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PC gaming giant Valve has started to bow to the UK’s Online Safety Act by requiring Steam users to verify their age with a credit card in order to access games with mature content.

“In order to access Steam store pages for mature content games as well as their associated community hubs, you need to be logged into an active user account and explicitly opt-in through the account settings page.” Steam’s Support page details. "For UK users, this opt-in process requires age verification. Your UK Steam user account is considered age verified for as long as a valid credit card is stored on the account.”

The Online Safety Act stems from a goal to prevent children from seeing inappropriate, sexual, or generally mature content across a myriad of online platforms and services. As such, users of services and sites that host mature content, even if not exclusively so, need to verify that they are 18 years of age or older.

Often this requires things like a facial scan or credit card details, which privacy-centric people might be concerned about parting with, given verification tools can be delivered via third-party organizations with their own rules on data collection and use. Notably, a credit card is asked for as in the UK you need to be 18 years old to apply for one.

“Having the credit card stored as a payment method acts as an additional deterrent against circumventing age verification by sharing a single Steam user account among multiple persons,” noted Valve.

While I understand the need for such verification, and do hope that it will protect young people from some of the more unsavory content one can find online if so inclined, as a 38-year-old Steam user, it’s a minor annoyance and another hurdle to hop when logging into the gaming platform on different PCs or devices.

It’s also a bit annoying as there are still people who don’t have credit cards; for example, I only got one that I actually use back last year.

Protecting privacy

For people like me who can be a little iffy about handing over credit card details, Valve’s process is to have the credit card stored as a payment method so it won’t be using an off-platform third-party verification service, which should mean your credit card details are kept secure.

“The data processed in the verification process is identical to that of the millions of other Steam users who make purchases or store their payment details for convenience,” said Valve. “The verification process therefore provides no information about a user's content preferences to payment providers or other third parties.”

So this makes me feel a little more comfortable with the whole thing, and should hopefully be a one-and-done process. I’ve become so used to how easy Steam is to use from making secure payment to logging in via the mobile app, so I do hope this adapting to the Online Safety Act won’t erode that feeling of ease.

It’ll be interesting to see if other countries follow the UK’s example or if Valve decides to roll out such verification for all users and a one-stop-shop way to allow ‘safe’ access to mature content. I guess time will tell.

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When Al DiStefano accidentally dropped his class ring into the Long Island Sound, he never thought he'd see it again. More than half a century later, the kindness of a stranger brought the ring back to him.

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• SK Telecom suffered a data breach that was discovered in April 2025
• It affected roughly 27 million people
• The company was fined for it, and will need to make significant changes to its operations

SK Telecom (SKT), one of the biggest telecommunications services providers in South Korea, was fined almost $100 million for failing to protect user data.

In April 2025, the company discovered a malware breach that allowed threat actors to lurk within its systems for years. Some researchers even claim the attack started in August 2021.

The miscreants targeted SKT’s Home Subscriber Server (HSS) and other critical infrastructure, exposing sensitive subscriber data, including USIM authentication keys (KI), International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI) numbers, IMEI device identifiers, phone numbers, email addresses, and possibly other personal data.

"Very weak condition"

Approximately 27 million people were affected by the breach.

Now, Reuters reports that the government-run Personal Information Protection Commission issued a statement, confirming the fine of about 134 billion won ($96.53 million) for “neglecting its duty to take safety measures” and for “delays in notifying the leak to customers”.

The statement also claims SKT’s systems were in a “very weak condition” which allowed threat actors to access the company’s intranet. There were no passwords, or other safety measures, defending the servers from outside influence, and operating systems were outdated and running without the latest security patches.

Besides being forced to pay the fine, the company will also have to “strengthen safety rules on information protection” and revamp its governance.

Responding to a Reuters inquiry, SK Telecom said it “felt a grave responsibility” and will make protecting customer information a “top priority”.

In response, it launched an “Information Security Innovation Plan”, that includes implementing zero-trust architecture, expanding encryption, forming a red team, elevating the CISO role to report directly to the CEO, and adding cybersecurity experts to the board.

