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• North Korea has established a new AI hacking department
• The new group will be called 'Research Center 227'
• North Korea carried out many cyber offensives in 2024, including a fake interview campaign

The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea) has established “Research Center 227” according to reports from Daily NK.

This research center reportedly plans to operate “around the clock” to immediately respond to real-time information from North Korean intelligence agencies.

“In late February, the Supreme Commander issued an order to the RGB under the General Staff Department to enhance overseas information warfare capabilities. This order included instructions to establish Research Center 227 for hacking technology research” a source told Daily NK.

Persistent operations

The research center is likely to be focused on "strengthening hacking capabilities” and develop hacking technologies and programs in order to neutralize western cybersecurity systems and critical infrastructure.

These offensives will primarily aim to steal information and disrupt adversary computer networks.

The center will reportedly recruit around 90 computer experts and graduates from high-profile university and doctoral programs, the source confirmed;

“These are not cyber warriors who directly carry out information warfare missions in foreign locations, but internal research staff who develop offensive programs. With the establishment of Research Center 227, the RGB’s cyber operational capabilities will be significantly strengthened in the future.”

Cyber operations in North Korea have been launched increasingly in recent times, especially from the notorious Lazarus group, which has been observed spreading malware through various large-scale attacks, and deploying infostealers to grab credentials from western organizations.

Notably, North Korean hackers have been running the ‘Contagious Interview’ campaign with fake interviews or job adverts which prompts victims to download malware disguised as video conference software.

Also included in this campaign is a series of cybercriminals faking their identities in order to take up software jobs, most likely in order to gain access to critical service systems and information from large western firms, or other fraudulent behavior.

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• Dichen Lachman has given her verdict on the Severance season 2 finale's biggest moment
• The actor believes it'll divide the hit Apple TV+ show's fanbase
• She thinks it's going to be difficult to give everyone the happy ending that they deserve

Severance star Dichen Lachman has lifted the lid on the season 2 finale moment that will divide the popular show's fanbase.

Full spoilers immediately follow for Severance season 2 episode 10. Do not proceed if you haven't seen it yet!

Does Gemma finally leave Lumon Industries with her husband Mark? Well... (Image credit: Apple TV+)

Speaking exclusively to TechRadar ahead of the Apple TV Original's latest episode, Lachman said she's just as torn as everyone else will be over innie Mark's decision to choose Helly R over his outie's wife. The latter, of course, is Gemma Scout, aka the outie persona of the character that Lachman portrays.

The final installment of Severance season 2, titled 'Cold Harbor', is full of incredibly significant moments. You can read more about everything that happened in my Severance season 2 episode 10 ending explained piece.

By far the most consequential incident, though, takes place in the season 2 finale's last five minutes. After rescuing Gemma, Mark S (i.e., Mark's innie) and Ms. Casey (one of Gemma's multiple severed personas) make it to the severed floor's exit stairwell.

Gemma and Mark, together at last... for about five minutes (Image credit: Apple TV+)

There's a severance barrier installed in this doorway. So, as long as the pair leave, their outie personas will take over, and they can seemingly leave Lumon for good and get their Happily Ever After moment.

That's where things take a heart-breaking turn in the Apple TV+ series. Mark S convinces Ms. Casey to leave, which allows Gemma to take over once more. However, despite pleading with Mark S to join her in the stairwell, he hesitates just long enough for Helly R to find them.

We know Mark S loves Helly R, so we can see what's coming next. Mark S chooses Helly R over his outie's wife, and the pair flee through Lumon's labyrinthine halls as a devastated Gemma watches on through the exit door's tiny window.

I wouldn't want to be in Mark's shoes at this very moment! (Image credit: Apple TV+)

Severance fans have long been conflicted about who they want Mark to end up with. The creative team's decision to have him pick Helly over Gemma is – for the time being at least – sure to generate a fierce debate between the loyal following of one of the best Apple TV+ shows'.

For her part, Lachman admitted she was sad when she learned that, after two years apart – not to mention Mark thinking his wife had been dead all that time – Mark and Gemma's reunion is a fleeting one. Nonetheless, as a fellow fan of the sci-fi mystery-thriller series, Lachman acknowledged how tough it must have been for Mark to make the decision.

"To see him again is just like a miracle for Gemma," Lachman told me. "I think she'd pretty much given up hope [of reuniting with Mark].

"I think it's such an incredible moment for them to turn into their innies [and] for Gemma to finally leave Lumon, and then see him, as Mark S instead of her husband, choose to walk away with another woman.

Mark S (right) chooses Helly R (left) over his outie's wife Gemma (Image credit: Apple TV+)

"But, she has a moment where she realizes 'Oh my god, it's not him [her husband],'" Lachman continued. "It's so intense and I feel like the audience, even as a fan myself, everyone is going to be torn [over Mark's decision] because there's this really wild love triangle happening now. You've got Helena and Mark, Helly and Mark S, and Gemma and Mark, so it's an incredibly complicated situation.

