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A quirky design with a unique rear display doesn't make up for this phone's shortcomings.

• Matt Shakman has said whether Doctor Doom was ever going to be The Fantastic Four: First Steps' main villain
• Robert Downey Jr will play the group's iconic adversary in 2026's Avengers: Doomsday film
• Galactus was ultimately chosen to be First Steps' primary antagonist

The Fantastic Four: First Steps director has explained why Galactus and not Doctor Doom is the film's Big Bad – and it's got nothing to do with Avengers: Doomsday.

Chatting to TechRadar, Matt Shakman outlined two major reasons for picking the immortal, planet-devouring space-god over The Fantastic Four's most notorious villain for their latest big-screen reboot. Interestingly, Marvel's revised plan for The Multiverse Saga, which belatedly saw Robert Downey Jr return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) to portray Victor von Doom in the next two Avengers movies, wasn't one of them.

"We didn't consider making Doom the villain," the Marvel movie's filmmaker told me. "Mostly, because he's been the villain of every other Fantastic Four film. He takes up a lot of space and he's a wonderful character, but I wanted to be able to focus on this family [and] these four characters [over him].

"Obviously, I picked a very big villain, literally," Shakman continued. "But, Galactus is also The Fantastic Four's second most famous villain, so it made sense to to bring him in. We considered a lot of other potential villains along the way, but eventually settled on Galactus and and I'm glad that we did."

Marvel has teased Galactus throughout the film's marketing campaign, but hasn't shown him in his full glory yet (Image credit: Marvel Studios)

It's fascinating to learn that Doom was never discussed as the Marvel Phase 6 film's primary foe.

Initially announced in July 2019, First Steps predates Marvel's pivot away from Kang the Conqueror – The Multiverse Saga's first overarching bad guy – to Doctor Doom by five years. Indeed, Downey Jr wasn't announced as Latveria's most famous son until 2024's San Diego Comic-Con, with Doom confirmed to be replacing Kang following Jonathan Majors' firing by Marvel in the wake of numerous assault allegations made against him.

Of equal intrigue is Shakman wasn't Marvel's first choice to be the director of one of the most anticipated new movies of 2025.

Originally, Jon Watts, who helmed Tom Holland's first Spider-Man film trilogy in the MCU, was tapped to direct in December 2020. However, Watts dropped out in April 2022 and, despite a bizarre rumor that legendary filmmaker Stephen Spielberg had been asked to replace Watts, it was Shakman who boarded the project in August of that year. It's possible, then, that Doom could've been discussed as the primary antagonist of The Fantastic Four's latest cinematic adventure prior to Shakman's hiring.

Downey Jr is currently filming Avengers: Doomsday at Pinewood studios in the UK (Image credit: Robert Downey Jr's Instagram)

Regardless, as he has throughout First Steps' press tour, Shakman declined to comment on the prospect of Downey Jr's Doom appearing in 2025's final MCU. With Marvel's First Family taking their, well, first steps into the MCU this Friday (July 25), we don't have long to wait until we have a definitive answer.

In the meantime, get the lowdown on the movie via my ultimate guide on The Fantastic Four: First Steps. Additionally, check out my Avengers: Doomsday hub for the latest and biggest news about that film. Then, read on for more exclusive coverage of First Steps.

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• Monitor Audio launches new Bronze Series 7G speaker range
• New drivers and tweeters plus a new crossover design
• Hi-fi, home theater and a new wall-mounted speaker option

Monitor Audio has unveiled the seventh generation of its highly acclaimed Bronze Series speakers, and in addition to improving each model it's added a brand new wall-mounted speaker too.

There are five different speakers in the range: the Bronze 300 7G floorstanders, the Bronze 50 7G bookshelf speakers, the Bronze AMS 7G Dolby Atmos speakers, the Bronze Center 7G and the new Bronze On-Wall speaker.

Previous generations of the Bronze Series attracted rave reviews, so for example when we reviewed the Bronze BX5 way back in 2011 we praised its "fast, engaging sound": it was an "engaging and entertaining performer". And now the latest generation promises a significant audio upgrade.

There's a brand new wall-mounted speaker, a first for the Bronze Series (Image credit: Monitor Audio)Monitor Audio Bronze Series 7G: what's new and what they cost

Monitor Audio says that everything from the drivers and crossovers to the cabinets has been improved in this new generation. There are new ceramic-coated aluminum magnesium C-CAM bass and bass/mid drivers and a new C-CAM gold dome tweeter, a new crossover design, and a mix of real wood and plywood front baffles for strength and rigidity.

There are no subwoofers in the range, but the Bronze Series were developed alongside and tuned together with Monitor's 10, 12 and 15-inch subwoofers, the W10, W12 and W15.

There are three finishes available across the range: satin black, white and walnut – although there's not a matching Vestra for the walnut option, as those subs only currently come in a choice of black or white.

The new Monitor Audio Series 7G is available now and the prices are below.

• Bronze 300 7G: £1,000 / €1,250 / $1,400 (about AU$2,065 ) per pair
• Bronze 50 7G: £500 / €600 / $700 (about AU$1,032) per pair
• Bronze Centre 7G: £400 / €500 / $550 (about AU$825) per piece
• Bronze On-Wall 7G: £300 / €350 / $400 (about AU$619) per piece
• Bronze AMS 7G: £450 / €575 / $625 (about AU$929) per pair

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• Ubisoft's annual financial report claims microtransactions makes game experiences "more fun"
• It comes after years of criticism regarding microtransactions, particularly in single-player games
• It calls for a change, especially considering the increased price standard for games

After the release of Ubisoft's recent Assassin's Creed Shadows, the French video game publisher is in the spotlight yet again – but this time, it's not particularly for the best reasons for gamers.

As reported by Notebookcheck, Ubisoft's annual financial report claims its microtransactions and monetization in premium games "makes the player experience more fun". It's a bold statement in the wake of titles like Star Wars Outlaws, Skull and Bones, and Assassin's Creed Shadows, all of which have microtransactions for boosters, skins and other cosmetics in-game.

It's not a good look for Ubisoft in the eyes of gamers; most AAA games cost $70 / £60 or more, whether single-player or multiplayer, and the addition of monetization doesn't make matters any better – especially when microtransactions have a significant presence in single-player titles.

