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Platform reviewed: PS5
Available on: PS5, PC, Nintendo Switch
Release date: November 14, 2024

Who doesn’t love Lego? From intense building challenges to comedic film and game adaptations, what began as simple clicky bricks has expanded well beyond ABS plastic and into a media genre of its own. Joining the ranks of other block-based game adaptations like Lego Star Wars and Lego Batman, Lego Horizon Adventures adapts the events of Guerrilla’s post-apocalyptic robo-animal kingdom adventure Horizon Zero Dawn for a younger audience, turning its cast of survivors into a handful of quippy Minifigures. Yet despite all the witty exchanges and endearing left-field gags, Lego Horizon Adventures stumbles in the gameplay department, presenting players with a monotonous combat system and a series of repetitive levels lacking the depth and intrigue to help maintain interest beyond its affable opening hours.

Lego Horizon Adventures begins with a young Aloy being cast out from the superstitious Nora Tribe to be raised by her Golden Retriever of an adoptive father, Rost. Players assume control as Aloy enters young adulthood and journeys towards the village of Mother’s Heart to search for answers about their past. Conveniently, this trip doubles as a speedy tutorial that acquaints you with the approachable movement and combat systems you’ll master throughout the campaign. Alongside basic platforming challenges and quirky power-ups, you’ll get to grips with aiming, charging, and shooting arrows in the direction of the meddling machines that block your way.

For toppling the tutorial, Rost also rewards you with Aloy’s trusty Focus, which you can use to highlight weak spots on enemy machines and deal extra damage. It’s a manageable set of verbs that manages to evoke the gameplay of Horizon Zero Dawn without deviating too far from the kid-friendly Lego setting. Plus, if the process begins to feel a little too easy, you can conveniently switch to a more challenging difficulty at any time from the menu.

(Image credit: Guerrilla Games)

Soon enough, Aloy arrives at a ravaged Mother’s Heart, which becomes the central hub where much of the game revolves. From here, you’ll access missions that propel the story forward, earning studs and gold bricks to revive the surrounding area between levels, decorating it with all manner of new plots and yards, complete with alternate color schemes and theming from Lego brands like Ninjago and Lego City. The additional decor and costumes earned with studs and bricks also act as collectibles here, as there aren’t any hidden across the levels.

Later, you unlock the ability to purchase upgrades that provide classic XP, defense, and damage boosts for the quartet of playable protagonists — Aloy, Erend, Varl, and Teersa. A Community Jobs Board also rewards you with bonus progression-gating bricks for completing specific tasks. The cosmetic changes you can make to Mother's Heart result in a pretty play space but one that also feels empty. You can build a rocket ship that blasts a minifig into space, but these little sidecars are one-and-done experiences that might’ve worked better in a different part of the game, perhaps peppered through the levels to freshen up the formula.

(Image credit: Geurrilla Games) Rinse and repeat

The first few levels of Lego Horizon Adventures feel stacked with exciting details and beautifully lit exploration opportunities — chests hidden under broken highways and glistening waters flowing from industrial pipes. However, it’s not long before the levels begin feeling familiar. The game is split into four biomes, and upon leaving Mother's Heart, you’ll spend your time platforming around these themed environments, collecting studs, and picking up powerups amid repeating set dressing. Occasionally, the pace will be split by a shop zone where you can pop chests and collect unique gadgets that modify your abilities in battle. Most missions end with an arena encounter leading to a level-ending gold brick and one of the many hilarious cutscenes to send you back home with a smile.

Aside from a few boss battles and refreshing visits to Horizon Zero Dawn’s Cauldrons, this rinse-and-repeat formula follows you throughout the game, all the way until the story’s final moments. While the cutscenes give you the broad strokes of Horizon’s plot among all the gags, the gameplay surrounding them feels noticeably distinct from the narrative. It’s a far cry from Lego Star Wars, where you tend to engage in the beat-to-beat activities of the movie with an aloof Lego veneer layered on top.

Best bit

(Image credit: Guerrilla Games)

Across Lego Horizon Adventures’ runtime, the cast’s commitment to their silly personas feels sincere, adding playful layers to historically stoic characters. This sincerity extends across the game's more emotional moments, which still land despite the cutesy Lego veneer.

