News

• AssuranceAmerica reports breach affecting 6,998,886 customers, with attackers stealing credentials and exfiltrating sensitive insurance and driver data
• Company reset passwords, isolated systems, and deployed enhanced monitoring; warns victims of phishing risks using stolen details
• No group has claimed responsibility, and stolen data has not yet surfaced on the dark web, though ransom pressure tactics are common in such cases

AssuranceAmerica, an insurance company operating thousands of independent agents across the US, has confirmed suffering a cyberattack in which it lost sensitive data on almost seven million customers.

The company filed a new report with the Office of the Maine Attorney General, confirming the breach and sharing a copy of the notification letter it will soon send out to the 6,998,886 affected individuals.

In the report, the company said an unidentified threat actor stole login credentials and moved into the network, grabbing names, contact information, automobile insurance policy or insurance account information, driver or vehicle information, claims-related information, and driver's license numbers.

The attackers were spotted on March 17 2026 and were quickly locked out of the company’s network.

Affected systems were isolated, and law enforcement notified. AssuranceAmerica also reset everyone’s passwords, deployed enhanced monitoring and threat detection tools, and warned its staff to remain vigilant.

AssuranceAmerica has warned customers to be careful about incoming emails and other communications, especially those claiming to come from the company itself.

Using the information obtained in the breach, criminals can create highly convincing emails, tricking victims into making fraudulent payments, sharing login credentials to corporate and banking environments, or even downloading malware and ransomware.

So far, no one has claimed responsibility for this attack, and the data is yet to surface anywhere on the dark web. Usually, criminals would post snippets or samples on their websites, in an attempt to pressure the victim company into paying ransom for the files.

BleepingComputer notes AssuranceAmerica operates through a network of more than 9,500 independent agents, providing auto, renters, and commercial auto insurance coverage in 14 US states.

Fan reacted with dismay when Sony seemingly phased out its range of bridge cameras, with the CyberShot RX10 IV being discontinued in 2024. After all, these relatively lightweight and highly versatile superzoom cameras can shoot anything from landscapes to distant wildlife and macro, and Sony's was the best of its kind.

It’s not just Sony, mind you — I’ve looked after TechRadar’s best bridge cameras guide since 2023, and this space has been pretty dormant for a while now, besides the occasional cheap Kodak model, and Panasonic refreshing an old model with USB-C charging, which left our reviewer unimpressed.

So there’s good news for those who miss the good old days of bridge cameras, with Sony springing a major surprise — a shiny new RX10 V.

The RX10 V comes nine years after the Cyber-shot RX10 IV from 2017, and I think it’s a big deal. Not just because the class-leading series is back, but because Sony has fitted the latest model with genuine upgrades that make it a better camera for its key use case: enthusiast wildlife photography. The best bridge camera just got better, and it’s in stores now.

I’ve already tested Sony’s latest superzoom, and you can read my in-depth RX10 V review for more details. It's a decent upgrade, and based on how many people I've seen clamoring for this exact camera, I think it will sell really well, even with its steep asking price.

But should you splash out? Is it the latest model worth upgrading for? Let’s take a look at how the RX10 V compares to the Cyber-shot RX10 IV — their similarities, and what upgrades you can expect.

• Same 24-600mm F2.4-4 lens (25x optical zoom)
• The cheaper Nikon CoolPix P1100 has a 125x optical zoom

Let's start with the lens — it's the feature that most people buy a bridge camera for. There’s no change whatsoever here; the RX10 V has the exact same 24-600mm F2.4-4 optic as the RX10 IV.

Versatility is the name of the game — the 25x optical zoom covers everything from wide-angle landscapes to closeups of insects and wildlife photography.

Both cameras zoom up to 600mm at the telephoto setting, with the maximum aperture still being a respectable f/4. For me, this is the minimum focal length I’d want available to me for bird photography. If image quality could be equally as good, I'd love to see the reach extend to more like a 35x zoom, should Sony make a mark VI, even if the camera was slightly bigger / the maximum aperture at the telephoto end slightly smaller.

Some other bridge cameras beat the RX10 series for zoom, such as the Nikon CoolPix P1100 with its 125x optical zoom which stretches up to 3000mm at its telephoto setting. However, that camera has a much smaller sensor, and it's physically a much bigger camera. I think the RX10 series has the better balance for size, quality and versatility.

• Same 1-inch 20.1MP sensor
• Both shoot 4K 30p video, but RX10 V boosts frame rates up to 120fps

Another similarity — both cameras are fitted with a 20.1 megapixel 1-inch CMOS stacked sensor, and are capable of shooting RAW & JPEG photos as well as 4K video.

