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Wo Long 2: Wings of Ember feels like a massive step up from its predecessor, purely from a combat standpoint. With a large variety of weapons to use, several character and weapon abilities to unlock, and armor to find while exploring, there's so much to look forward to at launch.
I played a demo of Koei Tecmo's upcoming title via the Xbox booth at Gamescom 2026, and was left thrilled by just how approachable Wo Long 2: Wings of Ember feels. As a soulslike, it can certainly be punishing, especially when fighting foes above your character's level.
However, Koei Tecmo has given players more than enough ways to battle, with different deflect combinations, standard blocking, and smooth movement for evading in and out of danger zones during combat.
Using the new nunchucks weapon felt like I was stepping into Bruce Lee's shoes, easily flying through standard enemies and deflecting their unblockable attacks. The finishers and overall speed of combat are very much PlayStation 2-esque, almost reminiscent of the stylish combos and animations in Capcom's God Hand.
Enemies often spam unblockable attacks, but the great thing is the attack patterns are very well designed, as they're easy to react to without unfair or nearly indecipherable movements — which is an issue I've had with most soulslike games over the years.
(Image credit: Koei Tecmo)Similar to many soulslike games, though, Wo Long 2: Wings of Ember encourages players to build a build that caters to a specific play style, specifically based on which weapon one decides to use.
Levelling up different elements like wood, fire, water, earth, or metal virtues increased specific base character stats, element abilities, and ultimately improved proficiency with particular weapons.
Since I used wooden nunchucks throughout my playtime, I chose to upgrade the wood virtue, which aided me with more damage against enemies.
If you're fast enough at deflecting, Wo Long 2: Wings of Ember features some of the most satisfying back-and-forth combat against regular enemies and mini-bosses, and that's right up my alley. (Video Credit: Koei Tecmo)
Wo Long 2: Wings of Ember carries the levelling system from its predecessor and builds upon it, but the additional aspects to combat elevate it to a far more exciting level.
I never finished the first entry, Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty, but I was already very impressed by its fast-flowing gameplay and accessibility, which Koei Tecmo looks to be doubling down on in this sequel.
Story sequences were kept short in my preview, but honestly, gameplay is where the focus is with Koei Tecmo's upcoming entry. If my short demo is anything to go by, I can only expect Wo Long 2: Wings of Ember to deliver for stylish combat fanatics like me when it launches early in 2027 on PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC.
Fall is moving in, a new school term is underway, and whether you're heading out and about on campus or just facing down your regular commute under altogether colder, darker conditions, now feels like a really good time to invest in a quality insulated drinks container.
Luckily, Amazon has obliged with some excellent discounts on on-the-go mugs and bottles from usually-pricey, top-quality brands like Hydro Flask and Yeti. The deals vary and they're not on every color or every size, but I've combed through the different options to find the best bargains, and rounded them all up for you below. I've also grouped them by color, so you can pick the one that suits your fall vibe.
I have a Yeti coffee cup and tumbler at home, as well as an insulated Hydro Flask bottle and cup. Before you ask, I don't have a problem — I used to review outdoors kit for my job, and I picked up all of these during that time. The mugs are all in near-constant use as soon as the weather is cool enough for hot drinks, and I can vouch for their quality and reliability.
A rainbow of deals Hydro Flask Water Bottle 32oz, Indigo Blue Hydro Flask Coffee Mug 12oz, Indigo Blue Hydro Flask Water Bottle 40oz, Beachplum Purple Hydro Flask Hot Flask & Cup 36oz, Beachplum Purple Hydro Flask Water Bottle 32oz, Beachplum Purple YETI Rambler 24oz, Tropical Pink Yeti Rambler 30oz w/ Stronghold lid YETI Rambler 14oz Stackable Mug, Tropical Pink Hydro Flask Water Bottle w/ Wide Mouth Flex Lid 32oz, Reef Pink Yeti Rambler 30oz with MagSlider Lid, Cherry Blossom STANLEY Iceflow 2.0 Flip Straw Tumbler, 30oz, Rose Quartz Hydro Flask Water Bottle w/Wide Mouth Flex Lid 40oz, Nectar Orange Hydro Flask Water Bottle w/Wide Mouth Flex Lid 32oz, Nectar Orange CamelBak Thrive Chug Water Bottle 32oz, Moss STANLEY Iceflow 2.0 Flip Straw Tumbler, 30oz, Peat Moss Plaid STANLEY Iceflow 2.0 Flip Straw Tumbler, 30oz, Black YETI Rambler Stackable Mug w/ Magslider Lid 10oz, Black Hydro Flask Coffee Mug 12oz, Agave Green Hydro Flask All Around Tumbler Straw Lid 28oz, Tonal Birch CamelBak Thrive Chug Stainless Steel Water Bottle 32oz, Stone Hydro Flask Water Bottle w/ Wide Straw Lid 24oz, Ivory- Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff calls the SaaSpocalypse "crazy nonsense"
- Instead, he predicts a new kind of software interface will make all the difference
- Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang agrees, saying the end of software isn't nigh
Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff has hit out at reports AI technology will lead to a "SaaSpocalypse", saying traditional software still has life in it yet.
Speaking at the opening keynote of Dreamforce 2026, Benioff said the talk of a SaaSpocalypse over the last six months was "crazy nonsense".
Instead, Benioff said the market trends would actually bring in a new age of software - one where AI would be playing a key role.
A new kind of interface"Hasn't it been wild?" Benioff asked the Dreamforce crowd.
"But I think we realized that SaaSpocalypse - it's not about the end of software, but it may be about the end of software that makes humans do all the work."
Namely, this refers to AIforce, the company's new realization of the software interface, to reflect the needs of the AI age.
Benioff noted that over the past few decades, users have gone from Command Line interfaces to GUI, from web to mobile - and now, with AI assuming a much greater role in the world of work, there's a need for a new kind of interface.
AIforce looks to address this by enabling agents anywhere to reason and take action across all the data, workflows, and logic inside Salesforce, hopefully unlocking whole new ways of working for customers everywhere.
(Image credit: Future / Mike Moore)Benioff wasn't alone in his belief that this isn't the end of software - later in his keynote, he welcomed Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang on stage.
This was primarily to discuss Salesforce's new Koa CRM, developed alongside Nvidia, but the talk took a bit of a manic turn, as the two billionaires instead decided to pace about the theatre and have a discussion about the wider technology industry.
"Don't give up on the technology," Huang said, "You've heard me say it - I was the first CEO to come out not in the software industry to say the end of software is nonsense."
"(Instead) This is going to be a layer on top of sotware, this new layer is gojng to be agentic, and it's going to make the software so much better."
It’s that time of year again when we’re not always sure whether to leave the house dressed for summer or winter. And while this transitional phase can be a nightmare for wardrobe choices, it means that summer is right around the corner, so it’s time to start thinking about how you’ll stay cool at home and beat the heat.
And let’s not forget that this is an El Niño year, so spring and summer will be drier than usual and potentially hotter, with a higher probability of bushfires. So, along with the heat, we’ll also need to contend with the smoke and ash in the air, which could cause respiratory disorders.
Long story short, it’s time to invest in a good purifying fan to see us through the coming months here in Australia.
Fortunately, Amazon understands this and has slashed up to AU$300 on some of Dyson’s powerful, bladeless fans to help keep you and the family cool when the temperature rises. I’ve highlighted three of my favourites below, all of which will not just purify the air you breathe at home and keep you cool, but will keep you toasty in the colder months. That’s good value for a gadget you can use year-round. If Dyson doesn’t tickle your fancy, I’ve also listed some highly recommended alternatives from the likes of Vornado and Shark.
Pure Hot+Cool HP00 Purifier: was $499 now $399.20
The HP00 is a three-in-one model, covering cooling, purifying and heating, making it a truly versatile unit and a good price — well, for a Dyson. Its 360º HEPA filtration system captures 99.95% of particles as small as 0.1 microns, while 70º oscillation helps circulate purified air around your room.View Deal
The Pure Hot+Cool Link offers the same three-in-one functionality as the HP00, but has the added benefit of smartphone connectivity, letting you monitor air quality and control the machine remotely from your phone. View Deal
Purifier Hot+Cool HP2 De-NOx: was $1199 now $899
You also get three-in-one functionality with this Dyson fan, but it combines HEPA H13 filtration with advanced gas removal, including the continuous destruction of formaldehyde that can be released by nearly everything we own in our homes today, including new furniture. It can be controlled via the MyDyson app and offers 350º oscillation. View Deal
It’s not just Dyson that makes powerful and effective fans for cooling your home. I’ve picked out some other models below that many of the TechRadar team and I use ourselves.