Customers received free USIM card replacements, and were offered 50% off August subscription fees. Furthermore, whoever wanted to cancel their contract prematurely was allowed to do so without extra fees.

Via Reuters

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• Minisforum's new mini workstation is powered by AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 and Radeon graphics
• MS-S1 Max includes dual USB4 v2 ports offering 80Gbps plus dual 10Gb networking
• Tiny powerhouse supports PCIe GPU expansion and high efficiency 320W integrated PSU

Our favorite mini PC maker, Minisforum, has unveiled its forthcoming mini workstation, the MS-S1 Max.

Like a growing number of mini PCs, the new release is built around AMD’s Ryzen AI Max+ 395 processor, part of the Strix Halo family, offering 16 Zen 5 cores and integrated Radeon 8060S graphics.

What’s interesting, however, is the processor here will reportedly run up to 160W, which is higher than most Strix Halo mini PCs, which peak at 120W. To keep temperatures under control, the system uses a dual-fan cooling design paired with six heat pipes.

Dual USB4 v2 ports

There are a couple of other features that set the MS-S1 Max apart. It includes a full PCIe x16 slot, allowing users to install a discrete GPU. This means the system can be configured as a compact workstation or scaled for AI workloads that require more power.

The MS-S1 Max also sports dual USB4 v2 ports, each capable of 80Gbps transfer speeds. This puts it on par with Thunderbolt 5 in terms of bandwidth while keeping the familiar USB-C form factor.

Alongside this, Minisforum includes dual 10Gb Ethernet ports for high-speed networking.

Power is handled by an internal 320W high-efficiency supply that is certified for safety. Since it is integrated, users only need a single cable connection, keeping setup simple.

The chassis design supports tool-free access, with a slide-out construction that makes upgrades and maintenance much easier - something we always look for in a good mini PC.

Minisforum says that the MS-S1 Max can work in desktop setups or as part of rack-mounted clusters, allowing multiple units to be connected for shared computing tasks.

The company notes that the MS-S1 Max is designed for AI workloads. It is described as supporting large-scale models up to 109B parameters.

Not all specifications have been revealed - there’s no mention of memory or storage capacity in the promotional material, although we’ve seen hints regarding a possible 128GB AI Max+ 395 beast previously, which is likely to be this one.

There’s also no word at the moment with regards to pricing or global availability.

Via Videocardz

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• Surfshark has been hit by a class action lawsuit over alleged "illegal" auto-renewal fees
• A Californian customer accused Surfshark of automatically enrolling him in renewal without his consent
• Most popular VPN providers employ similar auto-renewal systems – a practice lawyers allege to go against California's consumer law

A Californian customer has dragged Surfshark into court, accusing the VPN provider of charging him allegedly "illegal" auto-renewal fees.

Plaintiff Arvin Garcia filed a class action lawsuit against Surfshark in California's Central District Court on July 17, arguing that the VPN firm enrolled him in three one-year-long plan renewals without his consent. Garcia has brought the case forward for himself and all other California consumers who happened to be charged illegal auto-renewal fees.

Despite a handful of exceptions, the majority of the best VPNs on the market operate their subscriptions according to similar auto-renewal systems. Two more providers, NordVPN and ExpressVPN, are, in fact, facing similar complaints in the US right now.

Is Surfshark breaching California's law?

(Image credit: Unsplash / Tingey Injury Law Firm)

As stated in the lawsuit, Garcia purchased a two-year subscription for the virtual private network (VPN) service in May 2020, believing he was making a one-time purchase.

After the plan expired, however, "unbeknownst to him and without his consent, Surfshark enrolled him in an automatically renewing plan," reads the suit.

Surfshark supposedly charged Garcia for yearly renewals in May of 2022, 2023, and 2024 – automatic charges that, according to the plaintiff's lawyers, "were illegal and should be refunded."

