News

• TBK DVRs and Four-Faith routers are carrying known, old security flaws
• The flaws were used to build Mirai botnet in the past, and are now used to build RondoDox, too
• Users are advised to patch, firewall, or replace vulnerable endpoints

A new malicious botnet, called RondoDox, is being built at this very moment, potentially targeting thousands of products around the world e xperts have warned.

Cybersecurity researchers from Fortinet FortiGuard Labs, who said they saw multiple vulnerabilities in different digital video recorders (DVR) and routers being exploited to create the botnet.

The vulnerabilities in question are tracked as CVE-2024-3721, and CVE-2024-12856. These two were found in TBK digital video recorders, models DVR-4104 and DVR-4216, as well as in Four-Faith routers, models F3x24 and F3x36.

According to BleepingComputer, the flaws were exploited before by threat actors building the infamous Mirai botnet. They are popular among cybercriminals because these devices are often used in retail stores, warehouses, small offices, and similar places, where they “often go unmonitored for years”.

As such, they’re prime targets - easy to compromise, and active for years without patches or updates.

Cybercriminals love building botnets. A network of compromised devices, from routers, to smart home devices, can be used for all sorts of nefarious activities, from distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks, to residential proxy services that can be rented out.

In fact, RondoDox seems to be used for stealth proxies, hiding command-and-control (C2) traffic for even more malicious activities. It is also used to run layered scams, or to amplify DDoS-for-hire campaigns.

It is also rather good at staying hidden, the researchers claim, trying to spoof gaming traffic.

"To evade detection, it disguises malicious traffic by emulating popular games and platforms such as Valve, Minecraft, Dark and Darker, Roblox, DayZ, Fortnite, GTA, as well as tools like Discord, OpenVPN, WireGuard, and RakNet," Fortinet explained.

"Beyond gaming and chat protocols, RondoDox can also mimic custom traffic from tunneling and real-time communication services, including WireGuard, OpenVPN variants (e.g., openvpnauth, openvpncrypt, openvpntcp), STUN, DTLS, and RTC."

As usual, to defend against these threats, users should make sure their routers and DVRs have updated firmware, and strong, custom passwords. If they are no longer supported by their vendors, they should be replaced by newer models. Furthermore, if possible, the devices should be disconnected from the public internet, or placed behind a firewall.

Via The Hacker News

• TVT DVRs become prime target for Mirai botnet
• Take a look at our guide to the best authenticator app
• We've rounded up the best password managers

Recently, a new sentiment has emerged in AI security circles: "RAG is dead." I've observed firsthand how organizations are increasingly abandoning Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) architectures in favor of agent-based approaches.

This shift represents not a temporary trend but a fundamental recognition of RAG's inherent security and performance limitations.

When enterprises first implemented AI applications, RAG emerged as the default architecture -- extracting data from internal systems, centralizing it in vector databases and using it to augment AI model outputs. While conceptually straightforward, this approach revealed critical vulnerabilities at scale:

RAG architectures create significant security risks by centralizing data from disparate systems into repositories that frequently bypass the original access controls. These centralized stores become potential data exfiltration points, often circumventing authorization checks that existed in source systems. Additionally, data quality degrades quickly as information in these repositories becomes stale, requiring constant synchronization with source systems.

The technical challenges compound as organizations scale. Each new data source added to a RAG system requires custom extraction logic, formatting rules and ongoing maintenance. When multiplied across dozens or hundreds of internal systems, this creates an unsustainable maintenance burden. Furthermore, performance bottlenecks emerge as vector databases grow, resulting in slower response times and degraded user experiences.

The security challenges become prevalent in regulated industries like education or healthcare. Consider how an AI system using RAG might handle sensitive student records or patient information -- once extracted from secure systems with proper access controls, this data enters a parallel repository with potentially weaker protections, creating compliance risks and security vulnerabilities. For financial institutions, the risks extend to potential regulatory violations and financial penalties if customer data becomes exposed through these secondary repositories.

In response to these challenges, forward-thinking enterprises are pivoting to agent-based architectures. Rather than extracting and centralizing data, these systems employ software agents that query source systems directly at runtime, respecting existing access controls and authorization mechanisms.

