Technology

• Nvidia is pushing SSD makers toward 100 million IOPS storage target
• But Silicon Motion CEO says industry lacks memory tech to meet AI demands
• New memory may be needed to unlock ultra-fast AI storage

As GPUs grow faster and memory bandwidth scales into the terabytes per second, storage has become the next major bottleneck in AI computing.

Nvidia is looking to push storage to match the demands of AI models by hitting an ambitious target for small-block random reads.

"Right now, they are aiming for 100 million IOPS - which is huge," Wallace C. Kuo, CEO of Silicon Motion, told Tom's Hardware.

Looking for a media change

Today’s fastest PCIe 5.0 SSDs top out at around 14.5GB/s and 2 to 3 million IOPS in workloads involving 4K and 512-byte reads.

While larger blocks favor bandwidth, AI inference typically pulls small, scattered bits of data. That makes 512B random reads more relevant, and much harder to accelerate.

Kioxia is already preparing an “AI SSD” based on XL-Flash, that is expected to exceed 10 million IOPS. It could launch alongside Nvidia’s upcoming Vera Rubin platform next year. But scaling beyond that could require more than just faster controllers or NAND tweaks.

“I believe they are looking for a media change,” Kuo said. “Optane was supposed to be the ideal solution, but it is gone now. Kioxia is trying to bring XL-NAND and improve its performance. SanDisk is trying to introduce High Bandwidth Flash, but honestly, I don't really believe in it.”

Power, cost, and latency all pose challenges. “The industry really needs something fundamentally new,” Kuo added. “Otherwise, it will be very hard to achieve 100 million IOPS and still be cost-effective.”

Micron, SanDisk, and others are racing to invent new forms of non-volatile memory.

Whether any of them will arrive in time for Nvidia’s next wave of hardware is the big unknown.

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• The Concept AMG XX will take the brand into its next chapter
• Three axial flux motors can propel the slippery shape to 224mph
• An LED light panel at the rear is one of many futuristic features

Mercedes-Benz has lifted the lid on the future of its revered tuning arm with the all-electric AMG GT XX concept, which eschews thundering V8 petrol engines for an all-electric powertrain.

Where customers once flocked to the hand-built, naturally aspirated monsters that lurked under the hood, Mercedes-AMG has been trapped between a rock and a hard place of late, dabbling with smaller capacity turbocharged engines and hybrid powertrains that have failed to hit the mark with Affalterbach aficionados.

“The heart of an AMG was always the motor, we’re delivering a revolutionary new drive that is unparalleled in terms of power density, weight and packaging,” says Mercedes-AMG CEO Michael Schiebe.

The new motor that Schiebe hopes will once again stir emotions is actually three axial flux electric motors that are around two-thirds lighter and 67% smaller than traditional radial flux motors that appear on most of today’s EVs.

(Image credit: Future)

Often referred to as 'pancake motors', axial flux drive units are made up of components that look like slim discs and, when stacked, can almost fit inside a pizza box, meaning they can be placed nearer the wheels for improved packaging.

Innovative rectangular copper wiring is then packed into tight coils, allowing for more copper per slot in the stator, creating an energy density that is almost three-times that of conventional, sausage roll-shaped radial motors, yet they take up just one third of the space.

To continue the food analogy, Mercedes-AMG likens the use of rectangular wiring to the Italian’s use of tagliatelle, rather than spaghetti, when cooking up a hearty Ragu, because “its flatter, broader surface carries more of the sauce”.

The Concept AMG GT XX uses three of these motors packed into two High Performance Electric Drive Units, one at the front that uses a single axial motor and a unit in the rear that features two.

(Image credit: Future)

Combined with all-new, cylindrical Nickel Cobalt Manganese Aluminum (NCMA) battery cells, the powertrain delivers staggering performance figures: 1,360hp, a top speed of 224mph and a top-up time of under five minutes thanks to 850kW charging capabilities.

Mercedes teamed up with charging experts Alpitronic to produce a prototype charging station that is capable of transmitting such a high current via a standard CCS connector.

It says it hopes to roll out its own 10,000-strong super-fast charging network using the technology by the next decade, although it wouldn’t say how many of those would be able to reach the 850kW output.

Aero everywhere

(Image credit: Mercedes-AMG)

Taking inspiration from the ultra-slippery Vision One-Eleven concept car, the AMG GT XX has a drag coefficient of 0.198 – about the same as a soaring eagle or a dolphin at full speed, according to AMG engineers.

Specially-designed contours under the body help channel airflow, while active cooling flaps open and close in the front bumper to either reduce drag or funnel cold air to the battery packs and electric drivetrain.

In another world-first, the all-wheel-drive AMG GT XX also features active aero in the wheels, which feature electronically actuated blades that open when the brakes require cooling but then close again to reduce drag.

Cleverly, the wheels act as giant dynamos that charge the system so it doesn't rely on the EV's batteries. However, Mercedes wouldn't go into detail about how much each wheel might cost if you accidentally curb it.

The overall fastback design is low and wide, the window steeply raked to help channel air over the car, with motorsport-inspired air outlets in the bonnet helping to dissipate warm air that is then funneled into the cooling system.

