Feed aggregator

• Unimicron confirms ransomware attack with the Taiwanese Stock Exchange
• It does not expect significant financial impact
• Sarcoma took responsibility, claiming they stole sensitive data, as well

Unimicron, a global manufacturing giant specializing in printed circuit boards (PCBs), has confirmed suffering a ransomware attack, filing a new report with the Taiwan Stock Exchange (TWSE), revealing it was hit on January 30.

As soon as the attack was spotted, the company says it brought in a third-party cyber forensic team to analyze and defend the IT infrastructure, adding the anticipated possible loss or impact was “limited”. It does not expect to receive any compensation from its insurance company for the attack, either.

“The company will continue to enhance the security control of the network and information infrastructure to ensure information security,” the PCB manufacturer concluded.

Funding the state

The company did not say who attacked it, if it lost any sensitive data, or what the ransom demands are, but BleepingComputer reports a ransomware operation called ‘Sarcoma’ was behind the incident.

Apparently, the group posted samples of stolen files and threatened to release it all unless the payment is made. They claim to have stolen 377 GB of SQL files and documents.

Sarcoma is a relatively unknown name whose operations only started a few months ago. However, the publication claims it already struck 36 victims, making it highly active and quite destructive. One of its first victims seems to have been EARTHWORKS Group, a large construction and environmental services company.

Unimicron is one of the global leaders in rigid PCBs, flexible printed circuits, high-density interconnection (HDI) boards, rigid-flex boards, and integrated circuit (IC) carriers. These products are integral to various applications such as LCD monitors, PCs, notebooks, network cards, fax machines, scanners, mobile phones, and personal digital assistants.

The company operates manufacturing facilities and service centers across Taiwan, China, Germany, and Japan. In terms of financial performance, Unimicron reported a revenue of approximately $3.29 billion in 2023.

Via BleepingComputer

You might also like

• The impact of the cyber insurance industry in resilience against ransomware
• We've rounded up the best password managers
• Take a look at our guide to the best authenticator app

• TikTok is now available again on the App Store and Google Play Store in the US
• This follows a 75-day delay to the banning of the app, which saw service paused on January 18
• It's not entirely clear whether a deal will be reached to ensure TikTok's continued availability

TikTok has been made available on the App Store and Google Play Store again in the US, after the app was delisted when a ban upheld by the Supreme Court went into effect on January 18.

This means that you can once again download TikTok for free, whether you’re on an iOS device like the iPhone 16 or an Android handset such as the Google Pixel 9 or Samsung Galaxy S25.

The app, which boasted more than 150 million users in the US as of March 2023, was banned nationwide due to concerns over user privacy and interference by elements of the Chinese state.

However, President Donald Trump has made it something of a personal mission to keep TikTok available in the US; he signed an executive order to delay the ban by 75 days during his first days back in office, and ultimately hopes to force the sale of at least 50% of TikTok’s US business to an American owner.

Though TikTok was able to resume service on January 19, the app has been missing from app stores until now.

As The Guardian notes, the wait between Trump’s delaying of the TikTok ban and the app’s return to digital stores may have come as a result of Apple and Google's desire for assurances that they would not be prosecuted for hosting it.

TikTok is owned by Chinese media company ByteDance, which is not owned by the Chinese state or Chinese Communist Party, but is subject to the laws and regulations set in place by both. This has been a point of contention in US politics since TikTok came to prominence in the late 2010s.

Ironically, the idea of banning TikTok was initially floated by President Donald Trump towards the end of his first term in office – due to national security concerns, Trump signed an executive order to force ByteDance to divest from the service, but this was overturned by a court injunction and scuttled by the incoming Biden presidency.

TikTok is back – what now?

(Image credit: CFOTO/Future Publishing via Getty Images)

So, what now for the world’s fifth most-used social media platform?

If the current arrangement holds, ByteDance will have until April 5 to divest half of TikTok to US ownership or face having the app be banned once again.

However, Trump recently signaled that an extension to the deadline could be on the cards. As Reuters recounts, Trump suggested to reporters in the Oval Office that an extension would be considered, but that he didn’t believe it would be necessary.

Trump added that he would “make it worthwhile for China to do”, and suggested a partial sale of TikTok to the US would be in the interest of the Chinese state.

ByteDance has thus far remained adamant that TikTok is not for sale.

However, Trump also seemed to have his timeframes confused during the same press conference, referring to an as-yet unexplained period of “90 days”.

Few potential buyers have stated any sort of serious intention to purchase TikTok. According to AP, the currently small list includes investors Frank McCourt and Kevin O'Leary, former treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin, and internet personality Jimmy Donaldson (better known as MrBeast).

There have also been murmurs suggesting that Elon Musk may step in to purchase the site, but this is a quieter rumor.

Ultimately, it’s hard to predict whether TikTok will stick around for good, as this depends on mutual agreement between a potential buyer, the US government, ByteDance, and the Chinese state.

Bad luck for TikTok phone resellers

One of the most bizarre effects of the TikTok ban was the emergence of a second-hand market for smartphones with the app still installed.

As noted by Game Rant, TikTok phones were being listed on eBay for as much as $25,000 (roughly £20,000 / AU$40,000) in the wake of the ban, ostensibly targeting users who had no other access to the app.

While it’s hard to assess how many – if any – of these phones actually sold, one can imagine that the reappearance of TikTok on official app stores for free will cause a major price collapse for these ludicrously expensive second-hand devices.

At least, that’s what I’m hoping for – nobody in their right mind should be selling or buying a smartphone for this kind of money.

Anyhow, whether you’re sporting one of the best phones money can buy or keeping it simple with one of the best cheap phones, TikTok is available once again. What do you make of this whole situation? Do you think TikTok is sticking around for good? Let us know in the comments below.

