Huntress spotted a ClickFix campaign targeting security pros via fake conference invites
Victims tricked into pasting code that installs AMOS infostealer on macOS
If lured, isolate systems, reset credentials, rotate secrets, and review cryptocurrency wallets
Cybercriminals are targeting security professionals with a highly tailored ClickFix campaign in an attempt to get their computers infected with infostealer malware, experts have warned.
An active campaign against people who have attended, or have a history of attending, various cybersecurity conferences such as Black Hat, or DEF CON has been detetced by security researchers Huntress, who were targets themselves.
The attack starts on X, where the threat actor uses a fake account to interact with people visiting and sharing content from these conferences. After establishing rapport, they move into DMs, claiming they’re organizing a conference of their own, and sharing a Google Docs file containing “more info” with the victim.
Follow-up attack
Here is where the attackersy go for the ClickFix attack. The document comes with a vertical sidebar, apparently as a security feature that keeps the contents of the file encrypted. The victim is given a decryption code to enter, but it returns an error and offers a solution - to bring up the Terminal and copy/paste a piece of code.
From here, it’s the usual ClickFix practice: the victim ends up downloading and running AMOS, a notorious Mac infostealer capable of grabbing browser information, cookies, keychain data, cryptocurrency wallet information, Telegram files, and more. The Windows variant did not work when Huntress tried to analyze it, but it’s safe to assume the end goal is the same.
Huntress also found that this is not where the attack ends. If the victim does not install the infostealer, the threat actor will follow up with a different document, this time pretending to be for Dropbox and working only with the desktop app. Of course, the download button leads straight back to the infostealer.
The researchers shared a full list of Indicators of Compromise (IoC) which can be found on this link. They also advised anyone who interacted with this kind of lure to isolate the system from the network, collect relevant forensic evidence, and “consider reimaging the system”.
“Assume that credentials on the system have been compromised”, they said. “Revoke active sessions, reset passwords, and rotate API keys or any other secrets that may reside on the system. Review cryptocurrency wallets as well, if present.”
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Windows 11's August update has broken some PC games
Microsoft is investigating reports of crashes, but right now it's unclear what the root cause is
Theories point to security measures in the update potentially causing issues with certain drivers and conflicts with anti-cheat tools
Windows 11 has run into trouble with gamers (again) after the latest monthly update for the OS, and Microsoft is investigating what's gone wrong.
The Register noticed that Microsoft has posted on the Windows release health dashboard about "reports of certain games becoming unresponsive" following its latest patch.
In some cases, games are either freezing and becoming unresponsive, as mentioned, or simply closing (crashing to the desktop), with an error ('Exception Access Violation') being displayed in some cases. There are also some reports of spontaneous reboots occurring after a game crashes.
Not all PC games are affected by any means, with Microsoft noting that reports are coming in from players of Arc Raiders, Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls, and The Finals.
Microsoft is currently trying to work out what's going on, saying: "Ongoing investigation indicates that this issue is related to peripherals or internal device components which have RGB lighting features. Such devices may install drivers or code components with file names similar to inpoutx64. In systems where these drivers are found, the issue is then triggered by launching certain games."
Microsoft adds that it's currently trying to "understand the relationship between these RGB components and the games which trigger this issue", and says it will update gamers when more information becomes available.
Analysis: theories and workarounds
(Image credit: Embark)
Microsoft is suggesting that this may be a driver-related issue of some kind, rather than a problem with Windows 11 itself. Of course, changes to Windows 11 could be the root cause, and the company admits that, and says it's still trying to "determine if this is an issue caused by Microsoft" on the release health dashboard.
As The Register points out, some on Reddit are theorizing that this bug is to do with "tightened kernel handle validation" which was introduced with the latest patch for Windows 11. Essentially meaning that Microsoft has tightened aspects of security with the August update, and that this is causing driver glitches, ones that were previously ignored, to be picked up (and subsequently crashing games).
The mentioned driver (inpoutx64) isn't just used in software controlling RGB lighting, but also in some system utilities needing low-level system access (for hardware monitoring, for example, and one such tool is mentioned in the above Reddit post: ZenTimings). It seems that if this driver is present on the host PC, the game's anti-cheat probing it now throws up a problem (post-patch), and that leads to the crash.
If this bug is causing you grief — and there are a lot of Arc Raiders players out there in that particular boat — there are workarounds that can make the game playable again.
The first is the most obvious and easiest fix: remove the August update for Windows 11 (or roll back the OS to before it was installed). You can remove an update in Windows Update, in the Update History panel — just find the patch (KB5121003 in this case) and uninstall it. However, bear in mind that you will be without a bunch of security fixes (and other features, including faster app launching) if you don't have this update on your PC.
