News

• MonTitan SSD shows impressive specs but may have missed timing window
• Silicon Motion faces tough competition from vertically integrated NAND manufacturers
• Strong controller performance may not be enough in today’s AI market

Silicon Motion’s MonTitan SSD platform is finally getting a full performance breakdown after years of trade show previews, and while the results impress on paper, the question is whether it’s too late to matter.

A review from TweakTown claims the 7.68TB MonTitan SSD is “a masterpiece of enterprise storage design,” powered by Silicon Motion’s SM8366 PCIe Gen5 controller and built to compete in the highest tiers of data center performance.

The MonTitan platform targets both TLC and QLC configurations and is optimized for AI, edge computing, and HPC environments.

With support for NVMe 2.0b, OCP Data Center specs, and multiple standard form factors, 7.68TB MonTitan SSD is aimed at modern, high-demand workloads. The reviewed unit, a U.2 form factor TLC-based SSD, supports 3.4 million IOPS and sequential speeds up to 14.2GB/s.

It also boasts tight latency control, low idle power (under 5W), and a 1 DWPD endurance rating that allows the drive to be rewritten nearly 2000 times over its lifespan.

The SM8366 controller itself is the cornerstone of the platform, offering advanced features like PerformaShape, a firmware-based algorithm for shaping performance by user-defined quality of service (QoS) requirements.

Combined with hardware-level isolation, this design aims to deliver consistent, application-tuned throughput across workloads.

Summing it up, TweakTown said: “We like what Silicon Motion has developed in its SM8366 controller as delivered by its MonTitan platform. Our test subject demonstrated clearly that it can deliver more than most of its competitors. We especially appreciate its tight, consistent and predictable IO delivery along with its ability to dominate most, if not all, of those in its class or even above at low queue depths.”

Despite the technical strengths, Silicon Motion’s position is more complicated. It, like Phison and other controller vendors, is now competing against former partners.

NAND makers such as Samsung and SK Hynix are vertically integrated, building their own controllers and keeping more of the value chain in-house. In that landscape, offering a platform, however capable, is a much harder sell.

With AI workloads now pushing queue depths far beyond what was typical just a few years ago, controller quality matters more than ever. But with full commercialization of platforms like MonTitan coming years after the AI infrastructure race began, Silicon Motion may simply be too late to carve out meaningful space against entrenched competitors.

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• Denmark wants out of Microsoft's grip, turning to Linux and LibreOffice for independence
• The Danish government is choosing open source over vendor lock-in and foreign tech control
• LibreOffice might be free, but can it match Microsoft Office’s compatibility?

Denmark is embarking on an ambitious effort to reduce its reliance on proprietary software from foreign tech giants by transitioning its government systems away from Microsoft offerings Windows and Office 365.

The Danish Ministry of Digitalization reportedly plans a phased migration to Linux operating systems and LibreOffice for office productivity.

The initiative is driven by concerns over digital sovereignty and the strategic risks of depending on foreign providers, particularly those based in the United States.

Danish officials cite widely used open-source office suite LibreOffice as the best alternative to Microsoft Office for their needs.

The ministry aims to gain greater control over software updates, data storage, and security while avoiding vendor lock-in.

This effort is not solely about cutting costs, although reduced licensing fees are expected to yield financial benefits.

The core objective, according to Minister Caroline Stage, is strategic: to safeguard Denmark’s digital infrastructure from the uncertainties of geopolitical tensions and the risk of disrupted access to US-based services.

The move aligns with a broader trend across Europe, where governments are increasingly cautious about the long-term implications of depending on foreign tech companies.

Denmark’s initiative is not without precedent. More than a decade ago, Germany, most notably the city of Munich, attempted to replace Microsoft products with Linux and LibreOffice.

Despite initial enthusiasm, the project was eventually reversed due to compatibility issues, user dissatisfaction, and challenges in maintaining productivity.

Given this history, observers may question whether Denmark’s approach can yield different results.

The Danish government, however, appears to be proceeding with greater caution. The rollout will be gradual, and the ministry has stated that it will temporarily revert to Microsoft tools if serious disruptions arise.

This pragmatic stance indicates a willingness to prioritize operational continuity over strict adherence to the transition timeline.

While LibreOffice is often described as the leading alternative to Microsoft Word, its real-world performance in government settings remains a subject of debate.

Compatibility with Microsoft Office documents and user adaptation to a new interface may pose significant challenges.