How does anyone want this to end? It's really difficult

Dichen Lachman, Severance actor

"You feel for Helly, and Mark S, and you really believe in that beautiful connection they have. At the same time, you have Gemma and Mark. How does anyone want this to end? It's really difficult. I mean, even as a viewer, I don't know how I want to end, because there's such beautiful things about both relationships."

When I suggested the possibility of a happy ending for all parties, Lachman added: "I don't know. What is a happy ending in this situation, right? Maybe they'll have to do a timeshare! That's my personal fan theory on how things could end."

Maybe that's a story thread you can take to creator Dan Erickson and executive producer Ben Stiller, Dichen? It's worth a try, especially with season 3 now officially confirmed to be in the works! For more news and exclusives on all things Severance, check out the section below.

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As much as I love my Nintendo Switch and Steam Deck, I’m not convinced the handheld gaming console exercise has been nearly perfected from-wise since Nintendo’s Game Boy.

Sure the need for batteries and the chunky build of the original model wasn’t ideal, but later models made the cosine more pocketable. And the Game Boy Advance SP took it even further with a flippable design.

Foldable phones arguably make some headway giving a bigger screen for gaming but also a device that fits into a jacket pocket. But the software and gaming experience has yet to be perfected here. And for proper modern gaming power one needs a larger console.

So what’s the solution to this? Well, I think it might be a foldable console.

Sounds a bit odd doesn’t it? But my fellow managing editor and gaming fan, Josie Watson, got a look at a foldable console concept from Samsung Display. Check the video out below.

@techradar

♬ Storytelling - Adriel

I have to say I’m rather sold on this design. Usually, I’m skeptical about such concepts; last year we saw a flexible display that could be worn as almost a sci-fi-like smartwatch and I wasn’t convinced by it.

But a foldable console that takes a Switch-style design and helps make it more pocket-sized is pretty compelling.

Obviously, there would be concerns over cooling and how much performance could be extracted from such a device. Yet mobile tech has advanced enough to cleverly split chipsets into modules and use batteries that are separated but provide a single pool of power to tap into.

So I feel that there’s more scope for a foldable games console to become a practical reality.

What’s more, I reckon Microsoft could be the one to make it happen, given it’s partnered with Samsung before on the gaming side; I just don’t expect this to happen with the rumored Xbox handheld.

If nothing else, I’m still glad to see Samsung Display coming up with intriguing concepts, especially when the mainline company is increasingly treading the path of releasing iterative products, as seen with the Samsung Galaxy S25.

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• Sirui joins the L-Mount Alliance along with Panasonic, Leica and more
• First Sirui L-Mount product will be an Aurora 85mm portrait lens
• More L-Mount lenses promised before end of 2025

The L-Mount Alliance just announced the addition of a new member – and it’s fantastic news for lovers of cheap, high-quality lenses.

Chinese lens manufacturer Sirui has become the latest company to sign up to the burgeoning technical and strategic partnership, which began in 2018 with founders Leica, Panasonic, Sigma and Ernst Leitz Wetzlar, adding DJI, Astrodesign, Samyang and Blackmagic Design to its ranks in the intervening years. In addition to dozens of lenses, there are currently around 20 L-Mount camera bodies on the market, including the Panasonic Lumix S1R II, Leica SL3, DJI Ronin 4D, Blackmagic Pyxis 6K and new Sigma BF.

Sirui’s membership means that it will now begin developing first-party lenses for the L-Mount system, starting with the Aurora 85mm f/1.4, a portrait prime with autofocus (a rarity for Sirui) and weighing just 504g.

The Sirui Aurora 85mm lens is already available for several mount systems – and L-Mount is next. (Image credit: Sirui) Affordable glass incoming

The Aurora is already available in Nikon Z, Sony E and Fujifilm X mount variants at an RRP of $499 / £456 / AU$763, which is exceedingly affordable for such a fast full-frame prime. And with most of Sirui’s lenses being relatively cheap, the company’s addition to the L-Mount Alliance looks like great news for thrifty L-Mount camera owners. In addition to still photography-focussed lenses like the Aurora, Sirui makes a wide line of cinema lenses, so L-Mount filmmakers may have some new high-quality glass available to them before too long.

Sirui disclosed the news about the imminent arrival of the L-Mount Aurora in a Facebook post, without confirming a release date. However, with the post also claiming that other Sirui autofocus lenses will join L-Mount before the end of 2025, it doesn’t sound like we’ll have too long to wait.

Now that Sirui is part of the L-mount Alliance, what L-mount versions of Sirui lenses do you hope to see? Let us know in the comments below

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• WP Ghost, a popular security plugin, carried a 9.6-severity flaw
• It allows threat actors to execute malicious code, remotely
• The developers released a patch, and users should update now

WP Ghost, a popular security WordPress plugin, was carrying a vulnerability that allowed threat actors to launch Remote Code Execution (RCE) attacks and take over entire websites.