The other alternative is to remove the problematic driver file, which seemingly won't harm your system (that said, if you do so, it's at your own risk — I haven't tested this). Going by the advice in the above Reddit thread — and also from the developer of Arc Raiders (Embark) — what you need to do is open the Command Prompt in Windows 11 by typing cmd in the search box, then right-click on Command Prompt and select 'Run as administrator'.
Once the prompt appears, type the following and press enter:
sc stop inpoutx64
Then type this second line and press enter:
sc delete inpoutx64
Now close the Command Prompt, open File Explorer, and find the following folder: C:\Windows\System32\drivers.
In that folder you should see the inpoutx64 file, it may be a SYS or DLL file (or both). Delete any of those files which are present.
That's the driver removed, and you should now be good to go, and you can still have the August update installed. But as I already noted, proceed at your own risk if you take this route.
The best bet for now may be to sit tight and wait for the results of Microsoft's investigation, and hopefully we'll hear something soon. However, this could be a somewhat thorny problem to untangle, and it rather sounds like a case of Microsoft dealing with a security issue — one which should be fixed — and that cure causing collateral damage due to driver wonkiness.
Whatever the case, on social media, a good many PC gamers are blaming Microsoft for this latest gaming-related issue in Windows 11.
One Redditor delivers the following barb: "They can't even keep the one thing they had over Linux. If you have to worry about whether or not your games work anyway, why still use Windows?"
Another observes: "Since 2025 December update till today — EVERY single month the update breaks something! There was no single month without issues."
There's no shortage of shots fired at Microsoft for monthly update woes, accusations of this being the fault of vibe coding (AI), and threats to leave for greener Linux desktop pastures. Business as usual, then.
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Windows 11's August update has broken some PC games
Microsoft is investigating reports of crashes, but right now it's unclear what the root cause is
Theories point to security measures in the update potentially causing issues with certain drivers and conflicts with anti-cheat tools
Windows 11 has run into trouble with gamers (again) after the latest monthly update for the OS, and Microsoft is investigating what's gone wrong.
The Register noticed that Microsoft has posted on the Windows release health dashboard about "reports of certain games becoming unresponsive" following its latest patch.
In some cases, games are either freezing and becoming unresponsive, as mentioned, or simply closing (crashing to the desktop), with an error ('Exception Access Violation') being displayed in some cases. There are also some reports of spontaneous reboots occurring after a game crashes.
Not all PC games are affected by any means, with Microsoft noting that reports are coming in from players of Arc Raiders, Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls, and The Finals.
Microsoft is currently trying to work out what's going on, saying: "Ongoing investigation indicates that this issue is related to peripherals or internal device components which have RGB lighting features. Such devices may install drivers or code components with file names similar to inpoutx64. In systems where these drivers are found, the issue is then triggered by launching certain games."
Microsoft adds that it's currently trying to "understand the relationship between these RGB components and the games which trigger this issue", and says it will update gamers when more information becomes available.
Analysis: theories and workarounds
(Image credit: Embark)
Microsoft is suggesting that this may be a driver-related issue of some kind, rather than a problem with Windows 11 itself. Of course, changes to Windows 11 could be the root cause, and the company admits that, and says it's still trying to "determine if this is an issue caused by Microsoft" on the release health dashboard.
As The Register points out, some on Reddit are theorizing that this bug is to do with "tightened kernel handle validation" which was introduced with the latest patch for Windows 11. Essentially meaning that Microsoft has tightened aspects of security with the August update, and that this is causing driver glitches, ones that were previously ignored, to be picked up (and subsequently crashing games).
The mentioned driver (inpoutx64) isn't just used in software controlling RGB lighting, but also in some system utilities needing low-level system access (for hardware monitoring, for example, and one such tool is mentioned in the above Reddit post: ZenTimings). It seems that if this driver is present on the host PC, the game's anti-cheat probing it now throws up a problem (post-patch), and that leads to the crash.
If this bug is causing you grief — and there are a lot of Arc Raiders players out there in that particular boat — there are workarounds that can make the game playable again.
The first is the most obvious and easiest fix: remove the August update for Windows 11 (or roll back the OS to before it was installed). You can remove an update in Windows Update, in the Update History panel — just find the patch (KB5121003 in this case) and uninstall it. However, bear in mind that you will be without a bunch of security fixes (and other features, including faster app launching) if you don't have this update on your PC.