At the rear, there’s a monster diffuser that is finished in naked carbon fibre and a 3D pixel light panel that can display a variety of messages and graphics. During presentations, it gaudily flashed an animated AMG logo, the vehicle’s charge status or a series of naff messages.

I might not the be the target audience for this vehicle, but to me, it doesn’t feel very AMG. But that’s the point, right? This is the new AMG for the kids.

The concept vehicle is also finished in what Mercedes calls its “Fluid Light Paint”. This new-fangled pigment sees painted sections emit light in response to an electric current.

The result is an exterior light array, which runs along the flanks of the concept and visibility glows at nighttime.

It can even 'communicate' its battery level status when hooked up to a charging outlet, like a robotic vacuum cleaner or any other rechargeable electrical appliance, for that matter.

LEDs and loudspeakers

(Image credit: Mercedes-AMG)

The headlights don’t escape innovation either, as these house a loud speaker that will emit driving sounds and audible signals for pedestrian protection. Passive membrane technology embedded into the soundbar can emit more powerful bass notes, for more realistic, guttural AMG noises.

Inside, Mercedes has replaced the traditional steering wheel with a yoke, which alludes to the fact that the production version of the AMG GT XX Concept could be among the first to sport the German marque’s steer-by-wire system.

The interior features plenty of exposed elements that make it feel like a GT racer, with 3D-printed seat pads that can be tailored to fit the driver and swapped out with ease.

(Image credit: Mercedes-AMG)

These are clad in a Labfiber Biotech leather alternative material that is made from recycled GT3 racing tires, vegetable proteins and biopolymers.

It is an incredibly complex and scientific undertaking that results in a very hardy, leather-like substance, but there's no information on how energy intense the process is compared to, say, raising a cow.

Twin LED displays make up the infotainment package, with a 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster and a 14-inch multimedia touchscreen integrated into the dash and angled towards the driver for that race car ambience.

Mercedes says its MB.UX operating system will underpin the entire digital offering, bringing the latest infotainment features, despite the racy ambience.

Head designer Gordon Wagener said the entire design process was much shorter than a typical car (around a year, compared with three) and CTO Markus Schäfer claims that much of the technology revealed today is production-ready.

In fact, there is a tentative release date for the road-going car of sometime in 2026, despite the fact we are yet to glean information on total power output, battery range and, perhaps more importantly, price.

Schäfer says that "hardcore AMG V8 fans" have already driven the car and were very positive about the performance. Similarly, he says the sheer weight of technology on the car will help protect residual values.

Whether or not combustion engine fans will be convinced by pixel panels and fake engine noises is yet to be seen, while poor resale values continue to blight high-performance, luxury EVs.

Mercedes only has to look at its recent electrified G-Wagon for proof that its current customer base perhaps isn't quite ready for the future.

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Let the final games begin.

All PlayStation Plus subscribers can play these games from July 1 to August 4.

Prime Video’s new Australian World War Two romantic drama has critics raving, but it seems audiences are still continuing to discover the epic show.

While the show was released on one of the best streaming services way back on April 18, The Narrow Road to the Deep North has struggled to gain viewership, with the show yet to top the charts in any of the countries it’s available in (it's not currently available to stream in the UK).

That’s no mark on its quality though, with viewers who have seen it praising the series, and critics hailing it as one of the best Prime Video shows around at the moment, crowning the drama with a 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes.

Co-created and directed by Assassin’s Creed helmer Justin Kyrzel, The Narrow Road to the Deep North follows WW2 soldier Dorrigo Evans across three time periods: before his deployment, during his time as a prisoner of war and as an older man in the 1980s, with Jacob Elordi portraying the younger version and Ciarán Hinds playing the older Dorrigo.

Both beautiful and brutal, the series charts Dorrigo's love affair with his Uncle’s wife Amy (Odessa Young) pre-war and how that love both sustains and haunts him during his uncompromising time in a Burmese PoW camp. Later in life, Dorrigo is a revered surgeon and war hero struggling with ghosts of his past and the guilt he feels both over the affair and as a survivor of one of the most brutal theatres of the Second World War.

Based on Richard Flanagan’s novel of the same name, the show unfolds over five gripping episodes, jumping between the three timelines to tell an intricately woven story anchored by outstanding performances from Elordi and Hinds, which, at times, makes love seem as brutally painful as war.

What are the critics saying about The Narrow Road to the Deep North?

(Image credit: Amazon Prime)

With a perfect score over on Rotten Tomatoes, it’s no surprise the critical response has been glowing. The Guardian called the show “elegant and poetic” while praising the two lead actors’ complementary portrayals of Dorrigo, saying both “really feel like different reflections of the same person.”

The New York Times, meanwhile, called Elordi’s performance “terrific,” while stating the series overall masterfully “combines a sweetly doomed romance, a layered domestic drama and a harrowing World War Two tale.” The BBC also praised the young lead, saying the drama was a “stunning showcase for Jacob Elordi.”

What do the subscribers think?

(Image credit: Prime Video)

Rotten Tomatoes' Audience Score is perhaps not as strong, but still sits at a respectable 70%. Over on Reddit however, viewers are loving the show, with one post saying “that was perfect [...] worth every minute of my time.”

Another fan posted: “That was powerful [...] solid work,” while a third stated “I’m in awe at the story telling, the cinematography and the music.”