Likewise, while Linux is frequently praised as a powerful and secure operating system, its stability and support can vary depending on the chosen distribution.

Ultimately, Denmark’s initiative represents a broader political and technological experiment, one that raises important questions about control, resilience, and the future of national digital infrastructure.

Whether it will succeed where others have stumbled remains to be seen, but what is clear is that the move is less about software preference and more about who holds the keys to government technology.

Via Guru3D

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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, June 15 (game #735).

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.

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• SHIPSHAPE
• INANIMATE
• CARBON
• ROD
• GLASS
• WOODEN
• BRACKET
• GARNISH
• BUSBOY
• TRAINEE
• FLAT
• STRAW
• BLANK
• HOOK
• COASTER
• CURTAIN

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

• YELLOW: No emotion
• GREEN: Hang on
• BLUE: Bartender accoutrements
• PURPLE: Needed to get from A to B

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…

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

• YELLOW: EXPRESSIONLESS 
• GREEN: DRAPERY HANGING ITEMS 
• BLUE: WHAT A DRINK IS SERVED WITH 
• PURPLE: STARTING WITH METHODS OF TRANSPORTATION 

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

The answers to today's Connections, game #736, are…

• YELLOW: EXPRESSIONLESS BLANK, FLAT, INANIMATE, WOODEN
• GREEN: DRAPERY HANGING ITEMS BRACKET, CURTAIN, HOOK, ROD
• BLUE: WHAT A DRINK IS SERVED WITH COASTER, GARNISH, GLASS, STRAW
• PURPLE: STARTING WITH METHODS OF TRANSPORTATION BUSBOY, CARBON, SHIPSHAPE, TRAINEE

• My rating: Hard
• My score: 2 mistakes

EXPRESSIONLESS was easy enough to get, but from here my progress was purely down to lucky guesses.

DRAPERY HANGING ITEMS I only got because I thought we were looking for things linked to furniture, so I used up one guess by including COASTER.

Then, for the purple group I would like to have seen STARTING WITH METHODS OF TRANSPORTATION but I didn’t. I put four random words together from the eight that were left and got lucky with a ‘one away’, then managed to guess correctly.

I suppose I could have pretended I was clever enough to see all today’s links but the truth is I fudged it all the way.

How did you do today? Let me know in the comments below.

• YELLOW: SLANG FOR COFFEE BREW, JAVA, MUD, ROCKET FUEL
• GREEN: "AW, HECK!" BLAST, CRUD, CURSES, FUDGE
• BLUE: CONSIDERATIONS FOR MOVIE RATINGS ACTION, LANGUAGE, NUDITY, SMOKING
• PURPLE: WHAT "POP" MIGHT MEAN BURST, FATHER, POPULAR, SODA

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.

• Android 16 is causing problems for some Pixel devices
• Navigation buttons and gestures are freezing
• As yet Google hasn't said anything officially about the bugs

Android 16 was officially pushed out to Pixel owners last week, but reports are coming in of the software update causing some pretty major bugs on certain handsets, related to gestures and interface and navigation.

As noted by Android Headlines, the reports say certain navigation buttons and gestures don't respond as they should – meaning certain operations (like going back to the previous screen) take seconds to complete, or don't happen at all.

It's not difficult to find users having problems: on Reddit, we've got posts about unresponsive buttons on a Google Pixel 8, swiping up not doing anything on a Pixel 9 Pro XL, and multiple gestures not functioning on a Pixel 6.

Over on X (formerly Twitter), Artem Russakovskii from Android Police says the back gesture only works intermittently since updating to Android 16 – and there's a screen recording included so you can see what happens (or rather, doesn't happen).

Here's a demo of the back button randomly not working on Android 16.I grabbed a bug report and submitted it to Google engineering along with this reproduction screencast. Hopefully, they'll figure it out. pic.twitter.com/nEmifqQRvbJune 14, 2025

While there are numerous reports of issues online, these problems clearly aren't affecting everyone: since upgrading to Android 16 on my Google Pixel 9 phone, I haven't noticed any problems using the navigation gestures.

As yet, Google hasn't yet said anything officially about these problems. If you are affected, you can report the bug to Google. With so many users now complaining, no doubt this is going to get addressed sooner rather than later.

What makes these bugs particularly annoying is that they relate to a fundamental part of the user experience, and affect multiple apps and screens. Being able to get around your phone is a pretty fundamental part of using it.

