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Here are hints and the answer for today's Wordle, No. 1,445, for June 3.

Reports of deadly shootings by the Israeli military close to a new food distribution site in Gaza are coming under heavy criticism from the U.S.-backed group distributing the food.

You don't need to buy a scanner to sign, scan and send official documents -- just follow these steps to use the scanner right on your iPhone.

Owning all the novels and watching all the movies doesn't help me guess the "wholly original" story, but it's a fun way to bide time until this week's preview.

• GangExposed leaks sensitive information and PII on key ransomware figures
• Among them are Stern and Professor
• Stern's identity was confirmed by German police

A mysterious leaker has been spotted unveiling the identities of some of the world’s most wanted cybercriminals, including the masterminds behind Conti and Trickbot ransomware, infamous groups responsible for some of the biggest extortions in modern history.

Recently, The Register spoke to an anonymous individual that goes by the alias GangExposed, who said they are on a personal mission to “fight against an organized society of criminals known worldwide”.

"I take pleasure in thinking I can rid society of at least some of them," GangExposed said. "I simply enjoy solving the most complex cases."

Doxxing Stern

One of the people they doxxed is Stern, the leader of Trickbot and Conti ransomware operations. They claim Stern is actually one Vitaly Nikolaevich Kovalev, a 36-year-old Russian national. His identity was later confirmed by German police.

"The subject is suspected of having been the founder of the 'Trickbot' group, also known as 'Wizard Spider,'" the Federal Criminal Police Office of Germany said recently. "The group used the Trickbot malware as well as other malware variants such as Bazarloader, SystemBC, IcedID, Ryuk, Conti and Diavol."

Soon after, GangExposed doxxed another key figure, AKA Professor. Behind this alias, they claim, is a 39-year-old Russian named Vladimir Viktorovich Kvitko. Kvitko is allegedly living in Dubai.

Besides naming key figures, GangExposed leaked chat logs, videos, and ransom negotiations.

The leaker claim not to be an “IT guy” and that the methodology relies on observing patterns that others have missed:

"My toolkit includes classical intelligence analysis, logic, factual research, OSINT methodology, stylometry (I am a linguist and philologist), human psychology, and the ability to piece together puzzles that others don't even notice," they told the publication.

"I am a cosmopolitan with many homes but no permanent base — I move between countries as needed. My privacy standards are often stricter than those of most subjects of my investigations."

To uncover the identities of infamous cybercriminals, they used data obtained via "semi-closed databases, darknet services (for probing state records through corrupt officials), and I often purchase information. I have access to the leaked FSB border control database," they added, claiming to have purchased them from the darkweb for $250,000.

An interesting detail is that they could have claimed at least $10 million in bounty from the FBI, but have apparently decided against it - leading some media to speculate they are a disgruntled former member just looking for revenge, while others believe grabbing the bounty could incriminate themselves, as well.

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U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy praised airport officials, unions and workers for completing the estimated 60-day project 13 days early. The Newark airport has been hobbled by delays.

(Image credit: Kena Betancur)

Rebecca González runs one of ICE's local domestic intelligence offices. She told NPR how her agents are tracking down immigrants in Puerto Rico to deliver on President Trump's mass deportation promise.

(Image credit: Adrian Florido)

Let's see if Google also introduces a super slim handset.

New details of the administration's budget proposal for fiscal year 2026 came after a federal judge blocked the president's efforts to close the U.S. Education Department.

(Image credit: Allison Robbert)

The list included dozens of cities and counties that DHS said was in noncompliance with federal statutes and had come under intense criticism from some mayors and law enforcement.

(Image credit: Kevin Carter)

Here are some hints and the answers for Connections for June 3, #723.

Here are hints and answers for the NYT Strands puzzle No. 457 for June 3.