- Vornado 560 Medium Air Circulator: AU$199 AU$169
- Vornado 660 Large Air Circulator: AU$279 AU$195
- Shark FlexBreeze Pro Mist Cordless Indoor and Outdoor Fan: AU$499 AU$349
- Dreo TurboPoly Fan 512: AU$139.99
- Gaiatop Portable Handheld Mini Fan: AU$26.99 AU$23.99
Missed out on the deals from Amazon Prime Day in July? Good news: the online retail giant has revealed the dates for its Prime Big Deal Days sales event in Australia, and it’s earlier than we expected.
Like Prime Day, this event will run for 7 days from 12:01am on September 29 to 11:59pm on October 5, 2026, just in time for the Labour Day (or King’s Birthday) long weekend if you’re in New South Wales, South Australia and the Australian Capital Territory. It’s also much longer than the Prime Big Deal Days event in the US, which is only for 48 hours from October 6 to 7.
Amazon Australia is also holding the event a week earlier than it did last year, when it ran from October 7 to 13, 2025. We think this move is meant to provide a bit more breathing room before the Black Friday 2026 sales in late November, and also to adjust for the earlier Prime Day in July.
As the Prime Big Deal Days sale is meant to be a teaser for Black Friday, the event doesn’t usually have discounts as deep as what we typically see during Prime Day in July or Black Friday itself but, with the dates shifting a week earlier, there’s still a chance that we could see record-low prices on popular and premium tech.
We’ll be keeping an eye on prices of the best headphones, best tablets, best cameras and more, and we’ll cover the sale live when it starts in just over a week’s time. So expect to see discounts on brands like Apple, Samsung, Dyson, Breville and more, as well as with Amazon’s own range of products like Kindle ereaders, Echo smart speakers and Ring video doorbells.
Like Prime Day, we expect the best prices to be exclusive to Amazon Prime members, though a few offers will be widely available, too. If you’re interested but not yet a Prime member, you can sign up for a 30-day free trial. Starting a subscription now will make you eligible to shop the upcoming deals, and you can cancel it immediately after if you aren’t keen to keep paying.
Otherwise, staying on as a Prime member after your free trial will cost AU$9.99 per month, or AU$79 for an annual membership. Other benefits you can get with a Prime membership are the Prime Video streaming service, Amazon Music and Amazon Luna gaming, plus a two-year free subscription to DoorDash — find out more in our in-depth guide to what is Amazon Prime in Australia.
It’s also never been a better time to be a Prime member as Amazon Australia has expanded its same-day delivery service in Sydney and Melbourne with more items eligible for overnight delivery. Adelaide, the Central Coast, Newcastle, Geelong, Canberra and more cities now also have same-day delivery.
Get ready for Prime Big Deal DaysWhile Prime Big Deal Days may not be as big as July Prime Day or Black Friday, we still expect the number of deals to go into the thousands, and browsing through the Amazon Australia site could still get overwhelming. But fret not, as TechRadar will help you find the best tech deals in real-time and have them all listed in our dedicated live Prime Big Day Deal Days hub. Check in as often as you can to ensure you won’t miss out on some of the best discounts, as we expect some will go live in a flash and sell out very quickly.
In the meantime, here are 5 of our top early deals to shop right now.
Our reviewer called the Forerunner 265 the best running watch for most people when it first came out in 2023, and its then-new AMOLED touchscreen display means it still holds up better compared to newer releases. If you have smaller wrists, the 42mm Forerunner 265S is also discounted for the same price.View Deal
Pure Hot+Cool Link: was $599 now $499
Spring has officially sprung here in Australia, and what better time to invest in a fan to keep yourself cool as the temperature starts to go up over the next few months. We rated this Dyson fan 4 out of 5 stars for its smarts, included purifier and better filters. Paying almost AU$600 for a fan is a big ask for many households, but this discount makes the Dyson Hot+Cold Link more palatable if you're already in the market for one.View Deal
WH-1000XM5: was $548 now $395
Sony's flagship noise-cancelling cans from 2024 received a perfect 5 stars in our review, thanks to their noise-cancellation technology, 'wonderful' sound performance, smart features and an intuitive companion app. While we've seen this cheaper before, this price is still hard to pass up.View Deal
Finetrack Slim (Android only): was $65.99 now $39.25
These Android-only Bluetooth trackers from Ugreen are more affordable alternatives to the Samsung SmartTag 2 or the new Google Pixel Tag for less than AU$10 per piece with this deal. It works with Google's Find Hub, recharges via USB-C, and has a loud 80dB alarm to help you find your lost item. The iOS-only version is also discounted, and you can also get this model that works for both operating systems.View Deal
45W 10,000mAh power bank: was $39.99 now $29.98
This 10,000mAh power bank is small at 10.92 x 6.86 x 1.78 cm, but it also has 45W fast charging to get your devices recharged quickly. This model even has a detachable braided cable so you won't need to scramble through your bag to look for the cable when you need to charge. Best of all, the 10,000mAh capacity means it's safe to bring to flights.View Deal
- StarCraft's first-person perspective will offer a new sort of "tension"
- General manager and creative director Dan Hay says the tension is "subtly different" from the original RTS game
- Since the game is in first-person, "You have to protect yourself"
StarCraft general manager and creative director Dan Hay has explained the process of designing a new game in first-person, revealing that "tension" was crucial.
Blizzard's next StarCraft game won't be a real-time strategy (RTS) title, but a story-driven, open-world first-person shooter, which will be a fresh direction for the beloved series.
Hay, who discussed the game's inspirations with TechRadar Gaming at BlizzCon, explained that because of the new perspective, this meant the team had to think carefully about how to manage a combat system, the world, and enemies of StarCraft in a new way, while still being faithful and familiar to the original RTS game.
"The combat has to feel very, very clean and dangerous and mean and dark," Hay said. "I think StarCraft does that well. The mood is dark, but also, in a strange way, hopeful."
Without giving away too many details, the developer said that the team has to make the enemies the player is fighting "feel real" while also balancing the challenge of what it's like being inside 10-foot armour that weighs 1000 pounds.
"It's because the thing that's out there is going to try and shuck me like an oyster," he continued. "The thing that's out there is going to try and just flay me open, and eat my insides. And so we have to build it in such a way that it all makes sense, which means when you move, when you attack, when you shoot, it has to feel real, and then whatever it is that's attacking you — which we all know what's probably going to be attacking you — it has to feel like it's an onslaught where you have to stem the tide, you have to figure out a way to stop that biomass from attacking you, and it has to feel real."
Hay said the "key" to designing this experience was "tension," which players got a glimpse of in the CGI trailer, adding that it's the same tension from the RTS "but it's subtly different."
In the RTS game, players would be confronted with a wall of Zerg enemies, and that would be the tension, but in StarCraft, a first-person experience, the top-down perspective is gone.
"Now your boots on the ground," Hay said. "We have to give you the tension of deployment, and you saw us actually do that in the teaser, and then we have to give you the tension of there not being a whole bunch of marines around that you can just go through. It's you. You have to protect yourself. You have to figure out how to fix your armor. You have to figure out how to push back against it.
"Every shot matters. Everything you do matters. So the tension feels even greater."
StarCraft is currently in development and is set to arrive in 2030.
As TechRadar’s coffee expert and custodian of our guide to the best coffee machines in Australia, you can rest assured I make it my mission to trial as many espresso machines as possible. One brand that has, so far, eluded me, however, is Jura.
Judging by our Jura J10 and Jura Z10 reviews, that’s clearly a shame, as the Swiss brand is an expert in all things automatic coffee machines. And that’s exactly why a massive 57% discount on the Jura S8 at The Good Guys piqued my curiosity and made me do a double take.
Plummeting from AU$3,690 to AU$1,589, this is a prime opportunity to snap up an uber-premium bean-to-cup machine to take pride of place in your kitchen for years to come.
S8 (1561): was $3690 now $1589
This premium fully automatic coffee machine grinds, brews and froths milk at the touch of a button. With 27 preset drinks available, including the ability to incorporate flavoured syrups, it’s essentially your own at-home barista. Make sure to hit the Price Beat button the full saving.View Deal
While I do enjoy getting hands on with a coffee machine — I’m a huge fan of the KitchenAid Semi-Automatic, for example — in my mind an automatic model is ideal. I can press a couple of buttons, pull up a saved recipe and have my coffee brewing whilst attending to other tasks.