All versions of WP Ghost up to 5.4.01 are flawed, and if you’re using this plugin, make sure to update it to version 5.4.02.

“The WP Ghost plugin suffered from an unauthenticated Local File Inclusion vulnerability,” explained researchers from Patchstack. “The vulnerability occurred due to insufficient user input value via the URL path that will be included as a file. Due to the behavior of the LFI case, this vulnerability could lead to Remote Code Execution on almost all of the environment setup.”

Updating the add-ons

The bug is now tracked as CVE-2025-26909, and was given a severity score of 9.6/10 (critical). It was patched by adding extra validation on the supplied URL or path from the user.

WP Ghost is a popular website builder security plugin, with more than 200,000 installs.

The plugin’s page states that it stops 140,000 attacks and more than nine million brute-force attempts every month.

It claims to offer protection against SQL injection, script injection, vulnerability exploitation, malware dropping, file inclusion exploits, directory traversal attacks, and cross-site scripting attacks.

“When working with user-provided data for a local file inclusion process, always implement a strict check on the supplied value and only allow users to access specific or whitelisted paths or files,” Patchstack concluded.

WordPress is a major target for cybercriminals, and its platform is quite robust, but it comes with a huge repository of third-party plugins and themes, both free-to-use, and paid ones.

Many of these are vulnerable to different exploits, which is why WordPress users are advised to carefully choose their add-ons, and always make sure to keep them updated.

Via BleepingComputer

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• Trust in data handling is declining across almost all sectors, report finds
• Thales says younger consumers are less likely to trust organizations
• 96% of consumers don't trust social media companies with their data

2025 has seen a “universal decline in trust for digital services” in comparison to this time last year, new research has claimed

Of the 14,000 consumers surveyed in the Thales 2025 Digital Trust Index report, banking was the number one industry named in regards to who consumers trust most when sharing their personal information- although with only a 44% approval rate.

Close behind are Government and Healthcare, with 41% and 40% respectively, an interesting finding considering millions of users have been affected by data breaches in the healthcare industry in recent months.

Data privacy concerns

Past the top three, the results get much more concerning. Insurance companies rank fourth, with just a 24% approval rate - and at the bottom of the scale, Social media and News media organizations have just a 4% and 3% rating - meaning users overwhelmingly lack trust in their data security within those sectors.

This represents a decline, year-on-year for every industry except Government organizations, and worryingly, there is a significant difference in how older and younger consumers feel, with 51% of over 55s expressing trust, but just 32% of Gen Z consumers feeling the same.

Other recent research found over 70% of websites share your personal data with third parties, even if you don’t consent, so when paired with the seemingly constant data breaches, it can’t be too much of a surprise that consumer trust is slipping.

“Global trust in digital services is decreasing or remaining stagnant at best, even among highly regulated industries,” said Sebastien Cano, Senior Vice President, Cybersecurity Products at Thales.

“One area that does not remain stagnant is the threat landscape. Consumers are more aware than ever before of online threats, and the consequences of their data falling into the wrong hands. As cyber threats evolve so does consumer scepticism, and brands must continuously adapt their security measures to stay ahead and rebuild confidence.”

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Spring is in session, and Max is here with its April schedule to show once again why it's one of the best streaming services. Meanwhile, I'm here to tell you that you'll be able to catch some of last year's best movies as well as the return of some of the best Max shows.

There's no denying that The Last Of Us has come out on top as everyone's favorite show on the platform, and after a two year absence its long-awaited The Last of Us season 2 will premiere on Max on April 13. But it doesn't stop there, as the fourth season of comedy show Hacks and The Rehearsal season 2 land on Max on April 10 and April 20, respectively.

It's a known fact that Max and A24 movies go hand in hand, and its roster of A24 features is getting two new additions; the apocalyptic comedy horror Y2K (2024) and the steamy erotic drama Babygirl (2024), starring Nicole Kidman and everyone's favorite father figure, Harris Dickinson – who I've been longing to see again since his performance in the new movie put me in a trance in the cinema.

