Watch out Windows users, a Secure Boot update has been blocked on Windows 11 PCs due to failing on some devices — here's how to check if you're affected

• Microsoft has blocked Secure Boot updates on some devices
• There have been issues with some devices updating from the 2011 certificate to the latest 2023 certificate
• Some older devices or those not supported by their OEM may be restricted in downloading the latest Secure Boot certificates

Microsoft has blocked some Windows 11 PCs from installing Secure Boot updates due to known issues with certificate updates.

The company is currently rolling out an update for Secure Boot on devices using certificates issued in 2011, which are now expired. The new 2023 certificate is being applied through Windows Update, but issues on devices with faulty firmware have forced Microsoft to halt the rollout.

“Devices in this group are affected by a known issue. To reduce risk, Secure Boot certificate updates are temporarily paused while Microsoft and partners work toward a supported resolution,” Microsoft said.

Secure Boot issues

Secure Boot has long been a device-saving feature when it comes to removing malicious files, as it allows the device to verify and load only authentic software before booting to Windows. However if the device cannot receive certificate updates it can fall victim to threats at the boot-level before Windows is loaded.

Microsoft is currently working with manufacturers to issue a patch that will allow affected devices to install the new Secure Boot 2023 certificate, with HP issuing a BIOS update to allow the installation of the latest certificate.

What this means in practice is that some older devices, or devices that no longer receive updates via their Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM), will not be able to apply Secure Boot and Boot Manager protections. Microsoft clarified that, “this results in a gradual reduction in long-term security—not an immediate risk or system failure. Continue to follow standard security practices, including staying current with Windows updates.”

So even if your device is blocked from installing the latest Secure Boot certificate, it will continue to work properly, other Windows updates will continue to work, and your Secure Boot version will continue to protect against known vulnerabilities. It’s just future vulnerabilities that users affected by this issue will need to be aware of.

Many users may not be aware of issues until they need to use Secure Boot, so the silver lining in Microsoft’s warning is that now is the perfect time to check if your Secure Boot is working properly.

How to check Secure Boot is up to date

To check if you are using the latest Secure Boot certificate, take the following steps:

• Open the Windows Security app using the search bar
• Navigate to the Device Security dashboard using the menu on the right hand side
• Look at the Secure Boot section, and check for the following messages:

(Image credit: Microsoft)

1. "Secure Boot is on"

If you see this message, Secure Boot is likely working properly. However, this does not display your certificates’ current state. Microsoft has been rolling out an update to show if your Secure Boot is running on the latest certificate, so make sure your don't have any pending Windows updates.

(Image credit: Microsoft)

2. “Devices in this group are affected by a known issue.”

Devices with this message will likely be able to install the latest certificates once a firmware update has been issued by your OEM. Check your OEM update channel for availability.

(Image credit: Microsoft)

3. “Secure Boot is on, but your device does not support the automated Secure Boot certificate update due to hardware or firmware limitations.”

Devices with this message may no longer be supported by your OEM, or the OEM might no longer be able to provide the firmware updates needed. Microsoft recommends checking your OEM’s Secure Boot support page to confirm whether your device is out of support.

Via WindowsLatest

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Lidl customers across Europe hit in suspected data breach - here's what we know

• Lidl confirms cyberattack at third-party IT service provider that exposed customer data including names, phone numbers, emails, dates of birth, and customer numbers
• Passwords, payment details, and addresses were not affected, but the company warns of phishing risks and urges vigilance against identity fraud attempts
• Incident was contained quickly, reported to authorities, and investigated by forensic experts; Lidl operates ~12,900 stores across 32 countries

Lidl is warning its customers of a cyberattack which may have affected some of their personal information stored with the company.

In a data breach notification published on its Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany websites, the German discount supermarket chain said an IT security incident at one of its IT service providers affected some of the data stored by Lidl Online Shop customers.

“We were informed of this incident at the beginning of the week,” a machine-translated notification reads. “Despite high IT security standards, unknown persons briefly gained access to a separately stored file with customer data and part of the data was stolen from it. The system of the online shop itself is not affected.”

Unknown impact

Lidl said that the unnamed miscreants walked away with people’s full names, phone numbers, email addresses, dates of birth, and customer numbers. Passwords, billing and delivery addresses, bank details, and other payment information, was allegedly not stolen. Customer accounts remained unaffected, as well.

However, the company is urging its customers to remain vigilant, since there is a high chance the crooks will use the data to send personalized phishing emails.