Thankfully, environmental hazards like character-freezing ice pools and piercing flora bring welcome considerations to the game’s encounters and allow for moments of tactical intrigue. You can lure a Grazer into an electrified field of water to stop it in its tracks and target weak points. Gadgets (from the games and beyond) also help spice up fights, presenting an alternate means to take out machines and antagonize cultists. My personal favorite, the Tripcaster, lets you engage your inner Kevin McAllister. You can drop two pegs to create a wobbly wire and then lure machines into a comical demise.

As enemy types and numbers add up, upgrades become key and help stack the odds in your favor. As a lifelong min-maxxer, I mainly spent my studs on the XP-boosting options, so Aloy and Co would deal more damage in the long run. But there are plenty of defensive and offensive options to fit how you play, whether you want enemies to drop more health globs or start levels with powerful gadgets. You can pick from the game’s four cast members throughout or have friends embody the troupe in co-op, which helps flip the odds on the robots. While I rarely deviated from the satisfaction of Aloy’s targetted arrow attacks, it was nice to have the option to switch to the bomb-toting Teersa or the clumsy spear-throwing Varl – if not just to enjoy their unique quips and animations.

Once you’ve conquered one of the biomes, you can also try your hand at Apex Hunts, which involves jumping into the levels you’ve completed to destroy mecha-monsters sans cutscenes. Success here earns you more cosmetics to flesh out Mother's Heart as well as the pride of knowing you bested a burly beast.

(Image credit: Guerrilla Games) Built brick by brick

Despite its mediocre framework, Lego Horizon Adventures picks up much of the slack with its spirited visual style. Soft lighting reflects off semi-matte structures, giving areas a playful diorama look—a feeling amplified by the game's bokeh camera effect. Up close, pieces look worn and scratched, as if ripped from real playsets and scanned into the game. Plus, the buildings and bridges look like they’ve been made from actual Lego, as opposed to being digitally created to fit the scene. I was especially impressed by how tactile the machines looked in battle and how convincingly they fell apart when I crumpled a weak spot.

With so much thought put into the world, I was confused about why other Lego properties like Amusement, Ninjago, and Lego City had been shoehorned into the game beyond the cosmetic options available in Mother’s Heart. Each biome is themed around a Lego property — so in the jungle missions, you’ll spot Ninjago pagodas and other assets thrown in, for example. It’s a cute gag, but this assumes a level of Lego understanding from players and confuses the art direction, particularly for a game set in post-post-apocalyptic America.

Moreover, Lego Horizon Adventures’ biggest sin is switching to cutscenes for some of its most pivotal moments. Despite a beautifully animated world and plenty of screenshot-worthy dialogue, I longed to feel more instrumental in significant Horizon lore events that would help to ground me in the experience. Yet, more often than not, I was met with an animated sequence showing me something I wished I was doing instead. Ultimately, this lack of interactivity does a disservice to the source material and makes the moments that do land feel less meaningful overall.

(Image credit: Guerrilla Games) Should I play Lego Horizon Adventures? Play it if...

You want to relax with a breezy game
Lego Horizon Adventures' straightforward nature makes it a superb companion for a night of low-effort cozy gaming.

You're looking for a game to play with a young family
Quippy writing, couch-coop, and togglable difficulty settings provide Lego Horizon Adventures with a family-friendly appeal.

Don't play it if...

You expect it to be like other Lego games
For better and for worse, Lego Horizon Adventures is a much different beast to something like Lego Star Wars or Lego Lord of the Rings. The combat is a bit more engaging, but it’s not as concerned with adapting the moment-to-moment plot beats of its source material.View Deal

You want to relive the entire Horizon series in Lego
Lego Horizon Adventure covers the base campaign of Horizon Zero Dawn, but it doesn’t touch on the plotlines of Horizon Forbidden West or Horizon: Call of the Mountain. View Deal

Accessibility

Lego Horizon Adventures offers five difficulty options (Story, Scout, Adventurer, Machine Hunter, and Hero), and you can toggle them anytime from the pause menu. You can also toggle on invulnerability while playing with these options. For combat, there are three aim assist options (Precise, Assisted, Auto) and a throwing sensitivity scale. Additionally, there are three color blindness modes (Deuteranope, Protanope, and Tritanopia), as well as a Colour Correction Strength scale in the Accessibility menu. Plus, if you want assistance seeing interactable objects or hazards in levels, you can choose to have them appear when you Focus Scan an area.

