News

• Ironheart's producers have teased what's next for Riri Williams in the MCU
• The Disney+ show's finale is full of unresolved story threads
• They also discussed whether she'll ever get her comic-accurate super-suit

Two members of Ironheart's producing team have teased what's next for the titular hero in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).

With the Disney+ show having come to a close on July 1 or 2 (depending on where you live), the fates of many of its characters are left up in the air. That, coupled with the Marvel TV series' finale also being littered with unresolved plot threads, indicates that Riri Williams' MCU journey is far from over.

However, the eponymous character's MCU future is uncertain. Despite being positively received by critics – read my Ironheart review if you haven't yet – ahead of its late June launch, fan reception to Ironheart has, as evidenced by its 53% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, been mixed at best.

On other review aggregation websites, the final Marvel Phase 5 project has even been the subject of a vicious review-bombing campaign, and has been labeled "woke" due to its black female lead and diverse supporting cast. It's unclear when – or even whether – we'll see Dominique Thorne's flawed hero again.

Ironheart's creative team can't say where she'll appear next. However, producer Zoie Nagelhout told me that the show's cliff-hanger ending – read more in my Ironheart ending explained article – was devised to allow Marvel Studios to pick up Riri's story whenever it's most convenient to do so.

"When we tell stories in the MCU, it's always the intention that there'll be more stories to tell," Nagelhout said. "Our job was to tell the best version of this series and, in doing so, leave the door open for future storytelling.

"Where that'll go and when is above our pay grade. Really, only {Marvel President] Kevin Feige knows, but it certainly was our task to leave those options open. There are storylines in the comics that would be fun to dip into, but we also think that letting these characters organically reappear where it makes the most sense is the Marvel way."

And what are the chances of Riri Williams finally designing the iconic pink and black armored suit she famously sports in Marvel Comics? Nagelhout's fellow producer Sev Ohanian wouldn't confirm if that would ever happen, but he teased such a possibility arising if Williams sticks around in the MCU for the long haul.

"Some of the best Marvel characters don't necessarily get their most iconic suits right out the gate, right?" he told me ."Many of the Avengers have eventually got theirs [in the MCU].

"But, for us, landing on the core element of who Riri is, she doesn't have the resources that someone like Tony Stark had," he added. "She has to make do with what she can find, scrap, and steal. All of those things land on the piece of material that means the most to her [the red and black muscle car that Riri's late stepdad owned]. That's the closest to her heart and, being what it was, using to make her suit at the end of this season was a good opportunity. As far as whether we'll ever get to see that suit, I certainly hope so."

Do you want to see Riri Williams again in the MCU? Would you like her to get her pink and black suit sometime soon, too? Let me know in the comments.

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• Kelly Benefits confirms thousands of users affected in breach
• Victims are offered free ID theft protection and credit monitoring
• The organization urges users to remain vigilant

Insurance group Kelly Benefits has confirmed suffering a cyberattack in which it lost sensitive information on more than half a million customers.

In a data breach notification published on its website, the company said “suspicious activity” on its network prompted it to bring in third-party forensic specialists for an investigation - and the results showed a threat actor breaching the network between December 12 - 17, 2024, stealing “certain files”.

By early March 2025, Kelly Benefits determined that it lost people’s full names, Social Security numbers, tax ID numbers, dates of birth, medical information, health insurance information, and financial account information. The combination of the data stolen varies from person to person.

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As is usual in these scenarios, the company also filed a new form with the Office of the Maine Attorney General, stating exactly 553,660 individuals were affected by the attack.

Kelly Benefits provides integrated employee benefits administration, payroll processing, insurance brokerage, and HR services.

Its payroll division alone serves north of 2,000 employers, processing around two million paychecks and issuing more than 100,000 W‑2s forms annually. For benefits, it counts more than 10,000 corporate clients, and covers more than 8,000 individuals.

Among the companies using its services (and as such, being affected by the attack) are United Healthcare, OneAmerica Financial Partners, and Humana Insurance ACE.