“Although we currently have no concrete evidence of misuse of data, we warn you about possible phishing attempts or identity fraud as a precaution,” Lidl said.

The company did not say which IT service provider was targeted, or how many people are affected. It merely stated that the company “responded immediately” and “took necessary steps” to restore the full security of the affected systems. The company also filed a report with the relevant authorities, and called in IT forensic experts to investigate the incident.

Local authorities, such as the Dutch Data Protection Authority, or the Belgian “competent supervisory authority for data protection” were notified, as well.

Lidl operates around 12,900 stores across 32 countries in Europe and the United States.

Via Cybernews

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NYT Strands hints and answers for Monday, July 13 (game #862)

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 Sunday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Strands hints and answers for Sunday, July 12 (game #861).

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 #862) - hint #1 - today's theme

What is the theme of today's NYT Strands?

• Today's NYT Strands theme is… Just what I needed

NYT Strands today (game #862) - hint #2 - clue words

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

• LEAN
• TASTE
• THESPIAN
• HUNT
• JEST
• HIDES

NYT Strands today (game #862) - hint #3 - spangram letters

How many letters are in today's spangram?

• Spangram has 11 letters

NYT Strands today (game #862) - hint #4 - spangram position

What are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?

• First side: left, 5th row

• Last side: right, 6th row

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

NYT Strands today (game #862) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #862, are…

• PLEASANT
• DELIGHTFUL
• ENJOYABLE
• SATISFYING
• SPANGRAM: HITSTHESPOT

• My rating: Hard
• My score: 1 hint

Only four words to spot but my goodness were they difficult to see.

Fortunately, the board was brimming with non-game words, including a couple of uncommonly long ones, so I took a hint.

However, even after getting PLEASANT I still didn’t understand the search and labored over the remaining three words and the Woodhousean spangram.

I hope it was all more DELIGHTFUL and SATISFYING for you.

Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Sunday, July 12, game #861)

• STOOP
• BOROUGH
• BODEGA
• SUBWAY
• TAXI
• BAGEL
• DELI
• SPANGRAM: EMPIRESTATE

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.

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NYT Connections hints and answers for Monday, July 13 (game #1128)

Looking for a different day?

A new NYT Connections 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 Sunday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Connections hints and answers for Sunday, July 12 (game #1127).

Good morning! Let's play Connections, the NYT's clever word game that challenges you to group answers in various categories. It can be tough, so read on if you need Connections hints.

What should you do once you've finished? Why, play some more word games of course. I've also got daily Strands hints and answers and Quordle hints and answers articles if you need help for those too, while Marc's Wordle today page covers the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Connections today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

NYT Connections today (game #1128) - today's words

(Image credit: New York Times)

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• UMBRELLA
• SALEM
• BUCKET
• QUESTION
• PUSS
• GRILL
• PUMP
• KISSER
• MUG
• FIGARO
• SMACKDOWN
• DRAWER
• EXAMINE
• BUSSIN
• TOM
• PECKISH

NYT Connections today (game #1128) - hint #1 - group hints

What are some clues for today's NYT Connections groups?

• YELLOW: Quiz a suspect
• GREEN: You can handle it
• BLUE: Feline characters
• PURPLE: Loved up

Need more clues?

We're firmly in spoiler territory now, but read on if you want to know what the four theme answers are for today's NYT Connections puzzles…

NYT Connections today (game #1128) - hint #2 - group answers

What are the answers for today's NYT Connections groups?

• YELLOW: INTERROGATE
• GREEN: THINGS WITH HANDLES
• BLUE: FICTIONAL CATS
• PURPLE: STARTING WITH SMOOCHES

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

NYT Connections today (game #1128) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Connections, game #1128, are…

• YELLOW: INTERROGATE: EXAMINE, GRILL, PUMP, QUESTION
• GREEN: THINGS WITH HANDLES: BUCKET, DRAWER, MUG, UMBRELLA
• BLUE: FICTIONAL CATS: FIGARO, PUSS, SALEM, TOM
• PURPLE: STARTING WITH SMOOCHES: BUSSIN, KISSER, PECKISH, SMACKDOWN

• My rating: Hard
• My score: 3 mistakes

Without a clue with the final eight tiles I made three mistakes before finally getting the FICTIONAL CATS foursome.

I was mystified as I played this game but I now know that buss — as featured at the start of BUSSIN — is a very old word for kiss that fell out of favor in the 1600s. Due for a comeback, then.

Meanwhile, I had no idea what the connection for BUCKET, DRAWER, MUG and UMBRELLA was, beyond vaguely thinking you could carry water in all of them (not that you see many people carrying water in a drawer).