The Jura S8 therefore looks like it could be my new best friend for a number of reasons. Firstly, Jura has been making automatic coffee machines for around 40 years, so it arguably has the expertise to understand what makes a decent cuppa.
That experience extends to proprietary technologies, including its P.A.G.2 grinder with its seven selectable grind levels, an eighth-generation 3D brewing unit that passes water through coffee on multiple levels for a more even extraction and the use of the Pulse Extraction Process (P.E.P.) that pushes water through the puck in pulses rather than one uninterrupted flow, to optimise extraction time.
The 27 drinks can be customised to a great extent too, with 10 strength settings, programmable water and milk quantities and three brewing-temperature settings. And, as mentioned earlier, the S8 can produce Sweet Foam — milk foamed with flavoured syrup during preparation. My colleague Cat Ellis has said the results are “delicious” in her Jura J10 review. Plus, the large 4.3-inch touchscreen looks glorious in pictures.
On paper then, the Jura S8 looks to be the perfect coffee machine for me. Not only does it promise top-tier performance, but I also think it’s a bit of a looker compared to many other machines that are more akin to black boxes.
This huge AU$2,101 saving at The Good Guys lists an end date of September 30, so while you do have a little bit of time to take advantage, it could transpire that stock could run out before then!
Want more suggestions?If spending over AU$1,500 on an automatic coffee machine is too much for your budget, fret not, as there plenty of excellent models available for less. And, in some cases, you can actually find a machine that offers even more features than the Jura, for less money. Here are some other top-rated alternatives.
KF3: was $1349 now $1149
The best automatic coffee machine you can buy right now in my opinion, this KitchenAid model brews a delicious espresso time after time, offers a good level of personalisation, has a good (but not great) milk-foaming system, and intuitive navigation.View Deal
Eletta Explore Perfetto: was $1999 now $1199
The Eletta Explore is one of De’Longhi’s flagship series. This particular model can foam hot and cold milk, is controlled via a touch panel and can brew a large selection of drinks. View Deal
4400 Series Fully Automatic Espresso Machine: was $1199 now $797.36
This Philips machine is one of my favourites, and while it has gone lower in price before, I still consider this to be a great value for what is a great bean-to-cup espresso machine. View Deal
Luxe Café Premier: was $849.99 now $727
As we said in our 4.5-star Ninja Luxe Café review, this bean-to-cup coffee machine is worth the hype. Our tester said it was "an espresso machine anyone can master" that offers pro-level drinks without the effort. It’s all thanks to various technologies that determine the ideal grind size and automatically froth milk, meaning anyone can be an at-home barista. View Deal
J10: was $3990 now $2965
Ok, so this one costs more, but since I've referenced it a couple of times already, I had to include it here given the saving on offer. It does an excellent job of the fundamentals and adds the ability to make cold brew, along with a 42-drink menu.View Deal
Garmin’s Forerunner 170 is a solid running watch that brings great performance and smart features, all in a light and small package, and I particularly loved the Music version for phoneless short runs and activities. The watch was even found to be very accurate, according to my colleague Matt Evans’ testing.
At AU$479 (or AU$549 for the Music version), however, it isn’t the most affordable as far as fitness smartwatches go — so when I found the older (but higher-tier) Forerunner 265 discounted by 38% on Amazon, I knew this was a deal too tempting to pass up.
Featuring a more accurate dual-band GPS technology, 13 days of battery life, more size options and on-watch music storage, the Forerunner 265 is hard to beat for just AU$498.
This discount takes what our reviewer called the best running watch for most people in 2023 to its all-time low price on Amazon, which is about AU$50 cheaper than during recent sale events like EOFY and Prime Day. The smaller 42mm Forerunner 265S is also available for the same price and in more colours.View Deal
The Garmin Forerunner 265 was the first small Forerunner model with a touchscreen AMOLED display, replacing its predecessor’s monochrome memory-in-pixel display, to make it look and feel similar to something like an Apple Watch or a Samsung Galaxy Watch.
It also features dual-band or multi-frequency GPS for high-precision tracking in dense cities or heavy tree cover, which is technically superior to the Forerunner 170’s single-frequency multi-GNSS tracking.
The 170 is only available in the single 43mm size, while the 265 comes in 46mm and the smaller 265S is 42mm, providing more options for different wrist sizes.
The biggest criticism from our reviewer is the Forerunner 265’s price hike over its predecessor, and slightly worse battery life, which can be credited to the switch to an AMOLED display, but this discount takes care of the former in spades.
Interested in other Garmin products? Check out the latest Garmin Australia coupons here.
We're living in a drought of bold and brave storytelling. By that, I mean that almost everything we consume on our favorite streaming services plays it safe, looks the same, or lacks so much substance that you can't really say anything about it other than "it's fine".
MobLand, however, has been bucking that trend, and season 2 continues to build on an authenticity that's light years ahead of anything else. Why? At large, it's because MobLand trusts its audience to be able to think critically.
You've probably read reports of streamers modifying their scripts and plots to accommodate 'second screen' viewers — subscribers who've put something on in the background while doing something else. Without naming any names, this is starting to result in bland, unambitious storytelling that spoon-feeds you information unnecessarily.
But MobLand season 2 shows us just how fulfilling the results can be when creators and distributors alike are prepared to disrupt popular industry trends. The rich, complex layers to the central storyline feel never-ending, forcing you to play close attention to every second of dialogue and action.
The Harrigan family, as always, are unhinged. Conrad's (Pierce Brosnan) feud with Kevin (Paddy Considine) ramps up a notch, embroiling new 'fixer' Frankie (Johnny Flynn) in their mess as family arch-rival Kat (Janet McTeer) tries to take control of London from a distance.
This leaves Harry (Tom Hardy) having to clean up even more mess than before, particularly considering his and Jan's (Joanne Froggatt) impending divorce. On top of that, daughter Gina (Teddie Allen) has gone missing.
If you think you understand, you don't — between the Harrigans and us, it's the blind leading the blind. But that makes tuning into Paramount+ this week all the more enriching... because everyone is prepared to take a risk.
MobLand season 2 is a masterclass in how 2020s TV should be constructedThere's something so wonderfully hypnotic about watching a Dame and a former James Bond shower us with See You Next Tuesdays like it's no big deal (I counted, and Conrad says this four times within the first six minutes of episode 1). But such gimmicks aren't what makes MobLand season 2 so entertaining.
As I've touched on above, it all comes down to the construction. Having a whip-smart script, edgy editing and a soundtrack so defiant that Spotify would ask a listener with the same taste if they were okay, doesn't automatically give you a good show — all elements of production need to be working in complete synergy.
There will be no spoilers in this review, so I need you to trust me when I say that some scenes had all of their creative elements working in such beautiful harmony that I spiritually ascended. Never before have I wanted to be involved in organized crime, but throw me into an action sequence with dynamically rhythmic edits and Firestarter by The Prodigy as the soundtrack and I'd seriously consider it.
If I had to described MobLand season 2 in one word, it would be relentless. From the onslaught of family issues to the duplicity and deceit within them, nothing ever lets up. It's a mental scramble to keep up with everything that happens in a single episode (let alone the entire season); Guy Ritchie has created the most violent workout for the mind possible.
Throw yourself into it at full-throttle and you'll never want the grip of MobLand to let you go. It's not worth having any favorites — they'll either die or deceive you — but that in itself is a fitting lesson in trust. You stick out the ride and try to survive, and become pleasantly addicted to the process.
I've never loved a 'prick on a scooter' more (Image credit: Paramount+)It goes without saying that our ensemble cast is, as always, on top form. If there was any truth to the alleged behind-the-scenes drama involving Tom Hardy, all it's done is fuel the fire of some exceptional television. Harry's constant need to live on his wit's end is often amusing, while Conrad's slowly declining grip on reality never loses its gravitas.
Maeve (Helen Mirren) needed no improvement, really, but I've particularly enjoyed her power-dressing wardrobe this time around. In direct contrast is Bella (Lara Pulvey), who is the most fretful and unguarded we've ever seen her. Seraphina (Mandeep Dhillon) is on the way up the food chain, but her own worst enemy.
It's a social study in how complicated humans are while intent on making their own problems infinitely worse, then. But a particular shoutout must go to our most important newcomer, "prick on a scooter" Frankie Cooper.