Specifically, lawyers argue that Surfshark is in breach of its obligations under California's Automatic Renewal Law (ARL). The law requires companies adopting auto-renewal payments to provide "clear and conspicuous" disclosures about the auto-renewal plan and obtain "affirmative consent" to enroll consumers. Surfshark, the lawsuit claims, violated these terms in "multiple ways."

Surfshark is also accused of breaching the False Advertising Law "by disseminating misleading advertisements concerning the automatically renewing nature of Surfshark plans," wrote lawyers.

This July 2025 lawsuit follows similar accusations brought against Surfshark in 2024, always under California law.

TechRadar has approached Sursfhark for comments, but we are still waiting for a response at the time of publication.

Should VPNs axe auto-renewal plans?

In 2022, Mullvad VPN decided to axe all recurring subscriptions in the name of users' privacy (Image credit: Getty Images)

Surfshark is far from being the first popular VPN provider to face legal troubles in the US over allegedly deceptive auto-renewal pricing.

ExpressVPN is also facing a class action in California right now, in fact, after being hit with a similar legal complaint in June 2025.

While NordVPN has been taken to Court over alleged "illegal and deceptive" auto-renewal practices in at least four US states so far.

The Wittels McInturff Palikovic law firm presented legal complaints on behalf of four former NordVPN customers since April 2024 – and now urges all NordVPN users who were charged for a subscription they did not want to come forward.

The same law firm has previously opened investigations into auto-enrollment practices against ExpressVPN, too, alongside Proton VPN and Private Internet Access (PIA). Yet, lawyers filed no lawsuit against these providers.

We have to wait to see what the judges will eventually decide, but these legal actions clearly signal that a change in how VPN firms manage their payment subscriptions may be needed. The question now is whether providers are willing to amend their business model and ditch auto-renewal plans for good.

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• Stream Australian Survivor free on 10Play (AUS restricted)
• Unblock 10Play with NordVPN (save 70% on Survivor)
• Episodes 7 airs Sunday, Aug 31 2025

You can watch the Survivor Australia 2025 on 10Play – it's streaming for free now ahead of the finale on Sept 2. The free Aussie stream includes catch-up episodes that you won't want to miss as the Tribes (Australia v The World) go head-to-head in Samoa.

Australian platform 10Play is streaming all the episodes live in HD. But can you watch Survivor Australia on 10Play from anywhere? (Quick answer: Yes you can watch now with this VPN (try risk-free)).

If you're looking to watch the free episodes in the US, UK, Canada, Ireland or anywhere else on the planet, here's guide to how to watch Survivor: Australia v The World now...

How to watch Survivor Australia on 10Play

Free streaming platform 10Play is the place to watch Survivor Australia for free.

To watch 10Play: visit the 10.com.au website or download the 10Play app.

10Play is free – but you will need to register to watch and be inside Australia.

OUTSIDE AUSTRALIA? ACCESS 10PLAY FROM ANYWHERE WITH NORDVPN

How to watch Survivor Australia on 10Play from anywhere

Although 10 is free, it's only broadcasting Survivor Australia 2025 in Australia.

Streamers traveling or working outside Oz will need to use a VPN to access 10Play's free Survivor: Australia v The World coverage.

There are lots of VPNs but NordVPNis the one you can rely on to unblock 10Play and stream Survivor Australia like a pro.... and you can save over 70% AND get 3 months extra free! We use NordVPN with 10Play and it works perfectly so give it a go for yourself...

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Looking to access Survivor Australia from outside Oz? If you're traveling abroad, use NordVPN to access 10Play as if you were back home in Australia. We test all the providers and we rate Nord as the best VPN. There's 24/7 support available, a money-back guarantee and, best of all, there's currently over 70% off with this deal.View Deal

It's really easy to use a VPN to watch Australian Survivor 2025.

1. Install the VPN of your choice. As we've said, NordVPN is the best choice.

2. Choose the location you wish to connect to in the VPN app. For instance, if you're visiting United States and want to watch your free 10Play stream, you'd select 'Melbourne'.

