0.0 and later.
AOS-10.4.x.x: Update to version 10.4.1.5 or later.
Instant AOS-8.12.x.x: Update to version 8.12.0.3 or newer.
Instant AOS-8.10.x.x: Update to version 8.10.0.14 or above

There are also workarounds for those who cannot install the patch immediately, which include blocking access to UDP port 8211 from all untrusted networks, restricting access to the CLI and web-based management interfaces, and controlling access with firewall policies at layer 3 and higher.

At press time, there was no evidence of in-the-wild abuse.

Via BleepingComputer

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Cybersecurity is an unending challenge for businesses. Just as they catch up, the bad guys innovate their techniques to continuously stay one step ahead. It’s an issue that will persist meaning cyber risk has become a business risk.

Organisations know anything that threatens their IT, threatens their company. It's a pattern we continue to see – businesses getting breached and reputational and/or financial damage following. As such, cybersecurity is now a board issue and a permanent topic of conversation within corporate leadership teams. Yet, organizations need to take bigger steps towards making their cybersecurity posture as strong as possible – their business depends on it.

Assessing cyber risk

Businesses understand the ramifications a cyberattack can have on the whole company, with research finding that nearly one third (31%) experienced six or more attacks between June 2023-4, compared to the same period the year before.

The impact of an attack is vast, the repercussions of which affect the entire company. As such one of the most crucial tasks of a CISO is to rank cyber risks in order of impact. This requires an equal understanding of the business and its technology stack and isn’t an easy task.

Part of this assessment requires understanding the priorities inside the organization's value chain and securing them accordingly. The second part of the challenge is to then look beyond the business itself and understand what outside forces may impact it. Among these external forces, we find the compliance framework – laws and regulations necessary to protect human beings, intellectual property as well as innovation.

The duality regulation brings though is a challenge. While necessary for protection, they cap and stifle IT teams who need to integrate legal considerations into their defenses. The more known about cyber risks and regulation however, the better. Knowledge is the feather in an IT team’s cap, and IT teams and boards should work together to take learning from other parts of the business and other regulations within their security practices.

Mitigating technical risk

Defense strategies are a must when it comes to cybersecurity resilience. Assessing the right combination of products, services, staffing and processes is crucial. Less is more in this matter. This is especially the case as, after years of technological accumulation, CISOs are realizing the hard way that a mass of products and vendors is not efficient. The next era of security will happen via convergence, not addition.

Getting your board on side

CISOs have a tough job, but core to their success alongside the steps we have already discussed is ensuring their board truly understands cyber risk and gives them the support necessary to fight it. This can be done not only through education but, vitally, through offering options. When faced with a cybersecurity challenge, CISOs must provide information and an array of solutions on which their board has final say. It’s part of the CISOs job to offer scenarios as a series of documented steps, making a first suggestion, followed by a second and third suggestion. This ensures the CISO becomes an empowered execution leveler and gets a consensual decision on how to move ahead, rather than being pinpointed and blamed if something goes wrong.

Alongside this, it’s vital for CISOs and CEOs to be aligned with the CISO reporting directly to the CEO. The consequences of this not happening is unclear or diluted support. With the survival of the company at stake during a cyberattack, cybersecurity must be built into an organization's strategy and CISOs must have direct access to the top decision maker.

Final thoughts

Cybersecurity is not about avoidance but is instead an approach which embraces the fact that it’s only a matter of time before a business is attacked. Prioritizing cyber risk management and recovery is core and organizations need to do this through better connected and secured systems.

Whether your solutions are legacy, old-school, best-of-breed or brand new, the number of technologies, vendors, processes and digital transformations requires simplification in the race to security.

We've featured the best antivirus software.

This article was produced as part of TechRadarPro's Expert Insights channel where we feature the best and brightest minds in the technology industry today. The views expressed here are those of the author and are not necessarily those of TechRadarPro or Future plc. If you are interested in contributing find out more here: https://www.techradar.com/news/submit-your-story-to-techradar-pro

• The Windows 11 24H2 update has caused some users to experience black screens or freezes when using the Alt + Tab shortcut, which should switch windows but now delays or glitches instead
• Some users have found turning off Game Mode can help as a temporary fix. Alternatively, users can revert to a previous version of Windows 11 if the issue is too disruptive
• Microsoft is aware of the problem and plans to release a patch in December 2024, though Windows 11’s reputation is being impacted by recurring update issues

Windows 11 24H2 was only released on October 1, 2024, but we’ve already seen a steady stream of issues reported about it since, and now there seems to be a new problem with the widely-used Alt + Tab keyboard shortcuts. Pressing these keys together reportedly triggers a black screen for some users after updating, rather than switching windows, as the shortcut should do.

Unfortunately, after updating to Windows 11 24H2, some users have been experiencing their PC freezing or just showing a black screen after using this shortcut. This was initially picked up on by Windows Latest, which links to posts on Reddit and on the Windows support forum about how some users have been dealing with the issue for weeks. So, if you are experiencing this glitch, you’re not alone.

According to reports, users are seeing their screens go black for about ten seconds before the shortcut finally works as intended. What should be a straightforward time saver in Windows 11 has become a pretty frustrating, unexpected pause.

What you can try next if you're experiencing this issue

According to PCWorld, Microsoft is aware of the problem but hasn’t released a fix just yet, although it’s promising to release a patch update in December 2024. Currently, you have a few options if you really wish to keep using the Alt + Tab shortcut as intended.

First, you can try turning off Game Mode. Some users in the above mentioned posts claim that this is a temporary workaround.

Follow these steps:

1. Open Settings.

2. Go to Gaming in the left panel.

3. Select Game Mode and toggle the Game Mode setting to Off.

If this works, you’re probably okay to keep using the Alt + Tab shortcut for at least a while.

Otherwise, you can postpone installing Windows 11 24H2 or uninstall it and use an earlier version of Windows 11 until the problem is resolved. This would only be my recommendation if you really can’t live without this shortcut, as you’ll uninstall all the features, changes, and fixes the 24H2 update also brought. If you can bear it, I suggest you stay put until we get an official fix from Microsoft for it.

Windows 11 24H2 brings some useful and intriguing new features, but it’s in danger of developing a reputation that Microsoft will have to put effort into recovering from. All hope is not lost, as Windows 10 had some nasty bugs that were introduced in updates, yet it now it remains very popular among users. I suppose we’ll have to see how Windows 11 will continue to fare, and hope that Microsoft ends this run of faulty update and ultimately shape the operating system into something worth sticking with.

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