Without giving too much away, he's brought into's Harry's orbit to act on behalf of the terrifyingly aloof Kat, all while dressed like the third Gallagher brother if he used the Lime app. With a chillingly monotone voice, and eyes that seem like they're constant dissociated from the world around him, he's the first genuinely troubling threat to Harry since the show began.
Frankie's relationship to everyone around him is just another fascinating dimension to behold, revealing a collective fear and vulnerability among the rest of the characters that we've not yet seen. From beginning to end, Ritchie's thought process is truly masterful.
Thank God MobLand season 3 is already a done deal. Thank God we get to experience more of this addictive high. If you thought The Gentlemen season 2 was good, you ain't seen nothing yet.
In the span of just over two weeks this summer, three of the world's most closely watched AI developers admitted the same uncomfortable thing. Their own models broke out of the sandbox and touched systems they were never supposed to interact with.
OpenAI disclosed on July 21 that models it was evaluating exploited a vulnerability and compromised production infrastructure at Hugging Face, an incident the company said was driven end-to-end by an autonomous agent with no human directing it.
Days later, Anthropic said three of its Claude models, including Opus 4.7 and its newest Mythos 5, had accessed and compromised the systems of three outside organizations during cybersecurity testing exercises, after a misconfiguration left the models connected to the open internet when they had been told they weren't.
And on August 5, Meta confirmed its Muse Spark 1.1 model breached an unnamed company's systems under strikingly similar circumstances.
A pattern, not an anomalyAt the current pace, this isn't a rare event security teams can plan around once a year. It's becoming a recurring line item. Notably, Anthropic and Meta's incidents traced back to the same third-party evaluation partner, and in Meta's case, the model's cyber risk had already been assessed as no higher than moderate before the very testing process meant to confirm that assessment ended up breaching a real company.
That detail matters as it shows the failure point isn't just the model. It's the surrounding scaffolding of evaluations, permissions, and network paths that organizations assume is contained until it isn't.
This should be viewed as an early warning for organizations about autonomous systems moving from content generation into action execution. The practical lesson, now repeated three times over, is that advanced AI systems can behave in harmful or unexpected ways even when the original goal is not malicious, especially when they are given tools, network paths, credentials, and incentives to complete a task at any cost.
For companies, the takeaway is not to halt AI adoption. It's to treat agentic AI as a new class of privileged workload that requires containment, observability, and enforceable runtime controls.
Govern agents like high-risk digital workersThat starts with AI agent identity management. Companies should double down on this discipline and be very deliberate about what agents are allowed to access and do. Each agent should have a unique identity, scoped permissions, short-lived credentials, and clear ownership, so organizations can trace actions back to a specific system, use case, and accountable business owner.
Access should be limited by default, with explicit approval gates for higher-risk activities such as internet access, code execution, credential retrieval, data movement, or changes to production systems.
In practical terms, organizations should govern AI agents like high-risk digital workers: least privilege by default, separation between test and production environments, detailed logging of tool use and system interactions, and a kill switch that security teams can trigger the moment behavior deviates from policy.
Prevention, monitoring, and the road aheadPrevention also requires moving beyond traditional application security testing. Organizations should red-team agents against realistic misuse paths, including prompt injection, tool abuse, lateral movement, credential harvesting, data exfiltration, and attempts to bypass sandbox restrictions. They should also continuously monitor agents for harmful impacts, not just technical failures.
That means watching for unauthorized access attempts, unusual tool-chaining behavior, unexpected data movement, policy violations, and actions that could create operational, security, privacy, or reputational harm. Periodic audits should review agent permissions, identities, logs, business justification, and actual behavior to confirm that each agent is still operating within its intended purpose and risk tolerance.
Will this become a trend? With three disclosures in seventeen days, that question is close to settled. Autonomous agents will increasingly be able to discover, combine, and exploit weaknesses faster than traditional security processes can respond.
The risk is not simply “AI hacking AI.” It's autonomous decision-making operating inside complex digital ecosystems where one model, plugin, dataset, API, or identity path can become the bridge into another environment, exactly what played out at Hugging Face, inside Anthropic's testing environment, and now at Meta's.
The companies that will be best positioned are those that pair AI innovation with disciplined identity management, access limitation, continuous monitoring, and routine audit practices, rather than treating each new disclosure as an isolated incident to react to after the fact.
The pragmatic message for executives, especially as this list of companies keeps growing, is that agentic AI can create significant business value, but only if autonomy is matched with accountability, containment, and operational guardrails.
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- The Boox Palma 3 has been announced
- This is a phone-sized ereader with a 6.13-inch screen
- Key upgrades include Android 16, stylus support, and a more premium build
If you’re in the market for a phone-sized ereader, you now have another option to consider, as the Boox Palma 3 has just been unveiled — and this successor to the Onyx Boox Palma 2 has some of the key features found on the rival ViWoods AiPaper Reader.
For one thing, just like the ViWoods device, the Boox Palma 3 now has a premium build, with an anodized aluminum frame and a textured fiberglass backplate in place of its plasticky predecessor.
And it’s also had an Android upgrade, launching with a ViWoods AiPaper Reader-matching Android 16, which is up from Android 13 on the Boox Palma 2 and Android 15 on the Onyx Boox Palma 2 Pro.
For me, that’s particularly important, as Android versions don’t tend to get updated on these sorts of devices, so you’re typically stuck with whatever software they launch with; old versions of software can mean security issues, and app incompatibility problems can crop up sooner.
Beyond that, the Boox Palma 3 also benefits from active stylus support, so you can use it with the Boox InkSense Plus stylus. The AiPaper Reader doesn’t have stylus support, nor does it come with a camera, whereas here you get a 16MP one, so those are two potential advantages of the Boox Palma 3.
Personally, I’m not sure I’d want to use a stylus on a device this small, nor do I have much use for a camera on an ereader — but it could be handy for scanning documents, if you’re so inclined.
(Image credit: Onyx)Similar specs and a heavier buildThat camera and the rest of the specs, though, are largely in line with those of the Boox Palma 2, including a 6.13-inch 824 x 1648 e-paper touchscreen with 300 pixels per inch, 6GB of RAM, 128GB of storage, a microSD card slot, a front light (supporting both warm and cold color tones), a 3,950mAh battery, a USB-C port, a fingerprint sensor, a speaker, and microphones.
But despite being marginally smaller than the Boox Palma 2 at 159 x 78 x 7.8mm, the Palma 3 is actually 25g heavier at 195g.
That also makes it heavier than the 138g ViWoods AiPaper Reader and the 170g Boox Palma 2 Pro — the latter of which additionally gives you a color screen and an extra 2GB of RAM.
So, this may not be a complete home run — or a total upgrade for anyone who owns the Palma 2 Pro.
Indeed, the Palma 3 is actually priced lower than the Palma 2 Pro, coming in at $339.99 (around £250 / AU$475), though a launch discount softens that price to an even lower $319.99 (roughly £235 / AU$450).
There’s no confirmed pricing for other regions yet, but for reference, while the Palma 2 has been discontinued, the Palma 2 Pro sells for $399.99 / $379.99 / AU$679, and its rival, the ViWoods AiPaper Reader, retails for $279 / £254.99 / AU$399.12.
You also can’t actually buy the Boox Palma 3 yet, but the company lists it as coming soon.
- StarCraft general manager and creative director Dan Hay says the series' stories and characters are "remarkably topical" today
- Hay says StarCraft and the real world are both like a "frontier"
- He adds that while StarCraft is science fiction, its "themes and characters" are very similar to "the headlines in our world"
StarCraft general manager and creative director Dan Hay has compared real-world events to the series' stories and characters, calling them "remarkably topical."
In a sit-down interview with TechRadar Gaming following the reveal of StarCraft, a first-person, open-world shooter slated to arrive in 2030, Hay discussed the CGI trailer that debuted at BlizzCon and explained that the team wanted to portray the "tension" that will come with this new story-driven adventure.
The developer also said that building the "stakes" was just as important; he couldn't dive too much into the narrative details, but Hay touched on the series as a whole and its storylines that explore "imperfect" characters, suggesting the new StarCraft will examine similar topics.
"The way in which you are a hero is that you are going to learn how to become one," Hay said. "The way in which you are a hero is that you are going to learn how to become one. So it's not perfect, right? And that's the thing about StarCraft: a lot of the characters are not perfect; they're imperfect, and even the villains are.
"They have an idea of what you think they are at the beginning of the game, and then by the end of the game, you realize, oh, they were something completely different. And I think what's powerful about StarCraft."