You can toggle subtitles on for cinematic, conversational, and ambient dialogue, choose the font size (small, medium, large), and tweak the text’s background opacity (0-10 scale). If you prefer to move between lines of dialogue manually, there’s a dedicated option for Conversation Control.

Where audio is concerned, you can tweak individual streams such as sound effects and music and switch between a mono mode. There is also an option to turn on Midnight sound mixing, which raises the volume of quiet sounds while lowering the volume of louder sounds.

(Image credit: Guerrilla Games) How I reviewed Lego Horizon Adventures

I completed Lego Horizon Adventures on PlayStation 5 in around eight hours, across which I tried various difficulty settings, from Story to Hero. I also played each character option, including Aloy, Varl, Teersa, and Erend. I jumped between single and couch co-op across the campaign and in Apex Hunts. I used an AOC CQ27G2 27-inch QHD VA 144Hz gaming monitor with my PS5, and for audio, I used my external Creative Pebble V2 computer speakers.

Among the names being floated to head the Department of Health and Human Services are RFK Jr. and Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo. Both are vaccine skeptics, which worries pediatricians.

(Image credit: Rustam Shaimov)

• Sony announced a chunky $70 discount for the PS5 Slim
• However, the trailer for the deal has now been delisted
• It seems likely that the deal will resurface closer to Black Friday

It looks like the PS5 Slim is getting a slight discount over the Black Friday sales period... or is it?

As spotted by IGN, Sony released a short trailer announcing that the PS5 Slim Digital Edition is to be reduced to $379.99 - a pretty sizeable $70 off its $449.99 retail price in the US. However, trying to watch the trailer at this point won't do you any good as Sony very quickly delisted it after it went live yesterday (November 12).

While there was no start date attached to the deal, it was due to run all the way up until December 24 - so plenty of time to nab one in time for Christmas. The deal would've been quite a boon for those planning on buying a PS5 disc drive, which retails for $79.99. That would bring the total price up to $459.98 - about $40 cheaper than the PS5 Slim console with the disc drive included.

The most likely reason for the trailer being delisted is that it was simply posted too early. Black Friday PS5 deals commence on November 29, so we could see PlayStation's official channels repost the deal trailer a little closer to the time.

Curiously, there's no word on whether or not the standard PS5 Slim with the disc drive included will receive a Black Friday discount, though this could also be up to individual retailers' discretion. We also don't know if the deal will be reflected in other parts of the world such as the UK and Australia.

All we can say at this point, really, is watch this space. We'd be surprised if Sony decided to cancel the deal entirely, as there will no doubt be plenty of buyers eager to grab the console at a discount in time for the Holidays.

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• New rumor predicts that iOS 18.2 could roll out on December 9
• Software update will finally deliver some Apple Intelligence features
• Rumors contradict previous speculation about a December 2 release

Since Apple Intelligence was revealed at Apple’s WWDC 2024 event in June, it’s been very slow to roll out, with many features still not in the hands of iOS 18 users. That will all change when iOS 18.2 gets the green light – and two sources have now indicated exactly when that might happen.

The first hint seems to have been inadvertently leaked by British mobile carrier EE (as spotted by MacRumors). According to forum posts, EE has warned users that it will stop offering a service called “Wi-Fi calling on other supported iCloud-connected devices” on December 9. This feature lets you make a call from an iPad or a Mac when you iPhone is not close to hand.

How does this relate to iOS 18.2 and Apple Intelligence? Well, eagle-eyed sleuths have noticed that the second developer beta of iOS 18.2 (which launched last week) came with new carrier settings specifically for EE.

This update removed a toggle in the Settings app called “Add Wi-Fi Calling For Other Devices,” which sounds extremely similar to the feature that EE says will be discontinued on December 9. Since most carrier updates are bundled in with full public iOS releases, it suggests that iOS 18.2 will launch out of beta on the date indicated by EE.

Another date for your diary

(Image credit: Future)

However, those new rumors may not have predicted the exact date. That’s because Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman believes iOS 18.2 will actually land a week earlier. Writing in his recent Power On newsletter, Gurman explained that iOS 18.2 is likely to be rolled out at some point in the week commencing December 2, putting him at odds with the EE leak.

Gurman has a very strong track record and is seen as one of the most reliable Apple leakers in the business, so his words carry weight. But at the same time, iOS x.2 releases usually fall in the second week of December, which tends to support the EE theory. Either way, what seems certain is that iOS 18.2 is nearly upon us.