You might also like

• New iPhone 17 Pro rumor predicts bizarre new camera bar design, but we're far from convinced
• Tim Cook says we'll meet the newest member of the Apple family on February 19 and it might just be the next iPhone
• I found the absolute best use for the iPhone 16 Camera control – you just have to get a little wet

How much more does the Pro cost? How much lighter is the Air? M3 vs. M4? You've got MacBook questions. We've got answers.

Spurned fanfic shippers, political protests, and a Black superhero long sidelined by fans and Marvel alike: What the release of Captain America: Brave New World says about the MCU in 2025.

Humans have been eating yogurt for millennia. Ancient texts reference its health-promoting properties. Now a new study finds yogurt may reduce the risk of certain types of colon cancer.

(Image credit: d3sign)

• Western Digital was ordered to pay $316 million back in October 2024 over patent infringement
• A further $237 million has now been added in interest
• WD set to split its SSD and HDD businesses

Western Digital (WD) has been given just seven days to cough up $553 million in a patent infringement case.

The hefty penalty comes as a California jury found WD guilty in October 2024 of infringing data encryption patents owned by SPEX Technologies – at that time, the fine was a smaller $316 million to cover damages.

A further $237 million in interest was added by District Judge James Selna last month, bringing the total to $553 million.

WD must pay $550 million within seven days

The San Jose data storage company had requested a delay in payment pending further court decisions, but Judge Selna expressed concerns WD could use a restructuring move to alter how much it would need to pay, therefore demanding that the company settles up in just one week.

“The Court has concerns about potential corporate restructuring, particularly given the fact the Judgment is against only Western Digital Technologies, Inc.,” said Selna.

This could be indicative of Western Digital’s pending split, whereby its NAND flash storage business would go off under the Sandisk brand and its hard drive operations would remain under WD branding. The company expects completion of the demerger to happen in one week, on February 21.

SPEX said that it wasn’t sure “which new company will be responsible for satisfying the judgment or whether it will be split between the new companies, or whether the new company (or companies) would be sufficiently capitalized to cover the judgment.”

California-based SPEX also noted that WD has another storage patent infringement lawsuit relating to Germany’s MR Technologie.

Back then, Western Digital attorney Douglas Lumish of Latham & Watkins stated (via Reuters): “MRT's lawyers have given false credit, to a fairly magnificent extent, to Dr. Suess for the work of thousands of [Western Digital] engineers over decades and across the planet.”

TechRadar Pro has asked Western Digital for a comment on the SPEX patent infringement lawsuit, but we did not receive an immediate response.

Via The Register

You might also like

• Upgrade to the best SSDs and best HDDs
• Go online and use the best cloud storage instead
• AWS forced to pay out millions in major patent dispute

Despite divisions over Trump's immigration crackdowns, Americans show growing support for immigration restrictions. And, several top federal prosecutors resign over pressure to drop Eric Adams' corruption case.

(Image credit: Carlos Moreno)

More than 100 civil society organizations, tech companies, and cybersecurity experts are calling the UK to rescind its order to Apple to create a backdoor for its end-to-end encrypted cloud storage service.

UK's Apple iCloud backdoor "jeopardizes the security and privacy of millions, undermines the UK tech sector, and sets a dangerous precedent for global cybersecurity," wrote the coalition in an open letter published on February 13, 2025.

This comes as Apple could soon be forced to give away all users' encrypted data to the UK government, which recently presented the big tech giant with a notice issued under the Investigatory Powers Act. The demands are notable as it targets all encrypted content iPhone, iPad, and macOS users globally have stored using Apple's Advanced Data Protection (ADP).

So far, the signatories include some companies using encryption technologies to build their software like Surfshark, one of the best VPN services on the market, encrypted messaging app Element, and secure email Tuta. The letter is set to remain open to more sign-ons from the cybersecurity industry until February 20, before being sent to the Home Secretary.

The consequences of undermining encryption

Encryption is the industry-acknowledged backbone of internet privacy and security. This technology, in fact, scrambles online content into an unreadable form to keep it private between the sender and the receiver at all times.

Law enforcement bodies, however, find encrypted software an obstacle when conducting criminal investigations and are pushing to find a way to pick into this digital lock.

This is why the UK issued a technical capability notice (or TCN) to Apple under the controversial 2016 Investigatory Powers Act, adding to the ongoing pressures in and out of Europe to create backdoors in encrypted software.

If successful, experts explain, the consequences could go way beyond the country's border. "The world’s second-largest provider of mobile devices would be built on top of a systemic security flaw, putting all of its users’ security and privacy at risk, not just in the UK but globally."

Over 100 Internet leaders, academics, organizations, and companies have expressed their alarm with the UK government’s attempt to create backdoors on encrypted backups. They are demanding that it stop.Read the full open letter here ⬇️ https://t.co/KHbXrh114AFebruary 13, 2025

Cybersecurity experts have long argued that encryption backdoors cannot work on a technical level, either. Encryption is secure for all, or it isn't for anyone. This is the mantra religiously repeated across the industry to explain how criminals will also exploit these government-required vulnerabilities to their advantage.

Experts are especially worried about the impact that undermining the confidentiality of cloud storage services will have on the most vulnerable users whose online confidentiality can be critical to preventing harassment.

Did you know?

(Image credit: Pixels Hunter/Shutterstock)

In the wake of the China-linked Salt Typhoon attack against all major national telecom companies, US authorities have urged all Americans to switch to encrypted communications. "Encryption is your friend," said one of CISA's executives back in December.

They also fear for the UK's national security as "providing backdoors in one instance can lead to encryption being weakened across the ecosystem of the public sector, as well," they noted.

Not only privacy and security, though. The UK's encryption backdoor demands may foster an exodus of tech companies not willing to undermine their security infrastructure from the country. The likes of Signal and WhatsApp already threatened to leave the UK on similar grounds over the Online Safety Bill row.