This architectural shift offers several critical advantages:

1. Elimination of duplicate data repositories -- information remains in its original systems with their established security controls
2. Preservation of authorization models -- access controls from source systems remain in effect
3. Improved data freshness -- queries always access the most current information
4. Reduced attack surface -- fewer data stores means fewer potential breach points
5. Enhanced user experience -- responses reflect the most current organizational knowledge
6. Simplified compliance -- data governance policies remain consistent across all systems
7. Reduced maintenance overhead -- no need to continuously update and synchronize extracted data

Many large enterprises that initially implemented RAG as their first AI initiative have subsequently moved to agent-based approaches after encountering these limitations in production environments.

Despite media excitement about fully autonomous agents, the reality in enterprise environments is more measured. The productive implementations I've observed involve specific, well-defined agent workflows with clear security boundaries rather than completely autonomous systems.

Most organizations are currently implementing agent systems that:

• Operate within defined parameters and workflows
• Have explicit permission models
• Maintain comprehensive audit trails
• Include guardrails that prevent unauthorized actions
• Employ human-in-the-loop verification for critical operations
• Implement circuit breakers that automatically terminate suspicious activities

The distinction between theoretical capabilities and practical implementations is important. While academic research may showcase fully autonomous agents, enterprise deployments prioritize security, reliability, and predictability over complete autonomy.

For organizations transitioning to agent-based architectures, several essential security controls should be implemented:

1. Authentication and Authorization

Agent systems require robust user authentication tied directly to authorization, with granular controls at document and data chunk levels. Role-based, relationship-based and attribute-based access control models provide the necessary flexibility for enterprise environments. Implementing just-in-time access provisioning further reduces the risk profile by limiting access duration to only what's necessary for task completion.

2. Visibility and Monitoring

Security teams need complete visibility into agent operations, including model versions, authentication events, prompts, behaviors, data citations and all interactions with external systems. Real-time alerting for anomalous patterns and comprehensive logging for forensic analysis are essential components of a robust monitoring system.

3. Content Protection

Real-time content filtering capabilities must be implemented to prevent sensitive data exposure, detect malicious content and protect organizational information assets. Sophisticated DLP (Data Loss Prevention) mechanisms should be deployed to recognize and redact sensitive information before it leaves controlled environments.

Grand Canyon Education, a publicly-traded education services company, developed an AI chatbot platform for thousands of students and staff across 22 university partners. Rather than building their own redaction solution, which would have significantly delayed their project, they implemented API-driven security guardrails that could programmatically redact sensitive data from user prompts and uploaded files before they reached backend AI models.

This approach allowed their security team to make redaction policy changes without requiring developer sprint cycles. The result was a secure, managed AI platform with sensitive data automatically redacted in real-time and no perceptible latency for users, reducing the risk of that data ending up in AI model training sets.

The shift from RAG to agent-based architectures represents a natural evolution in enterprise AI implementation. As organizations gain practical experience, they're adapting their approaches to better address security, performance and user experience challenges.

While some security teams may consider developing in-house solutions, the organizations succeeding most so far with agent-based AI, are those leveraging specialized security tools that integrate seamlessly into their AI workflows. These purpose-built solutions provide the right balance of control and flexibility while minimizing development and maintenance costs.

This transition mirrors similar evolutions in other technology areas, where initial approaches give way to more sophisticated, secure designs as implementation experience grows. By embracing agent-based approaches with appropriate security controls, enterprises can deliver more powerful, secure AI capabilities while avoiding the pitfalls of first-generation RAG implementations.

We've featured the best online cybersecurity course.

This article was produced as part of TechRadarPro's Expert Insights channel where we feature the best and brightest minds in the technology industry today. The views expressed here are those of the author and are not necessarily those of TechRadarPro or Future plc. If you are interested in contributing find out more here: https://www.techradar.com/news/submit-your-story-to-techradar-pro

Samsung's second big Galaxy Unpacked event of 2025 is kicking off in a matter of hours – and this time it's all about foldables, with the rumors predicting the arrival of the Galaxy Z Fold 7, Z Flip 7, Z Flip 7 FE, Galaxy Watch 8, and more.