3. Sit back and enjoy the action. Head to the 10Play website, sign in, and watch the Australian Survivor for free (minus the small cost of the VPN).

What's coming up on Survivor Australia v The World

(Image credit: 10)

You're in for a treat. The final episodes – 7, 8 and 9 – are coming up on Aug 31, Sept 1 and Sept 2. Misaligned interested, doomed couples, contestants switching Tribes and votes going south... it's all coming up.

Episode 6 (Hoodwinked) has just aired and Kirby and Parvati are the ones to watch. We won't spoil it for you, but the outcome of the recent Tribal Council is pretty shocking, to say the least.

Episode 7 is coming in hot, and Australian and World Survivor heavyweights will continue to clash on Samoa for your viewing pleasure. The game's most powerful couple will certainly play a key role in the Survivor Australia final but we're seeing cracks in the old alliances....

10Play also houses other Survivor content, so if you're a Survivor superfan, there's plenty to get your teeth into – including World of Survivor.

Which devices can I watch Survivor Australia on 10Play with?

You can use the 10 app on all of the following devices and platforms:

LG Smart TV – 2018 onwards (WebOS 3.0 and higher). How to install the 10 app.
Samsung Smart TV – released from 2018 onwards
Hisense Smart TV – released from 2021 onwards (VIDAA software U4, U5 and U6)
Apple TV – from Generation 4 onwards (tvOS 12.0+)
Android/Google TV – devices running Android TV OS 9.0+
Amazon Fire TV – running Fire OS version 5+
Foxtel IQ & Hubbl – available on iQ3, iQ4, iQ5 boxes and Hubbl
Fetch TV – generation 3 and above
Xbox – Xbox One Console Family, Xbox One Series S, Xbox One Series X
iPhone/iPad – 10 app on iPhone and iPad devices running iOS 13.0+
Android Phones/Tablets – 10 app on Android devices running Android 9+
Web – Firefox v63+, Chrome v74+, Safari v12+, Edge v16+

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Over 16 days, 14 players battle it out on the beaches of Samoa and attempt to "Outwit, Outplay and Outlast each other" in what is now one of the most talked-about seasons ever.

It's the final season hosted by Jonathan LaPaglia, so wipe away a tear if you're a fan of the legendary Australian Survivor host.

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We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example:1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service).2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad.We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.

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• TransUnion reported a data breach with 4.4 million Americans affected
• The threat actors claim the attack is much larger
• Users should be wary of incoming emails

TransUnion, a major American credit reporting company, suffered a data breach in which it lost personally identifiable information (PII) on more than 4.4 million American citizens.

In a new report, filed with the Maine Attorney General’s Office, the company said it was struck on July 28, 2025, and that it spotted the intrusion two days later.

The data lost in the incident is “limited”, TransUnion said, without detailing the type. It did stress that credit reports and core credit information was not exposed in this attack. It still decided to give affected individuals 24 months of free credit monitoring and identity theft protection.

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ShinyHunters

At the same time, BleepingComputer discovered that the attack was the work of ShinyHunters, who broke into the company’s Salesforce account to steal the information.

“A wave of Salesforce data theft attacks has impacted numerous companies this year, including Google, Farmers Insurance, Allianz Life, Workday, Pandora, Cisco, Chanel, and Qantas,” the publication said. ShinyHunters confirmed with the publication that they stole more than 13 million records, with the 4.4 million mentioned above relating only to US citizens.

The group shared a sample, as well, showing people’s names, billing addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, dates of birth, and unredacted Social Security numbers (SSN). This type of information can hardly be described as “limited”, as it is more than enough to use in identity theft, phishing, and other forms of cybercrime. Crooks can open bank accounts in people’s names, take out loans, and even apply for tax cuts and returns.

The data also includes the reason for the customer transaction, such as a request for a free credit report, which can also be used to target the victims with convincing phishing attacks, deploying malware or stealing even more information.

ShinyHunters also told BleepingComputer they stole customer support tickets and various messages stored in Salesforce.