Comment from r/AmazonPrimeVideo

With the show available now on Prime Video in the US, Australia, Canada and New Zealand, and due to land on BBC iPlayer in the UK later in the year, this criminally underseen show needs to be added to your watchlist immediately.

Bleak, hopeful, brutal and uplifting, The Narrow Road to the Deep North is an emotionally charged must-watch.

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You'll be able to follow Wimbledon and other real-time events.

• Apple continues to fill its Sports tracking app with new sports
• Tennis is the latest entry
• Apple is also adding more customization and granularity

Apple just hit a smashing overhand, adding Tennis to its iPhone-only Sports app just in time for the sport's biggest competition: Wimbledon.

After launching in 2024 with the NBA, NHL, MLS, NCAA basketball, and NCAA football, Apple Sports quickly added the MLB and has since expanded to include the NFL, racing, and other leagues. Tennis, though, was a notable gap.

The sport arrives today and is now part of the free app, which is available in the US, UK, and Canada. As with other sports, game coverage will include live point-by-point coverage but not play-by-play. So don't expect line calls in the coverage.

One of the reasons people like me like Apple Sports is that it lives up to its real-time promise, offering, in baseball, for instance, almost instant updates about runners and the score. Tennis is, perhaps, an even faster-moving game.

In a release about the update, Apple is promising, "live scores delivered incredibly fast." We'll see.

(Image credit: Apple)

Apple Sports will, though, let fans track all matches that occur after the qualifiers. So it won't be just the top match at any given time, Apple Sports will cover all Wimbledon matches. The Tennis coverage will offer custom Sports Cards backgrounds for each match, featuring the grass or clay used in each tournament's courts (Wimbledon uses grass).

Tennis will also benefit from some other app-wide updates, including a refined home screen that now lets you customize the organization by league.

That'll come in handy even if you're not a tennis fan, too. Speaking of which, I'm especially excited about the small update coming to MLB coverage in Live Activities, which will now display the active pitcher and batter details below the score.

This has been a notable gap in Sports' baseball coverage. It's one of the chief reasons that, while I love Sports Live Activities, which can even appear on your lock screen, I've often had to switch to the MLB.com page for details about who's at bat.

Tennis elbowed

(Image credit: Apple)

With two weeks (June 30 to July 13) and dozens of matches, Wimbledon will provide a rich test for the Sports platform. You can't follow individual players, which may make the whole affair feel a little chaotic. Hopefully, Sports will eventually let you do that so you can quickly switch to a match for your "favorite" player.

Sports is still keeping the focus tight on actual league sports events and not yet covering things such as the upcoming MLB All-Star Game (July 15) or the NBA draft (June 25). In a way, this helps keep the app clean and efficient, but it also means that Sports is missing out on key moments in each sports league experience.

Additionally, while Apple Sports is available on the iPhone and visible as Live Activities on Apple Watch, there is no word on plans to bring it to the iPad...yet.

Are you a sports fan or, more specifically, a Wimbledon fan? Let us know what you think of this latest update and why you do or don't use the app in your comments below.

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The underwhelming Germans need a win in Cincinnati to secure a spot in the last 16.

• Surfshark has had its no-logs policy verified by Deloitte for the second time
• The independent verification, from a Big Four auditing firm, corroborates Surfshark’s no-logging claims
• Existing Surfshark subscribers can access the full report via their Surfshark accounts

Surfshark has reaffirmed its commitment to privacy and transparency with the release of its second no-logs assurance report on June 16, 2025.

Already rated as one of the best VPNs by TechRadar, this is the second time Surfshark has worked with Deloitte to verify its commitment to user privacy by auditing its no-logs policy.

(Image credit: Surfshark )Why Surfshark’s no-logs policy verification matters

Surfshark invited Deloitte to audit its no-logs statement for the first time back in 2023, illustrating the seriousness with which it takes user privacy.

However, a second no-logs assurance report in 2025 “demonstrates Surfshark’s proactive approach to privacy,” said Donatas Budvytis, Surfshark’s Chief Technology Officer.

It's a welcome update in an industry where plenty of VPN providers have yet to prove their own no-logs claims. Some VPNs, particularly free VPN services, do keep logs. In some cases, these can contain personally identifying information, putting user data and privacy at risk.

Only recently, TechRadar’s Chiara Castro reported that some 17 free VPN apps found in Google and Apple app stores have ties with China. VPNs operating in China are subject to strict data retention laws and may be forced to share data with the Chinese government upon request.

Surfshark’s decision to have Deloitte, one of the Big Four auditing firms, take a second look at its no-logs policy provides substantial credibility and, as Budvytis explains, “a big confirmation of privacy and transparency to our current and future users.”

It also proves Surfshark’s claims that it doesn’t monitor user activity or keep logs of their activities. That this is a second independent verification shows that this is an ongoing commitment on the part of Surfshark, and not simply a one-off.

Here’s what Deloitte was looking at

Deloitte’s independent audit provides assurance that Surfshark’s no-logs policy has been properly implemented.

As part of its evaluation, Deloitte examined internal systems and processes, conducted interviews with Surfshark staff, and reviewed supporting evidence.

