AI-powered malware surges as cybercriminals exploit automation and geopolitical tensions
Trellix has published its latest CyberThreat Report: October 2025, highlighting a clear rise in the use of AI-powered tools and malware by cybercriminals.
Drawing on global threat intelligence gathered between April and September 2025, the report explores how automation, geopolitics, and AI are reshaping modern attack methods.
Google updates Gboard with ability to hide comma and period keys
Android users have a message range of keyboards to choose from, Gboard among them. The beauty of the level of choice is the selection of options and degree of personalization that is made possible.
And it is with personalization in mind that Google has updated Gboard, introducing the option to hide the period and comma keys.
Confidence in ransomware recovery is high but actual success rates remain low
A new study from OpenText of nearly 1,800 global IT and security leaders shows a false sense of confidence in ransomware readiness.
The report shows that 95 percent of respondents say they’re confident in their ransomware recovery -- yet only 15 percent of those attacked have fully recovered their data.
Instagram rolls out drawing and sticker options for DMs
Having someone sliding into your DMs on Instagram could be about to look a little different. The social media platform is rolling out the ability to adorn direct messages with stickers as well as freehand drawing.
As this has been in testing for a reasonable amount of time already, these options may already be familiar to subsets of Instagram users – but now they are rolling out to everyone. If you are yet to experience these new messaging tools, they may not be quite what you expect them to be.
Microsoft reincarnates Clippy for the AI age with Copilot Mico
You may have tried to forget Clippy, but Microsoft is still hanging doggedly on to the idea of character-based assistants. Having thrown everything at its AI assistant Copilot, the company is now giving it a friendly face – Mico.
As part of what it refers to as the Copilot Fall Release, Microsoft is trying to soften its artificial intelligence powered digital assistant and, by extension, people’s attitudes to it. This is the company moving towards making AI more personal, useful, and human-centered, and there is a lot of attention given to relationship.
Generalist teams vs specialist tools -- the enterprise IT paradox [Q&A]
With hyperscalers better able to attract the best talent and headcount tight across the board, most enterprises are leaning heavily on generalist IT teams to manage their environments.
But in many cases the tools they’re expected to use were designed for specialists. Legacy tools like ConnectWise, Device42, or ServiceNow often require deep expertise, complex integrations, or expensive customization making them unsuitable for generalist teams.
Surfshark introduces web content blocker for home users
Cybersecurity and privacy firm Surfshark has launched a new web content blocker aimed at home users who want to filter online material without the tracking aspect often found in parental control software.
The new feature lets users choose the content categories they want to restrict and then lock them with two-factor authentication. The same settings can be applied across all devices tied to the same account.
Red Hat introduces Developer Lightspeed, an AI-driven assistant to streamline workflows
Red Hat has announced a brand new suite of generative AI tools designed to slot directly into the company’s development ecosystem. The Red Hat Developer Lightspeed platform will allow developers to work more efficiently via context-aware assistance from within Red Hat’s existing toolsets. This includes the Red Hat Developer Hub and the migration toolkit for applications.
The company describes Developer Lightspeed as a response to the growing need for reliable, domain-specific AI tools rather than everyday, general-purpose models.
Wyze expands its smart home lineup with a new battery-powered video doorbell
Wyze has added a new video doorbell to its expanding line of home security devices. The Wyze Battery Video Doorbell enters a market already dominated by products such as Amazon’s ubiquitous Ring range (with its maddening ding-ding-dong chime), but it aims to be a budget wire-free alternative that’s simple to set up while providing a wide, head-to-toe view of the front door area.
The doorbell records in a 1:1 aspect ratio at 1536 x 1536 HD+ resolution, capturing a square frame that covers both visitors and packages placed near the door.
Google Earth's new AI tools let users ask questions about the planet
While Google Earth isn’t as massively popular as it once was, it now has some new AI capabilities that could give it fresh purpose. The platform lets users ask questions about the planet and get answers in seconds, using natural language to uncover patterns once buried in data.
The new tools combine satellite imagery, environmental models and Google Gemini’s reasoning to help people better understand what’s happening on the planet we call home.
A blast from the past! DivX turns 25 and looks back on its digital video legacy
If you’re of a certain age, the name DivX might bring back fond memories of CDs and DVDs with hand-scrawled titles, slow downloads, and the thrill of watching a video that actually played smoothly on your computer. I can’t remember the last time I heard anyone mention it, but for a time, DivX was everywhere -- and now it’s marking its 25th anniversary.
Founded in San Diego in 2000, DivX arrived just as online video was finding its footing. Its codec made it possible to shrink video files to a manageable size without turning them into pixelated messes. In an age before fast broadband and cloud storage, that felt close to magic.
TP-Link launches Archer GE400 Wi-Fi 7 gaming router
TP-Link has announced a new entry-level Wi-Fi 7 gaming router aimed at players who want faster wireless performance without paying a premium. The Archer GE400 rounds out TP-Link’s Wi-Fi 7 gaming range, joining the GE800 and GE650 and priced at a more affordable $219.99.
Wi-Fi 7 builds on the Wi-Fi 6E standard and improves wireless stability and responsiveness by combining higher modulation rates and multi-band communication.
How did it do that? Over half of IT leaders not confident explaining AI model decisions
A new report from Anaconda shows 51.4 percent of IT leaders say they’re not very confident in explaining AI model decisions to regulators, executives, or customers.
As a result they’re over-promising and under-delivering, and this trouble communicating creates unrealistic expectations for customers and stakeholders. 26 percent of respondents identify difficulty demonstrating ROI as a top concern. What’s more just 22 percent say they would describe their organization’s AI deployment as ‘strategic’.
Cyber incidents cost organizations millions
Security leaders estimate that, on average, cyber incidents cost their organization $3.7 million, with 46 percent suffering from an outage or disruption to their services as a consequence of attacks.
A new survey from Red Canary of 550 security leaders, from the US, UK, New Zealand, Australia, and the Nordic countries, finds that SOC teams continue to struggle with the challenges of securing cloud environments, identities, and AI technologies amid evolving threats.
Microsoft celebrates 11 years of the Windows Insider Program with new wallpapers
Microsoft is a big fan of marking milestones and anniversaries by releasing wallpaper. Now the company is doing just that to celebrate the eleventh anniversary of the Windows Insider Program.
The program was designed with a dual purpose. Firstly it gives Microsoft a way to mass test changes to its operating system, and secondly it gives eager users the chance to test out and shape the future orf Windows.
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