Android 16 brings with it a number of useful upgrades, including a new Pixel VIPs feature for your favorite contacts, but we're still waiting for the big Material 3 Expressive revamp to arrive – which should be along later this year.

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• Fake wallet apps ask for your 12-word phrase and quietly drain your crypto funds
• CRIL found over 20 Play Store apps built solely to steal users’ crypto credentials
• Malicious apps used WebView to fake real login pages from PancakeSwap and others

New research by Cyble Research and Intelligence Labs (CRIL) has uncovered a large-scale phishing campaign involving more than 20 Android applications listed on the Google Play Store.

These apps, which appeared to be legitimate cryptocurrency wallet tools, were created with a singular purpose: stealing users’ mnemonic phrases, the crucial 12-word keys that provide full access to crypto wallets.

Once compromised, victims risk losing their entire cryptocurrency holdings, with no possibility of recovery.

Many of the malicious apps were built using the Median framework, which enables the rapid conversion of websites into Android applications.

Using this method, threat actors embedded phishing URLs directly into the app code or within privacy policy documents.

These links would then load deceptive login pages via a WebView, tricking users into entering their mnemonic phrases under the false belief they were interacting with trusted wallet services such as PancakeSwap, SushiSwap, Raydium, and Hyperliquid.

For example, a fraudulent PancakeSwap app used the URL hxxps://pancakefentfloyd[.]cz/api.php, which led to a phishing page mimicking the legitimate PancakeSwap interface.

Likewise, a fake Raydium app redirected users to hxxps://piwalletblog[.]blog to carry out a similar scam.

Despite variations in branding, these apps shared a common objective: extracting users’ private access keys.

CRIL's analysis revealed that the phishing infrastructure supporting these apps was extensive. The IP address 94.156.177[.]209, used to host these malicious pages, was linked to over 50 other phishing domains.

These domains imitate popular crypto platforms and are reused across multiple apps, indicating a centralized and well-resourced operation.

Some malicious apps were even published under developer accounts previously associated with legitimate software, such as gaming or streaming applications, further lowering user suspicion.

This tactic complicates detection, as even advanced mobile security tools may struggle to identify threats hidden behind familiar branding or developer profiles.

To protect against such attacks, CRIL advises users to download apps only from verified developers and avoid any that request sensitive information.

Using reputable Android antivirus or endpoint protection software, along with ensuring that Google Play Protect is enabled, adds an important, though not infallible, layer of defense.

Strong, unique passwords and multi-factor authentication should be standard practice, and biometric security features should be enabled when available.

Users should also avoid clicking on suspicious links received via SMS or email, and never enter sensitive information into mobile apps unless their legitimacy is certain.

Ultimately, no legitimate app should ever request a full mnemonic phrase through a login prompt. If that happens, it’s likely already too late.