Those latest-generation foldables are likely to be the big headlines, according to the latest leaks. But there could well be more news, including a potential first teaser of Samsung's Galaxy tri-fold.

We're live from New York to bring you all of the latest news as it happens, with Unpacked July 2025 kicking off at 10am ET / 7am PT / 3pm BST. You can also check our guide on how to watch Unpacked 2025, or watch along with us with the official livestream below.

For now though, it's time to dig into all of the last-minute Fold, Flip and Galaxy Watch leaks, and there's a lot of those...

• The full marketing materials for the Z Fold 7 and Z Flip 7 have leaked
• We've also just seen the similar leaks for the Galaxy Watch 8 Classic
• Unpacked July 2025 kicks off at 10am ET / 7am PT / 3pm BST

Hello, Mark Wilson (Managing editor, News) here – and I'll be bringing you all of the news from our colleagues at Unpacked July 2025 in New York, along with the latest leaks and rumors – and there are a lot of those.

Some really big ones for the Z Fold 7, Z Flip 7 and Galaxy Watch 8 have just emerged. So while we wait for New York to wake up, let's dig into those...

#zfold7 all of it #1

Talk about bursting Samsung's bubble – the trusty Roland Quandt has just leaked what appear to be entire marketing materials for the Galaxy Z Fold 7 on Bluesky.

There isn't much we haven't already seen in recent leaks. It will seemingly have a bigger screen than the Z Fold 6, with a 6.5in cover screen and an 8in main screen. Those would be a step up from the current version's 6.3in cover and 7.6in main displays.

Elsewhere, it'll seemingly be thinner when folded (by 3.2mm) and weigh a barely-noticeable 24g less. But the biggest upgrade could be the new 200MP main camera, which is expected to be the same as the one on the Z Fold Special Edition. Quite the step up from the 50MP main camera of the Z Fold 6.

What we don't get from these leaks are pricing. Some credible leaks suggest it could cost the same as its predecessor, so starting $1,899.99 / £1,799 / AU$2,749. Given the upgrade, that would be impressive. I still think there's a chance of a small bump, but that's something we'll find out for sure later.

#flip7 all of it #1

Naturally, Roland Quandt has also spilled the beans on the Z Flip 7 (above) – the marketing slides appear to confirm some of the recent leaks we've seen elsewhere. In other words, a fairly minor refresh.

The headline change appears to be the new 'Flex Window', or cover display, which has now expanded to wrap around the cameras. We don't get a size in this leak, but previous rumors have predicted that it'll expand from 3.4in on the Z Flip 6 to 4.1in on the Z Flip 7. That'll help it surface glanceable info like the date and time, and your morning brief.

Something we do get confirmation of (if the leak is accurate) is that the main display will be expanding from 6.7in to 6.9in, while the phone will be marginally slimmer (losing 0.4mm in thickness when unfolded). There should also be a larger 4,300mAH battery, up from 4,000mAh, which will hopefully translate to a battery life boost.

Nothing groundbreaking, then, but this should also back up rumors of an identical starting price to the Z Flip 6. If so, expect it to cost from $1,099.99 / £1,049 / AU$1,799, or perhaps even slightly less.

Just to complete the set, Roland Quandt's Bluesky leaks also reveal the marketing slides for the Galaxy Watch 8 Classic and new Galaxy Watch Ultra.

We've already heard a lot about the Galaxy Watch 8 in the past few days – including the fact that we'll likely be getting three models. Those should the Galaxy Watch 8 Classic, alongside the Galaxy Watch 8 and Galaxy Watch Ultra 2.

That would be a switch-up from last year, when we got the standard Watch and Ultra, but no Classic. But this new Classic model does look lovely, with the return of the rotating bezel for scrolling, plus a powerful 3nm processor, bump to 64GB storage and a Quick Button on the side.

While the Galaxy Watch Ultra sounds powerful (more on that shortly), the new Classic could well be the most desirable smartwatch that Samsung announces today.