• AMD’s Zen 1 tech gave Hygon a head start, but catching up is difficult
• Sugon and Hygon's merger aims at Intel and AMD, but performance proof still remains elusive
• With SMT4 potential, Hygon eyes elite territory in the race for the fastest CPU

A major consolidation is underway in China’s semiconductor industry after two key players, Hygon and Sugon, announced their merger.

The deal represents an effort to strengthen China’s capabilities in high-performance computing, potentially posing a serious challenge to US chipmaking giants Intel, AMD, and Nvidia.

While the merger appears formidable on paper, its global impact remains uncertain due to technical, political, and market constraints.

An integrated force in supercomputing

This implies the use of SMT4 (simultaneous multithreading with four threads per core), a technology only IBM has deployed at scale, beginning with its POWER7 architecture in 2010.

Hygon’s chip development roots trace back to a 2016 licensing deal with AMD, which gave it access to the Zen 1 CPU design and x86-64 architecture.

Although the resulting chips, branded as Dhyana, have remained modest compared to AMD’s EPYC line, they have seen adoption in China, including support from Linux kernel developers and Tencent.

Sugon has also used Dhyana processors in various systems, including a supercomputer that once ranked 38th on the TOP500 list.

While these chips are not on par with the world’s fastest processors, they reflect a long-standing collaboration and a continued push for Chinese alternatives.

On the political front, both Hygon and Sugon remain on the US Bureau of Industry and Security’s Entity List.

This designation restricts access to American technologies over national security concerns and raises questions about how much the new entity can innovate independently of U.S. intellectual property.

For now, the power and competitiveness of the new chip remain unclear.
However, the technical leap required to rival AMD’s Threadripper or Intel’s Xeon, often cited among the world’s fastest CPUs, is significant.

Via TheRegister

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Roku Streaming Stick Plus: Two-minute review

The Roku TV interface is easy to navigate, but we experienced some lag when making selections during our testing (Image credit: Future)

The Roku Streaming Stick Plus has a lot to commend it. It’s very affordable, compact enough to take on the road, and power-efficient enough to run off a USB port on the back of a TV. Its only flaw, and it’s kind of a big one, is that there’s a little lag when navigating menus, possibly due to its older Wi-Fi standard. However, there are no performance issues once you get a show or movie streaming.

The Roku Streaming Stick Plus is ideal for someone on a budget or who wants a streamer that can tuck behind a mounted TV. If performance is a top priority, though, the more expensive Roku Ultra (2024), which I think is among the best streaming devices available right now, is worth the upgrade.

When first unboxing the Roku Streaming Stick Plus, it’s almost surprising how small it is. Measuring just 3.7 x 0.80 x 0.45 inches, it’s dwarfed by the Roku Voice Remote it comes with.

Since it’s so small, it has just an HDMI male port on one end for plugging directly into a TV and a USB-C female port situated on the other end for power. There’s also a very small reset button on the same end as the USB-C port.

Interestingly, the Roku Streaming Stick Plus doesn’t come with a power supply. Instead, it only comes with a cable with a USB-A port on the other end. The idea is that this streaming stick is so efficient that it draws all the power it needs from the powered USB port on the back of a TV – a pretty cool concept as you don’t see any of the device when looking at the TV.

The Roku’s Voice Remote is not the company’s best remote – that belongs to the Roku Voice Remote Pro (2nd edition) that comes with the Roku Ultra (2024) streaming box and the Roku Pro Series TVs – but it ticks all the usual boxes. It feels nice the way Roku remotes do with their rounded back, and there are separate Play / Pause buttons instead of the wheel of inputs a lot of remotes have these days. There are App buttons for various streaming services and, most importantly, there’s the voice command button, which lets you talk into the remote.

The Roku Streaming Stick Plus comes with a USB cable and a remote with a voice control option (Image credit: Future)

Now, performance is where the Roku Streaming Stick Plus can suffer a little bit. Before I discuss that, I do want to say that once I got something started and was streaming in 4K, there were no issues such as stuttering or other artifacts.