Not my finest game.

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Sunday, July 12, 2026, game #1127)

• YELLOW: REPRODUCTIVE PART OF FRUIT: PIP, PIT, SEED, STONE
• GREEN: BIT OF FRUIT FLAVORED CANDY: DOT, NERD, RUNT, SPREE
• BLUE: VERBS IN A COLLEGE LIFE SLOGAN: PARTY, REPEAT, SLEEP, STUDY
• PURPLE: STARTS OF U.S. CAPITALS: DEN, MAD, PHO, SAC

What is NYT Connections?

NYT Connections is one of several increasingly popular word games made by the New York Times. It challenges you to find groups of four items that share something in common, and each group has a different difficulty level: green is easy, yellow a little harder, blue often quite tough and purple usually very difficult.

On the plus side, you don't technically need to solve the final one, as you'll be able to answer that one by a process of elimination. What's more, you can make up to four mistakes, which gives you a little bit of breathing room.

It's a little more involved than something like Wordle, however, and there are plenty of opportunities for the game to trip you up with tricks. For instance, watch out for homophones and other word games that could disguise the answers.

It's playable for free via the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.

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Gambling, noir detectives, and urinating robots: Warframe's long-awaited Tau update is unlike anything I could possibly have predicted

• Warframe's upcoming Tau update was showcased today at TennoCon in London, Ontario
• The update will take the game in a bold new direction, introducing a noir detective story
• A smaller Fall update is scheduled before Tau lands later this year

So, it's finally happening: Warframe is going to the Tau system later this year, in a hotly anticipated major update that has been repeatedly teased for years.

Having just watched the reveal live at TennoCon 2026, I have to say... any predictions I had about this update could not have been more wrong.

Last year's The Old Peace update gave us a glimpse of Tau's distant past, showing glittering orbital academies and futuristic humans living in harmony with the robotic Sentient race. As it turns out, the 'present-day' Tau is absolutely nothing like that.

The undercity of Fornax is a grim, addiction-wracked settting. (Image credit: Digital Extremes)

Instead, today's event introduced us to a grimy neo-noir dystopia, a Sentient city named Fornax inside a gigantic ring-shaped superstructure orbiting one of Tau's dead worlds. The live demo at TennoCon is seen through the eyes of a new upcoming warframe, Brysko, who is so obviously a frameified version of Blade Runner protagonist Rick Deckard that it almost borders on parody, right down to his long jacket and beefy signature pistol. Oh, and did I mention that he's voiced by Matt Mercer?

Dark city

The narrative of the new update leaps between plotlines at a breakneck pace (as has become common for Warframe's frankly wild storytelling), first showing us flashbacks featuring the Lotus and the player characters finally figuring out how to get to Tau. Meanwhile, sometimes-hero-sometimes-villain Albrecht Entrati is already in Tau, sending Brysko on an investigation into Fornax's seedy underworld in a story that clearly draws heavy inspiration from 40s noir detective films.

Fornax is not a great place to live. It evokes Blade Runner's rain-soaked Los Angeles or Cyberpunk 2077's Night City, blended with the crumbling architecture and utter hopelessness of Warhammer 40,000's multi-layered hive cities. "Addiction is the theme of this update," said Warframe Creative Director Rebecca Ford at the press preview event I attended on Thursday night, and that's immediately evident in the city's inhabitants.

Tau introduces a whole new cast of characters in Brysko's detective storyline. (Image credit: Digital Extremes)

Brysko himself chain-smokes cigars, the undercity slums are filled with drug-addled Sentients begging for scraps and pissing in the streets (yes, these robots can urinate... no, developer Digital Extremes did not explain how or why), and a large part of the live demo focuses on a casino seemingly run by presumed-dead Sentient character Adis, all grown up and now a cold, calculating mob boss named 'the Hunra'.

The neo-noir stylings extend here, too. Unlike most of the playable warframes in game (or the mutated human protoframes), Brysko is what Ford calls a "chimeraframe" - in other words, a frame who retains his own personality and individuality. He narrates his investigation in classic jaded detective fashion, and seemingly has an ongoing romance with a Sentient blues singer who performs in the Hunra's club.

A twisting tale

In true Warframe fashion, it's a staggeringly unusual twist for the overarching story. This is a game where you don't reach the character creation screen until after at least a dozen hours of gameplay; the plot dances between genres, a space opera one minute and a 1990s time-travel adventure the next. It's dipped its toes into cosmic horror, military shooters, and tales of anticapitalist rebellion.