• 1. Pancake Swap
  Package: co.median.android.pkmxaj
  Privacy Policy: hxxps://pancakefentfloyd.cz/privatepolicy.html
• 2. Suiet Wallet
  Package: co.median.android.ljqjry
  Privacy Policy: hxxps://suietsiz.cz/privatepolicy.html
• 3. Hyperliquid
  Package: co.median.android.jroylx
  Privacy Policy: hxxps://hyperliqw.sbs/privatepolicy.html
• 4. Raydium
  Package: co.median.android.yakmje
  Privacy Policy: hxxps://raydifloyd.cz/privatepolicy.html
• 5. Hyperliquid
  Package: co.median.android.aaxblp
  Privacy Policy: hxxps://hyperliqw.sbs/privatepolicy.html
• 6. BullX Crypto
  Package: co.median.android.ozjwka
  Privacy Policy: hxxps://bullxni.sbs/privatepolicy.html
• 7. OpenOcean Exchange
  Package: co.median.android.ozjjkx
  Privacy Policy: hxxps://openoceansi.sbs/privatepolicy.html
• 8. Suiet Wallet
  Package: co.median.android.mpeaaw
  Privacy Policy: hxxps://suietsiz.cz/privatepolicy.html
• 9. Meteora Exchange
  Package: co.median.android.kbxqaj
  Privacy Policy: hxxps://meteorafloydoverdose.sbs/privatepolicy.html
• 10. Raydium
  Package: co.median.android.epwzyq
  Privacy Policy: hxxps://raydifloyd.cz/privatepolicy.html
• 11. SushiSwap
  Package: co.median.android.pkezyz
  Privacy Policy: hxxps://sushijames.sbs/privatepolicy.html
• 12. Raydium
  Package: co.median.android.pkzylr
  Privacy Policy: hxxps://raydifloyd.cz/privatepolicy.html
• 13. SushiSwap
  Package: co.median.android.brlljb
  Privacy Policy: hxxps://sushijames.sbs/privatepolicy.html
• 14. Hyperliquid
  Package: co.median.android.djerqq
  Privacy Policy: hxxps://hyperliqw.sbs/privatepolicy.html
• 15. Suiet Wallet
  Package: co.median.android.epeall
  Privacy Policy: hxxps://suietwz.sbs/privatepolicy.html
• 16. BullX Crypto
  Package: co.median.android.braqdy
  Privacy Policy: hxxps://bullxni.sbs/privatepolicy.html
• 17. Harvest Finance blog
  Package: co.median.android.ljmeob
  Privacy Policy: hxxps://harvestfin.sbs/privatepolicy.html
• 18. Pancake Swap
  Package: co.median.android.djrdyk
  Privacy Policy: hxxps://pancakefentfloyd.cz/privatepolicy.html
• 19. Hyperliquid
  Package: co.median.android.epbdbn
  Privacy Policy: hxxps://hyperliqw.sbs/privatepolicy.html
• 20. Suiet Wallet
  Package: co.median.android.noxmdz
  Privacy Policy: hxxps://suietwz.sbs/privatepolicy.html
• 21. Raydium
  Package: cryptoknowledge.rays
  Privacy Policy: hxxps://www.termsfeed.com/live/a4ec5c75-145c-47b3-8b10-d43164f83bfc
• 22. PancakeSwap
  Package: com.cryptoknowledge.quizzz
  Privacy Policy: hxxps://www.termsfeed.com/live/a4ec5c75-145c-47b3-8b10-d43164f83bfc

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• AI-generated documents are replacing traditional forgeries and bypassing verification faster than ever imagined
• Synthetic identity fraud has surged 195% globally, with Europe and North America hardest hit
• Most fraud now happens after onboarding, using tricks like credential stuffing and device spoofing

Synthetic identity document fraud is now spreading at an alarming pace globally, driven almost entirely by the misuse of generative AI, experts have warned.

New data from Sumsub has claimed the creation of fake documents using AI grew by 195% worldwide between Q1 2024 and Q1 2025.

The most dramatic spike was recorded in Europe, where synthetic ID fraud surged by 378%, followed by North America (311%) and the MENA region (258%).

This trend appears to be gaining ground on traditional document forgery, which has declined sharply in most regions, dropping by 82% in Africa and 50% in North America - with Europe the exception, where traditional forgeries increasing by 33%.

This shift suggests scammers are moving from conventional techniques to AI-generated identities, which can now be produced in seconds using largely unregulated tools.

The industries most affected by this trend include crypto, trading, transportation, fintech, and gambling, all sectors which often rely on rapid onboarding processes and may not yet have strong enough safeguards to detect synthetic documents before damage is done.

Compounding this vulnerability is the fact over three quarter (76%) of fraud now occurs after the onboarding stage, using methods such as device fingerprint spoofing, credential stuffing, and so-called “money muling.”

“The rise of AI-generated fraud is exposing critical flaws in traditional verification systems, and this data shows sophisticated fake documents are becoming a key tool in the fraudster’s arsenal,” said Pavel Goldman-Kalaydin, Head of AI/ML at Sumsub.

“We expect companies like OpenAI to strengthen safeguards controlling the use of its programs to generate passports, IDs, and other personal documents.”

Parallel to this trend is a dramatic rise in deepfake-related fraud, where North America saw a staggering 1,100% increase in such cases, with Europe following at 900%.

Nations like Hong Kong, Singapore, and Germany saw the highest individual surges, raising concerns about the future role of manipulated visual media in identity fraud schemes.

For individuals and organizations trying to protect themselves, relying solely on conventional KYC protocols may no longer be enough. Businesses are advised to use identity management software and multi-layered verification systems for stronger protection.

Consumers should also consider top-rated ID theft protection solutions, especially those that monitor for synthetic identity use. Using reputable people search tools can add an extra layer of safety when verifying unknown contacts or confirming someone’s legitimacy online.

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