The other alternative is to remove the problematic driver file, which seemingly won't harm your system (that said, if you do so, it's at your own risk — I haven't tested this). Going by the advice in the above Reddit thread — and also from the developer of Arc Raiders (Embark) — what you need to do is open the Command Prompt in Windows 11 by typing cmd in the search box, then right-click on Command Prompt and select 'Run as administrator'.
Once the prompt appears, type the following and press enter:
sc stop inpoutx64
Then type this second line and press enter:
sc delete inpoutx64
Now close the Command Prompt, open File Explorer, and find the following folder: C:\Windows\System32\drivers.
In that folder you should see the inpoutx64 file, it may be a SYS or DLL file (or both). Delete any of those files which are present.
That's the driver removed, and you should now be good to go, and you can still have the August update installed. But as I already noted, proceed at your own risk if you take this route.
The best bet for now may be to sit tight and wait for the results of Microsoft's investigation, and hopefully we'll hear something soon. However, this could be a somewhat thorny problem to untangle, and it rather sounds like a case of Microsoft dealing with a security issue — one which should be fixed — and that cure causing collateral damage due to driver wonkiness.
Whatever the case, on social media, a good many PC gamers are blaming Microsoft for this latest gaming-related issue in Windows 11.
One Redditor delivers the following barb: "They can't even keep the one thing they had over Linux. If you have to worry about whether or not your games work anyway, why still use Windows?"
Another observes: "Since 2025 December update till today — EVERY single month the update breaks something! There was no single month without issues."
There's no shortage of shots fired at Microsoft for monthly update woes, accusations of this being the fault of vibe coding (AI), and threats to leave for greener Linux desktop pastures. Business as usual, then.
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It's yet another instance of private bans restricting the tech
Privacy concerns have rocked Meta’s smart glasses business. They’re being ridiculed online as ‘perv glasses,’ and their use is banned in a growing number of spaces. In the UK, this could also soon include cinemas, though it’s for a very different p-word: piracy.
The main concern with camera glasses, like the ones Meta produces with its partners Ray-Ban and Oakley, is that people can record in a fairly secretive way. This is an issue for the general public as they don’t know when or if they’re being recorded, and for venues like cinemas and theatres as it allows movies and live shows to be subtly recorded by the audience.
With a stable enough internet connection, the viewing could even be live-streamed.
The ban hasn’t taken effect yet, but its consideration is another blow for smart glasses makers and users, who are finding it increasingly difficult to wear their specs because of their spy-camera capabilities.
(Image credit: Meta)
Meta would argue that recording isn’t covert. There is a light that comes on and stays on while you record. Plus, Meta has taken numerous steps to disable recording capabilities if this light is tampered with — either via a simple cover or by fiddling with the hardware.
However, critics have argued the light is easy to miss if you don’t know to look for it, especially if you're outdoors during the day or in a bright place.
In a dark theatre or cinema, the recording light would arguably be a lot more noticeable, though the proposed ban would reduce the risk that bad actors sneak through — while also addressing privacy concerns the glasses raise for other patrons, and banning glasses that allow more covert filming.
Because while Meta is the most well-known smart glasses maker, and so is taking the heaviest share of the backlash, it isn’t the only player in town. Some glasses manufacturers aren't as strict about tackling modders who disable their recording indicator, while others make the indicator even less noticeable or don’t ship with one installed.
(Image credit: Future / Hamish Hector)
Going, going, gone?
Governments have also been considering action against smart glasses; however, we have yet to see much in the way of widespread bans. At this rate, we might not need to.
The court of public opinion has issued an overwhelmingly negative verdict on smart glasses. The privacy concerns for people wearing the glasses, and for passersby caught in their gaze who never consented to having their life captured by smart specs,
Even previous champions of the technology I’ve spoken with — journalists like myself who have used and tested, and loved these glasses — have stopped wearing them outside of our reviews. I’ve written before how I’m genuinely fearful I’ll get accosted in the street if I’m caught wearing these glasses.
Besides the threat of retaliation, the steady banning of these glasses across various venues makes them increasingly useless. That’s doubly true for folks who need prescription glasses — smart glasses bans often say that the glasses having prescription lenses is no excuse, meaning you could spend $500 / £500 / AU$750 plus on a pair of glasses you can’t wear anywhere.
(Image credit: Meta)
Is this the end of smart glasses then? A serious perception overhaul could help, though it’s unclear how that would be achieved without such major software changes or hardware alterations, such as removing the camera altogether — though, from experience, cameraless smart specs don’t impress me. It’s too useful a feature to lose out on.