One thing that actually hasn't leaked in full before today's Galaxy Unpacked July 2025 is Samsung's incoming tri-foldable. I think it's highly likely we'll hear more about it today, if perhaps only in the form of a small Galaxy G Fold teaser.

Last week, we heard a rumor that mass production of the phone will only begin in September. That means we'll probably only be able to buy it from October at the earliest, and even then it'll be hard to buy – the same article claimed it'll be manufactured in very small numbers.

In other words, this thing is going to be closer to a concept car than a mass market star. With previous rumors pointing to a price tag of $3,000-$3,500 (about £2,195-£2,560 or AU$4,560-AU$5,320), and sales potentially being restricted to South Korea and China, the G Fold will be more a proof-of-concept.

Still, I'm excited to see it – we've written about how the Huawei Mate XT (above) is far more than a gimmick, and Samsung's entry into the space can only help push tri-foldables closer to the mainstream.

We're in New York for Samsung's Galaxy Unpacked July 2025 event – and among the standard posters and banners the tech giant is underlining how much it's been a foldable pioneer with displays like the above.

Aside from the strangeness of seeing the years 2019 and 2020 referred to as if they're ancient history, it does emphasize how long Samsung has been refining its foldables. Today will mark the seventh generation of its Fold and Flip series, and that's all before Apple has even managed one generation.

Huawei may have beaten it to the tri-foldable punch, but expect to hear from Samsung on that front today, too. Whether foldables are now truly mainstream is another question – I still don't see as many as I'd expect in the wild – but the tech is certainly being refined, and no company is contributing more to that process than Samsung.

antioxidant measuring on watch ultra 2025

We've previously written about the Galaxy Watch's incoming health updates, based on our chat with Samsung's Dr. Hon Pak – and one of them has been seemingly confirmed for the Ultra model in another leak from Roland Quandt on Bluesky.

The smartwatch will be able to track your antioxidant levels – or in Samsung's words from the leak, "display the ratio of fruits and vegetables in your diet" from a simple finger reading on the LED sensor.

That's pretty mind-blowing to me, if it proves to be accurate. How does it work? As Samsung Dr, Pak explained to us in June, "using LED lights, we're able to test the adequacy of beta-keratin and, as a substitute, antioxidants, in your system". I worry that my score might towards the lower end, but perhaps it'd convince me to up my fruit and veg game.

It's now only 90 minutes to go until Samsung's last big event of 2025, and we've been spotting more Unpacked easter eggs on our adventures around New York, like the above.

Foldable phones and Galaxy AI are about as far removed from original graffiti tagging culture as you can get – so call me cynical, but it seems fairly unlikely that this has emerged spontaneously from the Brooklyn underground.

But despite the many leaks, there is still some excitement building about the event. To help give you a taste of what's coming, I'll now jump into a roundup of everything we've expecting...

We've already written an extensive guide to everything we're expecting at today's Unpacked – but if you're short on time, here's a quick summary.

According to the rumors, we're going to see three foldables: the Galaxy Z Fold 7 (expect a new 200MP camera plus bigger screens), the Z Flip 7 (again, bigger screens and a larger battery are tipped), and the Z Flip FE (a cheaper version of its flip phone, although how much cheaper is still unclear). So those are the bankers.

Then, on the wearables front, expect to see three new Galaxy Watch models: the Galaxy Watch 8, Galaxy Watch 8 Classic (complete with the return of the rotating bezel, hooray) and the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2.

Beyond those, there are a few things to include in the 'maybe' pile. The Samsung Galaxy G Fold (its new tri-foldable) has been long-rumored – and while it isn't expected to ship until later this year, I think it's pretty likely we'll get a teaser today.

More of an outside bet is Project Moohan – we tried out the XR headset in May and loved it, but it isn't clear if Samsung has anything new to say about it today. Hopefully it does, because that would cap off a pretty eventful Unpacked, despite all of the leaks slightly stealing its thunder.

Samsung basically confirmed that the Galaxy Z Flip7 FE is just a rebranded Galaxy Z Flip6, lol. pic.twitter.com/Bix2vE7WGcJuly 8, 2025

While a lot of the last-minute Unpacked rumors are promising for foldables fans, we haven't heard much about the Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE – and that's seemingly for good reason.

