TechRadar News

• A key Stranger Things actor has already guessed a big detail about one of its spin-offs
• Finn Wolfhard is the only person who's worked out the outline of its live-action offshoot
• It's been described as "like David Finch's Twin Peaks"

The final season of Stranger Things' mainline show isn't out yet, but one of its key cast members has already worked out what its live-action spin-off is about.

Speaking as part of a Variety profile piece on Finn Wolfhard, who plays Mike Wheeler in the popular Netflix show, its creators Ross and Matt Duffer revealed Wolfhard had correctly guessed what said offshoot's premise entails.

First, a bit of background on that untitled project: in late 2022, Netflix revealed that the Duffer brothers were developing two spin-offs of their massively successful supernatural sci-fi horror series via their Upside Down Pictures production company. One of those, titled Tales From '85, is an animated project that'll tell an original story between Stranger Things' third and fourth seasons, and feature many of the show's primary cast. It's unclear if they'll be voiced by the same actors who played them in the main series, though.

However, confirmation that the other project is a live-action one notwithstanding, we've heard nothing else about one of the best Netflix shows' other offshoots. Well, until today (August 5), anyway.

Netflix will wrap up Stranger Tihings' main story with a fifth and final season (Image credit: Netflix)

So, what is it? The Duffers didn't provide any answers when asked by Variety, but did admit that Wolfhard had perfectly surmised what the siblings were planning to do from a storytelling perspective.

"Nobody – not Netflix, not any of the producers, not any of the directors, not any of the actors – nobody else has figured out what the spinoff is," Ross Duffer said. "Finn figured it out, which is pretty remarkable. We’ve mind-melded with this kid a bit."

Interviewed as part of the same Variety article, Wolfhard was a bit more forthcoming on one of the projects that'll follow in Stranger Things season 5's footsteps. Indeed, while he didn't state what the Duffers were planning, he gave us a tantalizing glimpse into the kind of story – or, rather, stories – they're looking to tell.

"[It's] like David Lynch’s Twin Peaks," the young star teased. "Sort of an anthology and different tones, but similar universe or same universe. I think [it'll be] set in different places and all tied together through this mythology of the Upside Down. Don’t even talk about Hawkins [and] don’t have any mention of our characters.

"They were toying around with ideas in case Netflix wanted them," he continued. "I’m sure they do and I’m sure it will happen, but there’s nothing official. I think the coolest way, the way that I would do it, there has to be labs everywhere. If there was one in Hawkins, there’s one in Russia. Where else could they be?"

Matt and Ross Duffer are developing new projects set in the Stranger Things universe (Image credit: Netflix)

An anthology series set in the Stranger Things universe with a 'new weird' genre vibe similar to that of one of the best shows of the last 40 years? Sign me up.

As for the fifth and final season on Netflix's incredibly popular TV Original, its launch is only a few months away now. Indeed, Stranger Things season 5's trio of release dates were revealed in June, and its first volume, which comprises four episodes, will debut on one of the world's best streaming services this November.

More recently, we were finally treated to the first official trailer for Stranger Things season 5, which only heightened my excitement for its last hurrah. After a three-and-a-half year wait for it, here's hoping Stranger Things 5 lives up to the hype.

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• Security researchers found three flaws in Nvidia Triton Inference Server
• When used together, they can grant remote code execution capabilities
• A patch has been released, so users should update immediately

Nvidia Triton Inference Server carried three vulnerabilities which, when combined, could lead to remote code execution (RCE) and other risks, security experts from Wiz have warned

Triton is a free open source tool working on both Windows and Linux which helps companies run AI models efficiently on servers, whether in the cloud, on-site, or at the edge.

It supports many popular AI frameworks and speeds up tasks by handling multiple models at once and grouping similar requests together.

Patching the flaw

Wiz found three flaws in the Python backend:

CVE-2025-23319 (out-of-bounds write bug with an 8.1/10 severity score), CVE-2025-23320 (shared memory limit exceeding vulnerability with a 7.5/10 severity score), and CVE-2025-23334 (an out-of-bounds vulnerability with a 5.9/10 score).

"When chained together, these flaws can potentially allow a remote, unauthenticated attacker to gain complete control of the server, achieving remote code execution (RCE)," Wiz said in its security advisory.

The risk is real, too, they added, stressing that companies stand to lose sensitive data:

"This poses a critical risk to organizations using Triton for AI/ML, as a successful attack could lead to the theft of valuable AI models, exposure of sensitive data, manipulating the AI model's responses, and a foothold for attackers to move deeper into a network," the researchers added.

Nvidia said it addressed the issues in version 25.07, and users are “strongly recommended” to update to the latest version as soon as possible.

At press time, there were no reports of anyone abusing these flaws in the wild, however many cybercriminals will wait until a vulnerability is disclosed to target organizations that aren’t that diligent when patching and keep their endpoints vulnerable for longer periods of time.

Via The Hacker News

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• Microsoft recently produced some new support documents
• These contain some helpful advice for would-be upgraders to Windows 11 who run into problems
• Some of this is very handy to know - including why you may not immediately be offered Windows 11 after upgrading your CPU

Microsoft recently provided some fresh troubleshooting advice for those looking at upgrading from Windows 10 to Windows 11 who might be confused in some respects.

Neowin noticed a couple of relatively new support documents which have been published by Microsoft at some point earlier this year. They deal with problems that may arise after upgrading the hardware in your PC in order to get Windows 11, or encountering a particular message telling you that some aspect of the upgrade 'needs attention'.

Let's start with the former scenario which is covered in a support article on 'checking if a device meets Windows 11's requirements after changing hardware' and imparts advice for those who have just made an upgrade to ensure their Windows 10 PC can meet the more stringent requirements for Windows 11.

That upgrade is most likely to be a new CPU - as older processors are often a major sticking point - or possibly the addition of a TPM 2.0 module (a security feature).

At any rate, whatever hardware change you've made to your PC so it's eligible for Windows 11, you may find that when you fire up Windows Update in order to trigger the upgrade, that it isn't there. In other words, the system will tell you that your PC still isn't compatible with Windows 11, even though you've just installed that shiny new component which should do the trick.

However, as Microsoft explains, there's no need to panic here. It's actually the case that it "can take up to 24 hours for Windows Update to refresh eligibility info", meaning that you may need to wait for some time before the hardware change filters through and registers with Windows Update - and you're then offered Windows 11.

If you can't wait, there's a trick to manually refresh the eligibility assessment of your PC (using Task Scheduler, as advised here), or the easier route is to use the PC Health Check app rather than going into Windows Update (as the app will immediately recognize your upgraded hardware, Microsoft informs us).

As for the second support document brought to light, this addresses what to do if you see a 'What needs your attention' notification during the Windows 11 upgrade process, which is a certainly something of a vague spanner in the works.

Microsoft explains in detail what this is all about, outlining the reasons why a would-be Windows 11 upgrader might see this notification pop up - including an explanation of the rather cryptic 'no action is needed' message that may accompany it. In this case, the user can't do anything - which you might guess - but what you might not guess is that the known issue causing the message may be resolved by Microsoft in time. And if this happens, you will automatically be offered the Windows 11 upgrade - so, there's still hope in this scenario.

Microsoft also details what you can do about 'incompatible privacy settings' if that's the cause of the notification, and provides more info on what to do if incompatible software is the issue.

Analysis: Better late than never

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

These are handy clarifications to be furnished with, especially the info on the delay with an upgrade to Windows 11 being cleared on your PC, if you're proceeding via Windows Update after installing new hardware.

Those not aware of this (and I wasn't) could potentially upgrade their CPU (say), then spend hours searching the web in vain attempting to find out why they still can't get Windows 11, if they didn't try the PC Health Check app as well as Windows Update (which is entirely possible). So, that app is clearly your best bet for a simple, immediate upgrade to Windows 11 after you've installed the necessary new hardware to meet the requirements of the OS.

Ideally, mind, all these details should have been in place a long time ago. Better late than never, of course, but Microsoft really should have been more on the ball with some of this info, rather than adding it recently, at this late stage in the game - no doubt prompted by the fact that Windows 10's End of Life is rapidly coming into view.

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• Unit 42 saw 4L4MD4R being deployed via ToolShell
• The crooks are asking for $500 worth of Bitcoin
• ToolShell is a Microsoft SharePoint Server bug patched in late July

The risk for businesses who haven’t patched the ToolShell vulnerability keeps growing after new reports suggest ransomware actors are also joining the exploitation party.