To that end, it’s a lose-lose, and that’s a shame for a category I think is quite fun and cool when people aren’t being creeps with them. They’re also proving a handy tool for people with visual impairments as the glasses can see and describe the world for them.
We’ll have to wait and see what happens, but I expect it’ll continue to be a rocky road ahead for smart glasses.
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Adobe releases three new AI audio tools on Firefly
Creators can now use Generate Music, Generate Speech, and Generate Sound Effects
I tried them out to see how they perform in video creation
After sitting in beta for sometime, Adobe Firefly has now made three new AI audio tools promising "studio-quality sound" available for all creators. I had a play with each one to see if the results were as good as promised - and on the whole, they delivered, with a few quirks.
Generate Music, Generate Sound Effects, and Generate Speech are the latest audio features to hit Adobe's browser-based AI platform (no prizes for guessing what each of these do (sorry)). From my experimenting with all three, Generate Music is the high-point here, it's way better than I thought it'd be and I can see marketers and creators getting serious use from it.
The launch coincides with a recent survey conducted by Adobe alongside Berklee College of Music, 32.7% of video creators, musicians, and marketers confirmed they use AI-generated music "as the final track in their published work." And it's that sizeable figure, I suspect, driving this particular update.
So, what's new?
There are three AI tools now available to everyone. They're all pretty self-explanatory, but here's what you need to know.
Generate Music lets you create licensed tracks matching your videos' length and mood.
Generate Speech takes scripts and turns them into voiceovers.
Generate Sound Effects generates - you guessed it - sound effects that match the action and timing of a video.
But are they any good?
I've written before about my agnosticism towards AI in general, and my issues using it for creative work. It's a facsimile of art.
Still, Adobe's tools have impressed even the hyper AI-sceptics on my team - notably features like Generative Extend in its video editing software. And I'm nothing if not open minded. So, I decided to try these tools out for myself to find out what's really going on here. You can try them yourself by clicking here.
The focus here, at least for now, is around speeding up creative workflows for the likes of marketers and content creators.
Creating AI music
(Image credit: Adobe // Future)
I started with Generate Music, where you prompt freely or upload a video and the AI will take a punt at what sort of music you want. I used a short 27-second clip I filmed for my reMarkable Paper Pure review (mostly because it was still in my download folder).
Based on that, Firefly suggested a prompt for "a calm, thoughtful song with ambient electronic style for a product demonstration."
I hit Generate, and in a couple of seconds - it's actually impressively fast - I was served four tracks to choose from, all different but with the same vibe. They were...ok. A bit generic, but they'd do in a pinch. Or to rush a project to completion.
I decided to add a few more terms to the prompt, like "jazz", "cinematic", for use in a "vlog" and "trailer". I changed the Energy from "low" to "medium." The results were a big improvement.
Like all AI tools, the more prompting, the better the output, and there is an option to describe the vibe, style, and purpose yourself if you have an idea in mind.
You can download the music and video, or just the music from here.
Creating AI voiceovers
(Image credit: Adobe // Future)
Switching over to Generate Speech, I first used the side-bar to determine which AI model to use - at the time of writing, there's Adobe's commercially safe Firefly and the ElevenLabs Multilingual V2 partner model.
I then picked a speaker from a list of 45, each variably described as male, female, non-binary, young adult, middle-aged, senior, and so on.
Finally, I pasted in my text into the text field - Firefly can figure out what language I'm using, but you do get the option to choose it yourself. I used the poem Ozymandias (with my greatest apologies to Shelley).
What I liked here was that with your text in place, you can choose to add additional text, or tell the AI to pause in certain places.
To actually preview, I had to select the entire passage and use the context menu to (it's where you also fix pronunciation and adjust the tone of voice).
For all the talk of speeding up workflows, this feels like a misstep to me. It just needs a play button at the bottom of the screen, as it was with generating music.
I had to tweak the pauses to give my text room to breathe, and once in place, I could alter the timings by clicking the pause on the preview screen. And for some reason, the word "land", of all things, is what tripped up the AI, where it was pronounced "lan."
Creating AI SFX
(Image credit: Adobe // Future)
For this test, I again used a video filmed for my reMarkable review - this time a 12-second clip comparing the reMarkable 2 with the Paper Pure.
This process is a lot more in-depth, in the sense that the AI isn't going to guess what the likely SFX should be. I had to manually describe what I wanted. After that, I clicked the "Enhance Prompt", which added more descriptions.
We end up, then, with "A sliding whistle descending softly with a metallic timbre and gentle resonance." Clicking Generate, the service rapidly produced four ear-piercing variations. I won't subject you to those results. It's not fair on anyone.