Hay continued, saying that when you look at StarCraft's stories and the characters you meet, they're "remarkably topical" to the events unfolding in the real world.
"When you think about our world today, and you think about what is StarCraft? It's a bit of a frontier," he said. "It's obviously a frontier. There's asymmetry in terms of factions that don't agree with each other. There's brinkmanship going on where one faction is being used against another. [In] a lot of cases, it's just over resources.
"A lot of the cases there's politics, and there's intrigue, and there are people being left behind and betrayed, and when you look at that, and then you look at the headlines in our world, it's not super far [apart] in terms of how it feels sometimes. So you feel that tension, and you felt that tension in the teaser [trailer]."
Hay concluded: "I think what's remarkable about StarCraft is that it feels real, and it feels like it translates quite easily into today. And even though it's science fiction, and even though it has this sense of being in this other universe, it feels very close in terms of themes and characters and moments that you could experience today."
- The People v Gorilla Grodd is the only DCU TV show in active development
- HBO's boss recently confirmed as much at the 2026 Emmys
- His comments have got me fearing for Lanterns' future
The boss of HBO has revealed that only one DC Universe (DCU) TV show is officially in the works — and now I'm afraid for the future of Lanterns.
Speaking to Deadline, Casey Bloys confirmed that The People v Gorilla Grodd (TPvGG), aka the recently announced Superman TV spin-off, is the only TV series in active development at DC Studios.
Asked for a status update on DC's myriad television productions, Bloys replied: "People read about development, and they assume that those are greenlit shows and they're [already in] development. And everybody knows that development is just that — you're trying things, you take big swings, [and] not everything comes through.
"I would say our track record in DC, from Watchmen to Peacemaker to Penguin and now Lanterns, is pretty good. We're very selective. We're careful about what we do, nothing has changed. You'll read about development, but focus on what we're greenlighting."
Pressed on whether any other show was in active development, Bloys added: "No, not right now, obviously you've got [The People v] Gorilla Grodd, which I'm very happy about, [they're] doing something different, and I think it's a really fun idea. They just started shooting."
Why I'm fearing the worst for the fate of HBO's Green Lantern TV showFans have fallen in love with the abrasive Hal Jordan since Lanterns premiered in mid-August (Image credit: DC Studios/HBO Max)For fans who've immersed themselves in the DCU since day one, Bloys' comments will be of concern.
Indeed, when DC Studios co-head James Gunn revealed the official lineup for DCU Chapter One in January 2023, six small-screen projects were unveiled as part of the rebooted cinematic franchise's initial slate.
Since then, four more series have been added to the list of potential TV candidates, but only one — The People v Gorilla Grodd — has been greenlit. Meanwhile, some shows that were named as part of Gunn's initial announcement, including Waller and Paradise Lost, have reportedly been shelved. Others, such as Booster Gold, have been trapped in development hell.
John Stewart has also won a whole new army of fans in HBO's Green Lanterns TV show (Image credit: HBO)With Bloys outright confirming TPvGG is all that DC Studios' TV division is actively working on, it's not surprising that fans — myself included — are fearing for Lanterns' future.
The Aaron Pierre and Kyle Chandler-led sci-fi crime drama, which has seen its audience share seemingly grow week-on-week amid positive word of mouth, is one of the most popular shows on television right now. With three more episodes of its debut season yet to air (at the time of publication, anyway), I'm convinced that its viewership will increase in the weeks to come, too.
Considering that HBO's Green Lantern TV show has been such a hit, it's inevitable that a second season will be made, right? Not if we believe Bloys. After all, there are numerous examples of hugely successful shows — on HBO, HBO Max, and otherwise — that haven't returned for another round. There's no guarantee, then, that Lanterns season 2 will be a thing.
That said, DC Studios has assembled a writers room for Lanterns season 2 to kick around potential story ideas. That doesn't mean DC and HBO have pledged to make another season of the DCU Chapter One program, but it does offer hope that, if the right story angle can be found, another eight-part installment might be *ahem* constructed.
As I said at the start of this article, though, I am worried for Lanterns' fate. Bloys is likely playing it coy, but I'm of the opinion that he would've had something positive to say about Lanterns' future if a sophomore season was more likely to happen than not. Right now, then, I'm reluctantly confident that it'll be a one and done scenario.
Mind you, that doesn't mean we won't see Pierre's John Stewart — and, potentially, Chandler's Hal Jordan — again in the DCU. Pierre's Stewart is already set to play a role in Man of Tomorrow, aka next July's follow-up to Gunn's Superman sequel. Meanwhile, there are unsubstantiated rumors floating around that a DCU Green Lantern movie might be fast-tracked because of how popular Lanterns has proven to be.
If, and it's a big if, we get a big-screen Lanterns follow-up to the hit comic book-inspired show, you certainly won't hear me complaining about the decision not to make a second season.
For now, find out everything we know so far about Man of Tomorrow, get the full lowdown on The People v Gorilla Grodd, and learn all there is to know about Clayface.
- Elastic Security Labs uncovered REF9334, a Brazilian banking malware campaign active since May 2025
- Malware “Kremlin” deploys fake docs and malicious Chrome/Edge extensions to steal banking data
- 1,515 infections found, 98% in Brazil
Security researchers from Elastic Security Labs have discovered a new Brazilian banking malware campaign that uses browser extensions to compromise users and steal sensitive information.
In an in-depth report published earlier this week, the researchers said the campaign has been active since at least May 2025. Dubbed REF9334, the campaign uses fake banking, invoice, and business documents, to trick victims into installing malware which, in turn, deploys a malicious extension in Chrome and Edge browsers.
The researchers named the malware “Kremlin”, and say it can steal browser credentials, cookies, session information, monitor browser activity, grab screenshots, and steal information from websites that the victims visit. But the goal of the campaign is primarily to target Brazilian bank users.
A thousand victimsThe malware really makes an effort to hide and persist in the target environment. For example, it first checks to see if it’s in a sandbox and if so - it simply won’t run. If instead it determines that it’s running on a real user’s computer, it will deploy an extension with the name “AVSync System Inc.” in an attempt to trick the victim into thinking they have an antivirus addon running in the browser.
It also doesn’t use a fixed C2 server, but rather stores the information on the Ethereum blockchain, since it’s a lot harder to disrupt the communication between the operators and the infected machines that way.
During their investigation, Elastic researchers were able to take control of a domain that the malware used and discovered that it had infected 1,515 systems. Almost all of them (98%) were located in Brazil. They were also able to register the network canary domain and point it to their webhost, which resulted in the loader assuming it was in a sandbox. This also meant “the infections have not moved past the initial access”, Elastic explained.
The full list of indicators of compromise can be found on this link.
Via The Hacker News
On our podcast I’m known as the Apple hater, but over the past year I’ve let up a little — even defended the company.
I’ve said Apple could be the only company capable of releasing camera glasses without major backlash thanks to privacy-first approach, celebrated its approach to AI as possibly genius if the bubble does pop, and most recently said the iPhone Duo looks great and that the visible crease in some shots should be ignored — as if it’s like the Z Fold 8 Ultra you’ll never see it while you’re using it.
But in our most recent episode, I saw something that I couldn’t believe in the new AirPods 5 specs. I had to actually message our Audio Editor because I thought I must be wrong.
How are on-bud volume controls only now coming to AirPods? And how are they reserved for the pricier model?
Take back (volume) controlI brought this up in the podcast, but my Apple-wielding colleagues — Axel Metz and Matt Evans — argued the feature isn’t that useful anyway. Those with Pro-level AirPods that boast volume controls noted that they rarely use them
Folks, that’s beside the point.
Volume controls are one of the most basic earbuds functions. Take a minute to scroll through Amazon, and you can find dozens of wireless earbuds under $20 that offer volume controls. This shouldn’t be something reserved for the fifth generation of a premium earbuds brand like AirPods. It’s absurd!
Oh, and I think volume controls on the buds are useful, for what it’s worth. If I’ve set my phone up to watch a YouTube video and the volume spikes, I want to be able to quickly swipe down without reaching over; or I might want to change the volume of my workout tunes mid-session without pulling my phone out and risking getting distracted.
Sure, it’s not a game changer, but as I said already, it’s a basic feature we should expect. It would be like if your iPhone didn’t have an email app — there are ways around it, but why cut off the root of the problem?