Researchers from Palo Alto Network’s cybersecurity arm, Unit 42, said they observed a threat actor known as 4L4MD4R using ToolShell to gain access and try to deploy the encryptor.

ToolShell is a nickname for a deserialization of untrusted data vulnerability, recently discovered in on-premises Microsoft SharePoint Server instances. It is tracked as CVE-2025-53770, and was said to allow unauthenticated remote code execution, giving attackers control over unpatched systems simply by sending a crafted request. It was given a severity score of 9.8/10 (critical), and was patched in late July, 2025.

4L4MD4R has joined the chat

Less than two weeks after Microsoft issued an emergency mitigation, security researchers started noticing an uptick in attacks, and victim counts in the hundreds.

"There are many more, because not all attack vectors have left artifacts that we could scan for," Eye Security warned at the time.

Many high-profile organizations fell victim to different cyberattacks thanks to this flaw, including the US National Nuclear Security Administration, the Department of Education, Florida’s Department of Revenue, the Rhode Island General Assembly, and government networks in Europe and the Middle East.

Now, ransomware players are hopping onto the ToolShell bandwagon, as well. According to Unit 42, 4L4MD4R is based on open-source Mauri870 code. It was spotted on July 27, when the researchers were investigating a failed attack.

"Analysis of the 4L4MD4R payload revealed that it is UPX-packed and written in GoLang. Upon execution, the sample decrypts an AES-encrypted payload in memory, allocates memory to load the decrypted PE file, and creates a new thread to execute it," Unit 42 said.

The identity, or possible national affiliation, of the group is unknown at this time. However, the researchers said the hackers were demanding a payment of 0.005 Bitcoin, which translates to roughly $500.

Via BleepingComputer

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I've reviewed plenty of Dyson Airwrap alternatives, but the one I was most excited to try out was the Dreame AirStyle Pro. Dreame is a relatively new brand, but is rapidly establishing itself as a key player in the home appliances space.

We've tested a number of its products in different categories, and they've consistently impressed us – the Dreame R20 sits at the top of our best cordless vacuum guide, and its X50 Ultra Complete is our favorite premium robot vacuum. And that's just a couple of examples.

So my expectations for the AirStyle were high. I'd seen it demoed at a press event, my teammate had tried it out briefly at IFA and loved it, and when my test sample arrived my first impressions were great. I thought it was a shoo-in for my best hair styler roundup.

Let's start with the good bits. The dryer part is well-designed – it's comfortable to hold, well-balanced, and looks and feels high quality. The controls are intuitively placed and out-of-the-way enough that it's unlikely you'll press them accidentally, and the spring-loaded slider cool shot is especially well thought-out.

(Image credit: Future)

There's a great range of attachments, including those all-important auto-wrapping curl barrels (the innovation that made the original Airwrap so popular), and three different brushes for smoothing and volumizing.

Dreame has also added a Flyaway attachment (positioned to rival the one included with the Dyson Airwrap i.d.) and a smart-looking Fast dry attachment that blasts the air out at a right-angle to the handle, for comfortable drying. All are packaged up neatly in a stylish storage box.

The price is right too: it's still a bit of an investment, but almost exactly the same as its main Airwrap-alike competitor, the Shark FlexStyle.

What's the problem?

So far, so good – so why did the Dreame AirStyle Pro end up being the biggest disappointment of my product reviewing year? The first (and most significant) problem is that it just doesn't get hot enough.

I don't have especially long or thick hair (collarbone-length, and fine strands but quite a lot of them, for the record), but it couldn't get it dry. I spent several minutes waving the AirStyle ineffectually around my head before giving up and switching to a dedicated hair dryer – I just don't have that kind of time available in the mornings, okay?

(Image credit: Future)

It was so lukewarm that I wondered if I'd been sent a faulty review model, but not so – looking at Dreame's website reveals the two heat settings as 122ºF / 50ºC (medium) and 176ºF / 80ºC (high). In comparison, the Dyson Airwrap i.d.'s maximum heat setting is 194ºF / 90ºC.

The lack of heat is frustrating when you're in a rush and need to dry your hair efficiently, but it has a bigger problem for this kind of styler, too. You need a certain amount of initial heat to 'set' styles, and I found my curls seemed to drop much more quickly when created using the AirStyle versus other auto-wrap curlers I've tested – even cheap ones like the Revamp Dynamic Radiance Pro.

(Image credit: Future)

The second problem is that the tools don't attach securely enough. It's a simple twist mechanism, with no 'click' and no release switch. That's fine for something like the Fast dryer attachment, but with brush tools that require twisting as part of the styling process, I fairly regularly ended up with a dryer in hand and a brush hanging tangled in my hair.

Despite these frustrations, I'm hesitant to give up on Dreame's multistyler just yet. It just has so much promise. When (or if – nothing is confirmed yet) a new version arrives, I just hope these two problems will have been addressed.

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• Google says it plans to pause data centre usage at key times
• Data centres use huge amounts of energy, straining the grid
• Global energy demand is surging as AI is widely adopted

It’s no secret that AI and data centres are consuming energy (and water) at an alarming rate, and it has become apparent the current levels of consumption are far above what most energy grids can feasibly support long term, a problem which will only escalate as more organisations deploy AI in the day-to-day.

This unfortunate truth isn’t lost on tech giants, who are now scrambling to try and mitigate the heavy sustainability burdens increased AI development has left them with - and Google has now announced it will start shifting or reducing power demand during ‘certain hours or times of the year’.

This ‘demand response’ means data centers are interconnected more quickly, and the need to build new transmission and power plants is lessened - helping grid operators manage power grids more efficiently and effectively.

Flexibility brings strength

A summer of intense heatwaves and extreme weather conditions has seen a high demand for energy as air conditioning units are becoming a necessity.

AI is not yet a necessity for the vast majority of uses, so Google has agreed to pause or reschedule non-urgent tasks until the demand surge is over.

Partnering with the Indiana Michigan Power (I&M) and the Tennessee Valley Authority, the new agreement will push Google closer to its 24/7 carbon-free energy ambition, helping to ‘bridge the gap between short-term load growth and long-term clean energy solutions,’ and delivering immediate benefits.

“As we add new large loads to our system, it is critical that we partner with our customers to effectively manage the generation and transmission resources necessary to serve them,” said Steve Baker, president and chief operating officer of I&M.

“Google’s ability to leverage load flexibility as part of the strategy to serve their load will be a highly valuable tool to meet their future energy needs.”

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• A new IndieWorld Showcase has been announced for August 7
• The livestream will be 15 minutes long and feature new announcements and updates on indie games coming to the Nintendo Switch and Switch 2
• A new IndieWorld Showcase could mean a potential Hollow Knight: Silksong appearance

Nintendo has announced a new IndieWorld Showcase scheduled for this week, meaning a potential look at a host of new indie games and perhaps even a release date for Hollow Knight: Silksong.

The next IndieWorld Showcase will air on August 7 at 6am PT / 9AM et / 2pm BST / 3pm CEST and can be watched on Nintendo's official YouTube and Twitch channels.

The livestream will be roughly 15 minutes long and consist of "new announcements and updates on indie games coming to Nintendo Switch 2 and Nintendo Switch."

Join us this Thursday, August 7 at 6am PT for a new #IndieWorld Showcase! Tune in for roughly 15 minutes of new announcements and updates on indie games coming to Nintendo Switch 2 and Nintendo Switch. Watch here: https://t.co/UqgwVI23d4 pic.twitter.com/NHiNg7jQUYAugust 5, 2025

Like with every IndieWorld Showcase, we can't be sure which indie studios will announce their games, but there is one game everyone and their mother wants to see.

Hollow Knight: Silksong fans have been waiting a long time for Team Cherry to finally provide an update on the game.

It was first announced in 2019 and has made appearances at several live presentations throughout the past few years.

The sequel made a reappearance during the Nintendo Switch 2 showcase back in April (very briefly), along with confirmation of a 2025 release window, but there is still no specific release date.

We also know that the game will be released for PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and Nintendo Switch 2.

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Squarespace website builder review

Squarespace has become a top choice in the website builder world thanks to its sleek designs and easy-to-use tools. You’ve probably seen it advertised across different platforms, and for good reason—it’s hard to miss.