Yes, we're getting playable Lotus before GTA 6. (Image credit: Digital Extremes)

Swordfights, gunfights, ghost pirates, hoverboards, cats, mechs, and worlds to explore inside children's fantasy storybooks. Perhaps it was inevitable that Digital Extremes might eventually settle on a dark detective thriller in its writing team's roving adventure through the annals of genre fiction. But I certainly didn't see it coming, and I'd be amazed if anyone else did too.

A small slice of the TennoCon live demo showed the arrival of one of the Vessels: titanic bio-mechanical humanoids built for the coming war against Warframe's big bad, but until now left inert in the old labs beneath the surface of Deimos. We briefly saw a customization screen that let you choose a body type and tweak the colors of the Vessel, implying that we'll probably be playing as one directly in the near future, but the context for this has largely been left unanswered thus far.

New stars, new worlds

Setting aside the bizarre new narrative direction for a moment, let's break down what we can actually expect from the Tau update when it drops in late 2026.

As many fans have hoped, it looks like the Tau system will contain its own new star chart to navigate (essentially the 'world map' of Warframe), separate from the Origin System chart that currently forms the basis for the game's setting. Ford confirmed that players will be able to move between the two systems at will once Tau is unlocked, adding: "This is just growth - we're not replacing anything." I have to wonder if this particular statement was prompted by a certain other sci-fi live-service game and its controversial habit of routinely hacking out older content...

The Tau system brings multiple new worlds to explore, but only two regions will be available this year. (Image credit: Digital Extremes)

At launch, Tau will feature two explorable planets, with the megacity of Fornax being one of them. Fornax itself will be broken into three 'hubs', the first of which is the casino setting shown in the live demo. From there, Digital Extremes has plans to further flesh out the system in future updates; one part of the demo shows at least three other planets in orbit around Tau's binary suns, one of which appears to have been shattered by some ancient conflict.

Different challenges

Gameplay-wise, it's largely the same fast-paced parkour-combat Warframe fans have come to love, just expanded. The demo showcases multiple new Sentient enemy types, new guns, a grappling hook mechanic, and a boss fight against a fantastically designed pair of Sentient twins who can amalgamate their bodies into a single large monster.

There are some spins on the usual formula coming too, though, specifically to reflect the wildly different setting of Tau. Gone is the Steel Path, Warframe's 'hard mode' overseen by mentor character Teshin - instead, a new endgame difficulty will be implemented for missions in Tau, with the Steel Path's Acolyte minibosses also replaced by something Digital Extremes was not yet ready to reveal.

Tau makes liberal use of Warframe's Mature rating, with more swearing and the introduction of gambling minigames. (Image credit: Digital Extremes)

Ford also teased at least one new mode with "a twist on the core Warframe mission structure, to make it feel more fresh." Oh, and you can gamble via a selection of minigames in the Hunra's club, with Ford immediately comparing it to Final Fantasy VII's beloved Gold Saucer amusement park.

And that's about everything we know so far. The Tau update is slated for late 2026 (most likely December, from the cadence of major updates), with a smaller content drop - named 'Iceblade of Narin' - coming in the Fall. I'll wrap it up here, but needless to say, I'm very excited now.

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NYT Connections hints and answers for Sunday, July 12 (game #1127)

Looking for a different day?

A new NYT Connections 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 Saturday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Connections hints and answers for Saturday, July 11 (game #1126).

Good morning! Let's play Connections, the NYT's clever word game that challenges you to group answers in various categories. It can be tough, so read on if you need Connections hints.

What should you do once you've finished? Why, play some more word games of course. I've also got daily Strands hints and answers and Quordle hints and answers articles if you need help for those too, while Marc's Wordle today page covers the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Connections today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

NYT Connections today (game #1127) - today's words

(Image credit: New York Times)

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• PARTY
• NERD
• MAD
• STONE
• DOT
• DEN
• PIP
• STUDY
• PHO
• SPREE
• SLEEP
• PIT
• RUNT
• SAC
• SEED
• REPEAT

NYT Connections today (game #1127) - hint #1 - group hints

What are some clues for today's NYT Connections groups?

• YELLOW: Vital part of plants
• GREEN: Singular confections
• BLUE: Campus motto
• PURPLE: City syllables

Need more clues?

We're firmly in spoiler territory now, but read on if you want to know what the four theme answers are for today's NYT Connections puzzles…

NYT Connections today (game #1127) - hint #2 - group answers

What are the answers for today's NYT Connections groups?