Deloitte looked at Surfshark’s standard, static, and multiport servers while also analyzing how these servers are configured and deployed. Privacy settings and operational procedures were closely inspected to ensure they align with Surfshark’s privacy commitments.

Ultimately, Deloitte confirmed that the no-logs policy is consistently applied across all relevant Surfshark infrastructure.

If you’re already a Surfshark user, you can read the detailed report, ISAE 3000, which is accessible via your account.

Which VPN providers have had their no-logs policies independently audited?

Surfshark isn’t the only VPN provider to have subjected its no-logs policy to an independent audit.

NordVPN had its no-logs claims verified by PwC in 2018 and 2020 before having Deloitte conduct independent reviews in 2022, 2023, and 2025.

The VPN that has undergone more audits than most is ExpressVPN, having published 19 third-party audit reports to date.

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• SonicWall is warning hackers are distributing malicious VPN software
• NetExtender is being modified and distributed through fake websites
• The malicious software steals credentials and VPN configurations

Hackers have been spotted spoofing the SonicWall NetExtender SSL VPN client and distributing it through bogus webpages which mimic the official SonicWall site.

SonicWall and Microsoft Threat Intelligence (MSTIC) spotted the trojanized application and issued an advisory to warn users against downloading the fake software.

As NetExtender is used as a remote access VPN client, stolen VPN configuration data and VPN credentials can put both employees and businesses at risk of compromise.

Spoofed VPN client distributed through fake website

The fake VPN client is signed by "CITYLIGHT MEDIA PRIVATE LIMITED," giving it a limited level of authenticity which can fool some low level cyber protections.

The file was distributed using SEO poisoning and malvertising techniques which can make the fake website appear above the authentic site, especially in sponsored results.

(Image credit: SonicWall)

Therefore, SonicWall has reminded users to only download software from legitimate sources, in this case, sonicwall.com and mysonicwall.com.

In the research conducted by SonicWall and MSTIC, they found two modified binaries of their product being distributed by the fake website; NEService.exe which was modified to bypass digital certificate checks; and NetExtender.exe was modified to steal the configuration data and credentials.

(Image credit: SonicWall)

When all the necessary details are entered and the user clicks connect, the data which includes username, password, domain, and more, is extracted and sent to a remote server controlled by the hackers.

Both SonicWall’s and Microsoft’s cybersecurity tools can now detect the malicious software, but other third party software may not yet be configured to detect the files. It’s always a good idea to consult the best antivirus software to protect your devices from modified software and malicious files.

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For the last month, I’ve had the not-so-arduous task of comparing the shiny new Sony WH-1000XM6 against their biggest rivals. Yep, I’ve tried wireless headphones from everyone, including all the big hitters like Apple, Bose Sonos…you name it! But as the headline has already spilled, there’s only one pair of headphones I’d recommend to all – and that’s Sony’s latest flagship cans.

In my Sony WH-1000XM6 review I made it clear – these are an exceptional pair of headphones that serve up a delicious cocktail of spectacular sound quality, a delightful design and, most importantly, class-leading noise cancellation. And so, it will be of little surprise that the XM6 swiftly pushed their way into our list of the best headphones.

Still, some of the competition is incredibly fierce. Models such as the Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S3 earned a glowing five-star review from us – and believe me, they’re the real deal. But I can’t help but feel that the Sony WH-1000XM6 are the better pick for most people. Why? I’ll break it down into three key reasons.

1. Shutting off the outside world

If we’re talking ANC, there’s simply no one out there that can top Sony right now. That's right, the WH-1000XM6 offer the best noise cancelling I’ve ever tested on a pair of over-ear headphones. Yes, even better than the Bose QuietComfort Ultra. And substantially superior to Sony’s previous effort, the Sony WH-1000XM5.

That’s because Sony’s latest cans harness the power of a new and improved QN3 HD noise cancelling processor, which fine tunes 12 microphones in real time to shut off the outside world. Oh, there’s also AI onboard, which does a bit of extra legwork to keep pesky external sounds from creeping in.

Whether I was walking near a traffic-heavy road, working in a chatter-filled room or vacuuming my apartment, the XM6 induced silence – or at least, near-silence. So, whether you’re looking to make those morning commutes a bit more bearable or perhaps just feeling a little anti-social, you can trust the XM6 to keep you locked into your favorite tracks and movies.

Oh, one more thing about that phenomenal mic system. It also helps to offer crystal-clear calling, with six beamforming mics helping to bring the focus to your mouth. Again, AI is at hand to carve out clamors from your surroundings, and this works incredibly well.

I attended a demo at Sony’s 5020 Studio in Madrid, where someone walked into an artificially noisy environment, but after placing the XM6 on and making a call, the only thing I could hear was their voice. You really are getting next-level clarity with these headphones – and yes, they’re considerably better in this area than previous models like the Sony WH-1000XM4.

The Sony WH-1000XM6 beside their ancestor, the WH-1000XM4 (Image credit: Future)2. Fluid, fool-proof controls

So, Sony’s come on significantly in the realms of ANC and call quality. But something else that’s been refined is the touch controls. On the XM6, swiping forwards and back to skip or return to a track, flicking and holding to adjust volume, and double tapping to pause or play music feels so incredibly smooth.