Pros

• Fully customizable templates
• Intuitive drag-and-drop editor
• Comprehensive ecommerce tools

Cons

• Higher pricing than competitors
• AI image generation limits
• Slightly restrictive for developers

Hostinger website builder review

Hostinger is known for its easy drag-and-drop editor, built-in SEO tools, and fast hosting. With customizable templates and AI-powered design options, Hostinger makes it simple to create a professional website without breaking the bank.

Pros

• Intuitive drag-and-drop editor
• Extremely affordable pricing
• Built-in AI tools
• Free domain and SSL
• + Unlimited websites

Cons

• No free plan
• Limited third-party integrations
• - Content lost during template switches

Hostinger and Squarespace are two of the best website builders in 2025. They both offer user-friendly drag-and-drop editors, making it simple for anyone to create a professional website. Squarespace is known for its stylish templates and strong blogging features. In contrast, Hostinger shines with its AI tools, low prices, and fast hosting options.

Hostinger website builder prices start at $2.99/mo (or less with our Hostinger promo codes), but rises to $11.99/mo after the initial term. This is still a fair bit cheaper than Sqaurespace, that starts its pricing at $16/mo (or less with our Squarespace promo codes).

This comparison will look at how these platforms measure up in key areas. We'll cover things like pricing, template quality, editor features, ecommerce options, and customer support. By exploring the strengths and weaknesses of each builder, we’ll help you find the right fit for your needs, whether you want to build a portfolio, blog, small business site, or online store.

Hostinger vs Squarespace: A detailed breakdown

Feature

Hostinger

Squarespace

Pricing

Starts at $2.99/month

Starts at $16/month

Free Domain

Yes (for 1 year with annual plans)

Yes

Templates

150+ customizable templates

180+ aesthetically-pleasing templates

Editor

Drag-and-drop interface with AI

Intuitive drag-and-drop editor (Fluid Engine)

AI Website Builder

Yes

Yes

Mobile Responsiveness

Yes

Yes

SEO Tools

Built-in SEO tools, AI SEO Assistant

Built-in SEO tools

E-commerce Features

Available on higher plans

Essential features on most plans

Marketing Tools

AI Writer, AI Heatmap

Built-in email marketing

Blogging Platform

Yes

Yes

Customer Support

24/7 live chat and email support

24/7 email, live chat during business hours

Knowledge Base

Extensive tutorials and guides

Knowledge base, video tutorials, forum

Mobile App

No

Yes

Free SSL Certificate

Yes

Yes

Design Customization

Moderate level

High level of design customization

Hosting

Fully managed hosting with 99.9% uptime guarantee

Premium hosting included, but not separately manageable

Performance

Known for fast loading times

Good performance, but may vary

Integrations

Limited

Wide range of integrations and extensions

Language Support

Multi-language support

Limited multi-language support

Logo Maker

AI Logo Generator

Free logo maker

Content Generation

AI Writer, AI Blog Generator

Limited AI-powered content tools

Specialized Features

AI-powered tools for various aspects

Acuity Scheduling for bookable services

Target Audience

Beginners, small businesses, AI enthusiasts

Creatives, designers, small businesses

Squarespace vs Hostinger: Pricing

(Image credit: Squarespace)

Plan

Monthly cost (paid monthly)

Monthly cost (paid annually)

Personal

$25

$16

Business

$36

$23

Commerce (Basic)

$40

$28

Commerce (Advanced)

$72

$52

With just 4 plans to pick from, Squarespace pricing is simple to understand.

The Personal plan starts at $16/month for features such as custom domains, Squarespace AI, SSL security, and unlimited bandwidth. Moving up to the Business plan at $23/month, you get additional features like website analytics, promotional pop-ups, customization with CSS and Javascript, and a 3% transaction fee on e-commerce sales.

If you're aiming to build an online store, the Basic Commerce plan removes the transaction fees and adds perks like point of sale, product review, and more at $27/month. Meanwhile, larger stores can go with the Advanced Commerce plan. At $52/month, you’ll get additional features like advanced shipping, abandoned cart recovery, discounts, and commerce APIs.

Depending on your situation, you can save up to 50% on your Squarespace subscription by using one of the best Squarespace promo codes.

(Image credit: Hostinger)

Plan

Introductory offer (48 months)

With our exclusive promo code*

Renewal rate

Website Builder Basic

$2.99/mo

$2.69/mo

$11.99/mo

Website Builder Plus

$3.99/mo

$3.59/mo

$13.99/mo

*Use our exclusive promo code TECHRADAR at checkout for an extra 10% off the introductory rate.

Hostinger has two budget-friendly website builder plans, starting with the Premium Website Builder plan at just $2.99/month for a 48-month term.

This plan includes a free domain worth $9.99, integration with third-party tools like Facebook Pixel, Google Analytics, WhatsApp, Adsense, and access to a Mobile website editor.

At a slightly higher cost, the Business Website Builder plan comes in at $3.99/month and includes AI tools for generating images, blog writing, heatmaps, and SEO. Plus, you can set up your online store with a 0% transaction fee.

My verdict: Hostinger clearly wins in terms of affordability with its highly competitive pricing, making it ideal for beginners or small businesses on a budget. However, if you want a more polished, design-focused website with powerful built-in tools, Squarespace's higher price might be worth it, as it has specific plans based on your needs.

Hostinger vs Squarespace: Features

For its website builder, Hostinger offers over 150 customizable templates and AI features like an AI Website Builder, AI Writer, AI Heatmap, and AI Logo Generator. These tools help users create content, optimize sites, and build brands easily. Plus, Hostinger includes fully managed hosting with a 99.9% uptime guarantee for reliable websites.

Squarespace features about 180 beautiful, designer-made templates that are modern and visually appealing. Its Fluid Engine drag-and-drop editor allows customization but follows a more structured grid. Squarespace also includes Blueprint AI for site creation, Acuity Scheduling for bookings, and strong blogging features. Both platforms support ecommerce on higher-tier plans, but, Squarespace offers more integrations and extensions.

For AI tools and flexible hosting, Hostinger is better. For design-focused sites with more integrations, Squarespace takes the cake. Your choice depends on your business and website preferences, along with your technical proficiency.

Squarespace vs Hostinger: Editor

Squarespace stands out with its intuitive and polished drag-and-drop editor, Fluid Engine. This editor features grid-based layouts and predefined content blocks. As you build your website, you can customize your template with colors, fonts, images, and content. You can see these changes in real time as you edit, and it’s easy to switch between the desktop and mobile views to make sure your site looks good on all devices. Squarespace comes with built-in tools for adding blogs, photo galleries, and online store features, which makes it easy to create different kinds of websites.

On the other hand, Hostinger’s AI brings your customizable site to life in a matter of minutes. Even if you choose a pre-made template, you can easily tweak elements using their drag-and-drop interface. While it might not be as feature-rich or as visually appealing as Squarespace, it gets the job done quickly and to a high standard. Not to mention, you can use Hostinger’s AI tools like AI Heatmap and AI Writer to optimize content and design for conversions.

My verdict: While Hostinger’s AI provides speed and simplicity to launch your site quickly, Squarespace comes out on top, with an intuitive editor that lets you experiment with different layouts. This gives you the flexibility to create beautiful designs and keep your website fresh and up-to-date.

Squarespace vs Hostinger: Ecommerce

Squarespace supports a wide variety of features for both physical and digital products, such as product variants, customer reviews, discount codes, and inventory management. It also offers point-of-sale integration, subscription-based services, and abandoned cart recovery in its Advanced Commerce plan. Squarespace further enhances your online store with SEO tools, customizable checkout pages, and the ability to connect your store with social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook.

From a single dashboard, Hostinger lets you set up a payment method, customize each item, add your business info for invoices, and review your shipping policies. It also offers several advanced tools, some of which are AI-powered, that can speed up store creation and product upload.

From the Store Manager section, you can set up an online store, manage inventory, create product categories, and offer discount codes. While you get insights like average order value and revenue, their ecommerce tools are not as advanced as Squarespace. Hostinger is best suited for smaller online stores that don’t need extensive ecommerce functionalities.

My verdict: Squarespace is the clear winner for users looking to build a full-fledged ecommerce website with advanced features. Hostinger is a great budget option for small businesses or individuals needing basic e-commerce capabilities.