• YELLOW: REPRODUCTIVE PART OF FRUIT
• GREEN: BIT OF FRUIT FLAVORED CANDY
• BLUE: VERBS IN A COLLEGE LIFE SLOGAN
• PURPLE: STARTS OF U.S. CAPITALS

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

NYT Connections today (game #1127) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Connections, game #1127, are…

• YELLOW: REPRODUCTIVE PART OF FRUIT: PIP, PIT, SEED, STONE
• GREEN: BIT OF FRUIT FLAVORED CANDY: DOT, NERD, RUNT, SPREE
• BLUE: VERBS IN A COLLEGE LIFE SLOGAN: PARTY, REPEAT, SLEEP, STUDY
• PURPLE: STARTS OF U.S. CAPITALS: DEN, MAD, PHO, SAC

• My rating: Hard
• My score: 2 mistakes

For anyone based outside of the US, like me in the UK, this game had an added layer of difficulty thanks to Connections’ fondness for candy brands and state capitals.

By now, of course, I should be fully aware of the many varieties of candies — some of which admittedly have travelled beyond the US to cause dental issues around the world — but compressed dextrose delight SPREE is not one I have heard of.

Somehow, though, I floundered my way through with just two mistakes.

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Saturday, July 11, 2026, game #1126)

• YELLOW: CIRCUS EQUIPMENT: CANNON, STILTS, TRAPEZE, UNICYCLE
• GREEN: UNDISTURBED, AS WATER: CALM, FLAT, GLASSY, STILL
• BLUE: "TOY STORY" CHARACTERS: BO PEEP, JESSIE, SLINKY, WOODY
• PURPLE: DOUBLE LETTERS APPEARING IN THAT LETTER'S ALPHABETICAL:
• POSITION AARDVARK, BOCCE, EBBING, TWIDDLE

What is NYT Connections?

NYT Connections is one of several increasingly popular word games made by the New York Times. It challenges you to find groups of four items that share something in common, and each group has a different difficulty level: green is easy, yellow a little harder, blue often quite tough and purple usually very difficult.

On the plus side, you don't technically need to solve the final one, as you'll be able to answer that one by a process of elimination. What's more, you can make up to four mistakes, which gives you a little bit of breathing room.

It's a little more involved than something like Wordle, however, and there are plenty of opportunities for the game to trip you up with tricks. For instance, watch out for homophones and other word games that could disguise the answers.

It's playable for free via the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.

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NYT Strands hints and answers for Sunday, July 12 (game #861)

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 Saturday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Strands hints and answers for Saturday, July 11 (game #860).

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 #861) - hint #1 - today's theme

What is the theme of today's NYT Strands?

• Today's NYT Strands theme is… In the Big Apple

NYT Strands today (game #861) - hint #2 - clue words

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

• GABLE
• WAXY
• GRIP
• TILED
• DATA
• HUGGER

NYT Strands today (game #861) - hint #3 - spangram letters

How many letters are in today's spangram?

• Spangram has 11 letters

NYT Strands today (game #861) - 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 #861) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #861, are…

• STOOP
• BOROUGH
• BODEGA
• SUBWAY
• TAXI
• BAGEL
• DELI
• SPANGRAM: EMPIRESTATE

• My rating: Easy
• My score: Perfect

It took me a while to see BAGEL and DELI, possibly because I don’t associate them uniquely with New York, but this slight delay aside today’s game was a breeze.

I even managed to spot the spangram before any game words — EMPIRESTATE towering from the top to the bottom of the board, much like the magnificent building — earning myself the Spangram First 100 times badge.

As Alicia Keys sang, “concrete jungle where dreams are made of” — although this possibly doesn’t apply if your dream is acing word searches.

Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Saturday, July 11, game #860)

• CHEESE
• SOUP
• MILK
• TUNA
• PEPPER
• SALT
• NOODLES
• SPANGRAM: CASSEROLE

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.

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NYT Strands hints and answers for Saturday, July 11 (game #860)

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, July 10 (game #859).

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 #860) - hint #1 - today's theme

What is the theme of today's NYT Strands?

• Today's NYT Strands theme is… Fishy fare

NYT Strands today (game #860) - hint #2 - clue words

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

• PROSE
• DATE
• POEM
• SALE
• CANE
• TAUNT

NYT Strands today (game #860) - hint #3 - spangram letters

How many letters are in today's spangram?