Perhaps I shouldn't give Apple ideas (Image credit: Jacob Krol/Future)What really grinds my gears, however, is that volume controls still aren’t truly standard. If you get the base $129 / £119 / AU$219 AirPods, you’ll be out of luck — you need to pay extra for the $149 / £139 / AU$249 model with a wireless charging case.
This isn’t anywhere near as egregious as those ridiculously expensive Mac Pro wheels from early 2020 — back when we could worry about such trivialities in the ‘before times’ — but it feels like a remnant of Apple’s arrogance, and the quality that has put me off the company’s tech for all these years.
People can get the earbuds they want, and I’m sure the AirPods 5 will be just as solid as the previous generation. But when there are so many excellent audio options out there, my philosophy is to get a pair that respects you, offers genuine value for money, and won’t nickel-and-dime you for features that should have been added back in the first-generation model — not as an upcharge on the fifth-generation iteration.
For the past few years, the spotlight has been firmly on AI models.
Organizations have poured investment into generative AI, machine learning platforms and large language models. New capabilities appear almost weekly. Yet despite all this progress, a familiar question keeps surfacing in boardrooms and leadership meetings – where is the business value?
Part of the answer is that the technology itself is no longer the main obstacle. Powerful AI tools are now within reach of most organizations. What remains difficult is turning AI-generated insights into decisions and measurable business outcomes.
This is the last mile of AI, where many projects lose momentum. A model may produce a recommendation in seconds, but acting on it is often far more complicated. Data may be incomplete, critical context may sit elsewhere, and governance teams may not be confident in the output.
As a result, many organizations find themselves investing heavily in AI while struggling to move beyond pilots and proofs of concept. The missing piece is often the ability to connect intelligence to the reality of how the business really operates.
The real AI bottleneckWhen executives talk about successful AI programs, they rarely focus on the sophistication of the model. What matters is the outcome. For example, whether fraud losses fall, if customers can be onboarded faster, or if downtime is reduced. Those outcomes depend on much more than AI itself.
For AI to create value, it needs a clear view of what is happening across the business, enough context to understand what those events mean, and the ability to operate within governance guardrails. When any of those elements are missing, recommendations become harder to trust, automation stalls, and adoption suffers.
Many organizations discover that the real bottleneck sits between the model and the business process. Data is fragmented across systems, and essential context is missing. Often, information arrives too late to be useful. Different teams define the same business concepts in different ways. These are not new problems, but AI has exposed them more clearly than ever before.
We see this challenge regularly in financial services. One institution had invested heavily in AI-driven fraud detection, yet investigators still struggled to act quickly because customer records, transaction histories, and external fraud signals were spread across multiple systems. Once those sources were brought together in a trusted, governed view, fraud losses fell, false positives declined, and onboarding processes became more efficient.
AI needs a broader view of the businessOne reason many organizations struggle to get AI into production is that the technology depends on a much broader view of the business than traditional analytics ever did.
Most companies have spent years investing in ERP platforms, CRM applications, and operational databases. These systems remain the authoritative record of the business and provide much of the information AI needs to work effectively.
To make good decisions, AI increasingly needs information from outside those core systems. It may need supplier data to understand a disruption in the supply chain. It may need information from partners, SaaS applications, or external intelligence sources to provide business context. Increasingly, it also needs access to live operational signals, whether that's customer interactions, fraud alerts, connected devices, or event streams that reveal what's happening right now.
You can think of this as three layers of information:
- The first is the authoritative data held within core enterprise systems.
- The second is contextual information from partners, suppliers and external sources that helps explain why events are occurring.
- The third is real-time operational awareness, the signals that show what is happening in the moment.
Most organizations have made significant progress managing the first layer. Far fewer have found an effective way to combine all three. A global manufacturer we worked with faced a similar challenge.
Its AI models could predict equipment failures, but critical information about production schedules, supplier delays, and maintenance activities sat across different systems. Connecting those sources gave teams the context needed to identify risks earlier, reduce downtime, and make better operational decisions.
As a result, AI often operates with an incomplete picture of reality. It may understand what happened yesterday, but not what is happening now. It may have access to internal records, but lack the external context needed to make a confident recommendation.
This is where the last mile challenge starts to emerge.
The ecosystem effectThe rise of AI is also changing how organizations think about data sharing. For years, most businesses focused primarily on their own internal systems. Today, many of the decisions that matter depend on information that sits beyond organizational boundaries.
A manufacturer responding to supply chain disruption needs visibility into suppliers and logistics partners. A bank trying to detect fraud benefits from external signals as much as internal customer data. Public sector organizations often need information from multiple agencies to improve services and outcomes.
The common thread is that intelligence increasingly flows across an ecosystem rather than a single enterprise. Trusted AI outcomes depend on trusted access to data wherever that data resides.
Technology leaders therefore face a balancing act: making data accessible across distributed environments while maintaining governance, security and ownership. Without that foundation, even the most advanced models struggle to deliver consistent results.
Closing the last mileIf there is one lesson emerging from the first wave of enterprise AI adoption, it is that success depends less on deploying another model and more on creating the conditions that allow AI to operate effectively.
That starts with trusted data. Business users need confidence that the information feeding AI systems is accurate, up to date, and governed consistently. The challenge is also making it available in a way that AI can use without creating new silos or adding more complexity. AI needs access to core business systems, external ecosystem data, and real-time operational signals. If those remain disconnected, the quality of the output will always be limited.
Why understanding mattersData alone, however, rarely tells the full story. AI needs to not only understand the data itself, but the business context around it. For example, where it came from, how it relates to other information, and the policies that govern its use. That context is often what separates a useful recommendation from a misleading one. Without it, even accurate data can lead to poor decisions.
This is where active context comes in. It provides AI with the richer understanding needed to interpret information correctly, connect it to the wider business environment, and make decisions that are grounded, relevant, and well governed.
Turning insight into actionThe final step is where many organizations still struggle. Insights need to become actions.
Too often, AI generates recommendations that sit in dashboards, reports or isolated applications. The greatest value comes when intelligence is embedded directly into operational workflows, helping people make decisions faster or automating routine processes altogether. That is where AI starts to move beyond experimentation and deliver measurable business outcomes.
For technology leaders, a useful test is to ask a handful of simple questions.
- Can AI access information as events happen, or is it relying on yesterday's data?
- Can it combine internal and external sources to build a complete picture?
- Are governance policies applied consistently across different environments?
- Do people trust the outputs enough to act on them?
If the answer to any of those questions is no, the next investment should probably be focused on the data foundation rather than the model itself.
Where the next gains will come fromThe organizations generating the greatest returns from AI are not necessarily those deploying the newest technology. More often, they are the ones that have found a way to connect trusted data, business context, and operational processes.
In banking, that might mean reducing fraud losses while accelerating onboarding. In manufacturing, it could mean identifying disruptions earlier and reducing downtime. In the public sector, it may involve improving citizen services through better collaboration across departments. In each case, the value comes not from the model itself, but from embedding intelligence into operational decisions and workflows.
That is the last mile of AI. For many organizations, it remains the biggest barrier to success. It may also be the biggest opportunity.
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At last, Joe (Zoe Saldaña) has been rescued in Lioness season 3. Frankly, that's an episode earlier than expected.
Still, it seems as though there's more to be solved. The timing of her rescue suggests there's more to the CIA's strategy than we've been able to give proper attention to (at least, I really hope that's the case), with Joe saying she can potentially "never" return home.
But does anybody really know what they're talking about? And when does Lioness season 3 episode 8 arrive on Paramount+?
What time can I watch Lioness season 3 episode 8 on Paramount+?Lioness season 3 episode 8 will drop on one of the world's best streaming services in the US and Canada on Sunday, September 20 at 12am PT / 3am ET.
Here's when it will be released in other nations:
- US – 12am PT / 3am ET
- Canada – 12am PT / 3am ET
- UK – 8am BST
- India – 12:30pm IST
- Singapore – 3pm SGT
- Australia – 5pm AEST
- New Zealand – 7pm NZST
Lioness season 3 will have a total of eight episodes, with new entries airing weekly. That gives us the following schedule:
- Episode 1: out now
- Episode 2: out now
- Episode 3: out now
- Episode 4: out now
- Episode 5: out now
- Episode 6: out now
- Episode 7: out now
- Episode 8: September 20
In July 2026, an OpenAI model being tested in a security research environment broke out of its sandbox, exploited a zero-day vulnerability and autonomously compromised systems at Hugging Face, executing more than 17,000 attacker actions in under five days with no human directing the attack.
