Disney+ is raising its prices yet again
Subscribers to Disney+ are being asked to dig deeper into their pockets as the cost of the streaming service goes up again. In what is becoming an annual occurrence, subscription charges are increasing across the board.
If you were hoping that opting for an ad-supported tier would help with avoiding price increases, think again – even this subscription package is going up. With Disney having irritated many of its customers after the (since reversed) decision to suspend Jimmy Kimmel, the company should expect an even frostier reception than normal to asking people for more money each month.
Microsoft releases out-of-band Windows 11 update to fix Office problems
Microsoft has been forced to release an unscheduled update for Windows 11. The newly unleashed KB5068221 update addresses issues with Microsoft Office running in virtualized environments.
For those who have been experiencing the issue, the fact that this update fixes things is reason enough to install it. But Microsoft has also used this update release to share details of a workaround for a SMBv1 share problem.
WhatsApp goes multilingual with new message translation feature
WhatsApp has announced the launch of message translations after years of requests from users. Gone are the days of copying and pasting foreign language text into a translation too – everything is now taken care of in the app.
The aim is to allow for easy communication, wiping out language barriers. This is something that can benefit users having one-to-one chats, but it is also helpful in group chats where two or more languages may be in use. For now, it is something that is rolling out to Android and iOS users, and users with Android devices have access to a unique extra feature.
GoPro launches MAX2 360 with true 8K, new LIT HERO 4K camera, and Fluid Pro AI gimbal
GoPro has unveiled three new products in its camera ecosystem, each aimed at a different type of content creator.
These products are MAX2, a 360 camera with true 8K resolution and twist-off replaceable lenses, LIT HERO, a miniature lifestyle camera with a built-in light, and Fluid Pro AI, a gimbal for stabilizing GoPros, smartphones, and compact cameras.
Data security spending at record levels but costly breaches continue
A new report from Fortinet reveals that despite organizations increasing their data security budgets by 72 percent last year, insider-driven data incidents continue to surge, with 77 percent of companies experiencing at least one breach in the past 18 months.
The study, conducted with Cybersecurity Insiders, exposes a critical disconnect, while security leaders are adopting smarter strategies and securing stronger funding, traditional data loss prevention (DLP) tools are failing to protect against today's sophisticated threats in cloud-heavy, distributed work environments.
OBS Studio 32 introduces plugin manager, new formats, and major fixes
OBS Studio 32 has just been released, introducing new features, changes, and a host of fixes to the video recording and streaming tool.
Available for Windows, macOS, and Linux, the free, open source application is widely used by gamers to broadcast gameplay, but it can also capture desktop activity, mix multiple sources, and apply transitions or effects.
AI investment soars but only a tenth of projects are fully deployed
New research reveals that while organizations have nearly doubled their overall AI investment to $27 million (up from $14.7 million in 2024) and 87 percent report that the ROI on their AIOps initiatives has met or exceeded expectations, however, only 12 percent of AI projects have reached full enterprise-wide deployment.
The survey, of 1,200 business decision-makers, IT leaders, and technical specialists, from Riverbed shows organizations report facing several significant barriers to AI implementation. The majority are not fully prepared to roll out AI projects, with challenges including persistent issues with data quality and a gap between leadership optimism and the technical realities of implementation.
New attack tactics look to bypass MFA and target security blindspots
A new report from AI-powered managed extended detection and response company Ontinue shows a sharp rise in MFA-bypassing identity attacks in the first half of the year.
These attacks are using token replay abuse with roughly 20 percent of live incidents involving adversaries reusing stolen refresh tokens to bypass MFA, even after password resets.
Hardware vulnerabilities soar amid spread of IoT devices
There’s been an 88 percent increase in hardware vulnerabilities amid a proliferation of IoT devices, and 81 percent of security researchers have encountered new hardware vulnerabilities in the past 12 months.
New attack vectors and often forgotten targets like APIs and hardware are vulnerable and should be a key focus for CISOs today according to a new report from crowdsourced security company Bugcrowd, which shows organizations face growing challenges as applications go through multiple development cycles under pressure to release features quickly, often aided by AI-assisted coding.
Phishing is now the main entry point for ransomware
Phishing has overtaken all other vectors as the leading entry point for ransomware, cited by 35 percent of affected organizations, up sharply from 25 percent in 2024.
This is one of the findings of a new report from SpyCloud which also shows that 85 percent of organizations were affected by ransomware at least once in the past year, with nearly a third (31 percent) reporting six to 10 ransomware events in the last year.
Meta reminds the world about Facebook Dating by launching new features
Facebook is primarily about staying in touch with people, but Facebook Dating is about starting relationships. It seems unlikely that Facebook is the first place people think of when it comes to finding partners, and Meta has just decided to add new features to Facebook Dating and use it as a reason to remind the world of its existence.
Despite the rather older demographic that Facebook generally attracts, Meta says that “hundreds of thousands of young adults in the US and Canada create Facebook Dating profiles every month”. It is for these people that a dating assistant and Meet Cute feature are being added.
Grindr forces its own brand of AI on angry users
Having announced plans earlier this year to become an “AI native” company, Grindr has caused ire by introducing new gAI (its own artificial intelligence tech, pronounced “gay-I”) on an opt out basis.
Grindr users have been expressing anger in recent days as they encounter an in-app pop-up informing them that AI is now being used for a personalized experience. While it is possible to opt out of this – as many people want to do so – the company has been heavily criticized for not making this optional more accessible, and for opting everyone into using AI by default int the first place.
Windows 11 will let you use video wallpapers – here’s how to do it now
Microsoft is taking a step back in time with Windows 11, introducing a feature not seen since the days of Vista. If you are sick of a static desktop background, you will be pleased to learn that you will soon be able to use a video as your backdrop instead.
This is something Microsoft was first playing with nearly two decades ago, before scrapping it as a bad idea. Now – for reasons unknown – the company feels the time is right to revive the DreamScene feature of Windows Vista in Windows 11.
MX Linux 25 beta arrives with Debian 13 base and updated desktops
The MX Linux team has released the first beta of MX Linux 25, a major update that moves the distribution to a Debian 13 base. The beta is available in multiple editions, including both systemd and SysVInit options for Xfce and Fluxbox. KDE Plasma is offered with systemd only.
The announcement says, “MX-25 beta 1 is now available for testing. MX-25 is built from debian 13 ‘Trixie’ and MX repositories, along with the antiX live system. Systemd and SysVInit editions are provided and supported.”
TikTok's U.S. survival hinges on an algorithm overhaul overseen by Oracle
The Trump administration has outlined a plan that would put Oracle in charge of safeguarding TikTok’s recommendation system, a senior White House official said today. The proposal is designed to ease U.S. concerns that the app could be steered by Beijing, while keeping TikTok available for the 170m people who use it in America.
The recommendation engine, which decides what videos appear in a user’s feed, sits at the center of the dispute. Often described as the app’s most important feature, its secret sauce, it is also the focus of security worries. U.S. officials argue that because it was created by ByteDance, based in Beijing, the Chinese government could influence what users see by pushing or hiding certain content without detection.
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