• Spangram has 9 letters

NYT Strands today (game #860) - hint #4 - spangram position

What are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?

• First side: left, 5th row

• Last side: right, 5th row

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

NYT Strands today (game #860) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #860, are…

• CHEESE
• SOUP
• MILK
• TUNA
• PEPPER
• SALT
• NOODLES
• SPANGRAM: CASSEROLE

• My rating: Easy
• My score: Perfect

I have never sampled the delights of a tuna casserole, so I went on a Google search after completing today’s game and found dozens of variations to the Strands recipe including the addition of lime, swapping the noodles for macaroni, and adding a potato chips topping.

It seems easy to make so I’m going to give it a go — but without the MILK.

Meanwhile, despite my culinary blank, I managed to navigate the board without any issues. A tasty start to the weekend.

Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Friday, July 10, game #859)

• BELIEVE
• HISTORY
• HASTE
• GOOD
• MERRY
• LOVE
• SENSE
• SPANGRAM: WECANMAKEIT

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.

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NYT Connections hints and answers for Saturday, July 11 (game #1126)

Looking for a different day?

A new NYT Connections 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 Connections hints and answers for Friday, July 10 (game #1125).

Good morning! Let's play Connections, the NYT's clever word game that challenges you to group answers in various categories. It can be tough, so read on if you need Connections hints.

What should you do once you've finished? Why, play some more word games of course. I've also got daily Strands hints and answers and Quordle hints and answers articles if you need help for those too, while Marc's Wordle today page covers the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Connections today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

NYT Connections today (game #1126) - today's words

(Image credit: New York Times)

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• STILL
• STILTS
• SLINKY
• AARDVARK
• WOODY
• GLASSY
• CANNON
• BOCCE
• EBBING
• BO PEEP
• FLAT
• UNICYCLE
• CALM
• JESSIE
• TRAPEZE
• TWIDDLE

NYT Connections today (game #1126) - hint #1 - group hints

What are some clues for today's NYT Connections groups?

• YELLOW: As seen in a Big Top
• GREEN: Glacial waters
• BLUE: Pixar favorites
• PURPLE: Ordered ABCD

Need more clues?

We're firmly in spoiler territory now, but read on if you want to know what the four theme answers are for today's NYT Connections puzzles…

NYT Connections today (game #1126) - hint #2 - group answers

What are the answers for today's NYT Connections groups?

• YELLOW: CIRCUS EQUIPMENT
• GREEN: UNDISTURBED, AS WATER
• BLUE: "TOY STORY" CHARACTERS
• PURPLE: DOUBLE LETTERS APPEARING IN THAT LETTER'S ALPHABETICAL
• POSITION

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

NYT Connections today (game #1126) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Connections, game #1126, are…

• YELLOW: CIRCUS EQUIPMENT: CANNON, STILTS, TRAPEZE, UNICYCLE
• GREEN: UNDISTURBED, AS WATER: CALM, FLAT, GLASSY, STILL
• BLUE: "TOY STORY" CHARACTERS: BO PEEP, JESSIE, SLINKY, WOODY
• PURPLE: DOUBLE LETTERS APPEARING IN THAT LETTER'S ALPHABETICAL:
• POSITION AARDVARK, BOCCE, EBBING, TWIDDLE

• My rating: Easy
• My score: Perfect

Congratulations if you spotted the DOUBLE LETTERS APPEARING IN THAT LETTER'S ALPHABETICAL POSITION.

I did momentarily think the double-A in AARDVARK was significant, but the other groups came together so easily I put it to one side.

A sign of an easy, universally gettable game is not just how quickly you complete the four groups, but also how common it is that you complete it in difficulty order.

That was the case for me today, although with the exception of the purple any of the groups would qualify as a yellow on other day. My brain is struggling to think of anything other than England vs Norway in the World Cup, so I’m grateful for the time off.

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Friday, July 10, 2026, game #1125)

• YELLOW: SMARTPHONE SETTINGS: AIRPLANE MODE, DO NOT DISTURB, HOTSPOT, LOCATION SERVICES
• GREEN: DESSERT MENU DESCRIPTORS: DECADENT, FRESH-BAKED, MOLTEN, À LA MODE
• BLUE: '8OS SYNTH-POP BANDS: DEPECHE MODE, ERASURE, NEW ORDER, PET SHOP BOYS
• PURPLE: STARTING WITH BASEBALL CALLS: BALL GOWN, OUTKAST, SAFE MODE, STRIKE A POSE

What is NYT Connections?