It's a very similar rhetoric to complaints from gamers (and myself) regarding microtransactions dominating the Call of Duty franchise, with a plethora of cosmetics costing $16 or more, despite the $70 standard edition cost. As for single-player, similar complaints were widespread for Capcom's Dragon's Dogma 2, with character editing and fast travel items having microtransaction options, albeit to an admittedly less egregious degree.

Ubisoft also stresses in the report that monetized cosmetics are optional, but gamers will be aware that some titles are created to encourage players to make in-game purchases – and that's either for faster progression, or for better character customization.

(Image credit: Shutterstock / pathdoc)Analysis: Microtransactions have no place in non-free-to-play games, so make it stop

Statements such as these from Ubisoft are nothing but an attempt to defend microtransactions against their deserved criticisms in the past few years. I've held the same thoughts about EA when it introduced microtransactions to older FIFA titles, and it's simple. Monetization should only be present in free-to-play games and out of full-priced single-player games, entirely.

From a business standpoint, Ubisoft and many other publishers have zero qualms about implementing microtransactions, which shouldn't come as a surprise. However, for consumers, it serves very little benefit to pay extra for cosmetics, which will likely lose their value in quick succession.

It's evident in Activision's Call of Duty games; while recent titles have allowed players to carry over cosmetics from previous iterations to new titles, this only lasts for about a year or so. I'd argue that these in-game purchases hold even less value in single-player games, where the same cosmetics can often be unlocked from normal game progression.

The sudden rise in game prices is already bad enough, but I fear that if these video game monetization models continue, it will only make publishers more comfortable to pull egregious pricing practices.

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Larry (Harry Richardson) and Marian (Louisa Jacobson) only became a couple at the beginning of The Gilded Age season 3, but it’s as if we’ve been shipping them forever. Five episodes into the new season on HBO Max this month and Larry has now proposed, meaning Larian (their fandom name, obviously) is officially on.

Their friendship has always had a healthy dose of chemistry, but now they are a couple, Marian doesn’t actually know everything about Larry’s fairly scandalous dating history. Back in season 2, he had an affair with Susan Blane (Laura Benanti), which they had to keep a secret even though neither of them were married. Susan was an older widow, giving Larry something of a reputation, and we still don’t know how – or if – this could affect Marian.

Even with all this Larian excitement, I’m not convinced this was the most exciting news to come out of The Gilded Age season 3 episode 5. If nothing else, I’m a huge fan of being a hater, and the HBO Max show delivered that to me on a plate perfectly in the form of Maud Beaton (Nicole Brydon Bloom).

Maud Beaton’s Haymarket double bluff was so much juicer than Larry and Marian’s proposal in The Gilded Age season 3 episode 5

While Larry and Marian are blissfully in love in episode 5 of The Gilded Age season 3, the groom-to-be seemingly lies about his plans, choosing to celebrate the good news in a less-than-reputable establishment called The Haymarket. It’s essentially the New York version of the Moulin Rouge, so you can imagine the kinds of behaviour we’re likely to see there. Out of the corner of his eye, he spots Maud, the woman who conned Oscar (Blake Ritson) out of his entire family fortune.

When Larry confronts Maud about who she is, Maud denies it, introducing herself as Dolly Trent. The next day, Larry tells Oscar about what happened, who comes to the conclusion Maud no longer has the money she previously stole. While Oscar still wants answers and some kind of revenge, John (Ben Ahlers) thinks Maud’s new circumstances are punishment enough. Basically, it’s now up in the air whether Maud will come back into the bigger picture for her just deserts.

For me, that’s a much more exciting prospect than watching two lovely and sweet people get married. Sure, everybody loves a Pride and Prejudice moment for a happy ending, but what The Gilded Age has always done best is dripfeed its drama in the classiest of ways. If someone stole your family’s money and coincidentally reappeared back on the scene, you’d probably still be holding a grudge no matter how much time has passed. Instead of calming down, new episodes now have the potential to become a lot more chaotic, and I’m all here for it.

Seeing Maud will potentially get Larry in some trouble, meaning there could be some trouble in paradise when it comes to Larian’s wedding. As I’ve touched on, Larry is withholding details of his personal life from Marian as it is, so the extra gut punch of lying about his whereabouts and running into Maud isn’t likely to go down too well either. It only takes one small straw to break the camel’s back, and this could be a delicious one.

Don’t get me wrong – I’m not wishing ill will on the newly engaged couple. But isn’t the show so much more fun when disaster is imminent? There’s nothing more tantalising than things going wrong in the Victorian upper classes, and God, The Gilded Age does it so well.

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• Slack Pro gets more AI, including summarization, for no extra charge
• Pro+ plan price up by 23%, but Slack says "significant value" has been added
• New Enterprise+ plan also added, offering tougher security

Slack has rolled out a new pricing structure to add more value to its plans, bringing it more aligned with the Salesforce ecosystem by expanding Salesforce Channels to free plans.

Extra value has also been added to the Pro plan, which remains unchanged in terms of pricing, with Business+ seeing a 23% price hike alongside the introduction of a new Enterprise+ plan.

As part of the upgrade, Salesforce is injecting more artificial intelligence into its paid plans, however each will have a varying degree of assistance.

Slack plans get a big upgrade – only some prices rise

Pro plans will see no changes to pricing, but they will get some of the company's core AI features including AI summarization and huddle notes, as well as enhanced security and deeper Salesforce integration.

The company explained the Business+ price increase, from £9.75 per user per month to £12, reflects the "significant value" added, including advanced AI tools like translation, workflow generation and recaps, as well as further Salesforce features and security improvements.

Enterprise-grade AI, premium Salesforce integrations, and enhanced security, admin controls, governance and compliance are the key additions to Enterprise+, which is a new plan coming to the Slack family.

Understandably, artificial intelligence is the central topic of discussion here, with 38,000 custom APIs built plus dozens of partner AI apps from the likes of Box, Writer, AWS, Adobe, Cohere and Perplexity available in the Slack Marketplace.

Being that Slack is owned by Salesforce – a company that's invested heavily in AI and one that's working on finding the right balance between human and machine – it should come as no surprise that autonomous AI agents via Agentforce are also available to paid tiers.