"UK companies will also suffer reputational damage, as foreign investors and consumers will consider whether their products are riddled with secret UK government-mandated security vulnerabilities," experts warn.

"To ensure the national and economic security of the United Kingdom, the Home Office must end its technical capability notice forcing Apple to break its end-to-end encryption."

While Apple or the UK Home Office refused to comment on the matter so far, US lawmakers are now urging the Trump administration to push back.

It also remains unclear how the requirements will be technically implemented as well as whether the likes of Google or Meta are – or will become – the next target.

• Prime Video has cast Lexi Minetree in its Legally Blonde prequel series.
• It marks Minetree's first TV lead of her career.
• Reese Witherspoon is returning to executive produce the project, who starred as Elle Woods in the original Legally Blonde movie in 2001.

Prime Video announced plans to produce a Legally Blonde prequel series last year, and now that the streaming platform has finally cast its young Elle Woods, we’re another step closer to the revival of my ultimate comfort movie – and I can’t contain my excitement.

Yesterday (February 13), Amazon MGM Studios and Reese Witherspoon, who originated the role of Elle Woods in the 2001 movie, announced that Lexi Minetree (Law and Order: SVU & The Murdaugh Murders) has been cast as the lead in the new Prime Video series titled Elle, following Deadline’s report that Minetree and Madison Wolfe were the remaining two contenders for the role. This will be Minetree’s first TV lead role, which is speculated to arrive on one of the best streaming services in late 2025.

Witherspoon made the announcement on Instagram (see below), posting a video of her telling Minetree the good news in person stating: “We had to make a really hard decision the other day and we wanted to tell you in person because you’ve just worked really hard. And we just wanted to tell you that you don’t have to audition anymore because you got the part. You’re Elle Woods”.

A post shared by Reese Witherspoon (@reesewitherspoon)

A photo posted by on

What can you expect from Prime Video’s Elle?

Although we don’t have an exact date for Prime Video’s Legally Blonde prequel series other than its rumored arrival for late 2025, the streaming platform has given insight to what we can expect to see from its story. Taking place prior to her venture into Harvard Law School the series follows a young Elle Woods in her days at high school, chronicling her earlier life and experiences that helped her become the icon that we know and love from the movie.

It’s no argument that Reese Witherspoon carried the original movie with her unforgettable portrayal of Elle Woods and I’m relieved that she’s returning to the world of Legally Blonde as one of the show’s executive producers, alongside Lauren Neustadter, and Lauren Kisilevsky, and show creator Laura Kittrell. Since it’s confirmed that Witherspoon is involved with the Prime Video project, I have my fingers crossed that we’ll be reunited with more familiar faces from the original movie – I’m talking about you, Jennifer Coolidge.

Indeed, as far as comfort movies go, Legally Blonde (2001) is one I often revisit and it’s even better now that it’s one of the best Prime Video movies as it was added to the service as part of everything new in February in the US (it's also available in the UK but Australians will have to head over to Stan or MGM to stream the original movie).

You might also like

• Prime Video just launched a new app for Apple TV devices with 6 major improvements
• The Rings of Power season 3 is officially in the works for Prime Video – and the hit Amazon show's next entry will feature a big time jump
• Prime Video could be removing my favorite sci-fi show this week – here’s why The Expanse is more than just Game of Thrones in space

Elon Musk's newly formed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has received yet another legal complaint about breaching the privacy of millions of Americans.

Privacy advocate group the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) filed the lawsuit on Tuesday, February 11, 2025, alongside a coalition of privacy defenders, multiple federal employee unions, and individual federal employees.

The aim is to prevent DOGE from accessing the data stored by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and request the deletion of any information Musk's department has collected.

The EFF joins the wave of worried privacy experts and worker unions across the US filing lawsuits against the new government agency over supposedly illegal data access.

DOGE's "unlawful" access to data

The OPM dataset contains "extraordinarily sensitive" details about all federal workers and anyone who has ever applied for a federal job, an expert explains. These include identifiable information such as names and social security numbers, work experiences, union activities, salaries, personal health data, and even classified information nondisclosure agreements.

According to the EFF, the mishandling of this information could open up the door to abuses, putting the safety and privacy of millions of people in the country at risk. For instance, Musk made headlines last year for publicly disclosing the names of government employees he wanted to fire after taking office.

"The question is not 'what happens if this data falls into the wrong hands.' The data has already fallen into the wrong hands, according to the law, and it must be safeguarded immediately," wrote EFF in its announcement.

The law EFF refers to is the federal Privacy Act of 1974, under which access to this database and the disclosure of information should be strictly restricted. The news that DOGE, as recently reported by the Washington Post, could even modify or delete any existing OPM records is even more concerning.

All in all, EFF writes: "OPM’s data is extraordinarily sensitive, OPM gave it to DOGE, and this violates the Privacy Act. We are asking the court to block any further data sharing and to demand that DOGE immediately destroy any and all copies of downloaded material."

BREAKING: We are suing DOGE and the Office of Personnel Management to stop the brazen and illegal data sharing of federal employee data with the “government efficiency” group. https://t.co/qtPvyNESKtFebruary 11, 2025

US President Donald Trump signed an executive order right after his inauguration ceremony tasking Musk's DOGE with restoring "competence and effectiveness to our federal government." This move, however, wasn't without controversy.

The EFF lawsuit is indeed the latest action against the billionaire's new government agency. The first legal complaint was filed by the National Security Counselors just moments after DOGE was officially recognized, under the Federal Advisory Committee Act.

Other legal actions followed suit, as various privacy experts around the country got increasingly worried about DOGE's supposedly illegal data access. For instance, a coalition of labor unions also filed a lawsuit only a day before the EFF, on similar premises.

Both came just a few days after a similar lawsuit led a federal judge to temporarily block DOGE's personnel from accessing Treasury Department information.