Whenever it launches, iOS 18.2 will bring a number of Apple Intelligence features to compatible devices, including the Image Playground, Visual Intelligence, custom emoji known as Genmoji, and an integration with ChatGPT.

We’ll have all the details on how to get the most out of them when they arrive – whatever date that ends up being.

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• 92% of UK businesses recognize sustainability as a key priority
• More pressure is coming from investors and shareholders
• The future is in data-driven predictive AI

A new joint study by Kyndryl and Microsoft has shed light on how taking advantage of new and emerging technologies can actually help companies reach their sustainability goals.

With British businesses being forced to comply with increasingly stringent regulations, nine in 10 (92%) UK companies now recognize sustainability as a high priority, however fewer than one in three (30%) are fully using technology for meaningful progress.

However, the report revealed that investor expectations and shareholder demands are the primary motivators – with pressure coming from the top and outside, businesses are less likely to feel the urge to change, which is reflected in the low green tech uptake.

Businesses aren’t using tech for sustainability initiatives

With investor and shareholder pressure now noted by 38% of respondents, up from 29% last year, the need to reduce energy consumption as a motivator has slipped four percentage points to 38%.

In terms of how companies can use tech to become more sustainable, artificial intelligence is already emerging as an important role player. Three in five (62%) use it to monitor energy use and emissions, but with only 37% using predictive AI to forecast needs based on trends and patterns, there’s room for improvement.

Furthermore, only one in five (19%) fully use data for strategic planning and decision-making – a concerningly small proportion given the importance of a strong data foundation in the deployment of AI tools.

However, the report calls for the responsible use of artificial intelligence, which relies on power- and resource-hungry data centers that themselves are coming under scrutiny in a more environmentally-conscious world. Only one-third (35%) are currently considering the energy implications of their AI solutions.

"By integrating sustainability into a company’s business strategy, processes and systems, organizations can maximize the value of their people and technology to achieve internal goals and deliver positive impact," noted Faith Taylor, Chief Corporate Citizenship and Sustainability Officer at Kyndryl.

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• HBO chief Casey Bloys has narrowed down the launch windows for the highly-anticipated duo
• The Last of Us season 2 will arrive in early 2025, Bloys revealed
• Peacemaker season 2 is also set to be released next August, HBO's CEO added

HBO boss Casey Bloys has provided some exciting release window updates for two of the studio's most anticipated TV shows.

Speaking at a HBO event, which was attended by press outlets including IGN, Bloys fielded numerous questions about the company's upcoming line-up of shows. Among the queries put to Bloys was when audiences could expect to see The Last of Us season 2 and Peacemaker season 2 make their debuts. And, while Bloys wasn't directly quoted by IGN or its siblings, IGN reports he was more than happy to deliver some telling updates on the pair's forthcoming releases.

Discussing The Last of Us' return first, Bloys told the assembled press that the hugely popular post-apocalyptic drama would launch sometime in spring 2025 (that's autumn for non-northern hemisphere dwellers). That's a narrower launch window than I'd previously reported on – indeed, in mid-September, Bloys said one of the best Max shows' second seasons would air in the "first half of 2025".

Prepare to dance along to Peacemaker's amazing intro sequence again in August 2025 (Image credit: Max)

As for Peacemaker season 2, Bloys was more forthcoming about an actual release month for the DC Cinematic Universe (DCU) TV show. The John Cena-starring comic book-inspired series will, according to Bloys, debut on Max (in the US, anyway) next August, meaning it'll be released a few weeks after James Gunn's Superman movie flies into theaters.

With Peacemaker's sophomore season in the final throes of its filming schedule, plus the fact that 2025's Superman flick will lead directly into the show's next outing, it makes sense for the two DCU Chapter One projects to launch in close proximity to each other. For what it's worth, DC Studios co-head James Gunn hasn't taken to social media to counter what Bloys said. Considering Gunn is quick to dismiss rumors and other falsely reported news, it seems there's more than a grain of truth to Bloys' comments regarding Peacemaker 2.

Max-ing out HBO's 2025 release schedule

The duo's release window updates come hot on the heels of a 'new in 2025' Max trailer, which featured Peacemaker season 2's first footage and new clips from The Last of Us season 2. Regarding the latter, there was a new, albeit quick glimpse at Pedro Pascal's Joel interacting with Catherine O'Hara's unnamed character, which debuted alongside previously seen clips from season 2. Meanwhile, the first scenes from Peacemaker 2 showed the titular character raising a glass with his 11th Street Kids crew, plus a first look at Frank Grillo's Rick Flag Sr., who's expected to be the series' new antagonist.

