Humberside Police in the UK has released results from a trial of an AI assistant designed to guide officers in the field, suggesting that it could save more than 23,000 officer hours per year. The “Project Moriarty” pilot with Coeus Software looked into how British police forces could use AI to boost efficiency and consistency.

AI is inevitably finding its way into frontline policing, as it is in other professions, and the results from the Humberside Police trial show both its promise and its limits.

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A new report, based on a global survey of 250 decision makers at large financial services organizations of over 5,000 employees, shows that 82 percent have suffered a data breach via cyberattack, or a data leak, an unintentional exposure of sensitive data, in the past year.

The report from Blancco Technology Group finds 43 percent of breaches or leaks were attributed to stolen devices and drives.

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Experts are warning that the rapid development and growing availability of artificial intelligence tools is leading to an alarming rise in cybercrimes targeting older adults. Since technology alone cannot stop social engineering, specialists suggest that seniors learn to recognize the recurring scam patterns that criminals have used for decades to steal money and personal data.

The surge in AI is giving cybercriminals new ways to deceive people, with elderly users often among the main targets. According to The Hidden Cost of Scams [PDF] report by Independent Age, adults over 65 in the UK lose an average of nearly £4,000 each, with total losses reaching about £7.4 billion.

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More than a year-and-a-half after announcing its retirement, Microsoft has revealed its plans to fully remove Defender Application Guard from Office.

The journey has been a long a slow one for the this security feature which isolates untrusted Office documents in a virtualized contained. Deprecation was first announced way back in November 2023, and the process of complete removal will not be finished until the end of 2027.

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After years of requests, WhatsApp is finally, fully available on Apple Watch. The app gives users access to many of the core messaging functions found on the phone version, including reading and responding to chats, recording and sending voice messages, and viewing photos and stickers.

The new app will allow users to check messages, respond with quick replies, and listen to or send voice notes directly through the watch. If you rely on WhatsApp to stay in touch with friends, family or work, you can now use it while on a run, during a commute, or in situations where using a phone isn’t possible.

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Operational technology and IT have historically tended to follow separate paths. But in recent times the spread of Internet of Things devices has seen the two moving closer together.

We spoke to David Montoya, Paessler global business development manager OT/IoT, to discuss how the OT landscape has evolved and why businesses need to be on top of the change.

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Given the publicity Microsoft has given to the end of mainstream support for Windows 10, there are few users who are unaware if this fact. And with the promotion of the Extended Security Updates (ESU) program, most are also aware that there is still a way to get updates.

So, there was a mixture of surprise and anger when users signed up to receive Extended Security Updates started it see a message informing them that “Your version of Windows has reached the end of support”.

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It may not have been long since Microsoft finally released the Windows 11 25H2 update, but the company is already working away on the next big release. We know little about it, but Microsoft has – perhaps accidentally – released code that makes reference to Windows 11 26H1.

This is the first time that Microsoft has referred to this particular branch of Windows 11 development, lending some credibility to the rumors that this was the next feature update for the operating system. So, what do we know?

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Like many people, you’ve probably put off installing Windows 11 updates because you need to get on with something else. And if at the end of the day you have selected the “Update and Shut Down” option in the Start menu, you may well have questioned yourself when Windows chose to restart instead.

But this was not you; it was Microsoft’s fault. The company has just admitted to the long-standing issue while quietly fixing the bug that has irritated users for a surprisingly long time.

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AI systems are only as dependable as the data and validation that lies behind them. Yet many organizations struggle to test AI models comprehensively across languages, regions, and use cases.

That’s why crowdsourced testing platform Testlio is launching a new, end-to-end AI testing solution as the latest addition to its managed service portfolio.

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Agon by AOC has announced the first QD-OLED gaming monitors in its AOC GAMING range. The 27-inch Q27G4ZDR and Q27G4SDR introduce OLED panel technology to AOC’s entry-level gaming line, combining QHD resolution with high refresh rates aimed at competitive players.

Both monitors use QD-OLED panels rated for 0.03ms response time and high contrast ratios. The Q27G4ZDR runs at 240Hz, while the Q27G4SDR ramps that up to 360Hz. Each has QHD resolution at 2560x1440 and 10-bit color depth with a reported 1.07 billion colors. The design follows the company’s G4 series styling with slim bezels and a matte finish.

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New research from Sophos into ransomware in the retail industry shows that among organizations that had data encrypted, 58 percent paid the ransom to get their data back -- the second highest payment rate in five years.

The survey, of 361 retail IT and cybersecurity leaders across 16 countries, also finds that 46 percent of attacks began with an unknown security gap, while 30 percent exploited known vulnerabilities. 58 percent of victims with encrypted data paid, however, only 48 percent of attacks resulted in encryption. The median ransom demand doubled to $2 million from 2024 and average payment increased five percent to $1 million.

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Ashampoo has released Backup Pro 27, an updated version of its backup software designed to help prevent data loss caused by drive failure, malware, or accidental deletion.

Aimed at both home and small business users, the new Ashampoo Backup Pro 27 improves how users create and manage backup plans, and offers faster performance and better support for modern Windows features.

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New research from Forescout Vedere Labs reveals that 65 percent of devices across organizations are no longer traditional IT. Of these 11 percent are network equipment, while 24 percent are part of the extended IoT, such as IoT, OT and IoMT.

Financial services (54 percent), healthcare (45 percent) and oil, gas and mining (40 percent) are the sectors that have the highest percentages of non-IT devices.

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Freepik has introduced Freepik Spaces, a new product within its AI Creative Suite to allow creative teams to design, automate, and collaborate on visual projects in real time. The platform uses a node-based interface that brings the entire creative process onto one shared canvas, so teams can move from concept to campaign within a single environment.

Freepik Spaces is targeting creative directors, advertisers, marketers, filmmakers, innovation leads, and other professionals who work across visual media. Users can connect multiple AI tools and workflows within the same space, doing away with the need to switch between separate applications. The goal is to streamline production and make collaboration easier for distributed teams.

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