In fact, the XM6 supply the most intuitive, fluid touch controls I’ve ever seen on a pair of headphones. You can even cover the right earcup to enable passthrough mode – how cool is that?!

And after testing some rival models, I came to appreciate those touch controls even more. I absolutely adore the open, expansive, yet coherent sound of the Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S3 – I think for the money, they arguably offer the best sound quality on the market right now. Yep, maybe even a bit better than the XM6 which, by the way, sound absolutely fantastic! But unfortunately for the Px7 S3, they’re limited to basic button controls which felt like such a downgrade to me after extensively using the XM6. This alone kept me going back to the Sony contender.

For reference, if you want to skip tracks on the Bowers headphones, you’ve got to double press the play button – and it’s three presses to go back. That, to me, feels a little rigid…and behind the times. Similarly, the Apple AirPods Max, which offer enticingly expansive audio, a beautiful design and excellent usability for iPhone users, are held back by physical controls (among other things).

I appreciate that some may find touch controls a little irritating. Perhaps you’ll accidentally skip a track when taking the headphones off. Maybe you’ll pause your music when adjusting your luscious locks. But the XM6 handle touch beautifully. I’m yet to experience any accidental playback alterations or the like. Touch controls – when done right like this – are so much more than a nice-to-have now.

(Image credit: Future)3. All the features you could ever want…and then some

I could cap this off by talking about the beautifully balanced, dynamic sound of the XM6. I could even talk about their slim, comfortable design which brings foldability back to the fore. But instead, I want to talk about the insanely broad, yet detailed feature-list you get on these Sony headphones.

Yes, of course you get that phenomenal ANC and calling. But with the Sound Connect app, you unlock so much more. There’s scene-based listening and adaptive audio, which adjusts depending on your environment. There’s LDAC and DSEE for accessing higher-resolution audio over Bluetooth. And now, there’s a 10-band EQ tab, which comes with a Find Your Equalizer listening test too.

But I’m only scratching the surface! There’s even more, from Auracast through to a Cinema listening mode that really help to set the XM6 apart from their rivals. They truly have everything you could want from a pair of the best noise cancelling headphones and more.

Combine that with the above reasons and you’re looking at a pair of true all-rounders. The Sony WH-1000XM6 have every base covered, and nail all the fundamentals like sound quality and noise cancellation. So, if there’s one pair of the best over-ear headphones I recommend to everyone…it has to be these.

But wait – this is an open discussion rather than a final decision! Do you agree? If you already have the Sony WH-1000XM6, what are your impressions thus far? I’d be interested to hear from you, so feel free let me know your thoughts in the comments. Most of all, enjoy the music.

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Prime Video's newest most-watched show We Were Liars has received a mixed response from the critics, so it's had audiences talking for better or worse.

The new addition to one of the best streaming services is currently the number one most-watched show on Prime Video. It's closely followed behind by another thriller called The Better Sister, which I also recommend you watch.

Despite both TV shows being popular, neither will make the cut for our best Prime Video shows list unfortunately, and that's because of the mixed reviews. However, while We Were Liars currently has a 67% Rotten Tomatoes score from the critics, I still think you should watch it.

Its score isn't too low, but it does deserve better, in my opinion, which is why I'm recommending it today. Read on to find out why.

Why I recommend We Were Liars on Prime Video

I was immediately hooked by the plot of this series, as it follows a young woman named Cadence who experiences a head injury during her fifteenth summer on her family's private island, leaving her with amnesia.

At first, she seems to have it all. She lives a privileged life and an enviable one, but she soon finds herself in the dark as she has to piece together all the memories she's lost, which leads her down a shocking path.

It's based on the young adult novel of the same name, which is billed as a psychological horror. While the TV adaptation takes a more thriller route and feels more widely accessible, I think it's a very strong retelling of the novel.

If you're in the mood to unravel a mystery and get to the bottom of what happened during "summer fifteen", as it's referred to, you'll likely find yourself glued to the screen. It's only eight episodes, so it's very easy to get lost in the story.

I loved the performances here too. I've been a fan of Emily Alyn Lind's work since she starred in the Netflix slasher The Babysitter, and she's very good at bringing complex characters to life. Cadence is going through a lot, and Lind's performance as her is very layered and compelling.

This might not be everyone's cup of tea, admittedly, especially if you're not really into young adult dramas. But I was pleasantly surprised by just how engaging this one is, and I feel it does enough to stand out among other thriller titles.

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• US stores see equipment prices rise by around 10%
• Canon EOS R1 price has increased by $500
• Further tariff-led increases could be on the way soon

Earlier this year, both Canon and Nikon warned consumers that prices of their products would be affected by US tariffs – and now those price hikes have begun in earnest. As reported by DP Review, who have been tracking the US prices of Canon and Nikon gear on the companies’ own websites as well as Amazon, there has been a clear spike in prices in recent weeks.

Nikon cameras and lenses, for instance, have risen by an average of 10.5%. Canon prices have jumped by as much as $500 on certain items (over the price listed when the product was first announced), and on average have increased by 9.7%. Other manufacturers have made similar increases; Sigma, for instance, bumped up its lens prices in the US by 10% earlier in June.

