News

• The State of Nevada says it suffered "network security incident"
• While not officially described as a cyberattack, it certainly resembles a ransomware attack
• There is no evidence of stolen files yet

Offices, websites, and phone lines of the state government of Nevada were all made unavailable and taken offline following an apparent cyberattack.

The official X account of the Governor Lombardo Press Office posted an announcement saying the State of Nevada “identified a network security incident”.

At the moment this article was written, the website was still offline, displaying a single message, saying “The requested URL was rejected. Please consult with your administrator.”

“As the State continues its recovery efforts, the network security incident continues to impact the availability of certain state technology systems on the state network,” the announcement adds. “Some state websites or phone lines may be slow or briefly unavailable during recovery.”

The way the announcement is worded does not suggest this was a cyberattack, however with multiple services offline, an ongoing investigation, and the state looking to restore the services one by one, it all bears the markings of a ransomware attack.

Ransomware attacks also usually include data theft, with criminals exfiltrating sensitive files to be used as leverage in case the victim can restore their services via backups.

In this case, however, Nevada says there is currently no evidence that any personally identifiable information (PII) was compromised.

At press time, no threat actors assumed responsibility for the attack, but ransomware against US state and local governments has historically been carried out by financially motivated criminal groups rather than state-sponsored actors.

Some of the better-known ransomware gangs that have targeted US government entities include LockBit, BlackCat/ALPHV, Cl0p, Royal, and Vice Society.

According to a Reuters report, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency also issued a statement, claiming it was "actively tracking this network security incident and together with our partners, we are collaborating with the State of Nevada to offer our assistance."

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• AirPods Max 2 not expected until at least 2027
• AirPods Pro 3 predicted again for late 2025
• AirPods Max reportedly don't sell enough to justify investment

If you're hoping for an AirPods Max 2 announcement at the big Apple event on September 9th 2025, prepare to be disappointed: the next generation of Apple's over-ears isn't expected to arrive until at least 2027.

That's an eternity in tech terms: the original AirPods Max launched in 2020. But it seems that Apple is stuck between a rock and a hard place.

According to Bloomberg, the problem is simple: AirPods Max are "too popular for Apple to stop selling them, and not popular enough for the company to invest a ton of time and money into creating a new version" – after all, there's the AirPods Pro 3 to work on instead.

As ever with unannounced Apple products we're dealing with leaks, rumors and predictions here. But it looks like AirPods Pro 3 are coming soon and AirPods Max 2 are coming later than hoped.

Bloomberg says that the AirPods Pro 3 are due to launch before the end of 2025 – let's hope we hear about them at the iPhone 17 event – with similar heart rate monitoring to the Powerbeats Pro 2.

As for the current AirPods Max, their most recent update was a damp squib: they got USB-C to comply with EU legislation, and that was as far as new hardware features went – though this did enable lossless wired audio support, and we think it works pretty great, actually.

The hoped-for H2 chip upgrade, which would have put them on a par with AirPods Pro 2, didn't feature. AirPods Max, unlike many premium headphones, still don't do wireless lossless audio, and having an older chip means they're missing many of the features of AirPods Pro 2.

After five years of daily wear, my OG AirPods Max are prime candidates for replacement: the headband's getting baggy, the tight fit – I have a huge head – is mildly annoying now, having to find a Lightning cable or adapter when everything else in my life is USB-C is a pain.

But I'm not interested in paying a premium price for tech that's half a decade old now, especially when the best headphones from other firms are improving significantly with each new release. I wonder how many other AirPods Max owners are likely to switch to rival brands before the second generation arrives…

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• Rokid Glasses are launching internationally
• They’re set to cost $599 (around £355 / AU$920) and launch in November
• These are cheaper, but arriving later than Meta's rumored smart glasses with a display

We’re just a couple of weeks out from Meta Connect, where we’ll likely see the company’s first Ray-Ban smart glasses with a display, but a rival has beaten them to the punch with a pair of specs that look to go toe-to-toe with what Meta’s offering.

That’s because we just had the international launch event for the Rokid Glasses, which are up now on Kickstarter if you want to score a pair with a limited-time discount (ranging from 20 to 15% depending on which early bird deal you can snag).

At a glance, they share a lot of similarities with Meta’s existing smart specs – we’re talking a 12MP camera, open-ear speakers, and a Qualcomm Snapdragon AR1 chipset. You’ll also get an onboard AI assistant, which is “ChatGPT 5 empowered,” if you have an internet connection.

These Rokid glasses take things up a notch, however, as they also boast a pair of Micro LED waveguide displays that serve as a heads-up display for directions, real-time translation, and as a prompter.

Another feature teased by promotional imagery is that the glasses can – just like Meta’s smart specs – identify things you can see when requested. Still, with the display, they’ll also highlight what they’ve identified. This would be very handy for making sure there’s no confusion between what you wanted to know more about and what the glasses are informing you on.