When first getting past setup, I started browsing the apps, and there was a small lag moving from tile to tile or from menu entry to entry. Though that was the worst, I still noticed a very short delay. This could be because the Roku Streaming Stick Plus uses the somewhat dated Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac) standard. Also, its processor could be underpowered.

As far as the Roku interface goes, it’s the same standard layout the company uses for all its streaming products. It’s a tile-first view, where you browse various apps instead of recommended content from those apps as you would with a Google or Alexa streaming device. (There is a small selection of suggestions at the top of the interface, however.)

The Roku ecosystem has plenty of free content, offering 500 different channels along with the Roku Channel. There’s even a general Sports tab in the menu.

If you want to use the Roku Streaming Stick Plus for streaming movies, be aware that it doesn’t support every feature. It can stream in 4K with HDR10+, HDR10, and HLG high dynamic range, but it does not support Dolby Vision. On the smart home front, it supports Roku Smart Home, Apple HomeKit, Alexa, and Google Home. Also worth mentioning is that it will pass through Dolby encoded audio and DTS digital surround.

The Roku Streaming Stick Plus can be fully powered by a TV's USB-A port (Image credit: Future)Roku Streaming Stick Plus: Price and release date

• $39.99 / £39.99 (about AU$70)
• Released April 2025

The Roku Streaming Stick Plus is affordably priced for a 4K streaming stick, selling for just $39.99 / £39.99 (about AU$70). Compare that to the Roku Ultra (2024), which goes for $99.99 (about £80 / AU$150).

The Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max (2023) is similar in a lot of ways, but uses the Alexa ecosystem and supports Dolby Vision. It’s also bigger despite having the same form factor. (When reviewing The Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max, I remember having to use the included dongle as the Fire TV Stick was too bulky to fit directly into my TV’s HDMI port.) Amazon’s streaming stick is priced much higher at $59.99 / £69.99 / AU$119, but it’s regularly discounted to around for the same price as the Roku Streaming Stick Plus.

If you want to go as cheap as possible, Roku also has the Roku Streaming Stick that only goes up to 1080p (HD) resolution, skipping out on 4K and HDR support. It’s a bit cheaper at $29.99 / £29.99, so if you have an older TV, it might be worth it to save the ten bucks.

The Streaming Stick Plus's Voice Remote isn't as sophisticated as the one included with the Roku Ultra, but it gets the job done (Image credit: Future)Should you buy the Roku Streaming Stick Plus?Roku Streaming Stick Plus

Attributes

Notes

Rating

Features

4K and HDR10+, HDR10, HLG, and Dolby Atmos support but no Dolby Vision

4 / 5

Performance

Lags just a bit when browsing, which makes it feel a little underpowered.

4 / 5

Design

Not only is it really small, but it can draw power from your TV, eliminating the need for a power cable.

4.5 / 5

Value

This streaming device might be Roku’s best value proposition, with its low price and 4K / HDR support.

4.5 / 5

Buy it if...

You want 4K on a budget
The Roku Streaming Stick Plus is one of the cheapest ways to get streaming in 4K. Go any cheaper and you’ll be stuck with 1080p (HD) options.

You want to hide your streaming player
The Roku Streaming Stick Plus hides discreetly behind your TV, even drawing power from it, so you won’t even notice that it’s there.

You want to be in the Roku ecosystem
If you’ve used Roku devices before, you know the company’s ecosystem. This is a very affordable way to stay current with the Roku interface.

Don't buy it if...

You want the most robust streaming device
The Roku Streaming Stick Plus is efficient, but it’s not the most powerful, using an older Wi-Fi standard. If you want the fastest Roku streamer, go with a Roku Ultra.

You don’t have a TV that supports 4K
If your TV is a little older and doesn’t support 4K, save a little money and get the entry-level model from Roku or one of its competitors.

Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K (2023) review: Also consider

Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max (2023)
If you have a whole host of Alexa smart home products and want to stick with first-party options, the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max (2023) is almost as discreet as the Roku Streaming Stick Plus. It’s fast enough with Wi-Fi6E support, not to mention Dolby Vision, HDR10+, and Dolby Atmos support. It is very Prime-centric, however, showing ads for Prime content every time it’s on idle.

Read our full Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max (2023) review

Roku Ultra (2024)

The Roku Ultra (2024) is a bit more expensive and larger, so it can’t easily be tucked away behind the TV. But the Ultra is Roku’s best and most robust streaming device, and it supports just about every feature, including Dolby Vision, and comes with the company’s best remote.

Read more about the Roku Ultra (2024)

(Image credit: Future)How I tested the Roku Streaming Stick Plus

• Used regularly for a week
• Tested with all sorts of apps
• Tested the remote

I used the Roku Streaming Stick Plus regularly for a weekend, just enough to see everything it can do. I used it with free Roku content and popular third-party apps like Max. I also spent time testing the remote and its various functions.

I’ve tested a lot of tech gear over the years from laptops to keyboards and speakers, and so have been able to use my expertise towards giving an honest and fair opinion, not to mention a critical eye, to any product I test.

Read more about how we test

First reviewed May 2025

• Unit 42 found a website spoofing a known German modelling agency
• The site carries obfuscated JavaScript which exfiltrates system information
• In the future, it could host malware or steal login credentials

Iranian hackers were found spoofing a German modelling agency in an attempt to gather more information about their targets’ devices.

This is according to a new report from Palo Alto Networks’ Unit 42, which also claims that full functionality of the campaign, which could include malware delivery or credential harvesting, has not yet been achieved.

Unit 42 says that while monitoring infrastructure they believe are likely tied to Iranian threat actors, the researchers found the domain “Megamodelstudio[.]com”. After browsing through the site a little, they determined it was a spoofed version of megamodelagency.com, a legitimate modelling agency based in Hamburg, Germany.

Selective targeting

The two websites are seemingly identical, but there are a few key differences. The malicious one, for example, carries an obfuscated JavaScript designed to capture detailed visitor information.

Unit 42 says the script grabs information about browser languages and plugins, screen resolution information, as well as timestamps, which allow the attackers to track a visitor’s location and environment.

The script also reveals the user’s local and public IP address, leverages canvas fingerprinting, and uses SHA-256 to produce a device-unique hash. Finally, it structures the collected data as JSON and delivers it to the endpoint /ads/track via a POST request.

“The likely goal of the code is to enable selective targeting by determining sufficient device- and network-specific details about visitors,” Unit 42 said.

“This naming convention suggests an attempt to disguise the collection as benign advertising traffic rather than storing and processing potential target fingerprints.”

Another key difference is that among profile pages of different models, one is fake. That page is currently not operational, but Unit 42 speculates it could be used in the future for more destructive attacks, dropping malware or stealing login credentials.

The researchers concluded, “with high confidence”, that the Iranians are behind the attack. They’re somewhat less confident about the exact group behind it, speculating that it might have been the work of Agent Serpens, also known as Charming Kitten, or APT35.

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• Apple's WWDC 2025 kicks off on June 9 with an opening keynote
• A new teaser hints at the glass-infused iOS 19, among other platforms
• Rumors point to a new design across Apple OS' that takes inspiration from the Vision Pro

iOS 19 (or iOS 26) could feature one of the most significant redesigns in recent memory, at least according to rumors. However, now we have a very strong hint from the best possible source – Apple – that a new look is coming to its platforms, and it has a familiar visual source.

Most of the rumors surrounding an iOS 19 design refresh have it and other Apple platforms like macOS and tvOS, adopting some of their visual queues from Apple Vision Pro.