TransUnion is one of the three major consumer credit reporting agencies in the US (alongside Experian and Equifax). It collects and maintains credit information on individuals and businesses, then provides credit reports, scores, and identity protection services to lenders, businesses, and consumers.

How to stay safe

To mitigate potential risks, users should place a credit freeze (or fraud alert) with all three credit bureaus, preventing new credit accounts from being opened in their name without approval.

They should also monitor their credit reports, and use TransUnion's offer of free identity theft monitoring.

Finally, they should watch their financial accounts closely, and be extra cautious with incoming emails and other communication. Since attackers now know their contact info, they might send convincing fake emails, texts, or calls pretending to be banks, government agencies, or even TransUnion itself.

Via BleepingComputer

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It's official – Harlan Coben's Lazarus is coming to Prime Video on October 22, with all six episodes set to drop on the streaming service at once. Starring Bill Nighy and Sam Claflin, the new crime thriller will follow a forensic pathologist (Claflin) who investigates cold-case murders after returning to his family home following the death of his father (Nighy).

Crime bods among us will know this is far from the first time we've been able to stream a Coben story. Fool Me Once, Missing You, and Stay Close are all among those adapted from his novels. The difference is, we've typically been streaming the crime dramas on Netflix for the past few years.

So why has Lazarus crossed over to Prime Video? Not only is the answer much more straightforward than you think, but it's going to be easier than ever for new and old fans alike to watch the new series, and that's a good thing.

Harlan Coben's Lazarus isn't the first adaptation that's been made for Amazon

Cast your mind back to 2018. Coben had just signed a five-year deal with Netflix to adapt 14 of his existing novels for the streaming service, which include the titles I've mentioned above. As they started appearing from 2020 (beginning with The Stranger), he's officially reached the end of the five year period.

But even before that, Coben's Shelter had already been adapted for Prime Video in 2023 (you can catch the trailer above). Because the Mickey Bolitar books weren't part of what was outlined in the Netflix contract, Coben had total free reign to do this. Two years later, and that seemingly started an entirely new streaming partnership.

It's also worth bearing in mind that Lazarus won't be an adaptation from an existing book, but instead comes from a script written by Coben and Danny Brocklehurst. This is another huge difference from the TV shows we've seen come before, and potentially highlights a new avenue of original ideas that the Prime Video partnership can explore.

Personally, I think Coben shifting from Netflix to Prime Video is an incredibly smart move. We're never going to lose the bank of content created for the former, but Prime Video is a service that has a lot of casual viewers thanks to its connection to Amazon Prime. My grandmother can watch Lazarus, so can my mum, alongside those who now think the other best streaming services are a rip off and want to cancel their subscriptions.

Even I, who normally wouldn't gravitate towards a crime procedural, feel more compelled to give Lazarus a go. And that, my friends, is savvy business planning.

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• Passwordstate's latest version patches an authentication bypass flaw
• It could be abused to access the Passwordstate Administration section without authentication
• There are workarounds, too

Passwordstate, an enterprise-grade password manager tailored for organizations and IT and security teams, is urging users to update their instances to the newest version and mitigate risks of potential authentication bypass attacks.

“Today we have released build 9972, which includes 2 security updates,” Click Studios, the company behind Passwordstate, said in its security advisory. “We recommend customers upgrade as soon as possible.”

The changelog for Passwordstate 9.9 - Build 9972, talks about a “potential authentication bypass when using a carefully crafted URL against the core Passwordstate Products’ Emergency Access page”.

Workarounds and mitigations

The CVE ID for the vulnerability is currently pending, so we don’t know the severity at the moment, but we do know that exploiting it allows threat actors to gain access to the Passwordstate Administration section. Depending on how easy it is to pull off, the severity score could be quite high.

Speaking to BleepingComputer, Click Studios also said there was a workaround for those who cannot patch that fast: "The only partial work around for this is to set the Emergency Access Allowed IP Address for your webserver under System Settings->Allowed IP Ranges. This is a short term partial fix and Click Studios strongly recommends that all customers upgrade to Passwordstate Build 9972 as soon as possible."