Before he makes his live-action debut in Peacemaker, Grillo's Flag Sr. will be seen in animated form as part of Creature Commandos. The first project to arrive as part of Gunn's rebooted DC cinematic franchise, it'll launch on Max (US), aka one of the world's best streaming services, with a two-episode premiere on December 5. It's expected to debut on Sky/Now TV (UK) and Binge (Australia) around the same time, too.

It could be a while before an official trailer for Peacemaker season 2 is released, but we received an unsettling teaser for The Last of Us TV show's second installment in late September. As someone who played Naughty Dog's The Last of Us Part II, which the series' second chapter is based on, I'm not ready to have my heart broken again, either.

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• Google is restarting the Wear OS 5 rollout on older Pixel Watch models
• It has previously been paused because it was bricking devices
• Pixel Watch 1 and 2 users will see the rollout starting now

Google has confirmed that it's restarting the rollout of Wear OS 5 for Pixel Watch 1 and 2 owners, weeks after the update was pulled because the new software was bricking devices.

Google paused the Wear OS 5 update in late September after users reported that the update was bricking their older-generation Pixel Watch models. At the time, Google told us it had put the update on hold while it looked for a solution.

In a community post on November 12, Google confirmed that the rollout is back underway.

"Pixel Watch 1, Pixel Watch 2, and Pixel Watch 3 devices will receive the November 2024 software update, with the next update planned for March 2025," Google stated, adding that with this update "Pixel Watch 1 and 2 users will resume receiving the Wear OS 5 upgrade starting today (November 12.)"

Google says Pixel Watch users can expect the update to land over the coming week depending on carrier and device, and they'll get a notification on their watch once the update is available.

Wear OS 5 comes to older Pixel Watch models

(Image credit: Google)

The Wear OS 5 rollout is great news for owners of the Pixel Watch and Pixel Watch 2, which are still some of the best Android smartwatch options out there despite the launch of the Pixel Watch 3 earlier this year. Users can expect improved performance and battery life, as well as new running metrics such as ground contact time and vertical oscillation.

Not only is it great news for existing Pixel Watch customers, it could also give a boost to Pixel Watch sales ahead of the Black Friday deals event. We expect to see big savings on Pixel Watch 1 and 2 models (the Pixel Watch 2 is already $100 off at Amazon), and now prospective customers know they're getting the latest Android wearable software if they decide to go for an older model.

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These savings accounts still earn more than 10 times the national average rate.

President Biden called his predecessor — now, successor — a threat to democracy. Today he'll sit side by side with President-elect Trump as part of the ceremony around a smooth transfer of power.

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The Nintendo Music app lets you listen to dozens of hours of music from games like Mario, Zelda and Donkey Kong.

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The USS Edsall was overpowered by a Japanese fleet in the Indian Ocean but fought valiantly to the end, the U.S. Navy said. It was found in deep waters south of Australia's Christmas Island.

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A neighborhood watch group in a Christian Beirut neighborhood is on the lookout for militant operatives, which could make the area a target for Israeli airstrikes.

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Live bidding will be private, and the future owner of Jones' company will be public once court papers are filed. The proceeds will go to pay Sandy Hook families who won defamation cases against Jones.

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My partner and I are looking for a bed that accommodates our drastically different sleep preferences. Could Avocado be “the one” or will we end up in a sleep divorce?

N-able is a well-known name in the IT security industry with more than 25,000 MSPs and 8,000,000 managed endpoints. Its N-central RMM solution was voted as the #1 RMM platform for three consecutive years by CRN readers in 2021, 2022, and 2023. This goes to show the real-world effectiveness of the platform.

N-central’s workflow automation capabilities are second to none in the industry. It offers more than 650 built-in automation scripts – and you can also use its AI integration to create scripts from scratch. 

Additionally, it's one of the very few platforms that allow you to test it out for 30 days before purchasing a plan. That said, its pricing is only available on request, meaning you’ll have to spend time with its sales team to work out a deal.

But is it the best network monitoring tool out there? We take a closer look...

N-central: Plans and pricing

N-central does not reveal its pricing on its website, so you’ll have to reach out to their sales team with your requirements to get a custom quote. This can be beneficial for large businesses that need a highly customized solution for endpoint management. However, small teams may have to negotiate well to secure a good deal.