Squarespace vs Hostinger: User experience

Squarespace focuses on giving you a visually-driven user experience. Its platform is smooth, well-organized, and packed with design-forward features that make building a website enjoyable. Whether you're a designer or someone with minimal tech skills, Squarespace’s well-thought-out UI leverages the help of AI for intuitive recommendations. All of their templates are mobile-optimized, so your website will look great across all devices.

Hostinger’s AI builder is designed to be quick and easy. The interface is straightforward and the features are great for those with no or little website building experience. While it doesn’t have the same level of design customization as Squarespace, the simplicity of the platform makes it easier to navigate, particularly for non-designers. Plus, the platform is lightweight, which ensures fast load times and smooth browsing experiences.

My verdict: If you value design and aesthetics, Squarespace’s user experience is unparalleled. Hostinger is more focused on efficiency and speed, making it a great choice for users who prioritize simplicity over complex design options.

Squarespace vs Hostinger: Support

Squarespace comes with 24/7 email support and live chat during business hours. Additionally, they have an extensive knowledge base, video tutorials, forum, and webinars to help you get the most out of their platform. If you need professional assistance, you can hire a Squarespace Expert to help set up your site. While Squarespace support is highly regarded, the lack of direct phone support may be a drawback for some users.

Similarly, despite a lack of phone support, Hostinger’s customer support team functions well with 24/7 customer support via live chat and email. Like Squarespace, it features a knowledge base with step-by-step guides, articles, and tutorials. What sets Hostinger apart is its Hostinger Academy YouTube channel, which has over 550 videos, run by industry experts.

My verdict: It’s almost a tie, since both Squarespace and Hostinger offer good resources, though neither has phone support. Squarespace comes with live chat, tutorials, and expert help, while Hostinger is known for quick responses and its highly valuable YouTube channel.

Expert insightSquarespace vs Hostinger: Final Verdict

Between the two, Hostinger stands out as a more affordable and flexible choice. Plans start at a small fraction of Squarespace's cost while offering essential website building features. AI tools add great value for content creation and optimization. The platform also boasts reliable hosting with a 99.9% uptime guarantee. Hostinger suits budget-conscious users, small businesses, and those who want a mix of simplicity and customization.

Squarespace, though pricier, offers superior design quality. Its professionally crafted templates and easy drag-and-drop editor make it a favorite among creatives. It's often rated as one of the easiest website builders, perfect for beginners who want to focus on aesthetics. The platform includes better integrations and features, but these come at a higher price.

For users looking for the best value and AI-assisted building, Hostinger is the top pick. If design is your main focus and you’re ready to pay more for a polished site, Squarespace is the gold standard. Your choice should depend on your specific needs, budget, and design preferences.

Spider-Man 4: key information

- Set to be released in July 2026
- Official title revealed in April
- Filming began in August
- No trailer revealed yet
- Tom Holland returning as Peter Parker/Spider-Man
- Some supporting cast members already revealed
- No plot brief yet, but some story rumors have appeared online
- Unclear how it'll impact the next two Avengers movies

Work on Spider-Man: Brand New Day is officially underway. The next Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) movie, whose official title has ties to a very controversial time in the superhero's comic book history, is set to arrive in theaters next July. So, it's high time that principal photography on the highly anticipated film began.

There's been plenty of speculation about Spider-Man 4 in the lead-up to the cameras rolling – so much so, in fact, that you might have struggled to stay on top of it all. Luckily for you, I've rounded up every piece of official news, plus the biggest and latest rumors, about the Marvel Phase 6 film in this guide. If you want the lowdown on Spider-Man's next big-screen adventure, then, you've come to the right place.

Full spoilers follow for Spider-Man: No Way Home. Possible spoilers are also discussed for Brand New Day, so proceed at your own risk.

Spider-Man 4 release date

A post shared by Tom Holland (@tomholland2013)

A photo posted by on

Originally, Spider-Man: Brand New Day was set to swing into theaters on July 24, 2026. However, four months after its initial launch date was announced, Sony and Marvel confirmed Spider-Man 4's release would be delayed one week. Now, it'll come out on July 31, 2026.

Last October, Tom Holland also shared an exciting Spider-Man 4 filming update on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon – the British actor revealing that principal photography would start in mid-2025. That proved to be the case, too, with Spider-Man: Brand New Day due to start filming in August. As filming got underway, Holland took to his Instagram account to confirm he'd started shooting the movie on August 2.

It's unclear how long its shooting schedule will last but, with the MCU film due out in less than a year, there's plenty of hard work ahead for everyone.

Spider-Man 4 trailer: is there one?

What do you mean there's no trailer yet!? (Image credit: Sony Pictures/Marvel Entertainment)

No, a trailer for Spider-Man: Brand New Day isn't available yet. In my view, one won't arrive until early 2026, either, with it most likely premiering during Sony's panel at next year's CinemaCon panel. I'll update this section once one is released.

Spider-Man 4 cast: confirmed and rumored

Who's joining the titular superhero (right) in his next silvern screen adventure? (Image credit: Sony Pictures/Marvel Entertainment)

Spider-Man: Brand New Day's full cast hasn't been officially revealed yet. Holland is the only cast member confirmed to appear by Sony and Marvel, but there are other actors who've said they're part of proceedings and/or been reported as being involved:

• Tom Holland as Peter Parker/Spider-Man
• Zendaya as MJ
• Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner/The Hulk
• Jon Bernthal as Frank Castle/The Punisher
• Sadie Sink as TBC

Holland aside, Zendaya's MJ is the only other character who's expected to pop up in Spider-Man 4. Speaking on the Rich Roll podcast last October, Holland namedropped his real-life girlfriend as someone who should show up. Jacob Batalon's Ned Leeds is another character from Spidey's first three MCU outings who might also show up, but I've seen little evidence that he'll return.

Other established MCU characters are expected to be part of proceedings. In May, reports emerged that Spider-Man: Brand New Day would feature one of the original Avengers in Ruffalo's Banner/The Hulk. One month later, numerous outlets claimed Bernthal's Castle/The Punisher would also appear in Spider-Man 4. Bernthal has since seemingly confirmed he'll feature (see the TikTok video below).

@509_big_nate

♬ original sound - Ғяɛƨн ρяιиcɛ

Considering Spider-Man: No Way Home was something of a hard reset for the wallcrawler in the MCU, there'll be plenty of new faces we'll be introduced to.

The first – and arguably most intriguing – is the character who Stranger Things star Sadie Sink is playing. Marvel reportedly cast Sink in Spider-Man 4 in mid-March, and she's been linked with playing everyone from fan-favorite X-Men superhero Jean Grey to Mayday Parker, aka the daughter of Peter Parker and Mary-Jane Watson in the comics. For what it's worth, a recent Marvel report about the comic titan's forthcoming X-Men movie has, in my opinion, ended speculation that Sink may portray Grey in Brand New Day. We'll see if I'm right if any on-set images of Sink leak online in the weeks and months ahead.

It sounds like Spider-Man: Brand New Day will aim to replicate No Way Home's success by telling a story containing multiple villains, too.

In May, a Marvel leak indicated Spidey could face off against three primary villains. Two months later, a behind-the-scenes look at Brand New Day appeared to confirm who two such foes in B-list villains Tarantula and Boomerang. Surprisingly, neither of them were Mack Gargan/Scorpion, who was very briefly portrayed by Michael Mando in Spider-Man: Homecoming's mid-credits scene. Taking to Instagram in early August, Mando heavily implied he was returning as one of the webslinger's most iconic supervillains.

#SpiderMan4 pic.twitter.com/r9l1nEmmtJAugust 1, 2025

But wait, there's more. Images captured by fans from Spider-Man: Brand New Day's Glasgow-based set also suggest Mister Negative, a fairly recent addition to the hero's rogues gallery, is also involved. The evidence? An Inner Demons logo on the side of a tank (see the X/Twitter post above), which is the emblem used by Mister Negative's forces.

Other cast rumors abound about Spider-Man 4. Deadline has claimed The Bear's Liza Colon-Zayas has signed on in an undisclosed role, while J.K. Simmons is thought to be returning as The Daily Bugle's Spidey-hating editor J. Jonah Jameson (per industry insider DanielRPK).