Passwordstate is a secure password vault used to store, organize, and control passwords, API keys, certificates, and other secrets. It is primarily an on-prem solution, although cloud-based options are available, as well. It is praised for its enterprise-level functionality and affordability versus higher-priced PAM tools, but also criticized for its steeper technical learning curve, setup, server requirements, and UI complexity.

Click Studios claims it is used by more than 370,000 users working in 29,000 companies, including government agencies, financial institutions, global enterprises, Fortune 500 companies, and others.

Via BleepingComputer

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Let's be honest. When movies leave your favorite streamer, some of them will be missed more than others – so when Rappin' leaves Prime Video in just under a week from now, there probably won't be people openly crying in the streets.

But while you can probably live without Mario Van Peebles showing his neighbors "how to drive out riffraff with rap music", there are some real gems leaving Prime Video at the end of this month and there are three in particular I think are must-watch movies.

For my picks this week I've tried to cover a wide range of movies, and I think it's fair to say that other than their impressive Rotten Tomatoes ratings these films don't exactly have much in common: there aren't many killer clowns in the literary biopic Capote or the urgent, suspenseful The Taking of Pelham One Two Three. But all three movies are guaranteed to entertain, albeit in very different ways.

Capote

Philip Seymour Hoffman is superb as the titular writer, and this dramatization of real events follows Truman Capote as he investigates the murder of a Kansas family. The big-city writer travels to small-town America with his friend, Harper Lee, and his research into the case and the friendship he forms with one of the killers lead to the creation of one of the classics of American literature, 1965's In Cold Blood.

The movie has a very high 89% rating from the Rotten Tomatoes critic roundup, and it comes with high praise from The New York Review of Books: "Capote is the only movie I know of that comes close to suggesting successfully what the complex process of creating a literary work actually looks like."

The Village Voice rated it too (no link available), saying: "Capote is a cool and polished hall of mirrors reflecting the ways in which Truman Capote came to write (and be written by) In Cold Blood." And Empire gave the movie the full five stars. It's "an outstanding film, anchored by a great central performance."

Terrifier 2

This is unlikely to appear in a double bill with Capote, but Damien Leone's slasher sequel has a whopping 87% rating from critics with strong stomachs. Once again Art the Clown targets teenagers in a small town, and over its two-plus hours the film delivers a stylish and genuinely frightening horror story.

This is not a movie for the faint hearted. "Skip dinner before you watch," LA Weekly recommends, "and maybe shower and then go do something nice for humanity afterward?" And HorrorBuzz was cautious in its praise, saying: "Mae West was once quoted as saying, 'Too much of a good thing can be wonderful!'. Here it depends entirely on how you felt about the first Terrifier."

But even Common Sense Media was won over. "The heinous Art the Clown returns in this intensely gory sequel that tries much harder – and is much smarter – than the original movie."

The Taking of Pelham One Two Three

This classic thriller was remade, largely unsuccessfully, as a Denzel Washington vehicle in 2009. But the one you want is the 1974 original starring Walter Matthau, which is currently sitting with an entirely deserved 98% on Rotten Tomatoes. It's the story of an audacious crime: four men get on a New York subway train, separate the carriage and hold 17 passengers hostage. If their demands aren't met, they'll shoot a hostage every hour.

Matthau's "wonderfully weary sense of irony is perfect," says The Hollywood Reporter, while the late Roger Ebert told Chicago Sun-Times readers that "What's good about Pelham's example of the form is that the performances are allowed enough leeway so that we care about the people not the plot mechanics. And what could have been formula trash turns out to be fairly classy trash, after all."

As Empire put it, it's "the kind of gritty, relentless thriller that could only come from the ‘70s" and it's influenced lots of culture: "Quentin Tarantino would later nick the criminals using colors as codenames gambit for Reservoir Dogs; the Beastie Boys reference it in the song Sure Shot."

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