The company describes the Slack platform as the "work operating system for the agentic era."

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The outage affected Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air flights for several hours on Sunday.

As far as Netflix documentaries are concerned, Trainwreck is doing some heavy lifting across June and July: we’ve had weekly rollouts including Poop Cruise, The Cult of American Apparel and Balloon Boy, and this week it’s the turn of P.I. Moms. The new installment tells the story of a group of soccer moms turned private investigators, who were supposed to have their story told in a 2010 series for A&E Network’s Lifetime channel.

If you think the name or premise is vaguely familiar, that’s because the series was canceled before it ever made it to air. As it turns out, there was an even bigger scandal brewing behind the camera than there ever was in front, leading straight back to the P.I. agency’s boss, Chris Butler.

Thankfully, Trainwreck: P.I. Moms deep dives into the various allegations that were unearthed by the original reality TV show’s production team, and you can bet your bottom dollar that it gets juicy. Personally, I can’t thank Netflix enough for their efforts to brew the perfect bingeable storm 20 years on.

Netflix’s Trainwreck: P.I. Moms lifts the lid on canceled documentary brought down by agency drug scandal

Allegations about Chris Butler are explored in-depth in Trainwreck: P.I. Moms. (Image credit: Netflix)

As I’ve started to explain, Trainwreck: P.I. Moms explores allegations made by Lifetime’s production team against Chris Butler, the boss of the P.I. agency in question. If Selling Sunset or the Real Housewives had made a private investigator team for reality TV, it would have looked like P.I. Moms, with the Bay Area private investigator firm staffed almost exclusively by soccer moms. Butler & Associates was owned by Butler, with only one other male member, Carl Marino, on staff.

The Lifetime show was supposed to be in the care of showrunner Lucas Platt, with the women themselves easily interesting and smart enough to make any type of end product an incredibly successful one. Obviously, that didn’t happen, and it’s probably less surprising to realise that was not down to the soccer moms. With wannabe actor Marino claiming he wanted a bigger role in the show, journalist Pete Crooks received alarming intel after being invited to do a ride-along with the moms for Diablo magazine. The most alarming part? The cases were being set up by Butler rather than being authentic.

After this initial discovery came more bad news for Lifetime, with reports of criminal activity within the agency, including drug dealing, illegal wiretapping, and even more staged phony sting operations. According to the US Sun, Butler had an ever longer list of allegations against him personally, such as undercover surveillance, decoy work in infidelity and domestic cases, general private investigations and assisting with "Dirty DUIs scheme”. These schemes involved getting female “helpers” to encourage men to drink and then get into a car, with corrupt police officers working with Butler to then pull the men over and arrest them for drunk driving.

The final nail in the reality TV coffin was Butler being convicted of drug dealing and running a brothel, unsurprisingly leading Lifetime to shut down production on the show. While four moms were affected by what happened, we hear from two in the new Netflix series: Denise Antoon and Ami Wiltz. The group previously appeared on Dr. Phil to discuss the potential scam, but this is the first time viewers have been given detailed access to the entire story from the inside.

Arguably, the worlds of reality TV and corruption have never been simultaneously explored in this way before, although Balloon Boy did begin to touch on some of these themes. In the words of RuPaul, I can’t wait to see how this turns out.

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What if editing photos on your phone felt as natural and capable as editing on a desktop computer? That’s exactly what Luminar’s mobile photo editor (available for Android, ChromeOS and iOS) is built for. Whether you’re a photo enthusiast capturing everyday scenes or a working photographer creating content on location, having reliable AI tools on your phone can streamline your workflow and bring more flexibility to your creative process.

Luminar’s mobile photo editor isn’t just another camera app with filters. It’s built specifically for photographers, with tools that focus on enhancing photos so they look real to life, not over-processed or artificial. From subtle corrections to advanced AI-driven enhancements, every tool is designed to support a photographer’s vision while keeping the image natural and true to its original character.

Why mobile photo editing has become essential

Smartphone cameras have evolved into powerful creative tools. Many phones now offer impressive image quality, even in challenging lighting conditions. That means more photographers are using mobile devices not only to capture photos, but also to edit and share them. Even top-level pros use smartphones to take behind-the-scenes photos when teaching, documenting lighting setups, sharing live moments, or posting previews while on location.

However, mobile editing often comes with limitations. Slower apps, clunky interfaces, or basic editing features can make it hard to maintain a consistent creative flow. Luminar’s mobile app addresses that by offering intelligent tools that are easy to use and capable of producing high-quality results.

Built with the same design principles as Luminar Neo and available for both iOS and Android/ChromeOS, the mobile editor provides a familiar experience for existing users. While it doesn’t yet offer full integration with the desktop version, both platforms share a similar editing approach, making it easier to transition between mobile and desktop workflows when needed.

(Image credit: Luminar)Practical AI features that make a difference

The strength of Luminar’s mobile editor lies in its AI-powered tools. These features go beyond simple filters. Each one is designed to solve common editing challenges in a quick and intuitive way, with adjustments that understand the content of the image.

Enhance AI in action: the before image is on the left. (Image credit: Luminar)

Enhance AI

Enhance AI simplifies the editing process by combining up to twelve core adjustments into a single smart slider. This includes tone, contrast, color, clarity, and more. Instead of spending time making each adjustment manually, the tool analyzes the photo and applies intelligent improvements with just one control.

It’s a fast way to polish an image without compromising detail or making it look over-processed. Enhance AI also works non-destructively, allowing photographers to make changes with confidence, knowing they can always return to the original version if needed.

(Image credit: Luminar)

Relight AI

Lighting is one of the most common challenges in mobile photography. Relight AI provides a simple solution by allowing users to adjust the brightness of the foreground and background independently. This helps improve underexposed subjects without overexposing the background, creating a more balanced and natural-looking photo.

It is especially useful for portraits taken indoors or in backlit conditions where traditional edits might fall short.

Sky AI and Atmosphere AI

Sky AI makes it easy to replace a dull or overexposed sky with something more fitting. Photographers can choose from a variety of skies including sunny, dramatic, and even stormy settings. The tool aligns the new sky seamlessly, accounting for reflections and lighting to make the final image believable and cohesive.