Everything new on Max in April 2025

Arriving on April 1

A Kind of Murder (movie)
A Stolen Life (movie)
Aftersun (movie)
All I See Is You (movie)
Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked (movie)
April in Paris (movie)
Bad Santa (movie)
Bad Santa 2 (movie)
Black Death (movie)
Brittany Murphy: An ID Mystery (movie)
Chopped After Hours seasons 1-3 (TV show)
Chopped Junior seasons 6-7 (TV show)
Chopped Next Gen season 1 (TV show)
Deception (movie)
Doubling Down with the Derricos seasons 1-3 (TV show)
Drinking Buddies (movie)
Edge of the City (movie)
Expedition Unknown season 1 (TV show)
Friday (movie)
Friday After Next (movie)
Gold Rush: Parker’s Trail season 2 (TV show)
House Hunters Ho Ho Home season 1 (TV show)
House Hunters Renovation season 10 (TV show)
I'll See You in My Dreams (movie)
In This Our Life (movie)
It's Love I'm After (movie)
Jezebel (movie)
Jimmy the Gent (movie)
Juarez (movie)
June Bride (movie)
Kid Galahad (movie)
Land of the Lost (movie)
Little Men (movie)
Logan (movie)
Lucky Me (movie)
Lullaby of Broadway (movie)
Marked Woman (movie)
Moonshiners: American Spirit (movie)
Moonshiners: Master Distiller season 3 (TV show)
Moonshiners: Whiskey Business season 1 (TV show)
Mr. Nobody (movie)
Mr. Nobody: Extended Director's Cut (movie)
Mr. Skeffington (movie)
My Big Fat Fabulous Life seasons 6-9 (TV show)
My Dream is Yours (movie)
My Golden Days (movie)
Naked and Afraid season 14 (TV show)
Next Friday (movie)
Nobody Walks (movie)
Now, Voyager (movie)
Old Acquaintance (movie)
On Moonlight Bay (movie)
Panama Hattie (movie)
Parachute Jumper (movie)
Payment on Demand (movie)
Portrait of a Lady on Fire (movie)
Romance on the High Seas (movie)
Satan Met a Lady (movie)
Severance (movie)
Sixteen Candles (movie)
Special Agent (movie)
Stampede (movie)
Station West (movie)
Storm Warning (movie)
Suspicion (movie)
Tea for Two (movie)
That Certain Woman (movie)
The Biggest Little Farm (movie)
The Double (movie)
The Old Maid (movie)
The Prince (movie)
The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex (movie)
The Star (movie)
The Terminator (movie)
The Tree of Life (movie)
The West Point Story (movie)
The Wild North (movie)
The Working Man (movie)
Three on a Match (movie)
Winter Meeting (movie)
Young Man with a Horn (movie)

Arriving on April 2

Bateau Mouche: Sinking Justice season 1 (TV show)
Ride of Your Life with Courtney Hansen season 2 (TV show)

Arriving on April 3

Fix My Frankenhouse season 2 (TV show)
HOP season 1 (TV show)

Arriving on April 4

Y2K (movie)

Arriving on April 5

HGTV Smart Home 2025 (TV show)

Arriving on April 6

Iyanu season 1 (TV show)
Lazarus season 1 (TV show)

Arriving on April 7

2073 (movie)
Barney's World season 1 (TV show)

Arriving on April 8

90 Day Diaries season 6 (TV show)

Arriving on April 9

All Access PD: Grand Rapids season 1 (TV show)

Arriving on April 10

Gremlins: The Wild Batch season 2 (TV show)
Hacks season 4 (TV show)

Arriving on April 13

The Last of Us season 2 (TV show)

Arriving on April 15

Rock The Block season 6 (TV show)

Arriving on April 16

100 Day Dream Home season 6 (TV show)
Fist Fight (movie)

Arriving on April 17

Cookie Monster's Bake Sale: Block Party (TV show)
Ghost Adventures season 29 (TV show)

Arriving on April 18

Lu & The Bally Bunch season 1 (TV show)

Arriving on April 19

Bugs Bunny Builders season 2 (TV show)
Impractical Jokers season 11 (TV show)
Outback Opal Hunters season 7 (TV show)
Sal Vulcano: Terrified (comedy special)

Arriving on April 20

The Rehearsal season 2 (TV show)

Arriving on April 21

Yellowstone Wardens season 6 (TV show)

Arriving on April 22

Love It or List It season 20 (TV show)
Planet Earth III season 3 (TV show)

Arriving on April 24

Life of the Party (movie)

Arriving on April 25

Babygirl (movie)

Arriving on April 28

24 in 24: Last Chef Standing season 2 (TV show)
Evil Lives Here: The Killer Speaks season 2 (TV show)
Filthy Fortunes season 1 (TV show)

Arriving on April 29

Contraband: Seized at the Border season 6 (TV show)

Arriving on April 30

Castle Impossible season 1 (TV show)
Polyfamily season 1 (TV show)
Twitter: Breaking the Bird season 1 (TV show)

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• Nvidia is getting some RTX 5080, 5070 Ti and 5070 stock to retail
• However, a source at a major retailer claims AMD is pushing way more supply through, by a factor of 2x to 4x
• The RTX 5090 is notable in not being mentioned, despite recent rumors that the Blackwell flagship GPU was due for a spike in supply

Nvidia’s RTX 5000 GPUs are at least seeing some stock come through, but the quantity is easily outgunned by AMD’s supply of RX 9070 graphics cards, we’re hearing via the grapevine.

This is Moore’s Law is Dead, who has a new YouTube video out that discusses, among other topics, the supply levels of these new GPUs.

The source the YouTuber spoke to is from a major online retailer, claiming that the outlet has got some RTX 5080, as well as RTX 5070 Ti and RTX 5070 GPU stock in during the past week – so that’s a glimmer of something positive for the situation with Nvidia’s inventory, with some regular resupplying now underway.