The stacked sensor positively impacts the quality of high-speed photography and video recording. Sony never confirms exact sensor readout speeds, and is vague about this kind of information, but you can expect minimal rolling shutter distortion for high-speed photography and fast-moving subjects when shooting with the electronic shutter, with which the camera’s fastest burst shooting speeds can be enjoyed, as well as 4K video recording.

I would expect to use the RX10 V primarily for wildlife photography, especially bird photography, and so the fast sensor type is highly welcome.

Both cameras shoot 4K 30p video, but the RX10 V can also shoot up 60fps or up to 120fps with a crop. We also get more color profiles to choose from with the RX10 V, including S-Log3 and S-Cinetone, and Sony says the latest Bionz XR chip improves color fidelity compared to the RX10 IV, thanks to real-time subject detection.

• RX10 V features latest Bionz XR processor and AI chip
• Subject-detection autofocus expanded to more subjects, now includes auto
• Burst shooting speeds upped from 24fps to 30fps

Here’s where some of the biggest upgrades kick in — the RX10 V is equipped with Sony’s latest Bionz XR processor and AI chipset — a combined setup just like in the A7R VI and A7 V mirrorless cameras.

The quickest shooting speeds are upped from 24fps to 30fps when using the electronic shutter, or it’s up to 10fps, as before, when using the mechanical shutter. I don't see that minor improvement as enough reason to upgrade.

There’s a major boost for autofocus performance, however, with the RX10 V enjoying Sony's latest real-time subject detection autofocus, which covers subjects as diverse as birds, animals and vehicles, with the option for ‘Auto’ subject detection added. For the best outright performance, I’d still recommend selecting the specific subject if you know that’s all you’ll be photographing, say on a bird photography excursion.

It’s now also possible to customize a button to ‘boost’ burst shooting speeds when the action strikes. For example, you can tick over at 10fps in continuous medium, but get an immediate temporary boost to 30fps by pressing a boost button. I found the placement of the available customizable buttons super awkward for this feature (C1 and C2, for example, require your index finger, leaving your middle finger to press the shutter button — not ideal), but it’s still a great option to have to avoid taking too many action shots.

• New control layout, larger EVF and comfier grip feel more Alpha-like
• USB-C port added, larger NP-FZ100 battery boosts shot life by over 50%
• RX10 V misses out on built-in flash and top LCD

There have also been some fairly major design changes, including to the control layout, and the RX10 V looks much more like an Alpha than the RX10 IV did — that cameras feels more like a Cyber-shot compact.

I found the grip comfier, and I appreciated the extra exposure control dials, the addition of a joystick, the tally lamp for video recording, and the ports being neatly tucked away under rigid protective doors. The latest model also adds a USB-C port for charging, which is necessary under EU Common Charger regulations as of 2025, while the RX10 IV lacks this port, which is likely one of the reasons why it was removed from shelves last year.

We get a significant boost in power too, because the RX10 V uses the same NP-FZ100 battery as many recent Sony mirrorless cameras, which is a larger unit than the NP-FZ50 type used by the RX10 IV. Sony says battery life has increased by around 50% — from up to 400 shots to 630 shots. Add on-the-go USB-C charging, and the RX10 V is better equipped to last through a heavy day of photography.

The single SD memory slot is now compatible with faster UHS-II cards, while the older model only supports UHS-I. The viewfinder has a decent upgrade too — it’s a more immersive 0.5-inch 3.68m-dot unit, versus a 0.39-inch 2.36m-dot type. The viewfinder is also more pronounced, which makes it more accessible. It's still no match for the even-bigger and brighter unit in many of Sony's full-frame mirrorless cameras, as I discovered when directly comparing it to the A7R V's.

There are a couple of drawbacks to the newer model. It doesn’t have a built-in flash as the RX10 IV does, but there is a hotshoe, and the RX10 V, like its predecessor, is compatible with an external flash. We also lose the top LCD display, which was a useful reference for camera settings. I prefer the shooting-mode dial placement and top LCD on the RX10 IV, but overall the RX10 V easily handles better.

• Cyber-shot RX10 IV discontinued — it was $1,700 / £1,500 / AU$2,000
• RX10 V costs $2,300 / £2,200 (around AU$3,000-3,500)

Here comes the sting — the RX10 V is a lot pricier than the RX10 IV was when it was launched in 2017. That's to be expected given the nine years between the two cameras, but the RX10 IV was already the priciest bridge camera choice, and firmly out of reach for many of the exact kind of photographer who would want one: enthusiast wildlife photographers looking for a lightweight and versatile all-in-one kit.