As noted by @sondesix on X, it seems this year's Fan Edition of the Flip series is going to be little more than a reheated version of the Z Flip 6. That prediction has been backed up by recent CAD renders from OnLeaks and SammyGuru, which show a phone that looks very much like the existing Flip.

That's not necessarily a bad thing – high price tags are on the main issues with foldables, after all. But if you were hoping for Samsung to go all-out on making a cheaper Flip with latest-gen features, the Z Flip 7 FE could potentially underwhelm.

John-Anthony Disotto, TechRadar's resident AI expert, here. I'm going to be your guide over the next couple of hours as we get ready for Samsung Galaxy Unpacked 2025.

There's plenty to be excited about with rumors of new foldable smartphones, smartwatches, and more.

With less than an hour to go until the big event, media is starting to arrive in Brooklyn for the presentation...

TechRadar's own Lance Ulanoff and Viktoria Shilets are our journalists on the ground in Brooklyn, and it looks like a lovely sunny day in the Big Apple.

Just a reminder, the show starts at 10 am ET and is broadcast live on Samsung's YouTube channel.

Nice sunglasses, guys, looking slick!

The auditorium is starting to fill up ahead of the event. Just a reminder that while we've seen a huge amount of leaks prior to the event this year, there's still a chance of major surprises.

We're yet to see any leaked images of Samsung's rumored tri-fold smartphone, and considering how the company revealed the Galaxy S25 Edge earlier this year, there's a real chance that we get a glimpse at the end of today's keynote.

Would you be interested in an 11-inch tablet in your pocket? I'm not convinced, but then again I didn't think I would fall in love with the current foldable format either.

I asked Lance Ulanoff, TechRadar's Editor At Large, just how busy the auditorium is getting, and he said, "This place is packed."

Wouldn't you know it? If you thought Samsung's showcase today was going to be Unpacked, it is, in fact, packed to the rafters.

Lance has sent in some pictures to show just how busy it is, and seeing the photos, I sure hope Brooklyn Shipyards has some form of air conditioning.

Not long to go now anyway, are you excited?

You can watch the event on YouTube above. At the moment, Samsung is playing different jingles and video packages showcasing its technology.

The show starts in 15 minutes, and we expect it to last about an hour. If you're unable to watch Samsung Galaxy Unpacked live, this liveblog will give you all the key information and will remain accessible even after the presentation finishes.

Samsung Galaxy Unpacked 2025 is about to begin, and I for one can't wait!

I wonder what product we'll see first. Personally I'm most excited for the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7 as I absolutely love the foldable format.

Elsewhere, I'd like to see some new Galaxy AI features, but I fully expect this event to be focused on hardware.

Here we go! Samsung Galaxy Unpacked July 2025 has begun!

Reminder: You can watch live here

The show starts with a very cool video showcasing the history of Samsung and how it has evolved over the years.

The company has nailed the hype package here, it definitely makes me want to buy a Samsung smartphone!

Samsung's President & Head of Mobile Experience, TM Roh, has just taken to the stage...

He talks about Samsung's work over the last year to make AI accessible and meaningful. He says, "Galaxy AI has become your very own AI companion"

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 hands-on: the essence of Ultra in an insanely thin device The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 is so thin and light, and with a larger cover screen, that you could easily mistake it for a standard flagship, but it does in fact have a larger 8-inch flexible display inside. That, and the new camera system (200MP, finally, makes this the most desirable Z Fold ever. It's a shame it's also the most expensive, and that may hold it back.

Samsung has just announced the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7 and Galaxy Z Flip7, and they look glorious!

Samsung unveiled its latest Galaxy Z Fold7, boasting the sleekest design yet! This device seamlessly integrates iconic Galaxy design, powerful camera capabilities, and Samsung’s latest AI features, all within the thinnest and lightest Galaxy Z Fold the company has ever created.