However, AMD is apparently shipping a quantity of RDNA 4 graphics cards that’s at least double the amount of weekly Blackwell GPU shipments combined (in total) – and up to four times as much in some cases (varying week by week).

Obviously take this with plenty of caution, but it seems that Team Red is maintaining a consistent and sizeable lead over Nvidia in the GPU restocking race.

Analysis: A glimmer of hope for Nvidia, but it’s difficult to feel positive about Blackwell stock

At least there is more resupplying activity going on with Nvidia now, or so it seems, but if AMD really is quadrupling the amount of stock Team Green can muster in some weeks – with RX 9070 models arriving in fourfold quantities compared to the total of RTX 5080, RTX 5070 Ti and RTX 5070 shipments – that’s an eye-opening gulf.

Obviously, this is just chatter from a single retailer, which is a very limited view of the overall picture. But what we’ve seen of late more broadly is that AMD’s RDNA 4 GPUs are coming back into stock from time to time (we’re monitoring that closely), whereas Nvidia’s Blackwell models still appear to be vanishingly thin on the shelves. So, it’d be no surprise if AMD was shipping a lot more GPUs – something Team Red has already promised it would do, I might add. (A major UK retailer backs this up, too, as Overclockers says of RX 9070 XT restocking that “large shipments are expected in the next 1-2 weeks,” which sounds promising).

Of course, while RX 9070 models do seem to be arriving in more or less daily restocks, these graphics cards are disappearing very swiftly too, and AMD’s supply is still not meeting demand from gamers. But then, there appears to be a great deal of demand for RDNA 4, which is hardly surprising given all the negativity around Nvidia of late, and the glowing reviews that the RX 9070 XT has secured.

The upshot of all this could well be that AMD really starts to pull back GPU market share, and we’ve already seen hints that this is exactly what’s happening already, even at this early stage. If that continues, well, let’s say Nvidia has every reason to be worried, by the looks of how this is playing out.

Finally, what’s also notable here is that Nvidia’s RTX 5090 isn’t even mentioned in the leak from that major retailer, so the online store isn’t getting any fresh stock of the Blackwell flagship. It’s a niche GPU anyway, granted, but there were rumors that a spike in supply was due for the RTX 5090 come the end of March – and with not much of the month left, nothing’s doing (literally).

Is an uptick in RTX 5090, and other Blackwell stock, from Nvidia just around the corner? Well, maybe, but it’s difficult to feel very positive about that idea – although at least some inventory is now coming through, even if it’s apparently underwhelming in comparison to what AMD has rolling off the RDNA 4 production lines.

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• AMD's rumored "Sound Wave" chip is claimed to be an Arm-based APU
• It's believed to feature "RDNA 3.5+" CUs that are "enhanced" for machine learning
• MLID's sources allege the chip will feature 16MB Infinity Cache

Alleged new information has been uncovered about the rumored AMD "Sound Wave" APU, claiming it will be more towards machine learning, with "enhanced RDNA 3.5" CUs.

The news comes from reliable hardware leaker Moore's Law is Dead in a new YouTube video, with a long list of updated specs cited from "Late March 2025". It's a substantial update on the previous rumor that we covered back in March 2024.

Previously, it was believed that AMD's Sound Wave processor would be a Zen 6 mobile chipset. However, it's now claimed by MILD that the processor will be an Arm-based APU, similar to the likes of Qualcomm's Snapdragon X lineup instead.

Specifically, MLID's sources claim that AMD's Sound Wave APU will be built on a TSMC 3nm node, targeting 5-10W form factors, with two performance cores, four efficiency cores (six total), and 4MB of L3 cache. Crucially, it's alleged that there will be four RDNA 3.5 CUs with "improved ML Performance" which has been given the name of "RDNA 3.5+" unofficially, to denote a difference from the current RDNA 3.5 CUs available on chips.

Its capabilities for AI computing appear to be a main focus, as can be evidenced by the supposed "4th Generation AI Engine" backed by 16GB LPDDR5X-9600 RAM which is said to be for the "Standard" systems. MLID does not know if the newer RDNA 3.5 CUs will allow for FSR 4. However, gaming appears to be a secondary concern for this silicon.

An interesting development for the Sound Wave APU is that it will allegedly feature 16MB of Memory Access at Last Level (MALL) cache (known to AMD users as Infinity Cache) which is unusual for a 5-10W APU. It's curious because "Strix Point" does not have this, which is reportedly "documented" by MLID.

MLID later points out how the AI engine, CPU, and GPU will all work on the same controller, so having the extra bandwidth of 16MB Infinity Cache shared between them could be beneficial, even on such a modest chip.

AI computing without the power draw

While it's still early days for Sound Wave, all the rumors we've heard from the chipset sound as though it's primarily being geared around AI workloads without the (usually) high power draws of rival hardware. 16MB of Infinity Cache doesn't sound too dramatic an inclusion at first, however, that's before taking into account that the chip is only rated between 5-10W TDP.