Elsewhere, Andrew Garfield has again denied his version of the titular hero will appear (per Deadline) and Daredevil star Vincent D'Onofrio has said not to expect Wilson Fisk/Kingpin to show up (per the Happy Sad Confused podcast) because his version of the character can only be used on the small screen. Lastly, as much as fans want it to happen there's no word on whether Charlie Cox's Matt Murdock/Daredevil will team up with Spidey after Murdock made a brief cameo in No Way Home.

Spider-Man 4 plot speculation

Full spoilers follow for Spider-Man: No Way Home.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day doesn't have a story synopsis yet. Nevertheless, there's still a fair amount we can deduce about its plot.

For starters, No Way Home ended with Spidey go back to being a friendly neighborhood hero. That movie's finale saw Doctor Strange cast a spell that made the world forget Peter Parker was Spider-Man, thereby allowing him to return to his roots before he was thrust into the superhuman limelight in Captain America: Civil War.

With no Tony Stark-created tech available to him, he's also returned to his superhero origins and created his own suit. Tom Holland gave us our first full look at the updated suit he'll wear in Brand New Day in early August – the full reveal coming 24 hours after a Spider-Man 4 video teased his new superhero attire.

A post shared by Anthony | Tom Holland Updates (@tomhollandupdates)

A photo posted by on

We've also learned when the film may be set, with fan-snapped set images indicating Spider-Man: Brand New Day will take place sometime in 2027. That place places it three years after No Way Home on the MCU timeline and, if true, means Holland's Parker has been operating as his crime-fighting alter-ego for some time without anyone knowing who he is. That would be enough time for him to rack up a sizeable number of street-level villains, including the ones I mentioned in this article's cast section.

Speaking of street level events, Marvel President Kevin Feige told Collider that Brand New Day will be a more grounded take than its forebear, saying: "We are seeing, for the first time in the Tom Holland Spider-Man stories, him being a proper Spider-Man. Him being by himself, dedicated to saving the city, and dealing with – for lack of better terms – street-level crime, as opposed to world-ending events."

We don't know what kind of street-level story we'll get outside of that, but fan videos from Brand New Day's set have shown the webslinger riding atop a tank. Meanwhile, images uploaded to the Pinterest account of the movie's cinematographer Brett Pawlak imply that Spidey will do battle with The Hulk at some point (see the X/Twitter post below). Could we see the return of Savage Hulk? And what would cause Banner/Smart Hulk to de-evolve back into his original form?

So this was on Brett pawlak Pinterest account, interesting https://t.co/4wdQsHpXW4 pic.twitter.com/gvQcNB6GI6June 27, 2025

Finally, Spider-Man: Brand New Day is no longer sandwiched between the next two Avengers movies.

Originally, Avengers: Doomsday was due out in theaters on May 2026, i.e. two months before Spider-Man 4. However, Marvel announced it was delaying the release of Avengers: Doomsday and its sequel, with the films now expected to arrive in December 2026 and December 2027. DanielRPK has since suggested that meant parts of Brand New Day needed to be rewritten to reflect its story taking place before those movies, so it'll be interesting to see if Spider-Man 4 will directly lead into Doomsday or, like Thunderbolts*, contain an end credits stinger that teases what's to come in Avengers 5.

What does the future hold for Spider-Man after Avengers 5 and 6?

Will Tom Holland return as Spider-Man after Avengers: Secret Wars? (Image credit: Sony Pictures / Marvel Studios)

We don't know. If, as it's believed, Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars lead to a soft reboot of the MCU – Feige has teased this will happen – it's possible that this reset could be the opportune time for Holland to walk away from his most iconic acting role.

That said, it could also be the perfect time for Holland's Spider-Man to become a mentor to a live-action Miles Morales. The star of animated offerings Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, aka two of the best Spider-Man movies, could wind up in the MCU as part of this soft reboot. If he does, Holland's Parker could teach this iteration of Morales how to use his powers, which he does in the Spider-Verse movies and Insomniac's Spider-Man videogame series, before officially passing the torch onto Morales to become the MCU's new wallcrawler.

For what it's worth, Feige told Brazilian outlet Omelete that he wants to bring Morales to the MCU, but later told Variety that he can't until Sony's Spider-Verse film series has ended. The franchise's final entry – Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse – isn't due out until June 4, 2027. But, with Secret Wars lined up to arrive six months later, the dominoes may fall into place that enable Morales to finally make his live-action debut in the MCU.

Even if that happens, I can't see Spider-Man: Brand New Day being Holland's last solo adventure in the MCU. He's too big of a name and Spider-Man's too popular of a character for the A-lister to end his association with the superhero post-Secret Wars. I fully expect Holland to co-star alongside whoever's hired to play Morales in the MCU in Spider-Man 5, then, before potentially passing on the mantle in Spider-Man 6. As always, though, we'll see what shakes out in the films to come first.

For more Marvel coverage find out how to watch the Marvel movies in order and/or how to watch the Spider-Man movies in order. Alternatively, see if you agree with our ranking of the best Marvel movies or check out my dedicated guide on Avengers: Doomsday.

This year’s Spending Review highlighted a critical issue that is often buried in the hype of AI. Huge budgets are being piled into AI development – including the Government’s latest promise of £2 billion in public funds – but without equal investment in data center capacity, power availability and sustainability, the country risks falling short of its AI and R&D ambitions.

While AI demand is scaling exponentially, our infrastructure isn’t. The UK’s AI ambitions rest on compute power, but compute doesn’t exist in a vacuum - it lives in data centers. These infrastructures therefore stand as the physical foundation of digital innovation, yet they’re often left as an afterthought.

Politicians talk about AI breakthroughs, but rarely divulge the power, cooling and land needed to support them. Agreed, it's not the ‘sexiest’ part of global AI discussions, but it’s a vital part, nevertheless.

In the worst-case scenario – which is one we’re rapidly heading towards - this gap in infrastructure could become a national vulnerability. The industry is innovating, but retrofitting the past is harder than building the future. We need policy frameworks to support both.

Infrastructure bottlenecks

The UK’s digital ambitions are running up against physical limitations, especially on the national grid. Without urgent upgrades, we’ll hit a hard ceiling on our ability to scale. These grid constraints are a major bottleneck, especially in London and the South East, where power shortages are already a consequence of underpowered infrastructure. Some providers are reporting that greater power availability in these high-demand areas won’t be available under 2035 or later.

The trouble is, factors like planning delays and general uncertainty in the sector around energy availability are slowing down the development of new data centers. More broadly, it’s also clear the UK lacks a coordinated national strategy for this digital infrastructure, unlike some of our global peers.

If we don’t act, the UK could become a net importer of compute power, outsourcing both innovation and control to more established countries. Are we really prepared to sit by and watch our AI innovation migrate abroad, simply because they have invested more in their infrastructure?

Economic and regional inequalities could also worsen if infrastructure gaps persist. Without greater data center investment outside London and the South East, underserved regions may miss out. The UK's geopolitical position will also suffer a serious setback due to lack of innovation, control and AI capacity and capabilities.

Growing pressures for greener, scalable capacity

Fortunately, there is growing recognition of the need to build greener, more scalable infrastructure. Data center operators and developers are increasingly considering renewable energy sources, waste heat reuse and modular construction. However, many of these efforts are constrained by legacy decisions, particularly the locations historically chosen for data center builds, which often don’t align with the availability of clean energy or heat reuse networks.

At the same time, there’s a growing shift toward modular, energy-efficient builds which can reduce environmental impact and support more flexible deployment. However, retrofitting legacy sites remains a challenge for the larger AI workloads, particularly those requiring upwards of 500MW capacity.

While critical collaboration between government, energy providers and infrastructure is improving, it remains fragmented. Energy planning and digital infrastructure are often siloed, despite being deeply interdependent. That has to change. What’s needed is a whole-systems approach that treats energy and digital infrastructure as two sides of the same coin.

Transparency as a whole is improving, but more needs to be done. Consistent reporting standards are needed as well as greater information sharing from manufacturing to construction and into operations. This will allow for more accurate lifetime carbon assessments and improved accountability.

Innovation and infrastructure need to work in tandem

Demand for high-performance compute is growing exponentially, driven by generative AI and large-scale model training. These technologies are power-hungry and need robust infrastructure to support them. Without urgent investment, we risk becoming dependent on foreign infrastructure for critical AI workloads.