Atmosphere AI adds another layer of mood and texture. With options like mist, haze, and fog, it helps create more depth and emotion in a scene. These effects can be applied subtly or dramatically, depending on the photographer’s vision.

(Image credit: Luminar)

Portrait Tools: Skin AI and Body AI

For portrait photography, the mobile app includes several AI tools designed to enhance without overdoing it. Skin AI gently smooths skin while preserving natural texture and avoiding that artificial look seen in some other apps. Body AI offers subtle adjustments to proportions, helpful in cases where lenses or angles may have distorted a subject’s appearance.

These tools help bring out the best in a portrait while keeping the result natural and respectful to the subject.

Edit anywhere without extra gear

One of the biggest advantages of Luminar’s mobile editor is its portability. There’s no need to carry a laptop or other equipment when editing can happen directly on your Android phone or iPhone. This is ideal for photographers who are constantly on the move, whether traveling, shooting events, or capturing spontaneous moments.

Quick edits can be done in the field, and more detailed work can be finished later on a larger screen using Luminar Neo. This flexibility allows for a smoother, more responsive workflow that adjusts to the needs of each shoot.

(Image credit: Luminar)A practical tool that fits any workflow

Luminar’s mobile photo editor is designed with simplicity, efficiency, and quality in mind. The AI tools are intuitive enough for photo enthusiasts and powerful enough for professionals, making them accessible without lowering creative standards.

Most importantly, it’s an app built with photographers in mind. The focus is always on helping images look their best while staying true to how the scene looked and felt when captured. From landscapes and street photography to portraits and travel shots, Luminar helps photographers create natural, clean results they’ll be proud to share.

Ready to see what Luminar’s AI tools can do for your mobile photography? Try the app today and follow @luminar_global on Instagram for editing tips, photo inspiration, and updates from the Luminar community.

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• A phishing campaign spotted trying to work around FIDO keys
• The "cross-device sign in" feature triggers a QR code
• Crooks can relay the QR code to bypass MFA and log in

Hackers have found a way to steal login credentials even for accounts protected with Fast IDentity Online (FIDO) physical keys. It revolves around a fallback created in these multi-factor authentication (MFA) solutions, and only works in certain scenarios.

FIDO keys are small physical, or software authenticators, that use cryptographic technology to securely log users into websites and apps. They serve as a multi-factor authenticator, preventing cybercriminals who have already obtained login credentials from accessing the targeted accounts.

To use the authenticator, most of the time users need to physically interact with the device. In some scenarios, however, there is a replacement mechanism - scanning a QR code. Criminals have started using this fallback in so-called adversary-in-the-middle (AitM) attacks.

Phishing for QR codes

Observed by security researchers Expel, the attacks start with the usual phishing email.

It leads victims to a landing page that mimics the look and feel of the company’s normal authentication process, including an Okta logo and sign-in fields for username and password.

Normally, after entering the login credentials, the user would need to physically interact with the FIDO key. In this case, however, the user is presented with a QR code instead.

This is because in the background, the attackers used the login credentials, and requested “cross-device sign-in”, which triggered the QR code fallback. If the victim scans the QR code, the login portal and the MFA authenticator communicate, and the attackers successfully log in.

The best way to defend against this attack is to enable Bluetooth proximity checks on FIDO, so that QR codes only work in the phone scanning them is physically near the user’s computer.

Alternatively, companies should educate their employees on how to spot suspicious login pages and unexpected QR codes, since this malicious landing page could easily be spotted by looking at the URL and the domain.

Finally, IT teams should audit authentication logs for strange QR-based logins, or new FIDO registrations, which can serve as an indicator of compromise.

Via The Hacker News

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The relationship between data and AI is inherently symbiotic: better data enables better AI, and better AI allows for more sophisticated data processing. This virtuous cycle should accelerate enterprise AI adoption, yet most organizations find themselves stuck before it even begins.

The culprit isn't computational power or model sophistication — it's data variety. While enterprises rush to deploy large language models and agentic systems, they're discovering that the messy, inconsistent, and wildly diverse nature of their data creates an insurmountable bottleneck.

The statistics tell a sobering story. While 94% of data and AI leaders say interest in AI is leading to a greater focus on data, 75% of surveyed leaders find AI adoption challenging, with 69% saying most AI projects don't make it into live operational use. Of companies that reported cost reductions from AI, most had savings of less than 10 percent, while those with revenue increases mostly reported gains of less than 5 percent.

Yes, we've all heard about data volume and velocity. But it's not the size or speed that trips up AI projects — it's the fact that data is messy, diverse, and wildly inconsistent across systems, formats, and structures within organizations and among external partners. With data volumes expected to increase more than tenfold from 2020 to 2030, this challenge is rapidly intensifying.

What Makes Data Variety So Challenging?

Enterprise data variety shows up across multiple, compounding layers that create exponential complexity. Every SaaS application, database, file system, and partner platform speaks a different language, requiring dozens or sometimes hundreds of unique connectors just to establish basic connectivity.

Each connector has to handle data arriving in countless forms: structured formats like CSV and JSON, semi-structured content like XML and spreadsheets, and fully unstructured materials including PDFs, contracts, images, and emails. Each requires context-sensitive parsing to extract usable information.

Even when dealing with the same business concepts, different systems use entirely different definitions and schemas. "Customer ID" in your CRM may bear no resemblance to "Account Number" in your billing software. Meanwhile, APIs evolve, vendors update fields, and data formats change mid-stream, making integration a constant maintenance challenge rather than a one-time effort.

External data compounds this complexity exponentially. While internal systems can be well controlled, external data sources from partners, suppliers, regulators, and customers introduce constant variability. New data providers mean new schemas, and existing ones may change unexpectedly without warning.

Why AI Alone Can't Solve the Problem

It's tempting to believe that AI, especially large language models, can simply be pointed to a data system, allowing AI-powered code generation to ingest raw data and figure it all out. In reality, there are multiple layers of technical challenges to solve when building truly enterprise-grade, reliable, and scalable integrations. Moreover, testing and maintaining integrations in light of the fact that many systems aren’t even well documented, makes this a problem that is incredibly hard for both humans and AI.

The combined human and AI effort, however, is very promising. It starts with taking advantage of the fact that AI excels at pattern recognition, suggesting schema mappings, and parsing unstructured content. But the foundational work of orchestration, reliable connectors, business logic implementation, and governance requires engineering discipline that pure AI cannot deliver alone.