Now, I know, Apple's mixed reality headset has not exactly blown the doors off when it comes to consumer adoption. Still, it inarguably has one of the most elegant interfaces Apple has ever designed. Not only is it easily controlled via gaze and gesture, but the entire look is one of floating, frosted glass elements.

Granted, it's subtle, and you need to look closely at elements like chamfered edges to see reflections and even the interplay between different screens, which can sometimes act like frosted glass planes.

Apple, naturally, never comments on pre-announced software updates and features, but it does play hypemaster for big events like the upcoming Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), which kicks off on June 9 at Apple Park in Cupertino, California.

In an X (formerly Twitter) post on Monday, Apple SVP of marketing Geg Joswiak wrote, "#WWDC25 is next week! Can’t wait to show you what we’ve been working on. See you June 9 at 10am PT."

While there's nothing remarkable about that, the five-second animation accompanying it is telling. It displays the Apple logo, which then transforms into the Swift programming language logo, and finally, the Apple Park rainbow. In each case, the object is made of what appears to be frosted glass, a look that, yes, aligns with the idea of a glass-infused iOS 19 (and maybe other platforms).

#WWDC25 is next week! Can’t wait to show you what we’ve been working on. See you June 9 at 10am PT. pic.twitter.com/qhrzevDbMHJune 2, 2025

Exactly how far and deep the frosted glass look might go is anyone's guess, but Apple could apply it to everything from the Control Center to widgets and even App icons. It may also alter the interplay between these interface elements. We might expect more reflections of surrounding icons and windows, and sometimes the ability to see through some elements.

Apple also dropped another hint on its WWDC 2025 Developers' page, where it features a similarly glassy Apple Logo and the tagline "Sleek Peek". Yes, a glassy look would surely be "sleek."

These are, as I see it, some pretty strong hints about the future design direction of iOS 19. Still, big questions remain. Chiefly, what is happening with the naming convention?

Apple will reportedly drop the sequential number system for all its platforms and instead switch to a year format, one that might look at the year ahead. So, for instance, iOS 19 becomes iOS 26 and iPadOS 19 becomes iPadOS 26.

These latest hints shed no light on the upcoming platform names, but the future of iOS design direction is perhaps coming into frosted focus.

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Patricia Krenwinkel was 21 when she participated in the August 1969 murders. Her parole recommendation would need to be approved by Gov. Gavin Newsom, who rejected the last one in 2022.

(Image credit: George Brich)

• Google Drive is getting new Gemini features to make the platform smarter
• This include video summary and analytics tools
• AI chatbots must be trusted with sensitive information to be effective, so be careful how you use them

Google Drive has revealed some new Gemini-powered features, but concerns have already been raised over possible security and privacy issues.

Previously only able to skim read long documents (and probably missing out key information), the cloud storage platform will now benefit from video file summaries, and full content analysis, which could be genuinely useful for missed meetings that would otherwise take a long time to catch up on.

That being said, this comes with risks, as with all chatbots, there must be a serious level of trust in the AI model, as carrying out these tasks requires access to potentially sensitive information and files - including your company's innermost secrets.

Privacy concerns

The tool relies on Google’s auto-generated captions, and will be accessible from the Gemini Overlay in Drive - so make sure these are enabled if you want to use these features.

This feature is primarily aimed at professionals (if you want Gemini to summarize and explain precious family memories, then there are much bigger problems at play) - but the move means you would be giving Gemini access to potentially sensitive company information - from board meeting recordings or business strategy meetings.

In 2024, the Gemini AI platform was accused of scanning Google Drive files without user permission, which raised serious concerns over Google’s handling of user data and privacy settings.

That’s not all though, as Google has announced a new feature to help users measure the engagement on videos uploaded to Google Drive, a “highly requested” tool that aims to give users a better insight into their video analytics.

As of yet, there is no admin control available for this feature - and it will be available to all Google Workspace customers, as well as Google Workspace Individual Subscribers, and personal Google account holders.

Via ArsTechnica

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