At the same time, there is a growing disconnect between the UK’s AI ambitions – and subsequent compute growth – and its sustainability targets. Without clear guidance on how AI infrastructure fits into the UK’s carbon budget, we risk undermining current and future commitments.

A national digital sustainability framework is urgently needed. This should include fast-track planning for sustainable data centers in underserved regions. Incentives should be introduced to support grid upgrades, renewable energy integration and co-location of data centers with district heating networks.

National standards for energy efficiency and environmental impact reporting must become mandatory, not optional. A framework like this would ensure that new infrastructure is built not only for scale, but also for sustainability.

A future-ready, AI-capable data centre ecosystem will be modular, regionally distributed and powered by clean energy. It will be closely integrated with local communities, sharing excess heat, providing skilled jobs and expanding digital access. It will be governed by clear, transparent standards that prioritize both innovation and environmental responsibility.

To achieve this vision, several things must happen now. We need faster grid connection timelines, clearer planning frameworks for edge and modular data centers and incentives for sustainable builds. It’s time to treat data centers like the critical national infrastructure it is.

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• Nextron Systems found a malicious Pluggable Authentication Module
• They named it Plague after finding pop culture references
• The malware is capable of wreaking havoc across high-value targets

Security researchers have found a piece of highly capable Linux malware which somehow flew the radar for a year.

Nextron Systems reported finding Plague, a malicious Pluggable Authentication Module (PAM) that grants attackers persistent, covert access to compromised systems.

“The Plague backdoor represents a sophisticated and evolving threat to Linux infrastructure, exploiting core authentication mechanisms to maintain stealth and persistence,” the researchers explained. “Its use of advanced obfuscation, static credentials, and environment tampering makes it particularly difficult to detect using conventional methods.”

Manual inspection

The malware was named Plague after finding a reference to Mr. Plague, a character from the 1995 movie Hackers, in its code.

The researchers said that multiple samples were uploaded to VirusTotal over the past year, yet none were flagged as malicious, which could indicate the backdoor managed to evade public scrutiny and antivirus detection.

Plague integrates deeply into the authentication stack, survives system updates, and leaves minimal forensic traces, the experts explained.

It employs evolving string obfuscation techniques, including XOR, KSA/PRGA-like routines, and DRBG layer. It also features anti-debugging checks and session stealth mechanisms that erase all traces of activity. Compiler metadata also showed that it is in active development.

For cybercriminals, there are multiple benefits to malware hiding inside PAM systems.

According to a CyberInsider report, Plague can steal login credentials, making it particularly dangerous on high-value Linux systems such as bastion hosts, jump servers, and cloud infrastructure.

“A compromised bastion host or jump server can provide attackers with a foothold to move laterally across internal systems, escalate privileges, or exfiltrate sensitive data,” the publication argues.

Furthermore, a compromised cloud environment could grant the attackers access to multiple virtual machines or services all at once.

Since Plague is still not being flagged by the best antivirus tools, Nextron advises admins to manually inspect their devices, including auditing the /lib/security directory for shady PAM modules, monitoring PAM configuration files in /etc/pam.d/ for changes, and looking for suspicious logins in authentication logs.

Via The Register

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Across the UK's public sector, digital transformation is no longer a future goal, it's a daily necessity. From healthcare to local councils, teams are under growing pressure to deliver more, more efficiently. With Labour now in government, the focus must shift from AI hype to tangible, measurable outcomes that improve both public services and the lives of citizens.

AI adoption in the UK is already accelerating across the public sector. According to the National Audit Office, 70% of respondents in government bodies last year were piloting and planning AI use cases - and this number is only increasing.

Among recent innovations, agentic AI stands out for its potential to reshape public service delivery. Agentic AI doesn’t just assist users it acts on their behalf, it is like an invisible colleague, giving public sector workers time back to concentrate on higher-value tasks. For example, it can automatically draft responses to citizen inquiries, process routine paperwork, or generate policy briefs by summarizing large volumes of legislative and research data.

To see widespread adoption and demonstrate its immense potential to revolutionize UK public services, agentic AI cannot be locked behind expensive paywalls or complex integrations. Instead, it should be embedded into the platforms already used by millions quietly working in the background to remove friction and unlock capacity.

Leveraging agentic AI to power the public sector

Built with four core agentic skills – reasoning, memory, task action, and orchestration – agentic AI uses these skills to complete tasks and act autonomously under human oversight to support public servants in their day-to-day work. Take the example of administrative overhead in healthcare, education, or local government - often the invisible weight negatively impacting productivity and morale. In roles like community health visits or social work, professionals frequently spend as much time on documentation as they do with people. With the help of agentic AI instead of spending time after each consultation writing up a report, agentic AI can do so in their place without asking. This means trained professionals can get on and do what they do best and trained for: supporting people.

Or imagine a local council meeting where decisions are made about community projects. With the help of agentic AI, the meeting's key points can be summarized instantly, action items can be identified, and follow-up communications can be drafted – automatically without manual intervention. Agentic AI can also analyze and develop content based on uploaded documents which can be a huge benefit for officials across the civil service and local government. Whether it's creating campaign briefs or drafting policy documents, agentic AI can help public servants get over the hurdle of producing a first draft, giving them more time to focus on strategic or higher-value initiatives during their day. In resource-constrained teams - common in the public sector - it’s like gaining an extra pair of hands.

With the right permissions, agentic AI can do much more than summarize meetings. It can even understand schedules and book meetings on team's behalf, under the user's discretion.

Agentic AI adoption is built on transparency

Technology is only part of the equation. For agentic AI to serve its purpose, adoption must be transparent, inclusive, and focused on solving real-world problems. Public trust is paramount, and any AI deployed in public services must meet high standards for privacy, bias mitigation, and accountability. That’s why implementation matters as much as innovation.

One of the most effective ways to implement agentic AI is by integrating it into tools that people already use every day. Whether it be for communication, collaboration, education, service delivery, or operations. These are the platforms and systems that employees, students, and citizens are already comfortable with. Embedding AI into these familiar environments builds user confidence, simplifies training and education, and accelerates adoption by meeting people where they are, rather than introducing entirely new workflows.

Crucially, being transparent isn’t just a matter of ethics, it’s a prerequisite for public trust. Building confidence in AI starts with inclusive design, rigorous governance, and a commitment to using these tools to solve real-world challenges. When citizens see that AI is being applied responsibly and with their interests in mind, it becomes more than a technological advance; it becomes a public asset.

A vision for the future

Agentic AI has the potential to reshape public services by automating routine tasks, supporting better decisions, and allowing frontline workers to focus on people rather than paperwork. It supports the broader goal of building a public sector that is more efficient, responsive, and centered around citizens’ needs.

To realize this vision, public-private collaboration will be essential. The public sector must continue to set the direction - anchored in fairness, transparency, and service to citizens - while tech providers must ensure that innovation is accessible, responsibly deployed, and truly supportive of the people on the frontlines.

Agentic AI is not a distant vision but rather a present opportunity. If embraced wisely, it can be the catalyst that powers Labour's vision for a reimagined, modernized public sector.

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The emergence of destructive cyberattacks has given rise to the increasing use of the term “cyber resilience”. But what exactly does it mean? And how does an organization become cyber resilient?

Many organizations will readily invest in preventative and detective technologies, in the hopes it will provide a virtual castle-and-moat against the increasing volume and sophistication of cyberattacks. Yet, the pervasiveness of adversaries continues, with the recent M&S, Harrods, and Co-op attacks of late just another example that tech investments don’t necessarily result in a winning hand.

True cyber resilience lies beyond simply deploying a tech solution off-the-shelf; it’s about how these solutions are used, your company culture, and whether you have the necessary skills and processes to maintain it.

Yet, many IT and security teams continue to operate in silos that leave their business vulnerable. In fact, our research found that 31% of IT and security professionals consider collaboration between their IT and security teams “weak,” while two in five (40%) report that collaboration between the teams continues to stagnate – or even decline.

While it’s right to establish distinction between IT and security teams, they must have the muscle memory and lines of communication required to minimize disruption and accelerate recovery in a time of crisis.

So, how can IT and security teams work together to ensure the right governance, processes, and technologies are in place to respond to crises and build long-term resiliency?

Incident response: The foundations for resiliency

An effective incident response strategy will be the foundational thread that brings together your people, processes and technology. A critical first step is to define key responsibilities – your security team, for example should focus on detecting the breach, containing its spread, and identifying the entry point.