For Canon, the products that have most increased in price are higher-end cameras such as the Canon EOS R1 and Canon EOS R3, which have risen by $500 and $400 respectively over their launch prices. However, both models had been significantly discounted from their launch prices ahead of these recent rises, so the increases are actually much larger than they seem.

Nikon, meanwhile, seems to have hiked prices on all its lenses manufactured in China, with the biggest percentage increase going to the AF Nikkor 50mm f/1.8D prime: $134.95 to $199.95. That’s a price increase of almost 50%.

Nikon's China-manufactured lenses, such as the 50mm f/1.4G, have had significant price hikes this week. (Image credit: Future / Tim Coleman)More rises on the way?

Not all items have been affected, but this could potentially due to stock from the pre-tariff era being still available. Once this has been sold and new stock needs to be imported from outside of the US, this stock could also be subject to price increases.

It’s a somewhat bleak picture for US-based camera consumers, and sadly it could yet get worse. On 9 July, the 90-day pause on reciprocal tariffs is due to end, which could mean countries where camera gear is manufactured, such as Japan, Thailand and Vietnam, could be subject to tariffs as high as 24%, 37% and 46% respectively. Companies may choose to absorb some or all of the tariff-led increases, of course; they could also hike prices even further in order to maintain their profit margin.

So, what does this mean for the US consumer? In all likelihood, it means that prices on cameras and lenses will rise even further – and that now might be the best time to invest in that piece of equipment you need. If you’re based in the US and are thinking of buying new gear, make sure to check out our buying guides for the best beginner mirrorless cameras, best compact cameras, best cameras for photography, best cameras for vlogging, best travel cameras and more.

You might also take the price hikes as a sign that you should master and maximise the equipment you already have rather than replace it with expensive new gear. Check out our camera how to guides and learn how to get more from your existing gear, whether it’s perfecting your astrophotography or using Adobe Photoshop to make your shots sing.

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• Sophos surveys organizations which have suffered ransomware attacks
• On average, they paid 85% of the demands
• The average demand has dropped to $1.3 million this year so far

New research from Sophos has found as ransomware attacks have become more prolific than ever, more and more companies are caving to demands, with organizations in paying an average of 85% of the ransom.

The median ransom demand has dropped from $2 million in 2024, to $1.3 million in 2025. Around half (53%) of those who paid, gave over less than half of the initial demand, but worryingly, 18% paid more than was originally asked for - with the UK paying an average of 103%

Recently, ransomware attacks have been soaring to new highs and costing more than ever, not just in payments, but also in lost data, downtime, and regulatory fines - with Sophos’ survey revealing an average of $1.83 million in recovery costs for firms with between 1,00-5,000 employees.

Data at risk

Just under half (49%) of organizations surveyed chose to pay the ransom, a slight increase from the 56% in 2024.

This is despite some Governments implementing a ransomware payment ban, which forbids public sector organizations from handing any money over to ransom gangs - and private organizations are urged to do the same.

In a ransomware attack, the primary goal for criminals is data, and the survey found data encryption is at its lowest level in six years - with 50% of attacks resulting in data encryption, down from 70% in 2024.

If criminals get a hold of your data and encrypt it they can essentially hold your systems hostage and seriously disrupt your operations - so fewer encryptions the better.

It’s not all doom and gloom though, as 97% of organizations that had data encrypted were able to recover it.

The initial technical root of attacks was most commonly (32%) through exploited vulnerabilities, with malicious emails (23%) and compromised credentials (30%) close behind.

Unfortunately, a lack of expertise was the most common operational root cause - with 40% of respondents citing this - as well as unknown security gaps (40%) and a lack of necessary cybersecurity products or expertise (39%). This shows that organizations are fundamentally underprepared for the ever-growing threat of ransomware.

“For many organizations, the chance of being compromised by ransomware actors is just a part of doing business in 2025. The good news is that, thanks to this increased awareness, many companies are arming themselves with resources to limit damage. This includes hiring incident responders who can not only lower ransom payments but also speed up recovery and even stop attacks in progress,” says Chester Wisniewski, director, field CISO, Sophos.

“Of course, ransomware can still be ‘cured’ by tackling the root causes of attacks: exploited vulnerabilities, lack of visibility into the attack surface, and too few resources. We’re seeing more companies recognize they need help and moving to Managed Detection and Response (MDR) services for defense. MDR coupled with proactive security strategies, such as multifactor authentication and patching, can go a long way in preventing ransomware from the start.”

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• A researcher has developed a new social engineering attack
• The attack, a variant of the existing ClickFix issue, has been called FileFix
• Windows users are at risk, so be on your guard

A new version of popular social engineering tool ClickFix has been developed, potentially putting Windows users at risk.

A cybersecurity researcher who goes by the name mr. dox has developed a new version of ClickFix, a browser-based attack often disguised as captchas to trick victims into pressing a button which then copies a command to Windows Clipboard. From there, users are encouraged to paste the command into a prompt to ‘fix’ an issue.

The new tool, dubbed FileFix, allows cybercriminals to execute commands on the victim system through the File Explorer address bar in Windows,” - this new attack is a similar premise, but uses Windows File Explorer to create a ‘highly plausible scenario’.

Sophisticated social engineering

This version of the phishing page is not based on a captcha, but rather a fake notification telling users a file has been sent to them, urging them to paste the path into File Explorer to find it.