The EFF writes: "Violations of Americans’ privacy have played out across multiple agencies, without oversight or safeguards, and EFF is glad to join the brigade of lawsuits to protect this critical information."

• Assassin's Creed Shadows pre-order sales seem to be strong
• Ubisoft says they are in line with those of the second most successful entry in the franchise
• The new comes as Ubisoft begins to cut costs

Assassin's Creed Shadows seems to be doing well, with pre-order sales in line with one of the biggest entries in the franchise.

As set out in Ubisoft's latest quarterly financial results and spotted by Eurogamer, the company has said that pre-order numbers are "solid" and "in line with those of Assassin's Creed Odyssey, the second most successful entry in the franchise."

Assassin's Creed Odyssey has the franchise's then best launch when it arrived back in 2018, with early sales that rapidly outpaced those of its predecessors Assassin's Creed Origins, Assassin's Creed Syndicate, and Assassin's Creed Unity.

This record was then only broken by 2020's Assassin's Creed Valhalla, which went on to become the best selling entry in the series to date.

This would certainly suggest that Assassin's Creed Shadows is on track to be a roaring success, which is definitely some that Ubisoft needs at the moment. The company recently began a series of cost cutting measures after a slew of major titles failed to live up to expectations, which included the shutting down of its studio in Royal Leamington Spa, England.

Our own Managing Editor Rob Dwiar has already tried Assassin's Creed Shadows for himself at a preview event, reporting that it seems on track to deliver a bold, beautiful, and brutal journey across Feudal Japan.

You might also like...

• Assassin's Creed Shadows' open-world exploration is 'much more free form' to allow for a more 'rewarding' experience
• The new Assassin's Creed Animus Hub is exactly the kind of thing I expected it to be: part launcher, part lore and story hub, and a sensible central point
• The Assassin's Creed Shadows base building Hideout feature is the kind of cozy Creed gaming I didn't know I needed

• AMD has confirmed its full RDNA 4 launch event for February 28
• These initial RX 9070 models will go on sale in early March
• That sets up the RX 9070 for a showdown against Nvidia’s RTX 5070 which hits shelves on March 6

AMD has revealed that its RDNA 4 graphics cards will get a full launch event – as opposed to the fleeting announcements made at CES 2025 – in two weeks, ahead of the March release for these GPUs.

David McAfee, who is AMD’s VP and GM of Ryzen and Radeon, let us know the date and time to mark in our calendars is February 28 at 8am EST (5am PST, 1pm UK time) via a post on X.

The wait is almost over. Join us on February 28 at 8 AM EST for the reveal of the next-gen @AMD Radeon RX 9000 Series. Get ready to make it yours when it hits shelves in early March. RSVP by subscribing to the AMD YouTube channel: https://t.co/4rkVxeoDIaFebruary 13, 2025

The AMD exec also said that the long-awaited RX 9070 models will hit shelves in early March.

When the RX 9070 XT and plain RX 9070 were announced back at CES 2025 last month, the broad expectation was that they’d arrive earlier in the first quarter, rather than later.

That hope had cold water poured over it when AMD confirmed these RDNA 4 graphics cards were delayed to March, and McAfee took to X in order to explain why. Namely to ensure that AMD’s Adrenalin graphics drivers are fully tuned and ready to go to ensure the best performance for RX 9070 GPUs out of the gate, and also to bring in more support for FSR 4 in PC games (achieving the same end, effectively).

(Image credit: Shutterstock) Analysis: One final worry…

Crucially, McAfee also mentioned that another reason for putting off the release of RDNA 4 GPUs to March was to build up stock levels of the graphics cards at retail.

Now, I’m reading the release date being set at “early March” to mean the first week of next month, and that makes sense if we turn our attention to Nvidia’s plans. We just heard from AMD’s main GPU rival that its GeForce RTX 5070 is going to be on sale come March 5.

So, it looks to me very much like there’s going to be a head-to-head clash of the mid-range GPUs, more-or-less, just after March rolls around, with AMD aiming to take Nvidia on directly here.

Team Red may well be buoyed by the general shakiness of stock levels for Nvidia’s Blackwell GPUs so far, and (believable enough) rumors that the RTX 5070 may not be that much different from the RTX 5080 and 5090 in this respect. After all, Nvidia did announce that the RTX 5070 models would both launch in February – the Ti version, and vanilla spin – and has then pushed back the non-Ti graphics card to March. That broken promise doesn’t feel like a good sign, stock-wise, to me.

In contrast, AMD seems more confident about relatively robust levels of supply for RDNA 4, and indeed we know that these GPUs have been at retailers since January. That’s thanks to leaked photos from those shops, and moreover, Team Red’s own confirmation that board-making partners had “started building initial inventory at retailers” back in January.

On top of that, there are some compellingly positive rumors about the potential performance levels we’ll see from RX 9070 models to boot, and sources elsewhere indicate AMD really is taking its time over this next-gen GPU launch to get it right.

The only worry that remains is pricing, and whether AMD’s apparent confidence with this mid-range showdown against Nvidia’s RTX 5070 models might mean the company pushes a bit higher with asking prices for the RX 9070 variants.

If you scan through the replies to McAfee’s post on X, that’s the consistent thread of worry throughout from the respondents who have less positive thoughts on RDNA 4. In short, the fear is that Nvidia’s stumbling Blackwell launch might mean AMD decides to charge more for RX 9070 GPUs – although having set up its stall as these being mid-range graphics cards, there’s surely a limit to how far Team Red might be able to push here, if this was a temptation?

Time will tell, and I remain hopeful that AMD won’t drive to any excesses here – this is a great opportunity to take the fight to Nvidia, after all. At the same time, I’m not anticipating a surprise with lower pricing either, as given how the market stands right now, that doesn’t make a lot of sense. Still, whatever happens, we need to see exactly how RX 9070 performance pans out before we can really get a perspective on pricing, anyway.