Meanwhile, your IT team should focus on remediation and ensuring business continuity. Responsibilities should include managing the response to system outages, restoring critical infrastructure, re-setting authentication tokens and passwords, deleting malicious accounts, and installing software patches.

IT and security teams must agree on policies for governance and incident escalation, ensuring this is put into practice from the outset. Communication is one of the first things to break in a crisis, so it’s vital to establish communication protocols and capabilities. How will you talk? How often? What happens when a major decision needs to be made? Do you have a joint workflow for an attack?

A shared document outlining specific responsibilities, key contacts, escalation paths, and recovery strategies will provide the foundations for both teams to move quickly and act methodically, even when emotions are running high.

Building a ‘shared responsibility model’

An effective incident response strategy should also include the creation of a ‘shared responsibility model’, which establish clear, step-by-step procedures for responding to cyberattacks.

As part of this, businesses should consider setting up a Clean Room, which is an isolated, secure environment where IT and security teams can align on investigation and remediation without the risk of reinfection. This controlled space would allow teams to analyze the attack, build a timeline, and develop a recovery plan that removes the threat and prevents reinfection.

Once systems are confirmed as clean and data recovered, it can be moved to a staging area for testing before being reintroduced into live systems. This may take longer than stakeholders would like, but the cost of improper recovery could ultimately result in systems being hit again and taken down for longer.

Fostering greater IT and security alignment

A healthy competitiveness often exists between IT and security teams. IT wants to innovate, while security wants to lock things down. These teams are made up of brilliant minds. However, faced with the pressure of a crisis, simmering issues may come to a head, or they may become so fixated on solving the issue that they fail to update others.

To build an effective incident response strategy, identifying a shared vision is essential. Leadership should host joint workshops in which teams learn more about each other and share ideas about embedding security into system architecture. Furthermore, these sessions should simulate real-world crises, ensuring that each team is familiar with how their roles intersect during a high-pressure situation and feel comfortable when an actual crisis arises.

Measuring incident readiness and resiliency

Most importantly, IT and security teams should continuously benchmark against a cyber resiliency maturity model to optimize their people, process, and technology. While there are the classic measures like Mean Time to Detect, Mean Time to Respond, and Mean Time to Remediate to ensure teams are working towards something, for me, it’s about assessing readiness through structured activities.

By simulating realistic scenarios – from ransomware incidents to malware attacks – those in leadership positions can directly test and measure the incident response plan so it becomes an ingrained process. Throw in curveballs when needed, and use these exercises to identify gaps in processes, tools, or communication.

Remember that cyber resilience is like a chain – the capability of the weakest link will drag down your overall level of cyber resilience. Therefore, my key takeaway is this: create shared purpose, simplify escalation paths by giving frontline responders clear roles, automate what you can, and ensure communications channels are streamlined and always available. If you can overcome occupational silos and get security and IT working together, most other issues will cease to exist.

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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 Tuesday's puzzle instead then click here: Quordle hints and answers for Tuesday, August 5 (game #1289).

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 #1290) - hint #1 - VowelsHow many different vowels are in Quordle today?

• The number of different vowels in Quordle today is 3*.

* 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 #1290) - hint #2 - repeated lettersDo any of today's Quordle answers contain repeated letters?

• The number of Quordle answers containing a repeated letter today is 2.

Quordle today (game #1290) - 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 #1290) - 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 #1290) - hint #5 - starting letters (2)What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?

• R

• A

• F

• H

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

Quordle today (game #1290) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #1290, are…

• RISKY
• APART
• FAUNA
• HANDY

The secret today was in seeing common three-letter combinations. Once I had A-N-D and A-R-T in position, educated guesses got me to HANDY and APART.

Meanwhile, for FAUNA I had so few letters left I knew this was the only possibility.

Daily Sequence today (game #1290) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #1290, are…

• FEMUR
• VOWEL
• ROCKY
• PALER

Quordle answers: The past 20

• Quordle #1289, Tuesday, 5 August: ROAST, SLICK, AUDIT, BILLY
• Quordle #1288, Monday, 4 August: MACAW, SINCE, COLON, CHIRP
• Quordle #1287, Sunday, 3 August: MOTIF, LEERY, LOFTY, BURST
• Quordle #1286, Saturday, 2 August: WARTY, PUPAL, CLEAR, SLICE
• Quordle #1285, Friday, 1 August: ACTOR, MEALY, WIDTH, ADOBE
• Quordle #1284, Thursday, 31 July: STYLE, VALET, AGONY, ALLOY
• Quordle #1283, Wednesday, 30 July: DEBAR, ADMIN, FOLIO, USAGE
• Quordle #1282, Tuesday, 29 July: BATCH, TOPIC, MURKY, BUNCH
• Quordle #1281, Monday, 28 July: CANDY, TRYST, SHIRT, FORGO
• Quordle #1280, Sunday, 27 July: TRAWL, BALER, PIANO, MINCE
• Quordle #1279, Saturday, 26 July: MUDDY, SAINT, KINKY, POLAR
• Quordle #1278, Friday, 25 July: BONUS, RESIN, CEDAR, MADAM
• Quordle #1277, Thursday, 24 July: AGONY, VERVE, GLEAN, MINUS
• Quordle #1276, Wednesday, 23 July: OZONE, PENCE, ROOMY, WIDER
• Quordle #1275, Tuesday, 22 July: OPTIC, GIDDY, VOCAL, ADULT
• 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

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 Tuesday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Connections hints and answers for Tuesday, August 5 (game #786).

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 #787) - today's words

(Image credit: New York Times)

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• BAIT
• PIN
• CROSS
• SQUAD
• HOOK
• SPEC
• NEEDLE
• BADGE
• STRAP
• BUTTON
• RAG
• SHAMMY
• RIB
• UPPERCUT
• BROOCH
• JAB

NYT Connections today (game #787) - hint #1 - group hints

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

• YELLOW: Decorative adornment
• GREEN: To poke fun
• BLUE: In the ring 
• PURPLE: Flexing

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 #787) - hint #2 - group answers

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

• YELLOW: ACCESSORY WITH A POINTY FASTENER 
• GREEN: TEASE 
• BLUE: BOXING PUNCHES 
• PURPLE: MUSCLE NICKNAMES PLUS "S" 

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

NYT Connections today (game #787) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Connections, game #787, are…

• YELLOW: ACCESSORY WITH A POINTY FASTENER BADGE, BROOCH, BUTTON, PIN
• GREEN: TEASE BAIT, NEEDLE, RAG, RIB
• BLUE: BOXING PUNCHES CROSS, HOOK, JAB, UPPERCUT
• PURPLE: MUSCLE NICKNAMES PLUS "S" SHAMMY, SPEC, SQUAD, STRAP

• My rating: Hard
• My score: 2 mistakes

I was quite the badge wearer when I was a kid, back in the day where it was essential to own a jacket covered with button badges of all your favorite bands. So, ACCESSORY WITH A POINTY FASTENER was a group I got very quickly.

I was less successful with TEASE, which claimed two mistakes. In my haste to complete another group I didn’t see the other possibilities and included JAB then CROSS before finally getting it right with RAG.

This is the second day in a row where I have completed Connections in difficulty order; the possibility of making it three in a row is already making me tingle.

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Tuesday, August 5, game #786)

• YELLOW: SUBTERRANEAN TRANSIT METRO, SUBWAY, TUBE, UNDERGROUND
• GREEN: MAKE INTO SMALLER PIECES WHILE COOKING CUBE, GRATE, MINCE, SLICE
• BLUE: USED TO DECORATE A SNOWMAN CARROT, COAL, PIPE, SCARF
• PURPLE: CODE DRESS, HEALTH, SECRET, ZIP

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 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 Tuesday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Strands hints and answers for Tuesday, August 5 (game #520).

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

• Today's NYT Strands theme is… Paint me a picture

NYT Strands today (game #521) - hint #2 - clue words

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

• BOSS
• STEW
• PILL
• CHUTE
• GUILTY
• SWEET

NYT Strands today (game #521) - hint #3 - spangram lettersHow many letters are in today's spangram?

• Spangram has 9 letters

NYT Strands today (game #521) - hint #4 - spangram positionWhat are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?