With that in mind, one of the best things about N-central is its 30-day free trial – something we don’t often see in the RMM industry. This gives you the opportunity to try the platform before committing to a purchase.

Now, it may so happen that you’re already on an RMM contract and want to switch to N-central. In that case, N-central offers you a price of $1/month for 12 months if you show proof of existing contractual commitment. This is an excellent offering!

N-central: Features

N-central stands out from other RMM platforms thanks to its excellent patch management features. In addition to OS patches, you can also run automated patches for more than 100 third-party applications, such as Skype and Zoom. The platform also ensures you do not miss any patches, including OOB (out-of-band) patches released by Microsoft, outside of their patch schedules. 

(Image credit: N-central)

The patch policies are also highly customizable – you can implement them either across the entire organization, a specific department, a group of devices, or a single endpoint. Yes, other RMM platforms also allow you to automate a lot of workflows. However, N-central takes automation to the next level by providing more than 650 pre-made automation scripts, which can be deployed as they come out of the box or downloaded and customized as per your requirements. 

From automatic patch deployment to self-healing and auto-remediation, there are a lot of repetitive processes you can automate. You can also create an automation script from scratch using N-central’s GenAI capabilities.

Even when you’re switching from an existing RMM system, the customer support team works with you to import your existing automations on N-central. 

In addition to the core functions of discovering and monitoring all kinds of devices in a given network, N-central also offers some handy add-ons. For instance, it has joined hands with SentinelOne to offer Endpoint Detection & Response functions. 

Its AI-based ransomware protection and behavioral AI engines go beyond just traditional methods of signature-based detections. It can also help you roll back data and recover lost files within minutes – without having to pay a dime to the threat actors. 

We also liked N-central’s Cloud Commander add-on, which lets you manage Windows, Intune, and Azure devices from the same dashboard. This makes onboarding a new client and assigning licenses as easy as filling out a single form. 

You do not need to add a new client to the Azure client directory, create a mailbox in Microsoft 365, or set up the user’s details like role, location, and phone number. With Cloud Commander, you’d simply need to select the organization and add the new user.

N-Central also supports remote Apple mobile device management (MDM), which comes laced with integrations like Apple Business Manager and Apple School Manager. This makes the entire onboarding experience automatic and seamless and doesn't require much interference from the IT team.

N-central: Interface and performance

N-central boasts information-dense dashboards filled with various color-coordinated charts that help IT teams and MSPs drill down on endpoint data in real time. There are dedicated information boards for various functions, such as patching, backup, reports, analytics, integrations, and so on – you’ll find all these options on the left-hand side panel. 

(Image credit: N-central)

What's more, you can also build a custom dashboard and choose between various data visualization charts, filters, and data inputs. We also found a lot of bar charts, pie charts, graphs, and other visual data representation tools, as well as a handful of filtering options, where you can view data by device type, OS name, customer, or site.

However, it's worth noting that the text on these boards may seem a bit cluttered or tiny and requires that users spend some time getting a hang of how things work.

N-central: Security

N-able holds an ISO/IEC 27001:2013 certification, which is also independently verified by Schellman & Company. The platform also complies with the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the California Privacy Rights Act of 2020 (CCPA). These are proof that the platform complies with all legal regulations and frameworks while collecting and handling user data. 

N-able also pays special attention to its privacy-by-design policy, which ensures that all data collected by the platform is used for limited processing and only for the purpose it’s designed to be used. 

Seeing as it uses AI in various parts of its platform design, the company has also drafted a detailed AI policy to ensure transparency with its users and inform them how their data is being processed using AI tools. This is highly appreciated, especially in the modern cybersecurity landscape, which is rife with web scraping to collect vast amounts of data for AI development. 

N-central: Support

You can get in touch with an N-able representative through call, support ticket, or live chat. However, keep in mind that you’ll need to be logged in to your N-ableMe dashboard to do so. 

Moreover, N-able has an active resource center with hundreds of articles on various products, including N-central. There are also filters that can help you whittle down the products and topics you’re actually looking for. 

Lastly, ongoing live demos, which are completely free to join, will help you learn the ropes around the platform.

N-central: Final verdict

N-central is a popular RMM and security platform that stands out for its superior automation features. If you’re a large MSP or IT team looking to streamline workflows and endpoint monitoring, N-central’s 650+ automation scripts will be more than enough. Plus, its AI-powered monitoring and alert system prevents any vulnerability from seeping through your systems.