The RX10 IV launched for $1,700 / £1,500 / AU$2,000 back in 2017, and it remained at that price point for many years after until it was discontinued. I've checked multiple leading camera gear stores, such as KEH (US) and MBP (UK), and secondhand RX10 IV's are a rarity.

Meanwhile the RX10 V costs $2,300 / £2,200 (around AU$3,000-3,500). That’s a lot of money for such a camera, when it’s possible to pick up an older full-frame mirrorless body and secondhand telephoto zoom for little more. Or, if it's the telephoto reach you want and you already own a Sony mirrorless body, the 400-800mm F6.3-8 lens costs around the same as the RX10 V.

The Sony RX10 V is the exact upgrade that bridge-camera fans have been asking for. Its core lens and sensor specs are identical to the RX10 IV's, but the new processor, subject-detection autofocus and larger battery deliver a major boost in performance, in the key areas that I would hope for.

Throw in a design overhaul, especially the inclusion of a joystick and larger viewfinder, and the RX10 V feels very much the bridge camera for 2026, and one that I expect to be very popular among the photographers who can afford it.

Simply the fact that the RX10 series is back is no doubt going to please many photographers who love the format for its versatility and relatively light weight. That said, if you can find the older RX10 IV for much less (good luck to you), you also won’t be disappointed — it’s still an excellent camera all these years on, offering very similar quality when it nails the shot.

• KDDI confirms unauthorized access affecting six ISPs, with up to 14.22 million email addresses and passwords exposed
• Some passwords were unencrypted; with estimates citing 12.2 million emails and 7.6 million passwords compromised
• Company urged rapid password updates, coordinated countermeasures with ISPs, and pledged recurrence prevention

KDDI, one of Japan’s largest telecommunications providers, has confirmed it was recently hacked and lost millions of emails and unencrypted passwords belonging to its clients’ customers.

In a data breach notice, shared last month, the company said that it confirmed “unauthorized access” on June 17 2026.

“As a result, part of the information from email services offered by these ISPs may have leaked externally,” a machine translation of the notice reads.

The incident allegedly affected an email system KDDI uses to manage customer email accounts, webmail, and email storage.

KDDI says that the attack affected six ISPs: STNet, KDDI Web Communications, JCOM, Chubu Telecommunications, Nifty Corp, and BIGLOBE. Up to 14.22 million email addresses and passwords linked to these mailboxes were allegedly exposed, which includes both accounts of former customers, as well as dormant users.

“Some” passwords were hashed or encrypted, the company further said, suggesting that some - were not. It also stated that the 14.22 million number represents a “maximum estimate”, and that the investigation is still ongoing. The Record reported 12.2 million customer email addresses and 7.6 million passwords exposed.

Since spotting the intrusion on June 17, KDDI has been contacting ISPs to “coordinate countermeasures” and urged their customers to update their passwords as soon as possible. “Customers should follow instructions provided by their ISP promptly,” it said. “KDDI will continue working with ISPs to notify customers and support rapid password updates.” It also said that “many customers” have already updated their passwords.

"We are analyzing the scope of the impact and the cause, responding to customers in coordination with ISP operators, and taking measures to prevent a recurrence," the company said.

KDDI is one of Japan's largest telecommunications companies, rivaling NTT Docomo and SoftBank. It serves approximately 72 million mobile subscribers.

Via The Record

Do you remember the metaverse? If you don’t, don’t worry. In 2026, four years into the AI revolution that’s changing the world forever, you could easily be forgiven for thinking it was a strange fever dream you had back in 2021. You might even have odd memories of seeing a blocky version of Mark Zuckerberg floating about in a Minecraft-inspired hellscape, conducting meetings with people who could walk with no legs, while the real Mark Zuckerberg was looking at the whole thing through VR goggles. At least, that’s my memory of it.

I could be suffering from the Mandela effect, but I distinctly remember something off about the legs. They fixed that in a later version, but that’s my overriding memory — no legs. Oh, and Mark Zuckerberg assuring us that this was the future. He’d spent tens of billions of dollars on it, even changing the company name from Facebook to Meta, just to let us know he was really serious about the metaverse. Even if the legs didn’t work.

The problem was, it looked laughable. While everything in the technology world to do with games and special effects was moving in the direction of hyper-realism, the metaverse was moving in the opposite direction, towards the sort of blocky graphics that small children enjoy. But even that didn’t really answer the most basic question about the metaverse. Why? What possible advantage was there for us all to meet in a VR space where clunky avatars of ourselves could interact… badly?