First side: top, 3rd 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 #521) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #521, are…

• GUITAR
• BOOK
• SUNFLOWERS
• FRUIT
• JEWELRY
• PITCHER
• SPANGRAM: STILL LIFE

• My rating: Hard
• My score: 1 hint

It’s funny how sometimes you see part of a word but not all of it, but I had three examples of this today.

First, I spotted the non-game word “jewel”, but completely missed JEWELRY, then “pitch” before seeing PITCHER and “flowers” ahead of SUNFLOWERS. I am ashamed to admit I needed a hint to see that!

My crowning achievement, though, was seeing books but not BOOK. Don't quite know how I managed that!

Anyway, a lovely search today and I am sure some of you will know many famous paintings that feature these still-life staples. I know that Picasso was obsessed with the GUITAR and Van Gogh will always be associated with sunflowers. The rest I'm not sure of. Maybe there's a painting that features all of them.

Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Tuesday, August 5, game #520)

• BINGO
• GIVEAWAY
• DRAWING
• SWEEPSTAKES
• LOTTERY
• SPANGRAM: LUCKY BREAK

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.

• Nintendo has warned against using Switch and Switch 2 systems outside in hot weather
• You should avoid using the system in temperatures above 95°F / 35°C
• The announcement comes during a Tokyo heatwave

Nintendo has issued a warning to those using their consoles outside.

"When using a Nintendo Switch or Nintendo Switch 2 in a high-temperature environment, the device's temperature may rise," said a recent social media post that we have machine translated.

"This could potentially cause malfunctions, so please use it in a location between 5–35°C [41-95°F]," it continued. "Recently, temperatures have been exceeding 35°C [95°F]. Please be cautious when using it outdoors."

The warning comes as summer gets into full swing and temperatures begin to rise. In Japan, Tokyo and the Izu Islands are currently subject to a heat warning, with temperatures expected to reach dangerously high levels on August 6.

Parts of the US are also experiencing heat well into the region of 95°F / 35°C, while the UK is on the tail end of its latest heatwave.

Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2 owners should think twice about using their systems outside in such weather conditions in order to avoid potential damage.

If you're looking for some games to try while sat right next to your air conditioning unit, check out our recently updated guide to the 15 best Nintendo Switch 2 games to play in 2025.

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• I’ve spent 150 hours with The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and the Switch 2 Edition is an incredible upgrade
• Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition on Nintendo Switch 2 proves that I don’t need a Steam Deck anymore
• The Joy-Con 2 are definitely an improvement, but I’d still prefer almost any other Nintendo Switch 2 controller

• Nintendo recently opened a survey asking players their opinion on digital and physical games, but it's now closed
• One question asked about physical games featuring a digital download, and has fans wondering if Nintendo will make changes to its divisive Game-Key Cards
• There were also questions about physical games and whether players prefer owning physical or digital games

Nintendo briefly opened a survey asking players their opinion on digital and physical games, suggesting the company is looking for feedback after the launch of the Switch 2 and its divisive Game-Key Cards.

As reported by Eurogamer, on August 4, Nintendo ran a survey to find out what its player base thinks about physical and digital games, with questions aimed at how many Switch games they've purchased for themselves and others.

One question asked users, "In general, when it comes to games for a Nintendo Switch system, do you prefer purchasing games in physical format or in digital format?"

Another asked, "For which of the following reasons would you consider purchasing physical versions of Nintendo Switch games?" with an option to reply with answers like, "I like collecting physical games", "it's easier to gift physical games to others", and "Physical games provide a stronger sense of ownership."

For some reason, the survey has now been deactivated, but another question, asking about physical games featuring a digital download, has fans online wondering if Nintendo will consider making changes to its Game-Key Cards.

"Filled out the Nintendo online survey & was very adamant about letting them know I very much LOVE my physical media & don’t want them ever going away," one BlueSky user said. "I’m not a massive fan of the new keycard approach. Let’s hope Nintendo actually takes this feedback to heart and people show up for physical media."

(Image credit: Future / Sega)

Game-Key Cards are a new form of physical Switch 2 games that contain a download key but don't feature the full game data like other physical editions.

After the player downloads the game, they can play it by inserting the Game-Key Cards into their console and starting it up like a standard physical game.

Some games that offer these Game-Key Cards include Persona 3 Reload, Bravely Default, and more, while new titles like Mario Kart World and Donkey Kong Bananza are standard physical game cards like the original Switch.

However, the new cards have become a divisive topic, with many fans worrying that the company might be moving towards a full digital output. Others suggest that since Game-Key Cards don't contain the full game data, players don't have full ownership of their game after purchasing.

In April, Nintendo of America senior vice president of product development and publishing Nate Bihldorff said that Game-Key Cards are "future-proof" and that they will allow for more games on the Switch 2, no matter the size.

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• I’ve spent 150 hours with The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and the Switch 2 Edition is an incredible upgrade
• The Nintendo Switch 2 is the company’s least ambitious console to date, but its improvements are astronomical
• Microsoft says Xbox Game Pass reached 'nearly $5 billion' in annual revenue over the last year, setting a new record for the service

Have you noticed your Fitbit is registering you’re awake more during the night, with your graph now showing more awake events than it did previously? It turns out this isn’t a bug lingering from the recent major outage; it’s an intended side effect of a recent update.

That’s according to a note Fitbit shared with its community explaining that “Your sleep tracking just got more accurate.” Noting this is just the first in a “series of upcoming improvements” to sleep tracking.

Specifically, this first update involves some tweaks to how your Fitbit tracks your sleep to make it more accurate. This is perhaps why your awake time and number of awake events have increased as you do briefly wake up throughout the night (even if you don’t realize), but the old system didn’t correctly track all of these instances.

The upshot is that your Fitbit should more accurately track your night's rest to give you a better measure of your body’s recovery.

(Image credit: Andrea Gaini)

The only unclear thing is which Fitbits will support this new sleep tracking, but we expect it will at least include the Fitbit Charge 6, Inspire 3, Sense 2, and Versa 4 – as these are the four models Google still sells.

Some older models may also be included, but Fitbit hasn’t clarified which ones.

However, if more improvements are planned, these could be detailed at the upcoming Made By Google event, which will happen on August 20 at 10am PT / 1pm ET / 6pm BST / 3am AEST.

While Google promises the event will focus on “the latest additions to our Pixel Portfolio of devices,” Fitbit might be included in that, even if it's just as part of a wider Pixel Watch discussion.

Whatever happens, you can be sure we’ll be ready to cover it.

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• The latest Google Pixel Watch 4 leaks point to a price freeze
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• Mozilla is warning its dev community of an ongoing attack
• The attackers want access to the devs' accounts
• Tainting browser addons with malware could be the play here

Mozilla is warning its developer community they are at risk of being targeted by devious new phishing attacks urging them to “exercise extreme caution and scrutiny” when receiving emails claiming to have come from either Mozilla, or AMO (addons.mozilla.org).

“Phishing emails typically state some variation of the message “Your Mozilla Add-ons account requires an update to continue accessing developer features,”” the company said in its description of what the targets could expect.

The company did not say who the threat actors are, what they’re looking to achieve, or how successful they are - however, given browser add-on developers are being targeted, it’s safe to assume the miscreants are looking for a way to compromise the products with malware.

Supply chain attacks

Browser add-ons are tiny programs that add extra features or functions to a web browser, and users usually install them to customize or enhance their browsing experience.

Some of the most popular addons include ad blockers, spelling and grammar checkers, password managers, screenshot tools, and VPNs or privacy tools.

By tainting the solutions with malware, cybercriminals can engage in supply chain attacks, gaining access to people’s bank accounts, social media accounts, cryptocurrency tokens and NFTs, passwords, session cookies, and more.

It’s a common attack vector, too. Less than a month ago, it was reported that many Chrome and Edge addons, including several prominent products, were found spying on users and communicating with a third-party server.

At the time, security researchers from Koi Security reported that a seemingly benign Chrome add-on called “Color Picker, Eyedropper — Geco colorpick”, which allows users to quickly identify and copy color codes from any point within their browser, was secretly a malware.

While working as advertised, and having thousands of downloads and positive reviews, the add-on also did something in the background - it hijacked browser activity, tracked the websites users were visiting, and communicated with remote C2 infrastructure.

This discovery led them down a path that uncovered an entire web of add-ons, all doing similar things.

Via The Register

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