The organization did not say who the threat actors were, or what they were looking to achieve. At press time, no groups claimed responsibility for this attack, and the data is yet to leak anywhere on the dark web. In the meantime, Kelly Benefits urged its customers to remain vigilant, and be wary of potential phishing attacks, identity theft, or fraud.

Affected individuals are offered 12 months of free credit monitoring and identity theft protection services through IDX.

Via BleepingComputer

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• A new rumor suggests Apple could move the logo on the iPhone 17 Pro
• The logo could move down to make space for the new camera bar and to align with the MagSafe magnet ring
• While a minor change, this could give some insight into Apple's priorities

Apple could be making a change to an iconic iPhone design element with the release of the rumored iPhone 17 Pro.

According to new rumors from somewhat reliable tipster Majin Bu (via GSMArena), Apple could move its logo to a lower position on the rear panel of the iPhone 17 Pro.

The possible change has been corroborated in an X (formerly Twitter) post from Apple tipster Sonny Dickson, who posited that the move could align the logo with the phone’s ring of MagSafe magnets.

You may be thinking that a logo moving a few centimeters isn’t a huge story on its own – and in all fairness, you’d be right. This alone isn’t too big of a deal.

However, I think this latest design rumor has the potential to say a lot about where Apple’s priorities lie when it comes to the next generation of iPhone.

This logo tipoff is the latest in a pretty long list of redesign rumors concerning the iPhone 17 lineup, specifically the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max.

In fact, it seems to me that the strongest and most repeated rumors surrounding the next Pro-level iPhones have concerned the design and aesthetics of the supposedly-upcoming handsets.

As we previously reported, the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are rumored to get a Google Pixel-like camera bar, a wild departure from the function-led design philosophy of previous generations. Several separate rumors have given us a look at CAD mock-ups and dummy units that seem to confirm the changed design.

Though we have heard of a possible higher-resolution telephoto camera, as well as murmurs of a unified volume and Action button and under-display Face ID, it seems like we could be in for a lighter year when it comes to new iPhone hardware features.

All of this brings new context to the supposed new logo placement – what was previously a pretty innocuous design update begins to look like meddling for the sake of finding something to change.

And while all of this is based on rumors at the moment, if Apple were to launch the iPhone 17 Pro with only iterative or less-impactful hardware improvements, then these design shakeups would start to look like an effort to draw attention elsewhere.

It wasn’t too long ago that Apple faced considerable backlash for launching the iPhone 14 in a very similar state to the iPhone 13 – Cupertino would be wise to avoid a similar situation this year.

With all that said, it’s also possible that Apple is simply looking to refresh the visual identity of its next-gen handsets, to match the new look of the Liquid Glass design language coming with iOS 26.

So, while the shifting of an Apple logo by a few centimeters might not seem the biggest story, it’s worth keeping an eye on these small changes as we get closer to the expected September launch date of the iPhone 17 series. Be sure to let us know what you think of this rumored change in the comments below.

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• Future networks could carry petabit speeds without new cable shapes
• Standard-diameter fiber hits new capacity-distance milestone in lab test
• US average internet speed is dwarfed by breakthrough optical transmission

Buried under city streets, countryside roads and the deep ocean floor lie the glass threads that carry almost everything we do online.

These strands, often no wider than a human hair, already move astonishing amounts of data, and now, Japanese researchers have pushed those limits even further - without changing the shape or size of the cable.

A team led by Japan’s National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT), working with Sumitomo Electric and European collaborators, has achieved a transmission speed of 1.02 petabits per second over 1,808 kilometers.

The test used a 19-core optical fiber with a standard cladding diameter of 0.125 mm, meaning it’s the same thickness as the single-core fibers already deployed in networks around the world.

Instead of requiring entirely new infrastructure, the cable squeezes 19 separate light paths into the space typically used for one.

That allows for a dramatic leap in capacity while staying compatible with existing systems.