Finally comes the people and process factor. Data and AI leaders consistently agree that cultural and change management challenges are the primary barrier to becoming data- and AI-driven, suggesting that technology alone is insufficient for success.

The Emerging Solution: Agentic Integration Architecture

The path forward isn't pure AI or pure software engineering — it's their thoughtful combination. We need AI-powered software abstractions that allow systems to adapt to variety rather than fight it.

At each layer of the data stack, AI assists while software engineering principles enforce durability, reliability, and governance:

Virtual data products represent a particularly powerful abstraction in this hybrid approach. By creating consistent, reusable interfaces that act as contracts between data producers and consumers, organizations can decouple physical data location and format from actual usage. This abstraction layer enables seamless collaboration while supporting diverse data formats without complex coding or integration barriers.

Modern platforms now support multi-speed data processing, allowing data pipelines to be defined once but operate across different processing engines and latencies. This flexibility ensures that real-time, batch, and streaming workloads can coexist within the same architectural framework.

Perhaps most importantly, successful implementations maintain human-in-the-loop collaboration where AI assists but humans validate critical decisions around schema inference, semantic mapping, and business logic. For example, newer standards like MCP and A2A are making it possible for AI to discover and recommend integrations or flows.

Data products that support MCP enable AI to discover the right data and actions, and then make recommendations for end-to-end integration. But engineers are still needed to establish governance, security, and guardrails against errors in AI-based planning to ensure that business needs are met.

Maintenance and assurance of quality as new model versions come is another key guardrail that engineers will build. This approach keeps integrations reliable while dramatically improving speed and scalability.

The Strategic Payoff

Enterprises that solve data variety challenges don't just reduce integration headaches — they unlock genuine competitive advantages. AI project cycles shrink from months to weeks when teams spend less time preparing data and more time using it.

Integration costs and times drop dramatically when reusable data products eliminate redundant connector development. When combined with the latest standards, they enable AI to help deliver more of the integration work.

Most significantly, model performance improves substantially thanks to higher-quality inputs, while teams can focus on innovation rather than data plumbing.

As PwC notes in their 2025 AI predictions, "A shrewd strategy will instead emphasize what can set you apart — how you leverage AI with your institutional knowledge and proprietary data". The companies that engineer for data variety early, using thoughtful combinations of AI, software engineering, and domain expertise, will find themselves with sustainable competitive moats.

The New Competitive Reality

As AI models become increasingly commoditized and accessible, the real differentiator won't be better models — it'll be better data systems. With more than 80 percent of organizations not yet seeing a tangible enterprise-level impact from generative AI, and most companies not even using half of their data, those that solve the data variety challenge will pull ahead decisively.

Ultimately, AI-ready data isn't about having more data — it's about having the right data, in the right shape, at the right time. The AI race won't be won in model labs. It will be won in the trenches of data integration, where variety is tamed via a rich collaboration between intelligent engineering and AI rather than magically solved by AI.

B=We list the best data recovery service and the best data recovery software.

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

• Windows 11 could be getting a new 'shared audio' option
• The feature, spotted in testing, allows for piping audio to multiple speakers
• It's not clear exactly how it works yet, though, as it's just hidden in testing in an early form, and not live in preview builds yet

If you've ever wanted to play music (or anything else) from your Windows 11 PC through more than one speaker, it looks like your multi-output dreams may be coming true.

At least based on the findings of a well-known leaker on X, PhantomOfEarth, who has been doing the usual combing through hidden bits of Windows 11, and found the relevant feature, then enabled it with a configuration utility (in a preview build).

Windows 11 is getting a "shared audio" quick setting to let you easily play audio through multiple output devices! (Hidden in the latest Dev/Beta CUs) pic.twitter.com/aalAJ68OSzJuly 19, 2025

As you can see in the above post, the feature is fired up via a 'shared audio' option in Windows 11's quick settings, and it's apparently in the current Dev and Beta preview builds of the operating system.

Click on it and you're presented with a panel that allows you to select multiple output devices to receive audio from the PC. Tick the speakers you'd like to use, and Windows 11 will pipe sound through all of them.

Analysis: sounds like a plan

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

What we aren't shown in this leak is whether the connection can be made wirelessly (via Bluetooth), or has to be wired (with a cable), or indeed whether two Bluetooth speakers can both be hooked up for simultaneous playback.

We guess the capability isn't functional in any way yet - if it was, presumably the leaker would have shared further details on how it works. Remember, this isn't live in testing - shared audio remains work in the background of Windows 11 for now - and it may not ever be realized. However, it makes sense that Microsoft would want to provide this functionality, given that it's long overdue.

In fact, it's a bit of a headscratcher why Microsoft didn't enable this in a version of Windows many moons ago. While it may admittedly be something of a niche feature, it's undoubtedly of use to some people - you only need to look at forum posts online enquiring about how to do this in Windows. The answer to that question previously was to install a third-party app, but having the ability native in Windows 11 - and easily accessible via quick settings - is clearly a useful addition for the OS.

Assuming Microsoft does push forward with the share audio capability, of course, and I'm betting that this should go live in test builds before too long.

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If you encountered an issue asking ChatGPT for a morning update, a topical question, or wanted to give the new Agent mode a try, you weren't alone as OpenAI confirmed a partial outage lasted for a little over an hour on July 21, 2025.

At it's peak, we tracked over 1,500 reports in the US and nearly 1,000 reports in the UK on Down Detector – a site that tracks issues with platforms – and OpenAI’s own status page confirmed ChatGPT was in the midst of an outage for paid subscribers.

The posted bulletin confirmed it didn't impact free ChatGPT users, but read, “Elevated errors on ChatGPT for all paid users.”

This is one of the more recent ChatGPT outages, but wasn't nearly as widespread as previous ones or as long-lasting. The issue is now resolved a little over an hour that the problem was confirmed. You can continue scrolling to view our live reporting while the issue was impacting ChatGPT.

OpenAI confirms there's an issue

OpenAI has been quick to confirm issues, providing an update that it has identified the issue as of 8:38AM ET. Here's the full message on the status page.

Elevated errors on ChatGPT for all paid users

We have identified that users are experiencing elevated errors for the impacted services.