Then AI happened and Meta abruptly forgot about the metaverse and pivoted towards the mission of putting personal superintelligence in all our hands instead, which sounds as terrifying and dangerous as it actually is, but we are where we are. At least when Zuckerberg was obsessed with the metaverse, we could ignore him. It existed somewhere “over there”, in Meta-land, where we could let him get on with it. Now he’s right up in our business again.

I’ve always been fascinated by how Zuckerberg got into the metaverse and why he became so obsessed with it. The origins of the metaverse go way back. In March 2014, Facebook bought Oculus, the VR company, for about $2 billion. This was where his passion for VR started. Think of it as the seed, not the full obsession.

By July 2021, Zuckerberg gave a long interview to Casey Newton at The Verge about Facebook becoming a “metaverse company” and described it as an “embodied internet”. Then, on October 28, 2021, his obsession became the company identity. Zuckerberg announced that Facebook the company was becoming Meta at Connect 2021, saying the new company brand would focus on bringing the metaverse to life.

I can see the logic. As a business strategy, that made sense. As a product ordinary people were expected to use, it was much harder to understand. Zuckerberg did not want Meta/Facebook to be trapped inside someone else’s platform again. Facebook had won on social, but on mobile it remained dependent on Apple and Google for distribution, privacy rules, app-store policies and hardware. The metaverse looked like a chance to own the next operating system of social life: hardware, avatars, identity, payments, meetings, gaming, work, commerce — the whole stack. In his 2021 founder’s letter, he framed the metaverse as the “next chapter of the internet” and said Meta would become “metaverse-first, not Facebook-first.”

Facebook had obviously had its problems — it was scandal-ridden. It had let advertisers target vulnerable teenagers, helped fake news spread, and enabled the spread of hate speech linked to atrocities in Myanmar. Perhaps Zuckerberg was looking for a way out of Facebook, and the metaverse offered that.

What I still didn’t understand was why he didn’t see what the rest of us saw — that it looked terrible and offered no real benefit to users. Then I read Sarah Wynn-Williams’ tell-all book about Facebook, Careless People, and it all started to make sense.

To say the book made my jaw hit the floor on several occasions would be an understatement. It’s an absolute page-turner, and your reactions grow from mild amusement to shock, then disbelief, then absolute outrage the further through the book you get. I’m aware of the criticisms of Wynn-Williams: that it is a book written by a disgruntled employee, and that she dodges a lot of personal responsibility for her part in the various misdeeds of the company. However, in another perfect example of the Streisand effect, the fact that Meta obtained a legal order in the United States to prevent her from saying anything negative about the company — at all — made me want to pick it up, and I’m glad I did.

Because now I get it — Zuckerberg seems to have spent years in an environment where too few people were willing to tell him when his ideas weren’t good. According to Wynn-Williams, he was surrounded by sycophants. When he had bad ideas, like the ill-fated Internet.org, he wouldn’t let them go and persisted with them, even when they were obviously going to fail. The people around him enabled him because he was simply too powerful. They even let him win at the board games he liked to play with them at his house or on his jet, and — crucially — he didn’t notice that they were letting him win. I can imagine that in that environment, nobody inside Meta would want to tell Zuckerberg that his metaverse was the equivalent of the emperor’s new clothes, especially if they wouldn’t even risk beating him at Settlers of Catan.

Wynn-Williams only mentions the metaverse in her epilogue. It happened after she was brutally fired from Facebook. Perhaps selfishly, I wish she’d been there for the metaverse period, because I would love to read firsthand accounts of how and why Zuckerberg persisted with such an obviously bad idea.

Maybe I’m being too harsh on Zuckerberg. The metaverse graphics did get better over time and Apple ventured slightly into the same territory with its Apple Vision Pro, even after the metaverse had turned into a smoldering wasteland. The fact is, people don’t enjoy wearing VR goggles for extended periods of time, and for normal people, VR lacks that one killer app. There doesn’t seem to be anything you can do in a VR space that you can’t do elsewhere much more easily.

The metaverse didn’t really die with a bang, but with a whimper. It faded through layoffs, spending cuts and the AI pivot. If I had to put a date on it, I’d say early 2023 was when Meta’s narrative moved on. In February and March 2023, Zuckerberg started talking about Meta’s “year of efficiency” and announced huge layoffs and cost-cutting. OpenAI had launched ChatGPT in November 2022, and by early 2023, generative AI had swallowed the oxygen that ideas like the metaverse need to survive. Every tech company was talking about AI now, not virtual offices and avatar legs.

The metaverse was over. We all forgot about it and moved on.

I’m glad I read Wynn-Williams’ book, because now I can understand how Facebook let the metaverse happen. And if there’s one thing I learned from reading it, it’s that money and power can bring you a lot of things, but common sense requires neither.