It’s the most autonomous, most damaging agentic AI attack documented to date, and it signals a significant shift from AI-assisted hacking to fully autonomous cyber operations.
It isn’t the first: Anthropic disrupted a similar Claude Code-driven espionage campaign, which it attributed with high confidence to a Chinese state-sponsored group, some ten months earlier, and Sysdig documented the first fully agentic ransomware attack just over a week before the Hugging Face intrusion began.
But it’s the starkest proof yet that autonomous AI attacks have moved from lab hypothesis to live threat. This event was a wake-up call not just for the security industry but for everyone with an online presence, and the implications are sobering.
Up until this point, discussions around AI-powered cyber threats had largely focused on how AI can help attackers work faster and at scale. As an industry, we discussed how the technology could write more convincing phishing emails, analyze larger datasets, or accelerate malware development. But the OpenAI case points to something far more troubling: AI carrying out the attack itself, from start to finish.
The old cybersecurity playbook no longer worksThe OpenAI incident shows how quickly the threat landscape is evolving, and how exceptionally adept agentic AI now is at finding and exposing existing flaws. It’s a stark illustration that the very tools helping to fight attacks can also cause them. The situation shows how vulnerabilities that once may have slipped through the cracks are now becoming far easier to find and exploit.
That’s a problem for the sector as a whole. But it’s an even bigger problem for organizations that continue to overlook the basics of cyber hygiene. Despite the security industry’s best efforts, known weaknesses, unpatched systems and outdated software remain the norm rather than the exception.
Verizon’s 2026 Data Breach Investigations Report found that vulnerability exploitation overtook stolen credentials as the leading breach vector for the first time in nineteen years, accounting for 31% of breaches, while organizations patched only 26% of flaws on CISA’s Known Exploited Vulnerabilities list, down from 38% the year before. Too many organizations still treat security tools as a last line of defense rather than closing the gaps before attackers, human or artificial, get there first.
If Hugging Face’s encounter with a rogue AI agent has taught us anything, it’s that a reactive security posture is no longer sustainable. As AI becomes more capable of identifying and exploiting weaknesses at machine speed, IT leaders have far less time to detect and respond before a minor flaw becomes a major breach.
The UK’s NCSC and its Five Eyes partners said as much in their May 2026 joint guidance on agentic AI: the question every organization must now answer is whether it can understand, monitor and contain what its AI agents, and the ones attacking it, actually do.
In practice, that means shifting focus from detecting attacks to reducing the opportunities for them to succeed in the first place, building continuous visibility, effective governance and the ability to act before minor vulnerabilities become major attack paths, rather than relying on periodic checks and reactive response.
The need for real-time visibilityAfter all, you cannot defend what you cannot see. As IT environments become more complex, maintaining an accurate understanding of assets, vulnerabilities and configurations becomes increasingly difficult.
OpenAI’s agentic attack reinforces why this matters. If autonomous AI can identify and exploit vulnerabilities without human input and at machine speed, organizations can no longer rely on scheduled scans to understand their exposure.
Instead, real-time visibility provides a continuously updated picture of an organization's environment, allowing them to identify risks as they emerge rather than discovering them by chance and when it’s too late.
But updating technology is only half of the equation. Organizations also need strong governance so that they can understand who owns risk, how vulnerabilities are prioritized and how quickly issues are addressed.
And if attacks are being carried out by agentic AI, defenders must use AI to fight AI. Hugging Face’s own investigation shows why. When its frontier-model tools refused, on safety grounds, to help analyze the malware, the team turned to GLM-5.2, a Chinese open-weight model, running on its own infrastructure, and got the job done in hours instead of days.
That’s an uncomfortable irony for the Western AI industry, and a preview of the governance decisions security leaders will increasingly have to make. That’s why autonomous IT operations are increasingly taking center stage. Rather than replacing people, they enable teams to focus on strategic decisions while routine remediation, patching and risk reduction activities happen at the speed required to keep pace with modern threats.
Preparing for a new threat landscapeWhether OpenAI’s rogue agent turns out to be a one-off or the new normal, organizations can’t afford to wait and see. The threat landscape is evolving at machine speed, and defenders need to be ready for what’s coming next.
But organizations are not powerless. The technologies needed to improve resilience already exist; it’s now a question of adopting the right tools and using them effectively.
Going forward, businesses can no longer take a reactive approach to cybersecurity. The ones still on the back foot when the next agentic AI attack lands will be the ones counting the cost.
The OpenAI incident shows that the age of AI-assisted attacks is rapidly giving way to something more sophisticated. The direction of travel is clear, and the days of relying on security tools as a last line of defense are over. It’s time to get on the front foot and close the gaps before attackers, human or artificial, find them first.
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Canon's EOS R8 Mark II is here, with a fresh new look that's inspired by the world's leading camera manufacturer's heritage, and finished off with a "modern twist". The resemblance to Canon's analog SLRs such as the T80 or AE-1 is faint, but in any case the new model is certainly a decent upgrade of the EOS R8, adding image stabilization, a multi-controller, and various performance and design improvements.
When I pored over the specs and pricing of the EOS R8 Mark II during my hands-on, however, a surprising reality came into sharp focus: Nikon's year-and-a-bit-old Z5 II remains highly competitive and it costs less than Canon's latest entry-level full-frame mirrorless model.
If you're considering your first full-frame camera and are not tied to Canon or another system, you should totally read on to find out more about the new EOS R8 Mark II, and how it fares against our Camera of the Year 2025 winner, the Nikon Z5 II.
1. Sensor- Both feature a 24MP full-frame sensor
- Both sensors are equipped with image stabilization, rated up to 7.5EV
This section is going to be straightforward: both cameras have a full-frame 24MP sensor that's equipped with image stabilization (IBIS) rated up to 7.5EV.
Besides nuances in how each camera handles color and noise, and personal preferences, the image quality will be pretty similar. Having said that, I've historically found Canon's image stabilization to perform better than Nikon's.
- Sensor winner: Tie
- Both shoot 4K video up to 60fps, but the Z5 II has a 1.5x crop
- Both shoot 4K 30fps with 10-bit color depth from the sensor's full width, the Z5 II shoots 12-bit RAW
- 1080p slow motion recording up to 180fps (EOS R8 Mark II) and 120fps (Nikon Z5 II)
- Color profiles for video; new 'filmtones' for EOS R8 II, well-regarded RED profiles for Z5 II
There's much more to unpack and compare regarding each camera's video features. Both can shoot 4K video at 30fps with 4:2:2 10-bit color depth from the full width of the sensor, and up to 60fps at this resolution, although at this frame rate there's a 1.5x crop in the Z5 II.
The Nikon camera, however, is the only one that can shoot 12-bit internal RAW video, which certainly gives it the quality edge for users who want greater tonal depth and editing latitude, and who don't mind the larger file sizes.
Slow motion recording is also possible in 1080p, but again the EOS R8 Mark II has the frame rates edge — it can shoot 6x slow motion (180fps) to the Z5 II's 4x slow motion (120fps).
There's no shortage of color profiles for each camera, either. There's each company's version of a gradable, flat Log profile (C Log and N-Log) and Rec 709, while Canon has introduced two new 'filmtones' looks and the Nikon Z5 II features a RED RAW profile. Each can link with a companion app to import custom profiles, too. Users with either camera should have no issues getting a style they like.
Both camera's video recording is supported by powerful autofocus and image stabilization, making smooth and sharp run-and-gun filming a distinct possibility. The EOS R8 Mark II features a tally lamp to indicate when recording is active, but the Z5 II offers dual SD card slots for overflow / backup storage, whereas the Canon camera just has the one slot.
There are distinct advantages for each camera — and more besides that I haven't got into here — and as such it's tricky to call an outright winner in this category.
- Video winner: Tie
- Canon EOS R8 Mark II: 546g body (with battery and card), not weather resistant, single card slot
- Nikon Z5 II: 700g body (with battery and card), weather resistant mag alloy, dual card slot
The EOS R8 Mark II is the guinea pig for Canon's new design. It forgoes the sweeping curves we've come to associate with Canon camera, in favor of straight, angular lines and a pronounced viewfinder bump that are "inspired by Canon's heritage". In this sense, it actually has more in common with the Nikon camera than previous Canon models.
Beyond the looks, the cameras are roughly the same size, but the EOS R8 Mark II is notably lighter at 546g. The quality of its buttons, controls and body have a much more entry-level feel to them, whereas the Z5 II feels more like a level up. The Z5 II feels like the more robust of the two, plus it's officially noted as weather resistant whereas the EOS R8 Mark II is not. The gulf in quality is compounded by the displays...
- Design winner: Nikon Z5 II
- Canon EOS R8 Mark: 3.0-inch 1.62m-dot vari-angle LCD and 0.39-inch 2.36m-dot EVF
- Nikon Z5 II: 3.2-inch 2.1m-dot vari-angle LCD and 0.5-inch 3.69m-dot EVF
Put simply, the Nikon Z5 II's LCD screen and EVF displays are higher-specced than the EOS R8 Mark II's, despite the camera arriving almost 18 months earlier.
Both screens are vari-angle, so they can be pulled out to the side of the camera and tilted for low-level shooting / rotated for selfies. The Z5 II's display is slightly larger at 3.2-inches to the Canon's 3.0-inches, and it has a higher resolution, although the pixel density is roughly the same.
I've used both cameras separately, but can attest to the superior quality of the Z5 II's EVF – it's physically bigger, has more pixels, higher magnification, and is brighter — in short, a more immersive display. This category is an easy win for the Z5 II.
- Displays winner: Nikon Z5 II
- Canon EOS R8 Mark: 220-shot (VF) / 340-shot (LCD) battery life, Dual Pixel CMOS AF II, 40fps with pre-capture
- Nikon Z5 II: 340-shot (VF) / 350-shot (LCD) battery life, Hybrid phase detection AF, 30fps with pre-capture
If you prefer using a viewfinder, then the battery life of the Z5 II is much better than the EOS R8 Mark II, although the playing field is somewhat levelled when using the LCD. Neither camera has a particularly impressive battery life, but both can be recharged on the go, via USB-C.
Both also have excellent autofocus performance, with subject tracking and detection for humans, animals and vehicles. I haven't directly compared the performance of each camera, but they do inherit autofocus systems from pricier models that I have tested at length. Canon's 'Register People' mode is super handy for prioritizing specific people in crowded scenes — and you can store up to 10 faces at any one time.
Canon improved autofocus sensitivity in low light down to -7.5EV in its second-gen EOS R8, but the Nikon camera was already more sensitive, being rated to -10EV.
For outright burst shooting speeds, Canon has the edge — it's capable of up to 40fps, compared to 30fps for the Nikon. However, neither are true sports cameras in the sense that once the buffer is full, they will slow up quicker than high-end models. The Z5 II has both a mechanical and electronic shutter, while the Canon model only has the latter.
- Performance winner: Tie
- Canon EOS R8 Mark II announced on Sep 16, 2026, for $1,899 / £1,729 / AU$2,529
- Nikon Z5 II was released on April 3, 2025 for $1,699 / £1,599 / AU$2,699, but the price has since dropped
Canon's EOS R8 Mark II has only just been announced at the time of writing, and its sales start date is October 20. It will cost $1,899 / £1,729 / AU$2,529 body only, or £2,119.99 / AU$2,859 with the budget 24-105mm F4-7.1 kit lens / $2099 with the 24-50mm f/4.5-6.3 IS STM lens in the US. Naturally, there are no price cuts yet.
Nikon's Z5 II, meanwhile, was released almost 18 months ago, and at list price was approximately 10% cheaper in the US and UK, but a little more in Australia — so no huge difference. However, it has since come down in price, and that margin has increased. Like the Canon model, it's available in a kit with a 24-105mm F4-7.1 lens, but there are other good-value kits on sale, including with the 24-200mm travel zoom.
- Price winner: Nikon Z5 II
As entry-level full-frame cameras, the Canon EOS R8 Mark II and Nikon Z5 II share many key features, including things like a 24MP full-frame sensor with image stabilization, 4K video recording and powerful autofocus.
There are specific features unique to each model that stand out, but not enough to swing the balance either way. However, where the gulf becomes clear is in each camera's overall handling and quality — the Nikon Z5 II's superior displays, control layout, body quality, extra card slot and better battery life deliver a better all-round shooting experience.
The Canon feels every much the entry-level camera with powerful features, whereas the Nikon camera redefines entry-level quality. And when you think that the Z5 II has pricier components but costs less, it feels like a solid win for the Canon rival.
For the past few years, Enterprise AI has largely been defined by experimentation. Organizations rushed to explore use cases, test pilot programs and give teams access to the latest models. Success metrics have often been related to adoption and speed.
Across boardrooms now, the conversation around AI is changing. CFOs are no longer asking what AI tools can do, rather they are asking what it has done, what value it has created, and whether that value justifies the growing cost of compute.
The next chapter of Enterprise AI will not be defined by who deploys the most agents or consumes the most tokens. It will be defined by who generates the greatest business outcomes from the most efficient use of compute. AI is entering its capital discipline phase.
The hidden cost of agentic AIMany businesses are moving beyond AI chatbots and copilots to AI agents that can complete tasks, make decisions, and act with minimal human input. The business benefits can be significant, however they must be factored against cost.
To balance this consideration, companies often start small, deploying a single AI agent to support a specific process. As early results show promise, more agents are introduced across various different functions in the business, such as finance, customer service, procurement and supply chain operations.
The benefits can grow quickly, but so can the expense. Unlike traditional software, where costs are often tied to the number of users, AI costs are driven by usage - quantified by tokens (i.e., the individual blocks of data processed by AI models).
Every prompt, decision, workflow, and interaction consumes tokens. As more agents are deployed and given greater autonomy, those costs can increase rapidly. As a result, businesses need to think differently about AI investments.
Measuring impact per tokenBusinesses should change how they assess AI altogether. Rather than focusing on the number of tokens consumed or the cost-per-token, the emphasis should be on understanding the impact of each individual token. In other words, the business outcome created for each unit of compute consumed.
Part of the challenge is that operations do not translate neatly into a simple input-output equation. Not every action an employee takes, and not every action an AI agent takes, has an immediate impact on the top or bottom line. For example, an agent may chase a late payment or reroute a shipment, however the value often appears only when those actions are connected to the wider process.
Without operational context, the impact is very difficult to measure accurately. AI can still generate recommendations, but leaders cannot reliably see whether those recommendations improve customer satisfaction or revenue growth. This is where token waste occurs and enterprises purchase AI to rediscover information their organization already has, while struggling to distinguish useful automation from expensive activity.
Operational context also helps agents work better. When an agent understands the process it is operating within, it can make more targeted decisions with fewer prompts, fewer retries and less human correction. That means agents become more accurate, more efficient and better aligned to how the business actually runs.
The rise of token tamingAs costs become more visible, AI governance has become increasingly vital for enterprises. Many are now establishing frameworks to monitor and manage AI consumption. The goal is not necessarily to reduce token usage, but add a level of accountability that didn’t previously exist; to tame an out-of-control token ogre.
CIOs and business leaders need to understand which AI initiatives are generating measurable outcomes and which are merely generating activity. That means connecting AI consumption directly to business performance indicators such as customer satisfaction, operational efficiency, revenue growth, or delivery performance.
Over time, enterprises may also develop increasingly sophisticated measures that link AI investment to economic return. The metric that ultimately matters is not tokens consumed, but the value created per token consumed.
Context is a strategic assetMost IT assets depreciate over time. Systems become outdated, technical debt accumulates, and maintenance costs increase. Context works differently. Every business process mapped, every decision codified, and every operational relationship captured creates an asset that can be reused by future AI systems.
In this sense, context behaves less like a static data store and more like a learning loop. Each AI deployment enriches the organization's understanding of how work actually happens. For example, which approvals slow decisions or which outcomes indicate success. When that knowledge is fed back into the organization's context layer, every subsequent AI system starts from a stronger baseline rather than relearning the same patterns.
The business logic, governance structures, and operational understanding from one AI project, form the foundation for future projects, creating a compounding effect. Businesses that build and manage context can deploy new AI capabilities faster, more accurately, and at lower cost than organizations that start from scratch with every initiative.
From AI adoption to AI economicsThe AI conversation is maturing. For the last few years, the focus has been on capability. Organizations have rushed to experiment with new models and explore what AI can do. The next decade will be defined by economics.
The organizations that succeed will not necessarily be those with the largest AI budgets or the latest models. They will be the ones that establish clear governance, build reusable context, eliminate unnecessary token waste, and remain focused on measurable business outcomes.
The winners will be the organizations that turn those principles into a repeatable operating pattern and practice that can be applied consistently across hundreds, or even thousands, of AI agents. Ultimately, competitive advantage will come not from using the most AI, but from using it most effectively and efficiently.
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