We are working on implementing a mitigation.

It's listed as a partial outage that's still ongoing and is mostly impacting paid users. I have my own ChatGPT Plus account and haven't encountered any issues as of yet, although reports on Down Detector are still in the low thousands – 1,500 in the US and approximately 700 in the UK.

It's possible that this has a shorter-lasting impact on ChatGPT's services this morning.

(Image credit: Future)

OpenAI's status page indicates that this partial outage has been ongoing for 37 minutes and that most of the issues are related to conversations with ChatGPT. Meaning that the AI might be erroring out when responding to a query from you or just not responding at all.

Reports on Down Detector indicate that the issue is starting to resolve, which may mean that OpenAI's efforts to fix it are progressing smoothly. As of 9:10AM ET, Down Detector in the US shows 164 reports, and in the UK at 9:12AM shows 81 reports.

Both of those fall within the normal range for reports that don't necessarily indicate a larger issue. Considering OpenAI has confirmed an ongoing issue, it likely means we're closer to a full resolution.

OpenAI states that it's still working on resolving this partial outage, but it appears that for most individuals who reported the issue, ChatGPT is now functioning normally.

The latest status update, posted at 9:41 AM ET, reads, "We're continuing to work on mitigation."

I did ask ChatGPT about the issues this morning, and it recommends retrying to send a message if it fails or refreshing the page after a minute or two.

ChatGPT gives the all clear

As of 10:16 AM ET, just minutes ago, OpenAI has given the all clear, and ChatGPT is now back to normal for the impacted users. Remember, this partial outage impacted paid subscribers.

The update reads, "We have applied the mitigation and are monitoring the recovery." So if you're still seeing errors, it's best to retry sending the message or refresh the page.

It's good to see that ChatGPT is back to business as usual for all folks now, though. Down Detector reports are still way down, but in the normal range as well.

• Peacock's biggest ever price increase takes effect on Wednesday, July 23
• Both the 'Premium' and 'Premium Plus' plans will increase by $3 a month
• This is the third price hike NBCU's streaming service has announced since launching

Peacock plans to raise the price of its two main subscription tiers late this week (July 23), and it's sending subscribers packing.

Following reports that NBCUniversal's streaming service was about to rollout its biggest price increase ever since it launched in July 2020, users have taken to social media to voice their frustrations, with some declaring that they've already closed their accounts.

Comment from r/television

It's understandable when the price hike marks the third increase since Peacock's arrival. Indeed, the service raised its prices twice in the space of 12 months amid the Paris Olympics in 2024.

This time around, Peacock's 'Premium' (with ads) plan is increasing from $7.99 to $10.99 per month, or $109.99 annually. Meanwhile, its 'Premium Plus' (limited ads) plan will grow from $13.99 to $16.99 per month, or $169.99 annually.

The new pricing takes effect this Wednesday for new and returning customers. However, if you're an existing subscriber – and haven't already canceled – you'll be charged the new higher prices from August 23, depending on your next billing date.

Peacock pricing

Was

Now

Premium

$7.99 per month / $79.99 annually

$10.99 per month / $109.99 annually

Premium Plus

$13.99 per month / $139.99

$16.99 per month / $169.99 annually

Peacock's latest price rise means it's officially more expensive than the equivalent ad-supported and ad-free tiers from the likes of Netflix, Disney+, HBO Max, and Paramount+. But, it’s worth noting that Peacock has been spending more on content of late, especially for the broadcasting rights of expensive sporting events, which cost a lot more than a TV and Movie Originals.

Instead, NBCUniversal has been acquiring the rights to lots of sports content recently – it has an 11-year rights deal for the NBA and WNBA – following the successful live stream of the Kansas City Chiefs' National Football League (NFL) playoff last year and its ongoing hold of the Premier League.

"Sports has been a very key driver of Peacock," Comcast's (the parent company of NBCUniversal) president Mike Cavanagh said during an earnings call in April. However, it seems the trade-off has been to raise Peacock's price to balance the rising costs from the broadcasting rights for sports – after all, these aren't cheap.

How to avoid the Peacock price hike

Given that sports has become such a big focus among all the best streaming services – Apple TV+ is a frontrunner for F1's rights, Prime Video is the exclusive home of Thursday Night Football, and Netflix has its WWE deal and boxing livestreams, just to name a few – Peacock's push into the same space is only going to grow as it looks to capitalize on people's interest in various sports.

Peacock has one of the smallest on-demand content libraries compared to its rivals, so live sports has played a key part in helping to boost interest outside of NBC programming like Law & Order: SVU and Chicago Fire, plus Peacock Originals such as Poker Face and Twisted Metal.

If you don't want to pay full price for a streamer that mostly specializes in reality TV and sports, the best way to avoid this is to look out for the best streaming deals. Peacock tends to offer discounts on a more regular basis than its competitors, too, which makes it more likely that you'll be able to find a saving.

The best time to find a reduced Peacock subscription is to wait until the Black Friday and Cyber Monday streaming deals start to appear in mid- to late November. Last year, it offered 75% off an annual plan and I wouldn't be surprised if we saw something similar again this year.

If you need a Peacock subscription in the next three months, the cheapest way to get one is to sign up for one of its annual plans, which offers a roughly 17% saving as opposed to paying in monthly installments. Alternatively, there is still a way to get a Peacock free trial to try out the service.

There's also the option to wait until Peacock's new cheaper 'Select' tier is launched, however, it's not yet confirmed whether that will go ahead. The service is only beginning to test the new 'Select' plan, but if it proves popular then it could be the best way to still get Peacock for $7.99 per month or $79.99 annually.

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I got to preview Techland's next entry in its Dying Light series, which brings the parkour zombie horror to the great outdoors.

Looking for a different day?

A new NYT Strands puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Monday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Strands hints and answers for Monday, July 21 (game #505).

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

Want more word-based fun? Then check out my NYT Connections today and Quordle today pages for hints and answers for those games, and Marc's Wordle today page for the original viral word game.

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

NYT Strands today (game #506) - hint #1 - today's themeWhat is the theme of today's NYT Strands?