Annika Bizon, VP of Product and Marketing at Samsung UK & Ireland, explained the significance of AI in modern devices. “As AI becomes the new UI, people need devices that learn, understand, and anticipate their needs,” said Bizon. “The new Galaxy Z Fold7 combines powerful hardware with Galaxy AI in an ultra-thin and ultra-sleek form factor, empowering users to achieve previously unimaginable tasks.”

When unfolded, the Galaxy Z Fold7 transforms into a larger, more immersive display, ideal for multitasking, productivity, and entertainment. Powered by the new One UI 8, this device integrates intelligent, multimodal AI agents specifically optimised for the foldable experience. This results in a phone that feels smarter, faster, and more helpful than ever before.

Key highlights include:

- Ultra-sleek and ultra-powerful design
- Wider cover display for improved usability when folded
- Premium “Ultra” camera experience
- New AI tools that anticipate needs and streamline everyday tasks

Samsung emphasises that this is the Fold that finally delivers the everyday portability of a traditional phone, combined with the expanded power and flexibility of a tablet when unfolded – all in a single, pocketable device.

Stay tuned for more details on specifications, the camera system, and pricing!

Google is now on stage talking about Android 16 (which will land as One UI 8, on Samsung phones).

Samsung says this is the fastest rollout of the latest Android OS on its smartphones out of the box. That means Google's AI mode and Gemini Live, which Google says is ideal for foldables do to their bigger screens.

This will all be available on the new Galaxy Fold 7 and more out of the box.

Samsung's Galaxy foldables will give you six free months of Google AI Pro, which is a pretty good deal – albeit one that could make you dangerously reliant on Google's AI tools.

The Galaxy Z Fold 7 is pretty much as the rumors predicted – with a new 200MP camera, plus an ultra-wide that has a 100-degree field of view and autofocus.

And we now have pricing, it starts from $1,999 – that's a small hike from the Galaxy Z Fold 6's starting price of $1,899.99 / £1,799 / AU$2,749.

Yes, it was only announced five minutes ago – but we've already been hands-on with the Galaxy Fold 7. Check out early thoughts in the video above.

Samsung has just announced the Galaxy Flip 7 – as expected, it's got a big cover display (or 'FlexWindow') that measures 4.1 inches.

And it's been joined by a cheaper Flip 7 FE cousin, that will start at $899. It's largely based on the Flip 6, but it's good to see a cheaper entry-point for foldables.

We've just seen Samsung debut the Flip 7, but is it any good? We've already been hands-on with it, you can check out our thoughts above.

Samsung is rattling through these announcements now – next up is the Samsung Galaxy Watch 8.

We're hearing about Samsung's new Real-time running coach, Vascular Load and also new features like Antioxidant Index – which will basically tell you how well you're eating by measuring beta carotene. Clever stuff.

There's also a partnership with Xealth, for 'connected care' at home featuresm – and the Galaxy Watch 8 will be the first watch with Google Gemini out of the box.

The Galaxy Watch 8 being the first smartwatch with built-in Gemini should give it some handy new smarts. For a start, you won't need your phone with you – just a Wi-Fi or LTE signal.

The rotating bezel has returned with the Galaxy Watch 8 Classic, while the Watch Ultra has an attractive new blue color option. All three smartwatches are available to pre-order today, with availability from July 25.

The Galaxy Watch 8 starts at $349, the Galaxy Watch 8 Classic from $499 and the Galaxy Watch Ultra from $649. We'll bring you international pricing soon.

Rather abruptly, Samsung's Galaxy Unpacked July 2025 event has finished – sadly, with no mention of its rumored tri-foldable or Project Moohan.

There were no real surprises, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. For a quick recap, here are our early impressions of all the new devices, starting with the Z Fold 7...

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 hands-on: the essence of Ultra in an insanely thin device The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 is so thin and light, and with a larger cover screen, that you could easily mistake it for a standard flagship, but it does in fact have a larger 8-inch flexible display inside. That, and the new camera system (200MP, finally, makes this the most desirable Z Fold ever. It's a shame it's also the most expensive, and that may hold it back.

Prefer flip phones? Here's our first look at the Z Flip 7, too...

And to complete the foldables set, here's an early look at the cheaper Z Flip 7 FE: