News
- A software developer sabotaged his employer after being demoted
- Davis Lu created a "kill switch" that would lock out all users
- He was sentenced to four years in jail and additional three years of supervised leave
A disgruntled worker has been sentenced to four years in prison after installing “kill switch” malware on his employer’s network which was set to trigger if he ever lost network access.
According to a Department of Justice (DoJ) press release, a Chinese national named Davis Lu was working for an unnamed software company between November 2007 and October 2019. In 2018, he was demoted and lost system access, after which he “began sabotaging his employer’s systems”. By early August 2019, he introduced malware that crashed systems and prevented other users from logging in.
Court documents also revealed he created “infinite loops” that crashed servers, deleted coworker profile files, and ultimately built a “kill switch” that would lock out all users if his access to Active Directory was revoked. In early September 2019 he was asked to surrender his laptop, after which the kill switch was triggered.
Hundreds of thousands of dollars in damagesInvestigators found plenty of incriminating evidence on that laptop, including that on the day he turned his device in - he deleted encrypted data.
An analysis of his search history showed he was looking for ways to escalate privileges, hide processes, and quickly delete files. Finally, the kill switch code was named IsDLEnabledinAD, short for “Is Davis Lu enabled in Active Directory”.
A month after the malware ran, Lu was arrested, and later stood trial in front of the jury.
During the trial, it was shown that Lu’s employer suffered “hundreds of thousands of dollars” in losses, as a direct consequence of his actions. Now, Lu will spend four years in prison, with an additional three years of supervised release.
"The FBI works relentlessly every day to ensure that cyber actors who deploy malicious code and harm American businesses face the consequences of their actions,” said Assistant Director Brett Leatherman of the FBI’s Cyber Division.
“I am proud of the FBI cyber team’s work which led to today’s sentencing and hope it sends a strong message to others who may consider engaging in similar unlawful activities. This case also underscores the importance of identifying insider threats early and highlights the need for proactive engagement with your local FBI field office to mitigate risks and prevent further harm.”
Via The Register
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- HBO confirmed renewal on July 28, 2025
- Current speculated release window between 2026 to mid-2027
- Main cast expected to return, Morgan Spector's George less certain
- Plot details are currently under wraps
The Gilded Age season 4 was greenlit by HBO shortly before the penultimate episode of the third season aired.
According to Deadline, ahead of The Gilded Age season 3 finale, the drama series was "adding viewers at a rate nearly 50% higher than in previous seasons." HBO's head of drama series and films Francesca Orsi added: "We couldn’t be prouder of the undeniable viewership heights The Gilded Age has achieved this season.
"Transporting us to 1880s New York City, Julian Fellowes and the enormously talented cast and crew have created a 'cant-miss it' entertainment experience from week to week, and we’re delighted to continue exploring these characters’ grand ambitions for what we promise will be a thrilling fourth season."
For the uninitiated, the hit HBO Max TV show is basically an American version of Downton Abbey (which was also created by Fellowes), following upper-class families in NYC at the turn of the 19th century. Old money has been against new money since the start of season 1, and thanks to the continued drama between Bertha (Carrie Coon), George (Morgan Spector) and Gladys' (Taissa Farmiga) recent marriage, that's not going to stop.
But things have changed in New York society, and that's potentially about to change Bertha's life for good. But what do we actually know about The Gilded Age season 4 so far, and what can we expect?
The Gilded Age season 4 release window speculation(Image credit: HBO)As of writing, no confirmed release date has been given for The Gilded Age season 4. This isn't surprising considering season 3 isn't even cold yet, and it's likely going to be a while before we get anything more concrete than the renewal news itself.
That doesn't mean we can't made an educated guess, though. Season 1 premiered in January 2022, with by season 2 in October 2023, and season 3 in June 2025 (though it's worth bearing in mind that the latter two seasons were impacted by the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes). Hopefully, this means the gap between seasons 3 and 4 won't be as long as we've seen previously, giving us a rough timeline of summer 2026 to spring 2027 for new episodes.
The Gilded Age season 4 trailer: is there one?(Image credit: HBO)Unsurprisingly, there's no trailer for season 4 yet and there won't be for a while (it's not even started filming yet). We'll be sure to update this page as soon as one drops.
The Gilded Age season 4 cast rumors Morgan Spector (George) and Bertha (Carrie Coon) in The Gilded Age season 3. (Image credit: HBO)Essentially, we're looking at the main players from season 3 all returning, though nothing has been confirmed as of yet. Only John Adams (Claybourne Elder) actually died in season 3 – we'll come back to George a little later – so there's nothing to suggest anyone else will be leaving at this stage. Of course, an actor can always be written out if they want to or to save scheduling clashes, but let's assume that's not going to happen.
Here are the cast members we'd respect to return for The Gilded Age season 4:
- Carrie Coon as Bertha Russell
- Phylicia Rashad as Mrs. Elizabeth Kirkland
- Cynthia Nixon as Ada Brook
- Christine Baranski as Agnes van Rhijn
- Harry Richardson as Larry Russell
- Denée Benton as Peggy Scott
- Jordan Donica as Dr. William Kirkland
- Louisa Jacobson as Marian Brook
- Taissa Farmiga as Gladys Russell
- Ben Lamb as The Duke of Buckingham
- Blake Ritson as Oscar van Rhijn)
- Audra McDonald as Dorothy Scott
- Kelley Curran as Enid Winterton
- Kelli O'Hara as Aurora Fane
- Donna Murphy as Mrs. Astor
- Ben Ahlers as Jack Treacher
- Douglas Sills as Monsieur Baudin
- Celia Keenan-Bolger as Mrs. Bruce
- Simon Jones as Mr. Bannister
- Jack Gilpin as Church
- Debra Monk as Armstrong
- Phylicia Rashad as Elizabeth Kirkland
- Brian Stokes Mitchell as Frederick Kirland
Of course, there's an elephant in the room: will Morgan Spector be returning as George? The jury is currently out after his unexpected departure. Other societal outcasts such as Nathan Lane (Ward McAllister) also have a question mark against them.
The Gilded Age season 4 plot rumorsSeason 4 totally depends on what George chooses to do next. (Image credit: HBO)Major spoilers follow for The Gilded Age season 3.
Let's recap what we learned in the season 3 final episodes. George’s life hung in the balance in the closing scene of season 3 episode 7. He’d previously won out against Clay (Patrick Page) and Mr. Sage (Peter McRobbie), getting the business back on track in spite of their rivalry. However, this comes at a price. A courier soon visited George’s office, pulling a gun on his secretary before aiming it straight at George himself. The gun went off, the screen goes black and we had no idea whether he’s alive or died.
In episode 8, we find out that George was indeed shot, but managed to make a miraculous recovery. Hooray! Lives are saved and the Russells can return to being the stoic force in New York society that they’ve always been, right? Wrong. Once George is well enough to remember he’s being streamed live on HBO Max, he promptly tells wife Bertha that he’s not even sure if he loves her or trusts her, leaving for New York without so much as an amicable thought between them.
Just as Gladys announces she is pregnant right in the episode's final moments, George is seemingly out of the picture. This means Bertha got everything she'd been working towards, but now has been left without a stable family unit of her own.
As far as Carrie Coon is concerned, Bertha won’t take any of this lying down. Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, she explained: "It’s heartbreaking, of course. But, at the same time, her wheels are already turning about how she’s going to fix it. You know she’s not going to give up on it. She’s indefatigable, of course. So I think she’s looking out that window and she’ll have a moment of grief, and then she’s going to get to work on some kind of plan.”
She later told Variety: "I don’t know [if they'll get back together]. It depends what George wants." She added of George's reveal, "That feels very real to me in long-term relationships. One person can go through a very transformative experience that the other person doesn’t have access to, and it takes them a while to find their way back to each other."
However, Morgan Spector was optimistic, telling TVLine: "Because we know how good this couple can be together, it would be really fascinating to see them spend a season figuring out how to get back to each other."
Obviously, Bertha and George aren't all that's going on the show. Marian and Larry are still on course to be wed, Peggy is newly betrothed to William (despite his mother's objections) and Oscar may be headed toward a lavender marriage with Enid. Of course, we'll be seeing Gladys' pregnancy play out too.
"I hope I don't have to play pregnant too long," Taissa Farmiga told Marie Claire. I don't want to have to wear a corset with a pregnancy belt. Let's just throw this out there – maybe Julian reads this. But also I'll do what I have to do!
"I think she will be more inspired by George's parenting than by Bertha's parenting. I think she's going to want to give more of the emotional comfort that Bertha doesn't give, even though we know Bertha loves her children. She loves them so much, but sometimes a child needs a hug and a gentle smile, not like a firm guiding hand. Sometimes it's just acknowledging their feelings."
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Is 9Now the best way to watch the US Open for FREE?We've tested 9Now and the service is user-friendly (you'll need a VPN when travelling outside Australia) and dependable. Owned by Nine Network, a leading Australian broadcaster, it offers reliable streaming with excellent replays and full free streams of matches across the 2025 US Open with English commentary.
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We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example:1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service).2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad.We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.
- The latest Samsung tri-fold leak has appeared
- It relates to how One UI will work on the handset
- We can expect to see the phone in October
We shouldn't have much longer to wait before Samsung finally launches its much-anticipated tri-fold handset, and a fresh software leak may have just revealed how the new handset will have the edge over the recently launched Galaxy Z Fold 7.
The team at SammyGuru (via 9to5Google) has somehow got hold of hidden One UI 8 elements that show the tri-fold is going to have the ability to show three apps side-by-side on the main screen – the ultimate in multitasking.
While you can get three apps up at the same time on the main 8-inch display of the Galaxy Z Fold 7 (and its predecessors), one of those apps has to take up the top half or bottom half of the screen. That leaves the other two squashed into the corners.
Another improvement that's apparently on the way: the Samsung tri-fold will be able to show up to three home screens as well, mirrored from three home screens on the outer display (where they can be cycled through with a swipe).
The rumors so farThe main display of the Samsung tri-fold will have three sections, like the Huawei Mate XT (Image credit: Future)These are promising leaks in terms of software, because it sounds as though Samsung has thought carefully about what makes a tri-fold different. According to this latest report, support for these features will roll out with One UI 8.5.
Considering One UI 8 is already on certain devices, including the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7, that suggests the tri-fold isn't too far away from launching. Previous rumors have suggested that Samsung's grand unveiling would be sometime in October.
As you may remember, Samsung first teased the device all the way back in January, at the Galaxy S25 launch, so it's definitely coming. However, there's been little official information about the handset since then.
If the leaks and rumors are right, the phone is going to come with a titanium frame, a Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset, a triple-lens rear camera, rather ordinary charging times, and a 9.96-inch display. Oh, and it's going to cost you quite a bit of money, too.
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