Instead, I changed the prompt to a more soothing "crickets in a field" for a duration of 12 seconds, to fill the video length.
What's nice about the SFX option is that you can add multiple audio tracks and use the handles to adjust its positioning.
With a timeline sprawled across the bottom of the screen, it feels more like a real audio editor (to a degree, at least). Tug in the handles of the audio and you can further adjust volume or delete the track.
Worth it?
Overall, there are some UI tweaks I'd like to see here to make production workflows faster.
I don't think they'll substitute professional sound designers, composers, and musicians any time soon. But having worked in marketing, I can see they have their place for marketers and everyday video creation.
Speech is a world away from the days of robotic Microsoft Sam sound-alikes, but for nuanced line delivery, nothing's going to beat a performer in a booth.
Sound Effects has a lot more utility, though. Across a spectrum of generations, I couldn't tell the difference between the AI sounds and those playing on an old SFX CD I own.
The real winner here is Generate Music. Even the base prompt delivered audio that wouldn't feel out of place in a product demo, review, business explainer, or similar. And it got better with every generation I created.
An update worth exploring, then, for fast-moving video production.
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Researcher inds ClarityCheck’s exposed 450GB database with 9M+ user images
Leak included faces, profiles, and photos, risking identity theft and phishing abuse
Company secured access quickly; no evidence of dark web distribution or misuse so far
An online reverse-lookup platform has inadvertently leaked millions of faces on the internet, putting people at risk of identity theft, phishing, and more, experts have warned.
Jeremiah Fowler, a cybersecurity researcher known for hunting exposed databases, recently found one totaling 450.2GB in size.
It contained exactly 9,042,977 image files - profile pictures, screenshots, and scans of physical photographs - all seemingly uploaded by the users. The images showed adults, teenagers, and even children, and were stored in folders labeled “faces” and “profiles”.
What happened?
Further investigation showed the database belonging to a company called ClarityCheck. This is a US-registered firm describing itself as a “reverse phone, email, image, vehicle lookup”, allowing users to identify unknown callers, verify online contacts, check photos, and decode vehicles using publicly available data from “trusted sources”.
It is a legitimate business whose use case grows more important by the day - cybercriminals create fake internet personas every day, and use them in all sorts of schemes, from romance scams, to fake job offers, to anything in between. To do that, they will either steal other people’s photos, obtain (or buy) them on the dark web, or generate them using artificial intelligence.
Being able to verify someone’s identity has become everyone’s essential due diligence, regardless of if it’s a personal or business matter.
How ClarityCheck responded
As soon as Fowler confirmed who owned the database, he reached out to ClarityCheck and responsibly disclosed his findings. The company responded quickly, barring further access, and thanking the researcher for his work.
“I completely understand your concerns regarding the exposure of sensitive images and the associated privacy risks. We greatly appreciate ethical researchers like you who bring these matters to our attention so we can act swiftly to protect our users' data and privacy,” the company’s representative told Fowler.
Unfortunately, without a deeper investigation on ClarityCheck’s end, there is no way of confirming exactly how long the database remained open, or if anyone accessed it before. However, so far there is no evidence of abuse, since a “ClarityCheck photo database” is currently not being distributed or sold anywhere on the dark web.
Exposing people to hackers
In a world where data theft and leaks are increasingly common, a cause that’s easiest to address, is also the one resulting in most exposures - misconfigured databases. Nowadays, almost every business harvests and stores data about their employees, partners, and customers. Most of them store these files in cloud databases, for easier access and better integration with business intelligence software.
However, cloud service providers work on a so-called “shared responsibility model”, which means they are responsible for providing industry-standard security features. Users, on the other hand, are responsible for using those features and properly configuring their databases (namely, setting up a strong password or encrypting the content). Unfortunately, many organizations don’t seem to be aware of the shared responsibility model, firmly believing it’s the service provider’s task to keep the data safe. Others simply keep these archives accessible by mistake.
Criminals are aware of this, and are taking advantage of the situation to steal valuable information. By using widely available tools like Shodan, Censys, or FOFA, they can scour the web for unencrypted, non-password protected databases, and exfiltrate data to be used in phishing, business email compromise, and other forms of cyberattacks.
Over the years, Fowler and other searchers have found dozens of enormous databases that have leaked sensitive data on hundreds of millions of people.
In 2026, researchers found that European cloud provider Nextcloud kept an unprotected database on the public internet, containing 367,000 records (8GB) of sensitive employee and client data.