Additionally, the RDNA 3.5+ CUs could be a big driving factor in AI workloads, depending on how optimized they really are for machine learning. With a 2026 release date claimed, it's unlikely we'll receive official word from AMD any time soon, but we now know it could be an optimized Arm-based APU rather than the chip that ushers in Zen 6 as we previously thought.

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The construction industry's labor and productivity challenges need urgent attention. In fact, construction's current trajectory of stagnant productivity and slow workforce growth means that by 2040, output could fall short of demand by $40 trillion.

This isn’t sustainable. A better synergy between workers and technology is imperative – and investing in technology is critical to closing this gap and attracting the next generation of tech-savvy talent. An area gaining a lot of attention (and rightly so) is jobsite intelligence (or, doing more with data, faster, and at scale).

Prioritizing jobsite intelligence — in the form of IoT-enabled solutions, automated visual data capture, and AI-enabled analytics — will help construction teams see more immediate results from their technology investments while building a solid foundation for digital transformation. Let’s explore how jobsite intelligence can help construction teams tackle some of their biggest challenges related to productivity, safety, and labor.

Maintaining efficiency amid staffing shortages

Technology solutions that streamline repetitive tasks and boost productivity help maintain efficiency amid declining workforce numbers. IoT-enabled, AI-powered, and automated jobsite intelligence solutions are a terrific place to start because they offer intuitive, easy operation. For example, a wireless jobsite camera that feeds visual data — imagery and video — directly into a project management platform or web-based dashboard gives managers visibility into all construction sites at once. Managers save hours of travel time. Plus, the entire organization benefits from the volumes of captured data collected.

Meanwhile, visual data that is captured and tagged via AI recognition can automatically document equipment usage and deliver important insights for managers. Knowing which equipment is used most frequently helps contractors limit downtime and give workers access to critical tools when they need them.

Enhancing jobsite safety and security with automation

It’s no secret that construction sites contain many risks. They are active environments where people, materials, and machines move interchangeably to complete the job. The industry has seen success with teams using 2D and 3D coordination software to simulate real-world environments in low-risk settings. Yet, it’s challenging for managers to measure the success of these training platforms — they can’t have eyes on all areas of the jobsite to make sure workers comply. That’s where AI-powered visual data is critical to enhancing site safety.

Connected camera solutions that feed visual data into AI-powered jobsite intelligence software give managers near real-time information via a web browser or smartphone. This insight empowers them to intervene if new risks emerge. For instance, by setting up parameters, managers can evaluate whether workers perform best practices for safety, such as wearing PPE and operating machinery correctly.

Alternatively, if too many people enter the jobsite at once, they can discover why. Automated intelligence works in the background to capture and analyze information – and will soon have the capacity to flag or alert when thresholds are met, bringing a more proactive and preventative approach to safety.

Next-gen employees want to know their safety is a priority. The same goes for security. Workers should return to sites as they left them. This instills peace of mind. Theft and vandalism costs the industry about $400 million to $1 billion in losses each year.

In addition to expensive material loss and scheduling delays, security issues present a productivity nightmare. Security cameras now have the capability to talk down, deter, and automatically flag authorities when a threat emerges. These recent advancements mean jobsite intelligence solutions can drive action in addition to delivering insights.

Recruiting next generation workers who value digital tools

New generations of the workforce are predominantly digital natives. They leverage technology to improve their daily lives — and expect that same experience at work. Embracing digital transformation not only helps recruit this tech-savvy generation. It also gives younger workers the opportunity to use their knowledge and expertise to drive future efficiencies.

With IoT-enabled solutions feeding data into AI-powered jobsite intelligence platforms, managers gain critical visibility into projects. Rather than chasing phone calls or driving from site to site, workers gain more control over their time. They can review their portfolio digitally and determine which sites need more time and attention. This helps younger generations achieve an element of the workplace flexibility they crave.

Similarly, these AI-powered jobsite intelligence solutions streamline communication and record-keeping, allowing for better data tracking, documentation, and validation. This promotes collaboration as workers can seek feedback from teams and clients in real-time from anywhere in the world, improving project timeliness. Plus, new employees gain access to digital files and plans from past projects to guide future work.

Reversing the productivity gap in construction

Jobsite intelligence in the form of AI, automation, and the IoT will transform construction workflows, helping teams deliver successful projects safely and efficiently. Even more important, these technologies establish a solid foundation for the industry’s broader digital transformation, which will be critical for meeting future productivity goals.

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

• Security researchers claim two Cisco Smart Licensing Utility bugs are being abused in the wild
• One of the bugs is a hardcoded admin account
• Both bugs were fixed in 2024, so users should update now

Cybercriminals are abusing two vulnerabilities found in Cisco Smart Licensing Utility (CSLU) to unknown ends.

Johannes Ullrich, Dean of Research at the SANS Technology Institute, noted threat actors are now chaining the two security flaws to target internet-exposed CSLU instances.