Via VideoCardz

You might also like...

• We've barely seen AMD's RDNA 4 GPUs in action yet, but a new rumor suggests we could be getting an Nvidia RTX 5090 competitor at last
• Still worried RTX 5000 GPUs don’t have enough VRAM? Nvidia’s secret weapon is powerful AI texture compression, and it’s calmed some of my fears
• AMD vs Nvidia: who is the graphics card champion?

Full spoilers follow for Captain America: Brave New World.

Captain America: Brave New World has spread its wings in theaters worldwide. The first Marvel movie of 2025 isn't all it's cracked up to be – my Captain America: Brave New World review explains why – but it lays the groundwork for what's to come as the Marvel Multiverse Saga barrels towards its inevitable conclusion.

If you haven't watched the Marvel Phase 5 film yet, I'd suggest bookmarking this page and reading its contents once you have because major spoilers follow for the Anthony Mackie-starring flick. For non spoiler-based coverage, read my review above, or get the lowdown on Sam Wilson's first big-screen outing as Cap 2.0 by way of my Captain America: Brave New World hub.

Captain America: Brave New World ending explained: how does Sam Wilson defeat Red Hulk?

It's words, not actions, that help Sam Wilson to stop Red Hulk (Image credit: Marvel Studios)

With the power of words! Alright, I'm being facetious, but that's how Sam Wilson manages to a) stop Red Hulk – the gamma-irradiated alter-ego of US President Thaddeus 'Thunderbolt' Ross – from rampaging across Washington, DC and b) turning Cap 2.0 into pulp.

Wilson is no super-soldier so, despite his best efforts (and with a Wakanda-made, nanotech-infused super-suit and various gadgets at his disposal), he's no match for Ross' raging superpowered alias. That much is clear with how easily Red Hulk destroys Wilson's Redwing drones, his ability to withstand hits from Cap's vibranium shield, and the effortlessness with which he tears Wilson's costume apart.

But, as Brave New World's director Julius Onah told me ahead of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) film's launch, Wilson's superpower is "his empathy and his heart". He was formerly an army veteran counselor, so he knows how to speak to people and engage with them in a caring, considerate manner.

That's exactly what he does in this movie's action-packed finale. Knowing he can't beat Red Hulk in a fist-fight, Wilson talks his foe down by appealing to Ross' parental side and saying he can still have a relationship with estranged daughter Betty if he surrenders. It's... a bit weird that Wilson's first mention of Betty doesn't work before their high-octane battle, but hey, second time's a charm.

Anyway, Ross listens to Wilson, calms down, and reverts back to his human form. After being checked out of hospital, Ross is transferred to The Raft, a high-security underwater prison for superpowered individuals that was first introduced in the MCU in 2016's Captain America: Civil War.

Captain America: Brave New World ending explained: does the titular hero reform The Avengers?

There's no time for Cap 2.0 to rebuild 'Earth's Mightiest Heroes' in this movie (Image credit: Marvel Studios)

No. Despite Ross' initial request for Wilson to help him rebuild The Avengers, events that transpire in Captain America 4 means it doesn't happen.

Well, not yet. In the movie's final scene, Wilson tells Joaquin Torres, who's still in hospital recovering the severe injuries he sustained during the US-Japan conflict around Celestial Island, that he plans on reforming Earth's Mightiest Heroes. Whether he'll has by the time the next Avengers film rolls around (more on this later), though, is unclear.

Captain America: Brave New World ending explained: Bucky Barnes' cameo and setting up Thunderbolts*

Bucky Barnes (center) makes a crowd-pleasing cameo in Captain America 4 (Image credit: Marvel Studios)

There aren't many cameos in Brave New World. In fact, there's only one really big character appearance in the entire film: James Buchanan 'Bucky' Barnes, aka the Winter Soldier. I didn't expect to see him because, well, he's set to star in Thunderbolts*, the final MCU Phase 5 flick that'll release worldwide on May 2.

I was convinced, then, that he'd be too busy dealing with matters in that movie to show up in Captain America 4. Yet, here he is, lending his support to Wilson as Torres undergoes surgery on his aforementioned life-threatening injuries.

So, how does Bucky's appearance set up what's to come in Thunderbolts*? The first and most obvious revelation is that Barnes is jetting off to attend a charity fundraiser after his brief catch-up with Wilson. The first trailer for Thunderbolts* revealed he's on the guestlist for an expensive bash hosted by Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, so his presence at said event is a foregone conclusion.

The other tease is something I didn't expect to learn now. As Barnes leaves, Ross' security advisor Ruth Bat-Seraph arrives with a coffee for Wilson. As she passes Barnes, she does a double-take before asking Wilson if she just saw "future Congressman" James Barnes. Marvel's newest trailer for Thunderbolts* shows a dapper-looking Bucky sitting in on a US Senate hearing, but there's been no confirmation (until now, anyway) that he's become a government official following events in Falcon and the Winter Soldier (FATWS). Regardless, other public footage of Thunderbolts* confirms he won't spend the entire film engaging in congressional debates – indeed, he'll be getting his hands dirty again as he leads a ragtag band of anti-heroes against another potentially world-ending threat.

Captain America: Brave New World ending explained: erm, where's Bruce Banner/The Hulk?

Why isn't Mark Ruffalo's Smart Hulk in Captain America 4? (Image credit: Marvel Studios)

Brave New World is a sequel to 2008's The Incredible Hulk in all but name, so you might have expected a certain lean, mean, green machine to join Barnes on the cameo list. However, Bruce Banner and his superpowered alter-ego (i.e. The Hulk) don't show up – and I'm sure you're wondering why.

The honest answer is: I don't know. The last time we saw Banner was in 2023's She-Hulk: Attorney at Law. The Disney Plus show's final episode revealed Banner – or, rather, Smart Hulk, who's essentially the result of Banner merging his personality and mind with Hulk's body – had a son named Skaar. It's likely, then, that he's spent the past two years getting to know his first-born.