In 2025, IMDataCenter, a Florida-based data hygiene, enhancement, and append services provider, was leaking 38GB of sensitive personal records. The unencrypted and non-password-protected database held 10,820 in total.
In 2024, sports analytics technology company TrackMan exposed sensitive customer data: 110TB and 31,602,260 records. The database had no password.
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Xbox Wireless Controller X25 Special Edition will reportedly launch on October 20
Leaker 'billbil-kun' claims pre-orders will open during Gamescom on August 26
The controller will cost $79.99 / £74.99 / €79.99
The price and release date for Microsoft's 25th anniversary Xbox Wireless Controller have reportedly leaked online ahead of Gamescom 2026.
The company revealed the Xbox Wireless Controller X25 Special Edition in June, alongside the Xbox Series X25 Limited Edition, both inspired by the original Xbox and the "OG green" that players remember.
We haven't heard anything about the hardware since, but now, according to reliable leaker 'billbil-kun' of Dealabs (via IGN), the X25 controller will launch on October 20, 2026.
The leaker also claims the controller will cost $79.99 / £74.99 / €79.99 / Canadian$99.99, with pre-orders opening on August 26, coinciding with its announcement at Gamescom.
We know Xbox will be at Gamescom, but its plans for Opening Night Live, where host Geoff Keighley will take to the stage to unveil world premiere trailers for new and upcoming games, are currently unknown.
However, billbil-kun claims the X25 controller details will be featured during the event, with pre-orders opening soon after.
There are no pricing details for the Xbox Series X 25 Limited Edition. Still, Xbox previously stated in an Xbox Wire post that the console and controller will be available together in select markets as a limited-edition collection in November.
Both the console and controller are a gorgeous translucent green, allowing players to see their internal builds, with illuminated Xbox buttons and "Xbox 25" branding.
"This is just one of the ways we’re celebrating 25 years of XBOX with you, the players who have made XBOX what it is. Thank you," said Jason Ronald, VP Next Generation, in the same post.
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Worried about intruders sneaking around inside your house when you’re out of town? You could get one of the best home security cameras, but what if your existing router could do some of the heavy lifting? That’s what Comcast has just started offering its customers, but the move has been met with considerable controversy.
Dubbed WiFi Motion, the new feature is coming to Comcast-owned Xfinity’s internet services. Once you opt in, WiFi Motion detects changes in the Wi-Fi signals emitted by the company’s routers and other smart home devices to detect the presence of people in your home. While there’s no video surveillance involved, it can be used as a basic way to sense people who should not be inside your house. When that happens, you’ll receive a notification in the Xfinity app.
Another worried that “A few years from now they’ll be hit with a few million-dollar fine or lawsuit while profiting hundreds of millions from selling the data.” In a world where user data forms a lucrative trade and data brokers increasingly siphon off people’s private information, it’s unsurprising that users are apprehensive about where their presence data might end up.
“Conspiracy guys were saying for probably a decade that they could use Wi-Fi to fully map out the interior of your house and track you,” added another Redditor. “Crazy that it’s just out in the open now.”
A potential privacy nightmare
(Image credit: xFinity)
The privacy concerns for technology like this are wide-ranging. While many people already have indoor security cameras that can see who is walking around inside their homes, these people have consciously bought these products and opted into the system.
When surveillance is added to a router, though, we’re talking about orders of magnitude more people being affected — potentially many millions, in this instance. Moreover, most of them will not have bought a router for its tracking abilities, yet will find themselves with a device that can do just that. That’s enough to make anyone feel uneasy.
Once a system like this is in place on millions of routers, it opens a massive door to potential misuse — users simply have to trust that Xfinity is using this data responsibly, with no way of knowing if that’s actually the case. Who can see the data? How long is it retained? Are there proper checks in place? We don’t know the answers to any of these questions.
It also paints a huge target on the data. Any time private data is collected en masse, hackers start snooping around. If someone was able to hack into your router and use its presence detection to determine that no one was home, it would be simple to then disable the system and pick the optimal time for a burglary.
Even discounting all of that, there’s another privacy issue: Comcast says that enabling the feature means it might share your Wi-Fi Motion data with third parties at its discretion.
As per an Xfinity support page, “Comcast may disclose information generated by your WiFi Motion to third parties without further notice to you in connection with any law enforcement investigation or proceeding, any dispute to which Comcast is a party, or pursuant to a court order or subpoena.”
We also don’t know if firmware updates will respect a user’s decision not to opt in to Comcast’s router-based presence tracking. For now, the company says that the feature is opt-in, but can we guarantee that that will always be the case? And if a future software update opts people in automatically, can you trust Comcast to explicitly tell you when that happens?