• Today's NYT Strands theme is… Pet store purchase

NYT Strands today (game #506) - hint #2 - clue words

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

• TIRE
• QUOTA
• PURE
• SLAP
• TUSK
• TRIP

NYT Strands today (game #506) - hint #3 - spangram lettersHow many letters are in today's spangram?

• Spangram has 8 letters

NYT Strands today (game #506) - hint #4 - spangram positionWhat are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?

First side: top, 4th column

Last side: bottom, 4th column

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

NYT Strands today (game #506) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #506, are…

• FISH
• PUMP
• ROCKS
• TANK
• FILTER
• PLANTS
• THERMOMETER
• SPANGRAM: AQUARIUM

• My rating: Hard
• My score: Perfect

It always amazes me how well words are hidden within Strands. THERMOMETER, for example, is a pretty long word – but I was totally oblivious to its existence, hanging around in the bottom right-hand corner, until the very end of my game.

When I first started looking I thought that we were searching for animals you might buy at a pet shop, so after getting FISH I was searching in vain for dogs, cats, hamsters… Then after getting PUMP I joined the dots and found a home for the letter Q.

An AQUARIUM must surely rank as one of the most neglected items in western homes – second perhaps to exercise bikes, purchased with grand plans of creating an exotic world filled with beautiful fish but then abandoned as they all eat each other and you realize fish aren’t as beautiful as you first thought.

Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Monday, July 21, game #505)

• KITE
• FROG
• FISH
• CRANE
• BUTTERFLY
• SPANGRAM: ORIGAMI

What is NYT Strands?

Strands is the NYT's not-so-new-any-more word game, following Wordle and Connections. It's now a fully fledged member of the NYT's games stable that has been running for a year and which can be played on the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.

I've got a full guide to how to play NYT Strands, complete with tips for solving it, so check that out if you're struggling to beat it each day.

Looking for a different day?

A new NYT Connections puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Monday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Connections hints and answers for Monday, July 21 (game #771).

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

What should you do once you've finished? Why, play some more word games of course. I've also got daily Strands hints and answers and Quordle hints and answers articles if you need help for those too, while Marc's Wordle today page covers the original viral word game.

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

NYT Connections today (game #772) - today's words

(Image credit: New York Times)

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• CHESS
• CHEEK
• WHOOPIE
• CUSHION
• TEMPER
• CHECKERS
• HUMBLE
• ATTITUDE
• LIP
• SOFTEN
• HONEYCOMB
• CUTIE
• DAMPEN
• CAMO
• MOUTH
• STRIPES

NYT Connections today (game #772) - hint #1 - group hints

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

• YELLOW: Talking back
• GREEN: Calm things down
• BLUE: Repeating shapes 
• PURPLE: With pastry mainly

Need more clues?

We're firmly in spoiler territory now, but read on if you want to know what the four theme answers are for today's NYT Connections puzzles…

NYT Connections today (game #772) - hint #2 - group answers

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

• YELLOW: SASSINESS
• GREEN: MITIGATE 
• BLUE: PATTERNS 
• PURPLE: ___PIE 

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

NYT Connections today (game #772) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Connections, game #772, are…

• YELLOW: SASSINESS ATTITUDE, CHEEK, LIP, MOUTH
• GREEN: MITIGATE CUSHION, DAMPEN, SOFTEN, TEMPER
• BLUE: PATTERNS CAMO, CHECKERS, HONEYCOMB, STRIPES
• PURPLE: ___PIE CHESS, CUTIE, HUMBLE, WHOOPIE

• My rating: Easy
• My score: Perfect

I had never heard of a CHESS pie or a WHOOPIE pie before today – both look highly calorific and delicious – so I think I can be excused for not seeing the purple group. Congratulations if you did.

The other three quartets I found quite straightforward after sidestepping putting together CHECKERS and chess.

SASSINESS was my last collection, in part due to me harbouring the mistaken belief that there was a group about faces. Getting no further than LIP, MOUTH and CHEEK I turned my attention elsewhere.

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Monday, July 21, game #771)

• YELLOW: ADDITIONAL PERK BONUS, EXTRA, GRAVY, ICING
• GREEN: PHASE TRANSITIONS FOR LIQUIDS CONDENSATION, FREEZING, MELTING, VAPORIZATION
• BLUE: CONCEPTS FROM "SEINFELD" FESTIVUS, REGIFTING, SHRINKAGE, YADA YADA
• PURPLE: WHAT ' CAN INDICATE CONTRACTION, FOOT, POSSESSIVE, QUOTE

What is NYT Connections?

NYT Connections is one of several increasingly popular word games made by the New York Times. It challenges you to find groups of four items that share something in common, and each group has a different difficulty level: green is easy, yellow a little harder, blue often quite tough and purple usually very difficult.

On the plus side, you don't technically need to solve the final one, as you'll be able to answer that one by a process of elimination. What's more, you can make up to four mistakes, which gives you a little bit of breathing room.

It's a little more involved than something like Wordle, however, and there are plenty of opportunities for the game to trip you up with tricks. For instance, watch out for homophones and other word games that could disguise the answers.

It's playable for free via the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.

Looking for a different day?

A new Quordle puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Monday's puzzle instead then click here: Quordle hints and answers for Monday, July 21 (game #1274).

Quordle was one of the original Wordle alternatives and is still going strong now more than 1,100 games later. It offers a genuine challenge, though, so read on if you need some Quordle hints today – or scroll down further for the answers.

Enjoy playing word games? You can also check out my NYT Connections today and NYT Strands today pages for hints and answers for those puzzles, while Marc's Wordle today column covers the original viral word game.

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

Quordle today (game #1275) - hint #1 - VowelsHow many different vowels are in Quordle today?

• The number of different vowels in Quordle today is 4*.

* Note that by vowel we mean the five standard vowels (A, E, I, O, U), not Y (which is sometimes counted as a vowel too).

Quordle today (game #1275) - hint #2 - repeated lettersDo any of today's Quordle answers contain repeated letters?

• The number of Quordle answers containing a repeated letter today is 1.

Quordle today (game #1275) - hint #3 - uncommon lettersDo the letters Q, Z, X or J appear in Quordle today?

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

Quordle today (game #1275) - hint #4 - starting letters (1)Do any of today's Quordle puzzles start with the same letter?

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

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

Quordle today (game #1275) - hint #5 - starting letters (2)What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?