NYT Connections is one of several increasingly popular word games made by the New York Times. It challenges you to find groups of four items that share something in common, and each group has a different difficulty level: green is easy, yellow a little harder, blue often quite tough and purple usually very difficult.

On the plus side, you don't technically need to solve the final one, as you'll be able to answer that one by a process of elimination. What's more, you can make up to four mistakes, which gives you a little bit of breathing room.

It's a little more involved than something like Wordle, however, and there are plenty of opportunities for the game to trip you up with tricks. For instance, watch out for homophones and other word games that could disguise the answers.

It's playable for free via the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.

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Ransomware attacks against education sector rise 16% in one year becoming the new favorite target — and reckless GenAI use could be to blame

• Check Point Research reports education faced 4,816 weekly ransomware attacks in June 2026, up 16% YoY, keeping it the most targeted sector
• Risks stem from open networks, thin budgets, and reckless GenAI use, with 1 in 26 enterprise prompts leaking sensitive data and 85% of orgs affected
• Latin America saw the sharpest rise (27%), while government and telecoms also absorbed heavy volumes, showing attackers’ focus on high‑exposure industries

Every week in June, organizations in the education industry around the world faced 4,816 ransomware attacks. This is up 16% compared to the same month last year, and means this sector remains the most popular target among cybercriminals.

This is according to “A New Ransomware Leader Emerges as June 2026 Attack Volumes Climb Worldwide”, a new in-depth report on the state of ransomware, published by security experts Check Point Research (CPR).

As per CPR’s new paper, education is a popular target because of “open campus networks, constant device turnover, and thin security budgets”. In other words, it’s a low-hanging fruit, especially compared to other industries like government, technology, or healthcare. But these are not the only reasons why hackers target education more than any other industry. It is also because of how employees behave which, by using GenAI recklessly, substantially increases security risk.

Latin America bearing the brunt

“It is about what employees place into prompts: customer records, internal documents, infrastructure details, legal material, financial data, or HR information that may be copied into public or unmanaged GenAI tools,” CPR explains.

“1 in every 26 GenAI prompts from enterprise networks carried a high risk of sensitive data leakage, equal to a global exposure rate of 3.9%,” the paper reads. “85% of organizations that regularly use GenAI tools were affected by high-risk prompt activity,” and “a further 27% of prompts contained potentially sensitive information.

This mostly affects organizations in Latin America who reported, on average, 3,501 weekly attacks (up 27% compared to June 2025). APAC followed at 3,060 (up 5%), and Africa posted 3,008 weekly attacks (down 9%).

Besides education, ransomware operators are also targeting government institutions (2,836 weekly attacks - up 5%), and telecoms (2,835 weekly attacks - up 13%).

“Together these three sectors continue to absorb a disproportionate share of global attack volume, a pattern that has held steady across recent months even as the specific numbers shift,” CPR concluded.

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NYT Strands hints and answers for Friday, July 10 (game #859)

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 Thursday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Strands hints and answers for Thursday, July 9 (game #858).

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 #859) - hint #1 - today's theme

What is the theme of today's NYT Strands?

• Today's NYT Strands theme is… I think…

NYT Strands today (game #859) - hint #2 - clue words

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

• STAY
• STORY
• SNAKE
• LEEK
• ROBE
• HATE

NYT Strands today (game #859) - hint #3 - spangram letters

How many letters are in today's spangram?

• Spangram has 11 letters

NYT Strands today (game #859) - hint #4 - spangram position

What are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?

• First side: left, 1st row

• Last side: right, 6th row

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

NYT Strands today (game #859) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #859, are…

• BELIEVE
• HISTORY
• HASTE
• GOOD
• MERRY
• LOVE
• SENSE
• SPANGRAM: WECANMAKEIT

• My rating: Hard
• My score: Perfect

Is it possible to look at today’s theme and not say to yourself “... therefore I am”? Apparently it is, because the words that complete “I think…” here were instead the more seemingly everyday “we can make it”.

Thinking that I was missing out on some cultural reference point I googled all of today’s game words, along with the spangram, and the AI result claimed that all the words feature in the 17th-century Irish Jacobite love song, Mo Ghile Mear (My Gallant Hero). And there was me thinking it was from Ted Lasso or a Taylor Swift song I’d not heard of.

Despite my ignorance I was able to navigate the game without using any hints.

Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Thursday, July 9, game #858)

• STICK
• GLOSS
• STAIN
• LINER
• TINT
• BALM
• PLUM
• SPANGRAM: KISSANDMAKEUP

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.