Handy though Smart Hulk would've been in Cap's climactic showdown with Red Hulk, his possible appearance would've overshadowed Wilson in his own movie. For that reason alone, it's not a huge shock that Smart Hulk wasn't called upon by his fellow hero, though I suspect he would've been drafted in if Wilson had failed to stop Red Hulk.

Captain America: Brave New World ending explained: is there a mid-credits scene?

Everyone standing near the theater's nearest exit door to watch each Marvel movie's mid- and post-credits scenes like... (Image credit: Marvel Studios)

Nope. The fourth film in the Captain America movie series doesn't have a mid-credits scene.

Captain America: Brave New World ending explained: okay, what about a post-credits scene?

Sneaking back into your screening after you forgot to wait around for end credits stingers like... (Image credit: Marvel Studios)

Thankfully, one of 2025's many new movies does have an end credits stinger, so there is a reason to stay until the end (you should do anyway to appreciate those who worked on this movie, FYI).

In it, Wilson return to The Raft to visit the incarcerated Samuel Sterns. The latter was arrested in Cap 4's third act for brainwashing countless Americans and effectively sending them to their deaths as his pawns in this grand game he's been playing from the shadows. Oh, he was also apprehended for escaping his secret lab at Camp Echo One and turning Thaddeus Ross into Red Hulk.

But I digress. After a bit of back and forth between Wilson and Sterns, the latter goads Wilson by telling him he's not ready for what's to come. Indeed, Sterns says he's crunched the numbers and determined that something big is going to happen. The conversation ends with Sterns informing Wilson that 'The Others' are on their way, with the screen cutting to black a few seconds later.

Captain America: Brave New World ending explained: who or what are 'The Others' that Samuel Sterns mentions?

Will we see more than one Captain America in either or both of the next Avengers movies? (Image credit: Marvel Studios)

The most obvious answer is that it's to do with the multiverse. Marvel's Multiverse Saga, which began with Phase 4 and ends with Marvel Phase 6, has periodically shown us that there's an infinite number of universes that exist parallel to the MCU, which has been designated Earth-616 (or Earth-199999, if you listen to Miguel O'Hara in Sony's animated film Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse).

Sorry, I'm getting off-track again! It's incredibly likely, then, that 'The Others' is referring these other universes. We know that the Multiverse Saga is going to end with an Endgame-sized event that'll take place across Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, which will presumably bring this Saga's overarching narrative to a close. The latter film's subtitle is also a clear reference to the two 'Secret Wars' comic book series that Marvel has made, too. Each series' storyline resulted in the collapse of the multiverse and the remaining fragments of these realities coalescing together to form a single planet known as Battleworld. I'd be amazed, then, if Avengers: Secret Wars doesn't incorporate this plot element into its narrative. By the way, you can read both 'Secret Wars' literary series, plus over 30,000 other comics, via the Marvel Unlimited app, which you can sign up to using the link and 50% off code below.

Marvel Unlimited monthly subscription: was $9.99 per month now $4.99 at Marvel
The ultimate digital comics subscription for Marvel fans is offering new and returning customers 50% off their first month, which is much cheaper than a streaming subscription to watch all the best superhero movies. To gain access to a library of more than 30,000 comics, use the code 'SPIDEY50' at checkout. You're able to use the Marvel Unlimited app on all iOS and Android devices, including the web, too!View Deal

Anyway, Sterns' forewarning suggests that the arrival of 'The Others' will create numerous Incursions (essentially, the collision of two universes that destroys one or both entirely) and lead to Battleworld's creation. Wilson was almost ill-equipped to deal with Red Hulk in this movie, so he definitely won't be ready for, as Sterns elegantly put it, "what comes next".

The other possibility is 'The Others' refers to every other universe's Sam Wilson/Captain America, who may be far better and/or more powerful and/or potentially evil versions of Mackie's character. Doomsday and Secret Wars are going to over-stuffed with heroes and villains as it is, though, so introducing numerous multiversal variants of each character would be overkill, in my view. I predict that 'The Others', then, is referring to the MCU's universal siblings.

Captain America: Brave New World ending explained: how does it set up The Fantastic Four: First Steps or Avengers: Doomsday?

Brave New World doesn't pave the way for events to come in The Fantastic Four's first MCU outing (Image credit: Marvel Studios)

Sterns' ominous reference aside, Brave New World doesn't set events in motion for either of these films.

For one, The Fantastic Four: First Steps is set in an alternate universe to the MCU. That's been made clear in The Fantastic Four: First Steps' teaser trailer, First Steps' first poster, and a Marvel.com article that teased some key story details about The Fantastic Four's next big-screen outing. Captain America 4, then, has no business establishing what will play out in a completely different reality to the one it takes place in.

It's a similar situation for Avengers 5, aka Avengers: Doomsday. It's no secret that Robert Downey Jr is returning to the MCU to play The Fantastic Four's legendary villain Doctor Victor von Doom, and that he'll be the primary antagonist of the next two Avengers films. He seems nailed on to appear in First Steps in a cameo role or a post-credits scene ahead of his official MCU debut in Doomsday, which makes far more sense from a narrative set-up perspective. it would've been incredibly strange, then, if Doom had shown up in Cap 4 or if there had been any references to him in Brave New World.

For more Marvel coverage, read my guides on how to watch the Marvel movies in order, Daredevil: Born Again, and the best Marvel movies.

These simple "exercise snacks" can boost your heart health, get your blood flowing and deliver the benefits of a full workout in just minutes.

Gift your sweetheart a bouquet of brilliant stars this Valentine's Day with a multi-telescope image of a gorgeous nebula.

From Wordle spin-offs to word puzzles, there's a game for everyone here.

Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Pro Edition: Two-minute review

The Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Pro Edition is part of a great lineage. It’s been almost 20 years since the first Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin launched – back then it was an iPod dock with a 30-pin connector. It’s moved with the times, of course, so now this version offers aptX Adaptive Bluetooth codec compatibility and the ability to host numerous music streaming and internet radio services within the ‘Music’ control app it has in common with other Bowers & Wilkins wireless audio products.

The look of the Zeppelin Pro is, of course, the look. The Zeppelin line is very much its own thing, and build quality and the standard of finish are predictably good. And when it comes to business, the Pro Edition features a reworked tweeter array and uses the titanium dome unit found in the class-leading B&W 600 S3 series of passive speakers. That's along with a couple of mid-range drivers and a relatively large (150mm) bass driver, plus 240 watts of power to drive them; the on-paper specification is promising to say the least.

And in practice, the Zeppelin Pro Edition makes good on that paper promise. It’s simple and quick to get it up and running, and once the listening starts in earnest there’s next-to-nothing to take issue with.

It’s a detailed, spacious and vigorous listen, able to tease out the finest details yet hit with real determination at the same time. The tonal balance is convincing, the frequency range is integrated smoothly, and there’s an openness to the presentation that’s far superior to any other one-box option among the best wireless speakers at this budget. It’s not the last word in dynamic expression, true – but nevertheless, the ‘plus’ column is far, far longer than the ‘minus’ where sound quality is concerned.

Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Pro Edition review: Price and release date

• Costs $799 / £699 / AU$1,349
• Launched in late 2024

The Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Pro Edition is on sale now, and in the United Kingdom it costs £699. American customers will have to part with $799, while in Australia it’s more like AU$1,349.

You’re not short of choice where wireless speakers at this sort of money are concerned, of course. The excellent Naim Muso Qb Gen 2 is down to this sort of money nowadays, and things like JBL’s Authentics 500 are well worth considering too…

Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Pro Edition review: Features

(Image credit: Future)

• Bluetooth 5.0 with aptX Adaptive codec compatibility
• 240 watts powering a five-driver array
• 35Hz - 24kHz frequency response

In most respects, the Zeppelin Pro shares a feature-set with the 2021 incarnation of the Zeppelin. Bluetooth 5.0 with aptX adaptive codec compatibility, 240 watts of Class D grunt powering a five-driver array, compatibility with the exemplary Bowers & Wilkins ‘Music’ control app, a claimed frequency response of 35Hz - 24kHz… so far, nothing has changed.

In fact, the only major difference where features are concerned is regarding 40 percent of the driver array. The Zeppelin Pro uses the same 150mm low-frequency driver and the same pair of 90mm ‘FST’ (fixed suspension transducer) mid-range drivers as the 2021 model – although the mid-range drivers have had their cone damping upgraded in an effort to minimize cone break-up.

The tweeters in the Zeppelin Pro, though, are 25mm versions of the titanium dome design that’s currently in use all across the company’s 600 S3 range of full-size passive loudspeakers. This, it’s fair to say, is an upgrade on the double-dome tweeters fitted to 2021’s Zeppelin. Revised digital sound processing is deployed to take account of the new and improved tweeter line-up.

As with previous Zeppelins, the Pro features built-in multi-room functionality - it can be paired with other Zeppelins or members of Bowers & Wilkins’ ‘Formation’ range of wireless speakers (in case anyone remembers them). The Pro can also be used in conjunction with any of the company’s current (and excellent) line-up of wireless headphones and earbuds.

And as with previous Zeppelins, the Pro is only part-smart. Bluetooth connectivity is all well and good, of course, and the fact that it can sit on your home network and access your favourite streaming services (or, at least, some of them) is good news too – but there’s no DLNA or UPnP compatibility, so network connectivity only takes you so far, and the speaker has no truck with voice assistants either.

• Features score: 4.5 / 5

(Image credit: Future) Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Pro Edition review: Sound quality

• Wide and organized presentation
• Punchy and detailed in equal measure
• Dynamic, but not to the extent separate speakers

Everything’s relative, of course, but while the idea that the Zeppelin Pro creates a true sense of stereo separation is hard to get behind, there’s no denying it generates a wider and more spacious sound that pretty much any other price-comparable single-unit wireless speaker is capable of.

It’s this openness that’s the most immediately striking thing about the way the Bowers & Wilkins performs. You’d never confuse it for the sound of two stereo speakers, of course, but whether it’s playing a 16bit/44.1kHz file of The Wedding Present’s Dalliance or a 24bit/96kHz equivalent of Summon the Fire by The Comet Is Coming, the Zeppelin Pro musters a big, well-organised and entirely convincing soundstage on which a recording can fully express itself.

There’s a gratifying amount of attention paid to the spaces between instruments and voices, and the amount of elbow-room each element of a recording enjoys makes for a coherent and easy-to-follow presentation.

Low-frequency impact is significant, and there’s good control of the attack of bass sounds at the same time – so the low end doesn’t blur, and rhythms are confidently described. The mid-range benefits a great deal from the overall spaciousness – vocalists of all types and all competences get the chance to properly communicate, for better or for worse.

And at the top of the frequency range, the reworked tweeter arrangement allows for plenty of substance to accompany the top-end bite and attack the Zeppelin Pro can muster. Integration of the frequency range is smooth and unobtrusive, despite the numerousness of the drivers here.

The Pro maintains a nicely neutral tonality throughout, and manages to invest every part of the frequency range with plenty of broad and fine detail. It does good work with high-frequency transients, and gives the bottom end lots of texture and variation where lesser speakers can just thump along monotonally. And the mid-range is absolutely alive with personality – there’s an eloquence to the way the Bowers & Wilkins hands over a voice that is never less than engaging.