There are also several add-ons, like Endpoint Detection & Response, in collaboration with SentinelOne, which helps you detect and remove any malware attacks in real time with superior behavioral analysis. Additionally, a cloud management tool called Cloud Commander will help you manage Windows, Intune, and Azure environments from a single dashboard.

Overall, N-central’s basic RMM features are good enough for any small or mid-sized business. However, enterprise-level IT teams and MSPs may have to opt for some add-ons to derive the best value for their purpose. 

However, as is the industry’s norm, you’ll have to reach out to N-central’s sales team to get a custom quote, which will also depend on how well you’re able to negotiate. One of the best things about N-central is that you get a free trial of 30 days, which not too many RMM platforms offer.

N-central: FAQs Does N-central offer third-party integrations?

N-central offers 40+ third-party integrations with its RMM platform, which includes various tools for SaaS management, cloud security, alert management, PSA services, and documentation, among others. This will help you establish a continuity structure between various business tools.

What is N-able RMM ideal for?

N-able RMM is ideal for mid-sized and large businesses looking to automate their workflows and patch management functions. For starters, you get more than 650 ready-made automation scripts to choose from.

Plus, you can leverage AI to build custom scripts from scratch. The good news keeps coming as there are also 1,000+ pre-designed monitors that help you keep an eye on every aspect of your managed endpoints.

We rate the best identity management software.

Just before the 2024 general election was announced, the UK government was looking to bring in tougher rules on ransomware payments, including the potential to ban ransom payments entirely. The justification? A decisive action to cut off the business model of cyber extortionists.

But the message around ransom payments is contradictory to say the least. In the UK, the NCSC has made it abundantly clear that businesses should not pay ransoms. Yet, insurance policies recommended by the government's Cyber Essentials scheme clearly state that they provide cover for extortion payments. Ultimately though, this directly funds cybercriminal activity and enables it to gain momentum.

So, what are the benefits and drawbacks of banning ransomware payments, what alternatives can be considered and what role does the cyber insurance industry play in tackling this threat?

To pay or not to pay

Earlier this year, French hospital, CHCSV, refused to pay a ransomware demand, despite suffering severe operational disruption. Meanwhile, other organizations that have fallen victim, such as Change Healthcare in the US, have gone in a different direction, with this particular private healthcare firm paying $22m to attackers.

The difference here is that one victim falls within the public sector, while the other doesn’t, and when public sector organizations pay ransom demands, it ultimately comes out of tax payers’ money. It’s for this reason, among others, that several states in the US have already made it illegal for public sector organizations to pay extortion payments.

However, there appears to be less public transparency in the UK on whether companies pay ransomware demands. While the US has official government data specific to ransomware payments, the UK lacks official reporting as most of the data available comes from industry reports. For instance, a report from Censornet revealed 85% of SMEs report paying a ransomware demand, while research from Cohesity found that 69% had paid a ransom in the last year.

But not paying can cost businesses more in the long run. For example, last year, MGM Resorts didn’t pay its attackers but has since revealed costs of up to $110m. Similarly, the WannaCry incident, which affected thousands of NHS hospitals and surgeries in 2017, is reported to have cost £92 million in recovery.

While ransomware victims continue to play this game of ‘will they, won’t they’, according to Mordor Intelligence and Fortune Business Insights the cyber insurance market in the UK is estimated to be $1.35bn in 2024 and $20.88 billion globally, with new policies continually being established as businesses scramble to insure themselves against the inevitable.

Insurers, unsurprisingly, will usually look for the lowest cost option when dealing with the fallout of a ransomware attack: paying the ransom demands. But doing so funds this global cybercrime pandemic. It’s therefore little surprise that ransomware payments, according to Chainalysis, broke the $1bn mark in 2023.

So, while some believe ransomware is becoming more prevalent due to better targeting by cyber criminals, it’s perhaps worth considering whether it’s any coincidence that as the insurance industry grows, so too does the cybercrime landscape.

What other choice do we have?

Despite these somewhat muddied waters, the correct response to ransomware attacks is clear: paying demands should almost always be a last resort. The only exception should be where there is a risk to life. Paying because it’s easy, costs less and causes less disruption to the business is not a good enough reason to pay, regardless of whether it’s the business handing cashing out or an insurer.