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It's not just about the GPU crunching on an LLM anymore': Apple silicon leader explains why a Mac Mini could be the surprising choice for a machine running all your AI agents

• The Mac mini has emerged as an affordable system for agentic workloads
• Apple has seen "incredible demand" for the Mac mini and Mac Studio
• Apple silicon can handle an agentic AI while other architectures use a GPU and CPU

If you’re looking for the best way to explore and deploy agentic AI without breaking the budget, the Mac mini might be just what you’re looking for.

Apple’s Doug Brooks has expressed enthusiasm for how the Mac mini and Mac Studio desktop computers are capable of handling agentic AI tasks, thanks to Apple silicon, the ARM-based SoC that the company has introduced over the past half decade.

Success with local AI on these machines has been attributed to design choices made before the arrival of advanced LLMs, with the evolution of Apple’s Neural Engine highlighted as a key factor.

How the Mac mini is ideal for agentic AI

The Mac Studio is also suited to agentic AI (Image credit: Future)

Brooks is the senior product manager of Apple silicon, and referred to the “incredible demand” for Mac minis and Mac Studios when speaking to The Deep View before WWDC 2026.

Describing the Mac mini as an “amazing system” that can “tap into the strengths of Apple silicon and unified memory in a very power-efficient way, and increasingly they're delivering compelling price-performance as well.”

The price point of a Mac mini – compared to the more expensive Mac Studio – makes it particularly suited to teams exploring agentic AI but without the budget to pay for tokens and larger systems.

Neural Engine technology dates back to the A11 chip, and its evolution and inclusion within the current generation of Apple chips, and its high-performance, power-efficient compute processes are pivotal in delivering machine learning to the desktop.

As many AI tools were available first on the Mac (or released exclusively for macOS), it seems that upgrading to the latest Mac mini or switching from Windows has been instrumental in demand.

Mac mini: amazing for AI

Apple’s work on AI has seen deployment in everyday use across computers, tablets, and smartphones, and the company has been a leading exponent of hybrid AI, where an agent can “decide what needs to happen locally and what needs to happen in the cloud based on the workload.”

“For agentic workloads, people often want a system that's under their control, isolated from their primary machine, and capable of running 24 hours a day, seven days a week.”

But it is the strength of the Apple Mac mini and Apple Studio – as well Apple’s notebooks – in handling AI that seems to have enthused Brooks the most. He cites security and economics as concerns for developers and creators who are now realising that they can handle AI workloads sitting at their desk – whether using a Mac mini or something more powerful.

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These popular Tenda routers have an unpatched security backdoor which could give hackers access

• CERT/CC discloses CVE‑2026‑11405, a critical 9.8/10 flaw in multiple Tenda router families caused by a hardcoded backdoor credential
• Attackers can bypass normal login checks and gain full admin access with the hidden password, regardless of configured username or password
• Tenda has not responded; CERT/CC advises disabling remote web management and limiting local exposure, though these are only partial mitigations

Multiple Tenda router families carry a critical vulnerability that allows malicious actors to log in with admin privileges without knowing the credentials, experts have found.

The CERT Coordination Center disclosed a vulnerability in Tenda routers which it described as an undocumented authentication backdoor caused by a hardcoded credential.

The flaw is tracked as CVE-2026-11405 and was assigned a severity score of 9.8/10 (critical). CERT/CC allegedly tried reaching out to the manufacturer, to no avail.

How the vulnerability works

Explaining how it works, CERT/CC says that the attacker would first try to log into the router’s web management interface normally. Even if the credentials are wrong, the firmware would not automatically reject them, but would rather check a second, hidden password, stored internally. If the attacker knows the hidden credential, they get full admin access, regardless of the configured admin password or username.

The username doesn’t even matter, as long as the password is supplied. Obviously, CERT/CC did not say what the password was, but with a little reverse-engineering of the firmware, it can be exposed either on the dark web, or to the general public.

Tenda is a Chinese company building budget networking gear, popular mostly in India and adjacent markets, where its products are popular in homes and among small businesses.

The flaw thus still affects multiple firmware versions, including FH1201, W15E, AC10, AC5, and AC6 router families. To make matters worse, CERT/CC added that the full list of affected models is probably even bigger.

Tenda is yet to comment on the findings. In the meantime, CERT/CC recommended users disable remote web management, if possible, to make sure the vulnerability cannot be exploited remotely, at least. The organization also suggests limiting local network exposure, but stresses that this is not an entirely bulletproof solution.

Via Tom's Hardware

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