It also marks the first time a petabit-class signal has traveled more than 1,000 kilometers in a standard-sized fiber.

The result sets a new world record for capacity-distance product at 1.86 exabits per second-kilometer.

To simulate a long-distance backbone, signals were looped 21 times through 86.1 km spans of the new fiber. Amplifiers boosted the signal at every pass and were carefully tuned to work across both the C and L wavelength bands for all 19 cores.

Using 180 wavelengths modulated with 16QAM, the system was able to handle huge volumes of parallel data streams.

After traveling the simulated route, the signals were separated by a multi-channel receiver using MIMO digital signal processing.

This avoided adding more fiber cores or expanding the cable diameter, which would have made integration with current networks harder.

To put the new achievement in context, the average US broadband speed in early 2025 is around 290Mbps. The new record of 1.02 petabits per second equals 1,020,000,000 Mbps - more than 3.5 million times faster.

The results were presented at OFC 2025 as a post-deadline paper, offering a glimpse at what future optical networks might look like.

Although it won’t transform work or home connections overnight, the research shows how far standard fiber can still go. The team now aims to refine amplifier efficiency and signal processing to move closer to real-world deployment.

With global data traffic continuing to grow, advances like this offer a way to stretch infrastructure further without the need to dig new trenches.

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• Nintendo Switch 2 users are reporting overheating issues in handheld and docked modes
• It comes amid Nintendo's recent controversies surrounding its new Switch 2 device
• It reportedly occurs even when playing less demanding games

It's no secret that Nintendo has been at the center of controversy since the announcement of $80 game prices, along with recent findings around its new Switch 2 display and its ghosting issues. However, the handheld's problems seemingly don't stop there.

As highlighted by Notebookcheck, multiple users are reporting overheating issues with the Nintendo Switch 2, even while playing less demanding games. Notably, most reports suggest overheating occurs when using the Switch 2's Dock, a vital component that allows users to play on external displays and provides more power for improved performance.

A plethora of Redditors have voiced frustrations with the Switch 2 Dock's lack of ventilation despite featuring a built-in fan. The latter isn't designed to cool the Switch 2, but rather the Dock.

Others also point out higher temperatures while using its Ethernet port, to the point where the handheld and its accessory are too hot to touch, and the display output ends despite the console still running.

Nintendo suggests setting the console aside to cool down and ensuring the handheld's air vents aren't obstructed – but frankly, that's hardly much of a solution to eliminate the supposed overheating.

It's not just the Dock alone; users are also reporting that the device displays a warning message before entering sleep mode when undocked. This appears to be the system's way of throttling, but instead of that, it makes it not playable while resting.

This is a worrying sign for Switch 2 owners. If these issues become more prevalent, it would most certainly supersede the concerns about the display quality.

It's not uncommon to hear reports about overheating with new hardware. I've become quite accustomed to it, with new GPU launches, and (more relevant) the early reports of SD cards overheating in the Asus ROG Ally.

Since this is a similar issue, it seems that Nintendo might be able to address it with a software update, similar to what Asus did. However, there's no guarantee that this will lead to a resolution. It also comes at a bad time for the Switch 2, considering its recent controversies.

It's the absolute worst-case scenario for a new handheld console owner, especially at its $449.99 / £395.99 / AU$699.95 price; it's also worth noting that the original Switch has seen a price hike in some regions, so it's not exactly a great time for these overheating reports to emerge.

If the Dock happens to be a detriment to the Switch 2's cooling, I doubt any software update will be able to fix the issue. There's also a lack of compatibility with third-party docks, so if you're facing these temperature issues, there isn't much of a solution for now.

Let's just hope Nintendo is quick to address this before it gets out of hand...

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• Anthropic's MCP Inspector project carried a flaw that allowed miscreants to steal sensitive data, drop malware
• To abuse it, hackers need to chain it with a decades-old browser bug
• The flaw was fixed in mid-June 2025, but users should still be on their guard

The Anthropic Model Context Protocol (MCP) Inspector project carried a critical-severity vulnerability which could have allowed threat actors to mount remote code execution (RCE) attacks against host devices, experts have warned.