However, while a step in the right direction, totally banning ransom payments addresses only one form of attack and feels a bit like a ‘whack-a-mole’ strategy. It may ease the rise in attacks for a short while, but attackers will inevitably switch tactics, to compromising business email perhaps, or something we’ve not even heard of yet.

So, what else can be done to slow the rise in ransomware attacks? Well, we can consider a few options, such as closing vulnerability trading brokers and regulating cryptocurrency transactions. To pick on the latter as an example, most cybercrime monetizes through cryptocurrency, so rather than simply banning payments, it could be a better option to regulate the crypto industry and flow of money.

Alongside this kind of regulatory change, governments could also consider moving the decision of whether to pay or not to an independent body. This would ensure the decision is made regardless of cost and instead based on risk to life and disruption to critical services. Though whether a court, or other independent body, could make these decisions quick enough is up for debate.

Insurance and cyber security can go hand in hand

Digital transformation was expedited during the pandemic and on top of that, extortion based cyber-attacks have been spurred on by cryptocurrency, all within a short time frame.

Meanwhile, the biggest challenge for insurers in today’s digital environment is their lack of data. This perfect storm explains why the insurers are continually adapting requirements and increasing premiums at an escalated pace.

But it’s important to remember that being insured can make the business more of a target because cyber criminals know they may get their ransom payment, fueling this never-ending cycle. It’s therefore essential that businesses adopt a cybersecurity posture that provides them with the best possible protection, insured or not. In fact, opting for an insurer who understands risk based on data can help make a business’ cyber strategy more secure.

For example, insurers who understand risk based on data often require businesses to adopt many different technologies and processes to reduce said risk, for example the use of cloud backup systems, multi-factor-authentication and advanced endpoint detection and response solutions.

In fact, the full list of recommendations these insurers require are typically a subset of those that cybersecurity professionals and cybersecurity frameworks also recommend. And while insurers are focused on reducing the potential of a financial claim, the cybersecurity industry is focused on reducing the risk of any cyberattack, so following these recommendations will inevitably be a positive step for the business.

A match made in cyber heaven?

The relationship between cyber insurance and cybersecurity is inseparable, and these two industries are fast becoming a marriage of convenience. However, there remains one significant obstacle in this becoming a happy and truly fulfilling marriage. The funding of cybercrime through the payment of ransomware demands by insurers needs to stop (unless in exceptional circumstances!).

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

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Israeli airstrikes killed at least 46 people in the Gaza Strip in the past day, medics said. In Lebanon, warplanes struck Beirut's southern suburbs and killed 33 people in the country on Tuesday.

(Image credit: Hassan Ammar)

The shootings were part of a wave of violence that erupted as the country plagued by gang violence swore in its new prime minister after a politically tumultuous process.

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• WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger to be banned for internal NatWest communications
• You can still reach customer service through WhatsApp
• The Financial Conduct Authority issued fines to Morgan Stanley for irretrievable conversations

One of the UK’s largest banks has banned employees from using instant messaging apps such as WhatsApp, Skype, and Facebook Messenger.

NatWest had previously asked workers to ensure they used ‘approved channels’, but has now gone one step further and made messaging platforms inaccessible from company-issued devices.

Whilst WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger are encrypted, they can also be set to disappear or can be difficult to retrieve, but financial institutions must be in line with record-keeping regulations, and have retrievable communications.

Robust regulations

"Like many organisations, we only permit the use of approved channels for communicating about business matters, whether internally or externally," a statement from NatWest confirmed.

The Financial Conduct Authority is reportedly paying particular attention to the issue of unmonitored communications, which prompted NatWest to take actions to protect itself in regards to the regulations.

The rules are aimed at preventing market abuse and misconduct, but the use of third party messaging apps has made them harder to enforce, especially with an increased number of people working from home. The bank still offers WhatsApp as a means of contact for customers and for assistance with banking enquiries, but the platform is banned for internal communications.

This comes after a huge fine was handed to Morgan Stanley of almost £5.5 million when Ofgem determined the bank had breached rules on recorded communications after staff used WhatsApp for trading communications.

Many Brits will remember the recent COVID inquiry revealed a mass deletion of WhatsApp messages by Government ministers and officials, on an ‘industrial scale’.

Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson told the inquiry he lost around 5,000 messages, which were never recovered - illustrating the unreliable nature of third party messaging apps (and politicians).

Via BBC

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