"A quick search didn't show any active exploitation at the time, but details, including the backdoor credentials, were published in a blog by Nicholas Starke shortly after Cisco released its advisory. So it is no surprise that we are seeing some exploit activity," Ullrich said.

No workarounds

CSLU is a tool that helps organizations manage and report the usage of Cisco software licenses in a more flexible and automated way.

It enables devices to connect to Cisco's Smart Licensing system, either directly or through an on-premises satellite server, to register and track entitlements without requiring constant internet access.

In September 2024, Cisco announced patching CVE-2024-20439, “undocumented static user credential for an administrative account”, which is a fancy way of saying someone left hardcoded admin credentials in the back end.

The vulnerability allowed threat actors to log into vulnerable systems remotely, over the API or the CSLU app.

At the same time, Cisco addressed CVE-2024-20440, an information disclosure vulnerability that threat actors used to access log files with sensitive information such as API credentials.

Abusing these flaws isn’t that straightforward, BleepingComputer notes, since it requires the victim to run the CSLU app in the background, which isn’t its default setting.

In any case, both vulnerabilities were patched, and there are no workarounds, so the only way to secure your instances is to apply the patch.

In the security advisory for the flaws, Cisco said it was “not aware” of any public announcements or malicious use, meaning the pages have not yet been updated.

Via BleepingComputer

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The rapid advancement of AI tools has intensified global competition, particularly between the United States and China.

The release of DeepSeek’s flagship large language model (LLM), followed closely by Alibaba’s Qwen, has ignited debate within the tech industry. Now, with the news that DeepSeek is fast-tracking the launch of its R2 model, moving up the release from May to as soon as possible, concerns around U.S. AI innovation, market stability, and national security are escalating.

As these developments unfold, they further underscore the global AI arms race, with companies and governments racing to establish dominance in AI-driven applications. The sudden emergence of low-cost, high-performance models has increased scrutiny over data policies, cost structures, and broader market implications.

Security concerns and regulatory scrutiny of DeepSeek

Beyond immediate market disruption, DeepSeek has raised serious security concerns. Recent research revealed that DeepSeek suffered a significant data breach, exposing over one million records and fueling fears about how AI models manage and protect user information.

This breach has amplified existing concerns about data security, particularly as AI models continue to expand their access to vast datasets. DeepSeek leverages open-source data from GitHub and Wikipedia as part of its training set. While these repositories provide vast information, they also introduce potential vulnerabilities related to misinformation, bias, and cybersecurity threats.

As a result, regulatory scrutiny of DeepSeek has intensified. Its operations have already been blocked in Italy, South Korea, and Taiwan, and a bipartisan bill has been introduced in the U.S. Congress to ban DeepSeek from government devices due to national security concerns.

Additionally, several states, including Texas, New York, and Virginia, responded by prohibiting the use of DeepSeek on government-issued devices and networks. These actions reflect the growing apprehension about foreign AI models, particularly regarding data governance and security risks.

While LLMs trained on vast data sources inevitably present some risk for misinformation and bias, these concerns do not represent a critical threat to AI development. Modern LLMs process terabytes of data, meaning any single data set, such as Wikipedia, is only a small fraction of the total input. Thus, while concerns about data accuracy are valid, they do not pose an existential threat to AI’s progression. Instead, they underscore the need for rigorous oversight and validation mechanisms to ensure responsible AI deployment.

The balance between AI innovation and security

The rise of DeepSeek and Qwen highlights the need for organizations to strike a balance between embracing AI innovation and ensuring security. While competition drives technological advancement, it also introduces significant risks that demand careful evaluation. Security leaders must adopt an initial “zero trust” approach before vetting and integrating AI into their workflows. Transparency in model training, data sourcing, and governance structures should be a prerequisite for adoption.

To achieve this, a proactive security strategy here is essential to shift from reactive AI security measures to real-time risk monitoring, behavioral analytics, and robust governance frameworks to safeguard data integrity and compliance. Security leaders should implement a comprehensive approach, which includes the following:

• Evaluate AI model security & compliance: Organizations should conduct thorough security assessments to understand how AI models handle sensitive data, comply with regulatory requirements, and mitigate misinformation risks.
• Deploy continuous AI threat monitoring: Implement behavioral analytics and anomaly detection to identify suspicious activity in AI-driven workflows, ensuring early detection of potential risks.
• Strengthen data protection & access controls: Enforce Zero Trust principles, restricting access to AI-generated data while leveraging automated threat detection to mitigate potential security gaps.
• Enhance incident response for AI threats: Organizations must update their incident response playbooks to include AI-specific risks, ensuring rapid response to data leaks, adversarial AI manipulation, and unauthorized model access.

DeepSeek’s emergence should be viewed as both a challenge and an opportunity. While U.S. markets have been thrown into turmoil by the influx of Chinese models, this disruption is likely to drive technological innovation, enhanced security frameworks, and more robust AI policies.

Organizations that take a proactive approach can harness the benefits of AI while mitigating potential risks. By strengthening security protocols and governance measures, businesses can safely integrate AI into their operations without compromising data integrity or compliance. Ultimately, by aligning innovation with security, organizations can navigate the evolving AI landscape with confidence and control.