While this new router feature might be well-intentioned, it raises all manner of security and privacy concerns. If you’re worried about the implications for you and your family, replace your Comcast router with one of our picks for the best router money can buy. And if you need to, consider one of the best home security cameras if you still want to be alerted to unwanted intruders.
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Microsoft says blocking domains is ineffective against MacSync Stealer’s evolving infrastructure
Defender experts tracked over 30 domains by analyzing behavioral patterns instead
Mitigation focuses on spotting suspicious shell sessions, osascript activity, and /tmp/sync archives
Microsoft says it has found a way to stop the dangerous MacSync Stealer malware by monitoring certain behaviors, rather than keeping track of the domains used in the attacks.
MacSync Stealer is a piece of infostealer malware built for the Apple ecosystem - it steals passwords, browser data, cookies, Keychain secrets, cryptocurrency wallets, Telegram sessions, SSH/cloud credentials and other sensitive information.
It was being distributed via ClickFix scams. Victims would visit a malicious website which would tell them they had a problem (an outdated browser or a “protected” document that can only be viewed after “verifying” identities), and which would immediately offer a solution. That solution is to bring up the Terminal and paste a command which, in reality, deployed the malware.
Initially, defenders would keep their Mac fleets safe by blocking the domains used to host the infrastructure - the websites, the malware executables, and the exfiltrated data. But they soon realized that a new domain would pop up as soon as the old one was blocked, and the malware would continue its operations unabated.
Behavioral analysis
Now, in a new report, Microsoft said it successfully identified more than 30 domains by looking at behavioral patterns such as repeated execution, request characteristics, staging behavior, and upload methods.
“Microsoft Defender Experts expanded that view by correlating recurring endpoints and network behaviors across the activity. This behavior-led approach connected more than 30 domains and showed that the infrastructure supported more than C2 communication, extending into active collection, staging, and exfiltration,” Microsoft explained.
In other words, to defend against MacSync Stealer, don’t focus on blocking domains. Instead, pay attention to shell sessions spawning ‘curl’ with specific flag combinations, osascript quickly chaining into network activity, and archives appearing under /tmp/sync just before outbound PUT traffic begins.
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GTA 6 gets leaked again, with footage revealing gameplay and the entire map
The leaker demands Rockstar Games' apology and statement for recent game disc decisions, with 'commandments' in a manifesto
The leaker threatens to continue if demands aren't met, with other publishers and game developers also warned
Rockstar Games' GTA 6 is almost here, with a new reveal set to premiere on Netflix — but not without a major disruption beforehand for both the game studio and its parent company, Take-Two Interactive.
GTA 6 has leaked yet again, revealing new gameplay and the entire map of Leonida, with the hacker group Cyberleek claiming responsibility for the breach. Insider Gaming also reports that the footage is likely from an older build, at least according to reputable leaker Nate The Hate, who says it's over a year old.
While we won't go into details of the leaked footage (for obvious reasons), the level of polish and realism is high, suggesting the full release may be as great as many fans anticipate.
Most importantly, though, Cyberleek released a manifesto protesting against Rockstar, threatening to continue to 'disrupt their operations' by leaking game material until the developer issues a public statement and apologizes.
The reason for the leaks and the demand for an apology stem from Cyberleek's push to stop the elimination of physical game discs pioneered by Sony and Rockstar. The manifesto contains 'commandments' to stop digital pre-orders altogether, preserve single-player content, and stop selling 'fake single-player DLC'.
(Image credit: Rockstar Games)
This is now the third major leak of GTA 6 in its buildup to launch. The first revealed very early unfinished gameplay, and the second unveiled the game's first trailer hours before its YouTube premiere.
It doesn't look like these leaks will slow down anytime soon, despite Take-Two Interactive and Rockstar Games striking multiple online posts across social media with DMCA takedowns — all while Cyberleek suggests that those 'commandments' aren't exclusive to Rockstar, stating that other publishers are not safe from leaks.
Rockstar Games has been called into question regarding some of its practices lately, deemed anti-consumer, notably regarding game ownership, which is effectively non-existent without game discs.
However, ransom isn't a good look in any scenario. It's illegal and, frankly, this isn't going to make Rockstar Games or any other game developer or publisher consider the propositions or backtrack on controversial choices.
Fans will continue to protest for game preservation and ownership, but it goes without saying that this isn't exactly the right way to do it.