This method could quite possibly be weaponised to trick users into downloading malicious payloads. “However, there is a downside to this variation that should be considered,” argues mr. dox.

“Microsoft Defender SmartScreen & Google Safebrowsing will usually warn users prior to saving executables so more clicks might be required from the user to make it work. However, I still included this method in case someone finds a good use for it or wants to use in a different social engineering scenario”

The ClickFix attack has been used by criminals to bypass antivirus software, with new malware variants observed targeting macOS, Android, and iOS users. Any new social engineering attack is dangerous as users won’t be wide to the method - so be sure to be wary of any unexpected pop-ups and close any windows you don’t trust.

Via BleepingComputer

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In modern enterprise environments, networks are in a constant state of flux. Devices are provisioned, policies adjusted, architectures refactored. Configuration drift is inevitable. Yet while change is essential, unmanaged change is a liability. Misconfigurations are one of the most persistent sources of security incidents, and even well-intentioned modifications can disrupt operations when made without a proper structure in place.

Configuration and network change management, when treated as a formal discipline rather than a background process, provides the guardrails needed to maintain security, reliability and scalability. In this way, mistakes can be avoided, but more importantly, repeatability, accountability and operational confidence is embedded into the network evolution process.

Establishing centralized control

Effective change management begins with control, and that control requires visibility. Distributed tools and team silos lead to inconsistencies and blind spots. A centralized system for configuration management creates a single, authoritative source of truth. This allows teams to baseline the current state of devices, track changes in real time, and identify deviations from expected configurations as they occur.

Centralization also enables correlation. Rather than reviewing logs in isolation, teams can compare device states across the network, identify systemic drift, and trace issues back to specific change events. In the event of an outage or a security incident, this traceability shortens the path from diagnosis to recovery. Rollbacks are faster because configurations are versioned and controlled. Post-change validation becomes an inherent part of the process, not an afterthought.

Driving consistency through automation

As infrastructure grows more distributed, manual processes become harder to manage and more prone to error. Inconsistent configurations, drift, and undocumented changes create operational risk—and make regulatory compliance more difficult to sustain. Automation introduces the structure needed to scale securely.

Automated configuration management enforces standard baselines, identifies deviations, and applies corrective actions with consistency. It reduces reliance on manual intervention while enhancing auditability—ensuring that every change is recorded, traceable, and aligned to policy.

This level of control is essential in regulated environments. Automation tools can continuously validate device configurations against defined security standards, surfacing non-compliant states and triggering remediation workflows. Instead of preparing for audits in bursts, teams maintain a steady state of compliance readiness.

Automation ensures that network changes are not only executed consistently but documented in a way that satisfies both operational and regulatory expectations.

Enforcing security through access governance

In many organizations, configuration access remains too broad, poorly segmented, or loosely monitored. This exposes the network not just to external threats, but to accidental misconfigurations and insider risk. Restricting access to configuration interfaces must be non-negotiable.

Granular, role-based access control frameworks are essential. Users should only be able to modify the devices or parameters relevant to their responsibilities, with every action logged and tied to an identity.

When change is linked to identity, and identity is controlled through policy, the risk of unauthorized or unintended changes is substantially reduced.

How misconfigurations undermine network security

Once a change is deployed, the assumption is often that the hardest part is over. But without the right controls and safeguards, even routine configuration updates can introduce risk. In practice, many of the most damaging security incidents stem not from sophisticated threats—but from small, avoidable errors in configuration.

A single misstep—whether it’s a rule applied too broadly, a service left exposed, or a default setting left unchanged—can compromise an otherwise secure environment. These errors often go unnoticed because they don't trigger alarms or immediately disrupt functionality. But they quietly weaken the network's security posture.

Misconfigurations can lead to unauthorized access, where internal systems become reachable from outside the network or from unintended internal segments. They can create gaps in firewall enforcement, allowing traffic that should be blocked. And they can expose sensitive services to external discovery, widening the organization's attack surface.

Crucially, these issues don’t always stem from a lack of knowledge. In many cases, they result from an absence of process: missing validation steps, inconsistent application of policies, or a lack of visibility into the cumulative effect of changes over time. In distributed environments, small deviations quickly add up. Without a clear baseline or continuous oversight, it becomes increasingly difficult to verify that the intended state of the network matches the actual state on the ground.

Discipline that delivers

When change management is poorly implemented, problems compound. Downtime increases. Vulnerabilities persist. Teams lose confidence in their tools and processes. Business units lose confidence in IT.

But when treated as a structured, technical discipline, configuration and change management becomes a force multiplier. By embedding controls that catch drift early, by enforcing consistency across environments, and by building in opportunities for validation and rollback, organizations can reduce the risk that misconfiguration becomes the root cause of a major incident.

Networks aren’t fragile because of change. They’re fragile because they change without structure.

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The technology sector has reached a crossroads. While innovations like AI and cloud computing promise transformative business benefits, a shadow looms over their adoption, namely uncertainty and concern about their environmental impact.

We quizzed UK business leaders about how they think emissions impact their plans and discovered that 62% of them fear a public backlash if their tech stack emissions are deemed too high. Even more worrying is that 43% admit they are reluctant to even measure their full digital carbon footprint.