• O

• G

• V

• A

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

Quordle today (game #1275) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #1275, are…

• OPTIC
• GIDDY
• VOCAL
• ADULT

It’s a wonderful feeling when you enter a word into Quordle and you don’t even have to wait for it to turn green as you know it’s right. That was the case for three of my words today, but the last one was a pure guess.

With O locked in as the second letter and L-A-C all in incorrect positions, I thought a word ending O-C-A-L was the most likely, but I had three options with focal, local, and the one I picked, VOCAL – purely because I know how much Quordle loves the oft-overlooked letter V.

Daily Sequence today (game #1275) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #1275, are…

• PLAIN
• RISKY
• MONEY
• LITHE

Quordle answers: The past 20

• Quordle #1274, Monday, 21 July: KNEED, SNAIL, PINTO, FEAST
• Quordle #1273, Sunday, 20 July: GRACE, COUNT, EGRET, GIANT
• Quordle #1272, Saturday, 19 July: EARLY, CLICK, TRITE, SPREE
• Quordle #1271, Friday, 18 July: CINCH, FOYER, FUDGE, TAFFY
• Quordle #1270, Thursday, 17 July: CRESS, TABOO, POWER, HATER
• Quordle #1269, Wednesday, 16 July: UNCLE, NADIR, REMIT, BROOM
• Quordle #1268, Tuesday, 15 July: VILLA, FLECK, TIGER, CRANE
• Quordle #1267, Monday, 14 July: SURGE, PIZZA, PAPER, POPPY
• Quordle #1266, Sunday, 13 July: KAYAK, DECRY, RUDDY, HATER
• Quordle #1265, Saturday, 12 July: WREAK, NANNY, CLASP, STAIN
• Quordle #1264, Friday, 11 July: LAPEL, DRAIN, FROND, GROSS
• Quordle #1263, Thursday, 10 July: CROSS, WHEEL, UNDID, PENCE
• Quordle #1262, Wednesday, 9 July: SHIRE, SIXTH, SINGE, IMAGE
• Quordle #1261, Tuesday, 8 July: PLIED, PRANK, GAWKY, OXIDE
• Quordle #1260, Monday, 7 July: DROLL, TRUCE, TWIRL, SINCE
• Quordle #1259, Sunday, 6 July: AMPLY, SPAWN, EXTOL, RIDGE
• Quordle #1258, Saturday, 5 July: HAVEN, SNAKE, DREAM, TORUS
• Quordle #1257, Friday, 4 July: FAVOR, SKUNK, GAWKY, FLUFF
• Quordle #1256, Thursday, 3 July: DANCE, EYING, GLAZE, EGRET

• UK NCSC details use of a piece of Authentic Antics malware
• It is attributed to APT28 and allegedly used against Western companies helping Ukraine
• The UK sanctioned 20 individuals suspected of being involved

Russian cybercriminals are targeting Microsoft 365 accounts with specialized malware, the UK government's cybersecurity arm has warned.

The UK National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has published a new technical deep dive, detailing a “sophisticated piece of malware” called Authentic Antics, first spotted in 2023, but only now attributed to APT28 - a known, state-sponsored threat actor from Russia, working for the country’s General Staff Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU).

APT28 is also known as Fancy Bear or Forest Blizzard and has been attributed to many high-profile cyber-espionage campaigns throughout the West.

Faking Microsoft login

While the NCSC doesn’t detail how the malware gets deployed, it speculates that it’s most likely through phishing emails or malicious Outlook add-ins.

Once running on the target machine, it targets Microsoft Outlook, looking to steal login credentials and OAuth 2.0 tokens for Microsoft services such as Exchange Online, SharePoint, or OneDrive.

It works by sporadically showing fake login prompts that mimic Microsoft’s authentication windows. It uses environmental keying to make sure it only activates on specific machines, and once the victims try to log in - the information is relayed to the attackers.

For exfiltration, Authentic Antics uses the victim’s email inbox, sending the information in an email that later gets deleted from the “Sent” folder.

Authentic Antics is part of a broader cyber-espionage campaign, targeting western organizations - especially those who support Ukraine in their war effort against Russia.

While names weren’t mentioned, the NCSC did say APT28 targeted logistics and transport organizations, tech firms with access to Microsoft’s cloud services, government entities in NATO countries, and broader infrastructure such as internet-connected cameras at border crossings, used to track shipments to Ukraine.

As a result of the findings, the UK has sanctioned GRU operatives, which included three units and 18 officers, Reuters reported.

Via The Register

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• 200 million Amazon Prime subscribers got a warning email about scams
• Most attacks centered around fake price hikes
• Social engineering is an attacker's best friend

With Amazon Prime Day now behind us, Malwarebytes has revealed new research showing old trends repeat themselves – every year, we see a surge in scams and attacks on unsuspecting victims, and 2025 was no different.

This year, around 200 million Prime customers received warnings from the company about ongoing attacks, with some handy pointers on what to look out for.

"Scammers are sending fake emails claiming your Amazon Prime subscription will automatically renew at an unexpected price," the company said.

Amazon Prime Day scams

By making genuine subscribers believe that costs are rising, attackers are able to instil a sense of urgency as many seek to prevent price hikes or cancel altogether. Customized and personal information in emails, such as a user's name, may also aid in mimicking authenticity.

In many cases, attackers include a link to a page for victims to cancel their subscription or change account settings, leading them to a lookalike site where they enter their credentials. Some cases also saw attackers direct victims to sites that deliver malicious payloads, including malware that could put far more than just their Amazon accounts at risk.

"The fake site might also request payment information and other personal details which, when entered, will go straight to the scammer who will be quick to use or sell them on," Malwarebytes continued.

Fake messages about Prime membership renewals, bogus refund offers and calls claiming Amazon accounts have been hacked were among the most popular scenarios Amazon workers were forced to deal with during this month's Prime Day sales.

Thankfully, the same advice still applies when it comes to protecting accounts, because social engineering remains the most effective attack vector.

Some common steps include checking the sender's email address against a verified list, enabling two-step verification on accounts, not repeating passwords on multiple accounts and not following links unless it is absolutely necessary.

Amazon also repeats its messages in the Message Center, so if a message is received by email only, this could be a sign of an attack.

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