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Bluesky confirms 24‑hour outage was caused by a DDoS attack on August 17 2026
Researchers linked it to Iraq‑313 Team, using DiamWall‑based DDoS‑for‑hire infrastructure
Company upgraded defenses; no details yet on attackers, traffic origin, or user impact
The recent outage on Bluesky was the result of a Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack, the company has confirmed.
Bluesky is a decentralized social media platform which is rather similar to X, since it allows users to post short messages and multimedia. Its key difference is the Authenticated Transfer Protocol (AT Protocol) upon which it was built, and which allows users and developers more control compared to other social networks.
On Sunday, August 16 2026, users started reporting problems accessing Bluesky. On Reddit, users from the US, UK, France, and other countries, said they were having issues loading the Bluesky website and app, or accessing their feeds. A day later, on August 17, Bluesky said it suffered a DDoS attack that lasted roughly 24 hours.
Iranians claim the attack
The company did not say who the attackers were, where the malicious traffic originated from, or if any specific DDoS infrastructure was used in the attack. It also did not say how many people were affected, but stressed that it upgraded its defenses and was continuing to monitor the situation.
At the same time, security researchers took to the IFIN public forum to discuss the attacks, saying they saw The Islamic Cyber Resistance in Iraq-313 Team, an Iran-backed threat actor, take responsibility for the attack, as well as for a similar DDoS strike on GitHub. It sounds plausible, since we’ve seen the 313 Team use DDoS to target similar services in the past, including Spotify and Ubuntu.
Their initial research suggests the crooks used DDoS-for-hire infrastructure that relies on DiamWall which, in turn, seems to be using IP addresses supplied by a China-based reseller. This does not mean the attack traffic came from China, or that Chinese entities were involved in the attack.
Leaker Billbil-kun claims the Nintendo Switch 2 version of Diablo 4 will launch on September 15
The "Age of Hatred Collection" will reportedly include the base game and the Vessel of Hatred and Lord of Hatred expansions
The physical edition will have a code in the box
The long-rumored Nintendo Switch 2 port of Diablo 4 could reportedly launch very soon after BlizzCon 2026.
That's according to reliable leaker 'billbil-kun' of French outlet Dealabs (via Resetera), who originally reported on the Switch 2 version of Diablo 4earlier this month.
Now, they claim that Diablo 4 will arrive on Switch 2 on September 15, nearly three years after its release on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, and PC, two days after BlizzCon 2026, which takes place between September 12 and September 13.
The edition will be called the "Age of Hatred Collection," and will include the base game and its two expansions, Vessel of Hatred and Lord of Hatred, and will cost $69.99 / £62.99 / €69.99.
Pre-orders are expected to begin on September 12, coinciding with the opening of BlizzCon 2026, and it appears that the physical version won't have a cartridge, but will offer a code in a box instead.
Billbil-kun couldn't determine when the game will be announced, but suggested that an official reveal could be made during Gamescom 2026 next week, where Xbox has confirmed its presence, but it's currently unclear. The announcement could just as well arrive at BlizzCon, too.
Diablo 4 launched in 2023 and is regarded as one of the best isometric, open-world role-playing games (RPGs). In TechRadar Gaming's five-star review, freelance contributor Cat Bussell praised the game's "darkly compelling fantasy world," "fluid combat that scales well in single and multiplayer," and "endlessly customizable characters."
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Sony has just launched the 'It Happens on PS5' physical ad campaign across the world, which highlights "the biggest moments of play" featuring games such as Marvel’s Wolverine, 007 First Light, and God of War Laufey.
"Today, we’re launching a new It Happens on PS5 hero advert highlighting what’s available on PS5 as well as what’s ahead for players in the coming months," the accompanying PS blog reads.
"The advert invites players to discover what PS5 makes possible, taking viewers on a fast-paced journey through bold and unexpected moments, featuring larger-than-life scenes, from Giannis Antetokounmpo’s elite basketball skills that get the streets bouncing to a high-speed jet ski chase."
GTA 6 is also featured ahead of the game's November 19 launch, and while some fans are feeling the excitement, many are continuing to voice their disappointment with Sony and its decision to kill game discs in January 2028.
"Discs used to happen on PS5," the top comment reads, as another user wrote, "It happens that there used to be discs."
If you continue scrolling through the comments, it's difficult to pinpoint any positive mention of the ad, with the majority either urging Sony to backtrack on its decision or criticising the company.
"I used to buy PS products for more than 30 years. It won't happen again," a fan said.
Despite the ongoing pushback, and after remaining silent on the matter for weeks, Sony CFO Lin Tao recently addressed the situation during the company's Q1 2026 earnings announcement, confirming that it is "cautiously" moving forward with its decision (via IGN).