The figures underlined what we already suspected, that there is a sustainability paradox that is fuelling a crisis for UK business leaders. They know they need to innovate, yet the fear of sustainability scrutiny is creating an impasse that threatens to stall progress across industries.

The transparency crisis in tech emissions

So how have we reached this juncture? Well, there may have been a media backlash in recent months against sustainability and strategies that aim for net zero carbon emissions. Yet for businesses across Europe sustainability remains very high on their agendas. They continue to face ongoing pressure from regulators, investors, and consumers to demonstrate environmental responsibility.

However, our 2025 Emissions Blindspots Report, which surveyed 1,200 European decision-makers, uncovered a troubling reality. We found that 47% of UK businesses distrust the emissions data provided by their tech vendors.

The main concern is over Scope 3 emissions, those that originate indirectly from value chain activities, like the emissions produced by a company’s technology infrastructure. While these often represent the largest portion of a company’s carbon profile, they are also the element of emissions that companies have least visibility over. Ultimately UK businesses rely on accurate and transparent data from their supplier. The irony is that there are still a significant number of UK businesses that believe they can not accurately measure these tech-related emissions.

As Archana Venkatraman of IDC notes, “Innovation is a top priority for leaders, but concerns about inconsistent sustainability data are directly impacting companies’ ability to invest confidently.”

This is not about compliance, it is about maintaining momentum and developing competitive advantages. Businesses attempting to harness AI or migrate to cloud infrastructure have a difficult choice to make. Do they move forward blindly and risk a sustainability backlash? Or should they delay adoption and potentially cede ground to competitors? At a time when bold innovation is most needed, neither option is ideal. Sustainability plays a key role in determining which tech suppliers businesses choose. They are hamstrung without reliable, accurate information.

The problem with inconsistent data

The heart of the issue lies in fragmented responsibility. There has been clear progress in recent years with most businesses now reporting improved emissions tracking. Yet that progress is undermined by inconsistent vendor data.

There are a whole host of reasons why companies are not getting the data they desperately need. Firstly, some companies are simply not tracking the data. They have not yet made the move to incorporate the wide range of tools that are available to help them, then those that are may not always be willing to release it for fear of backlash. There are also companies who argue that they do not have enough internal resources to capture and analyze the data to paint an accurate picture.

Even if companies do have the data there are still issues to overcome. In particular proprietary systems and unstandardized metrics make cross-platform comparisons nearly impossible, meaning that figures are often estimated rather than having hard data to hand.

Standards and transparency pledges

How then can businesses break this deadlock? Firstly, governments must collaborate with the corporate world to agree on industry-wide standards for tech emissions measurement. These should be easy to implement and quantify, perhaps similar to financial reporting requirements.

As we’ve seen with recent changes to the climate disclosure mandates from the EU’s CSRD regulation, enforcing emission measurements can be considered a burden if not well-considered. So, regulators and businesses must work together to find a framework that supports both sustainability progress and economic growth.

Once the standards are agreed businesses need to play their role in agreeing transparency pledges. Ideally these should be supported by enforceable accountability mechanisms.

Lastly technology has a role to play in creating ever more sophisticated and indeed simple tools to enable every company from startups to enterprises to easily track emissions across hybrid/multi-cloud environments.

As businesses balance growth mandates with sustainability goals, they deserve partners who provide clarity. For the sake of the planet, the cloud and AI revolutions must not come at the cost of environmental progress. By demanding and delivering transparent emissions data, the tech industry can turn sustainability from an innovation barrier into an accelerator.

The message from European businesses is clear. Measure accurately, report transparently, and innovate fearlessly. The vendors who embrace this challenge will power the next wave of progress, while those who do not will find themselves left behind.

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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

• Free cyber tools for US critical infrastructure are no longer available
• The project was initially set up after the Russian invasion of Ukraine
• A lack of uptake since then has resulted in the sunsetting of the project

A free cybersecurity service set up to help protect critical infrastructure in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine has quietly shut down.

The Critical Infrastructure Defense Project was pioneered by Cloudflare, CrowdStrike and Ping Identity, and allowed organizations in “vulnerable sectors” could access four months of cybersecurity services for free, including a zero trust security model to help US hospitals and water and power utilities secure their networks, endpoints and identities.

The program also offered critical threat intelligence to cybersecurity teams likely to be targeted.

Critical infrastructure protection shuts down

A Crowdstrike spokesperson explained that the project has shut down as its usage has tapered off from the initial threat levels experienced since early 2022.

The services offered by the trio of cybersecurity firms “aligned with a period of initial heightened threats and that its use has since subsided,” the spokesperson told Nextgov/FCW.

The end of the project couldn’t come at a worse time, with the reports suggesting that the Trump administration may have paused efforts to counter Russian cyber operations, and NATO warning Russia is again mapping critical infrastructure including subsea internet cables.

When trying to access the Critical Infrastructure Defense Project, the website now redirects you to the Cloudflare homepage.

Following the recent turmoil in the Middle East, there is a distinct possibility that Iran could ramp up its cyber operations against the US.

Iran has previously targeted critical infrastructure including US water treatment plants on several occasions, indicating that the need for a free cybersecurity program for US critical infrastructure could still remain.

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