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

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 Friday's puzzle instead then click here: Quordle hints and answers for Friday, March 21 (game #1152).

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 #1153) - hint #1 - Vowels How many different vowels are in Quordle today?

• The number of different vowels in Quordle today is 5*.

* 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 #1153) - hint #2 - repeated letters Do any of today's Quordle answers contain repeated letters?

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

Quordle today (game #1153) - hint #3 - uncommon letters Do the letters Q, Z, X or J appear in Quordle today?

• Yes. One of Q, Z, X or J appears among today's Quordle answers.

Quordle today (game #1153) - 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 2.

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 #1153) - hint #5 - starting letters (2) What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?

• P

• B

• B

• S

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

Quordle today (game #1153) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #1153, are…

• PICKY
• BRACE
• BOOZE
• SURLY

A close shave for me, as I struggled to find words that began B-O and ended in E with the letters I had left.

In the end I decided it had to include a double-O but it took me a while before I realized there had to be a rare Z too. I don’t think any starting combination would have made getting BOOZE any easier.

How did you do today? Let me know in the comments below.

Daily Sequence today (game #1153) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #1153, are…

• GREAT
• THRUM
• TIPSY
• CAULK

Quordle answers: The past 20

• Quordle #1152, Friday 21 March: DITTY, VALOR, TOWER, AMISS
• Quordle #1151, Thursday 20 March: RIPER, STILL, WAFER, NOTCH
• Quordle #1150, Wednesday 19 March: FLAME, CARAT, SPAWN, TUNIC
• Quordle #1149, Tuesday 18 March: NAVEL, TREAT, COPSE, SLINK
• Quordle #1148, Monday 17 March: INFER, FLINT, CHUMP, SHEER
• Quordle #1147, Sunday 16 March: INPUT, RUMBA, ELUDE, BLANK
• Quordle #1146, Saturday 15 March: SPEED, CLASH, RISKY, GRATE
• Quordle #1145, Friday 14 March: BELIE, SPEAR, GROWL, ADOBE
• Quordle #1144, Thursday 13 March: AMISS, METAL, TEARY, SHORT
• Quordle #1143, Wednesday 12 March: AWASH, PUSHY, RALPH, PROOF
• Quordle #1142, Tuesday 11 March: LINGO, JUICE, SHARP, REVEL
• Quordle #1141, Monday 10 March: AVAIL, THESE, TITAN, GAUGE
• Quordle #1140, Sunday 9 March: SKILL, IDEAL, WHERE, REHAB
• Quordle #1139, Saturday 8 March: WATCH, LAPSE, WREST, HEFTY
• Quordle #1138, Friday 7 March: GLEAN, SHINY, DECRY, MANGA
• Quordle #1137, Thursday 6 March: TRICE, EIGHT, BELCH, RIPER
• Quordle #1136, Wednesday 5 March: PLEAD, TWANG, MAJOR, RISKY
• Quordle #1135, Tuesday 4 March: FLOWN, ETUDE, TOPAZ, JOKER
• Quordle #1134, Monday 3 March: FRILL, KAYAK, REBAR, WORDY
• Quordle #1133, Sunday 2 March: TUNIC, GLOSS, DEBUG, LARGE

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 Friday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Strands hints and answers for Friday, March 21 (game #383).

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 #384) - hint #1 - today's theme What is the theme of today's NYT Strands?

• Today's NYT Strands theme is… A good roast

NYT Strands today (game #384) - hint #2 - clue words

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

• PLUG
• GLUE
• LINE
• KICK
• CROW
• KING

NYT Strands today (game #384) - hint #3 - spangram letters How many letters are in today's spangram?

• Spangram has 10 letters

NYT Strands today (game #384) - hint #4 - spangram position What are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?

First side: bottom, 3rd column

Last side: top, 3rd column

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

NYT Strands today (game #384) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #384, are…

• CHUCKLE
• HOWL
• SHRIEK
• GIGGLE
• CACKLE
• ROAR
• LAUGH
• SPANGRAM: CRACKING UP

• My rating: Moderate
• My score: 2 hints

Okay, I’ll confess. After seeing the theme “A good roast” I spent a couple of minutes hunting for chicken, pork, lamb and potatoes.

Instead, we were looking for an entirely different type of roast and the many reactions to a well-told put-down. It’s a shame they didn’t find room for my two favorite laughter synonyms – guffaw, which is something a flamboyant person would do, and titter, which is something an introverted person might do.

The hardest I have ever laughed at a comedy show is at a comedian whose entire act was pointing at images of owls with a stick. I think this possibly says a great deal about me and why I don’t get out much.

How did you do today? Let me know in the comments below.

Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Friday, 21 March, game #383)

• STUFFED
• MOUSSAKA
• PARMIGIANA
• RATATOUILLE
• SPANGRAM: EGGPLANT DISH

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.