Only a slight inhibition during the bigger dynamic shifts in volume and/or intensity prevent the Zeppelin Pro from scoring full marks here. If ever a band indulged in the ‘quiet/LOUD/REALLY DAMN LOUD’ dynamic, it’s The Wedding Present – but when the angst really gets into full swing the Bowers & Wilkins just can’t quite breathe deeply enough to give it the fullest expression.

It’s not that everything happens at a fixed level of attack, you understand – it’s just that there’s greater distance between the most contemplative and most fierce moments in the recording than the Zeppelin Pro is able to describe.

• Sound quality score: 4.5 / 5

Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Pro Edition review: Design

(Image credit: Future)

• Choice of two new finishes
• Choice of 15 (!) downlight colors
• Still looks like a Zeppelin

If you’ve seen one Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin, you’ve seen 'em all – which is not meant to be any kind of a put-down. In one guise or another, it’s a product that’s been in production for almost two decades, and it’s rapidly approaching ‘classic’ status – and the way it looks hasn’t done any harm in this respect.

So the Zeppelin Pro is recognizably a Zeppelin, and at 210 x 650 x 194mm it’s the same dimensions as the 2021 model. You’ll need a decently sized surface to stand it on, although at 6.6kg it’s hardly a burden where weight is concerned.

The speaker wears its relative bulk quite lightly, though, and this is helped in no small way by the two finishes – both new – in which it’s available. My review sample is in ‘solar gold’, and ‘space gray’ is also available. And within the stable, logical and extensive control app, there are no fewer than 15 different ‘ambient light’ colors with which to illuminate the speaker’s foot (and, if you’re anything like me, expose exactly how long it’s been since anyone did any dusting around here). Or you can turn it off altogether, of course.

• Design score: 5 / 5

Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Pro Edition review: Usability and setup

(Image credit: Future)

• Bowers & Wilkins ‘Music’ control app
• Some physical controls
• Swift and stable wireless pairing

The Zeppelin Pro is ‘just’ a wireless speaker, and as such it doesn’t take long to set up – unpack it, plug it in, let the ‘Music’ control app (free for iOS and Android) discover it, connect it to your local network, and you’re in business.

The control app is fairly thoroughly specified. As well as Bowers & Wilkins’ curated content, it’s also able to let you integrate your favourite music streaming service(s) – as long as they’re Amazon Music, Deezer, NTS, Qobuz, SoundCloud or TIDAL. Spotify Connect and AirPlay 2 provide alternative ways of getting music over to it. Internet radio is available via Last.fm and TuneIn.

EQ adjustment (or, more accurately, bass and treble adjustment) is available, and the app also lets you update firmware as and when, and for some reason has a switch to allow aptX Adaptive reception to be switched on or off.

There are a few physical controls at top of the rear of the speaker, too. ‘Bluetooth pairing’, ‘volume up/down’, ‘play/pause’ and ‘power on/off’ are all available.

• Usability and setup score: 5 / 5

Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Pro Edition review: Value

• Bowers & Wilkins devices are always of a very high standard
• Not as pricey as some B&W devices, but just as impressive
• Excellent specs and sound

If you know Bowers & Wilkins, you know there’s seldom any issue regarding the standard of build and finish of any of its products – and that’s as true of the Zeppelin Pro Edition as it is of a pair of its passive speakers costing tens of thousands of pounds.

Add in thorough specification, nicely executed control options and an intangible, but definite, pride of ownership and we’re well on the way to calling this wireless speaker ‘very decent value for money’. The way it sounds simply confirms things.

• Value score: 4 / 5

Should you buy the Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Pro Edition? Buy it if...

You know an icon when you see (and hear) one
There aren’t all that many current audio products around that can genuinely be referred to as ‘classic’. The Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin is one.View Deal

You enjoy spacious, detailed and lively sound
By the standards of speakers in a single enclosure, the Zeppelin Pro sounds gratifyingly open – and it’s a perky, informative listen at the same time.View Deal

You think synesthesia is pretty cool
You won’t see colors because of the sound the Zeppelin Pro makes, but you get a choice of colors to accompany it.View Deal

Don't buy it if...

You don’t have significant shelf space
The Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Pro Edition remains one of the larger wireless speakers around, and it needs a correspondingly large shelf space in which to operate.View Deal

You want a fully smart speaker
The lack of wider networking compatibility, voice-assistant interaction and so on means the Zeppelin Pro Edition is not quite PhD ‘smart’.View Deal

You want to hear every bit of dynamic variation in a recording
The Pro Edition is a strong performer, but it lacks the lung capacity to give complete expression to the biggest shifts in intensity and/or volume.View Deal

Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Pro Edition: Also consider

Naim Mu-so Qb 2nd Gen
The closest smaller equivalent to the Zeppelin Pro, also made by a hi-fi legend. Far more compact, still a hugely impressive performer with tons of connectivity options. Here's our full Naim Mu-so Qb 2nd Gen review.View Deal

Cambridge Audio Evo One
A magnficient speaker that's also pretty wide, like the Zeppelin Pro – but it has a flatter and more traditional design that may suit some people. The screen on the front is nice too, and the built-in phono stage makes it well-suited to turntables.View Deal

How I tested the Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Pro Edition

I positioned my review sample on the top shelf of my Blok Stax 2G equipment rack, and then because it was preventing my turntable from sitting there I also positioned it on a necessarily large bookshelf.

I used my Qobuz and TIDAL accounts to stream music of many different varieties and file sizes, and I also checked out some favorite internet radio stations using TuneIn.

I can’t pretend it was any kind of hardship to do this for well over a week…

• First reviewed: February 2025

Post-pandemic, fitness clubs have emerged as the best place to find romance IRL. No profile required.

Reverend Paul Anthony Daniels believes love is everywhere—even on Jack’d.

A famous Palestinian-owned bookstore in East Jerusalem was raided by Israeli police, stoking fears of increased censorship.

(Image credit: Sally Hayden/SOPA Images)