Best known for its Claude conversational AI model, Anthropic developed MCP, an open source standard that facilitates secure, two-way communication between AI systems and external data sources. It also built Inspector, a separate open source tool that allows developers to test and debug MCP servers.

Now, it was reported that a flaw in Inspector could have been used to steal sensitive data, drop malware, and move laterally across target networks.

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Apparently, this is the first critical-level vulnerability in Anthropic’s MCP ecosystem, and one that opens up an entire new class of attacks.

The flaw is tracked as CVE-2025-49596, and has a severity score of 9.4/10 - critical.

"This is one of the first critical RCEs in Anthropic's MCP ecosystem, exposing a new class of browser-based attacks against AI developer tools," Avi Lumelsky from Oligo Security explained.

"With code execution on a developer's machine, attackers can steal data, install backdoors, and move laterally across networks - highlighting serious risks for AI teams, open-source projects, and enterprise adopters relying on MCP."

To abuse this flaw, attackers need to chain it with “0.0.0.0. Day”, a two-decade-old vulnerability in web browsers that enable malicious websites to breach local networks, The Hacker News explains, citing Lumelsky.

By creating a malicious website, and then sending a request to localhost services running on an MCP server, attackers could run arbitrary commands on a developer’s machine.

Anthropic was notified about the flaw in April this year, and came back with a patch on June 13, pushing the tool to version 0.14.1. Now, a session token is added to the proxy server, as well as origin validation, rendering the attacks moot.

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• Encrypted or not, OWS Guardian SSD’s 1000MB/s speed is fast enough for 4K video editing

OWC has announced Guardian, a compact portable SSD focused on delivering strong hardware encryption and fast transfer speeds.

The OWC Guardian connects via USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10Gbps) and delivers up to 1000MB/s in real-world read and write speeds, making it capable of handling 4K video files, media archives, and quick backups.

Designed with 256-bit AES OPAL hardware encryption, the Guardian handles data protection at the hardware level.

The encryption process starts automatically when data is written and is reversed (decrypted) when accessed by an authorized user.

This avoids reliance on host system resources, preserving performance even during large data transfers.

It's one of the few devices in its price range that combines both speed and encryption without demanding software installation, which may place it among the best secure drives for routine professional use.

OWC says the device is compatible with macOS, Windows, Linux, and even iPadOS.

It includes a touchscreen interface, which serves as the primary method for user authentication through PIN or passphrase, but also allows access to additional features such as multi-user profiles, read-only mode, auto-timeout, secure erase, and a randomized keypad layout.

Physically, the drive is housed in anodized aluminum for improved heat dissipation and general durability.

However, unlike some of the best rugged hard drives, the Guardian lacks an IP rating for dust or water resistance.

This may limit its reliability in field conditions or outdoor environments, where environmental protection is a priority.

The Guardian comes with a 1TB OWC Aura Pro IV NVMe SSD (960GB usable) but is also available in higher capacities, including a 4TB version.

The internal firmware reserves a portion of space for data correction and redundancy.

It’s formatted in APFS for Apple devices by default, but can be reformatted for Windows or Android using OWC's Drive Guide utility.

However, full cross-platform read/write access requires separate software like MacDrive.

“We designed the OWC Guardian for anyone who needs simple, reliable data protection on the go, but without the typical hassles,” said Larry O’Connor, CEO and Founder, Other World Computing (OWC).

“Whether you're transferring a huge file in the boardroom, backing up data at the local coffee shop, or editing a 4K video for your latest content drop, you shouldn’t have to choose between security, speed, and ease of use. The OWC Guardian delivers all three, in a rugged, intuitive design built to travel.”

Pricing starts at $219.99 for the 1.0TB model while the 2.0TB and 4.0TB models cost $329.99 and $529.99, respectively.

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