These screens look to appear conveniently in your vision – but a little out of the way to not be too distracting – though they’re not full-color. You can only see green text and shapes.

Regardless, it certainly seems like Rokid’s specs could be a real winner if they can live up to the hype. Especially because – even before any early-bird discounts – they’re set to cost $599 (around £355 / AU$920).

That’s considerably less than the $800 (£590 / AU$1,230) Meta’s specs are rumored to cost.

I wouldn’t count Meta out yet, however, as in the smart glasses race, they have a proven track record with some very stylish (yet functional) specs with both its Ray-Ban and more recently its Oakley collaborations.

What’s more, rumors suggest Meta’s glasses will boast a full-color display – though it’ll only be visible to a single eye. This, however, would make it a more versatile screen.

As for the price difference, when you factor in that Meta’s specs always come with a charging case (so presumably its new model would too) then it’s only set to be about $100 pricier, as Rokid’s glasses with a charging case will set you back $698 (around £395 / AU$1,075).

It’s also likely Meta’s specs will actually arrive sooner, as Connect is in September and the tech typically launches within a month after. The Rokid Glasses aren’t being shipped from Kickstarter until November.

While this launch doesn’t expose a clear winner or loser between Rokid and Meta, it does highlight that the smart glasses game isn’t set to be a one-horse race – certainly not to the degree that VR has felt the past few years.

We’ll have to wait and see what Meta debuts at Meta Connect, and as always, we’ll have to test both glasses out before issuing our final verdict – but Rokid’s specs look impressive, and if it can stick the landing, Meta (and anyone looking to buy a pair of smart specs) will want to pay attention.

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• Google has rolled out a Messages feature in beta that lets you use QR codes to verify the device of the person you're texting
• It's Google Messages' new security measure, which is designed to prevent impersonation scams
• Google revealed last year that it would be rolled out to users in 2025

It seems as though a new security measure is on the way to Google Messages, as the company has begun rolling out a new QR code feature in the latest beta, which verifies the device of the person you’re chatting with.

First spotted by 9to5Google, Google’s new verification tool in Messages aims to prevent impersonation scams. Before, you could verify contacts by tapping ‘Verify encryption’, presenting an 80-digit code that you can share with the other person to verify your device and vice versa.

While Google Messages has always had a verification feature, its new QR code approach provides a more convenient way to prove the identity of the person you’re texting with. In that case, if someone were to break into a conversation pretending to be a contact, Google can check if their device is verified and alert you if it’s suspicious of odd activity.

The outlet also states that Google will be bringing it to Android 9+ devices this year, but where can you find it in the beta?

If you have access, open the Google Messages app and click into a conversation. When you tap the contact’s name, it will open the Details page, which displays the ‘End-to-end encryption’ section – and you’ll want to tap ‘Verify encryption’.

In addition to the existing 80-digit code option, there’ll also be an option to scan your contact’s QR code. Messages will also prompt you to ask the other person to scan your QR code in return, allowing Google to verify each device. To view the verification status, you can view them in the ‘Connected apps’ section of your device’s Contacts app; however, this integration hasn’t gone live yet, according to 9to5Google.

Recently, the company has been working around the clock to give its Messages service much-needed upgrades – like its new ‘Delete for everyone’ function – and now it’s doubling down on its security measures.

In October last year, Google unveiled plans to improve spam protection in Messages, following the addition of an unsubscribe button to prevent unwanted spam messages and a sensitive content warning tool, both of which rolled out in April. We’d expect the QR function to arrive before the end of the year, but an exact date hasn’t been revealed yet.

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• Researcher finds a free nuggets exploit exposed much deeper flaws within McDonald’s systems
• McDonald’s apparently has no obvious path for researchers to report vulnerabilities
• A URL change from “login” to “register” granted account access

What began as an attempt to claim free food through the McDonald’s app rewards system turned into something far more revealing for one expert.

A security researcher known as “BobDaHacker” discovered serious weaknesses in McDonald’s online systems while trying to redeem a reward for free McNuggets through the company’s mobile app.

The flaw ran deep, granting access to the “Feel-Good Design Hub,” a central platform for marketing assets and brand materials used by employees and agencies in more than 120 countries.

Attempts to disclose these flaws highlighted another concern: McDonald’s had no clear path for researchers to report vulnerabilities - according to Bob, the company once had a “security.txt” file listing contacts, but it disappeared just months after being posted.

With no direct disclosure channel, Bob had to dig through LinkedIn for staff names and repeatedly call headquarters until someone finally responded.

This drawn-out process suggests other researchers may give up long before their findings reach the right people.

Even after McDonald’s replaced its password system with an account-based login, another oversight remained.

By altering “login” to “register” in the URL, Bob was able to create new accounts with full access.

Worse still, when registering, the system emailed plain-text passwords - a practice discredited for decades because of the risks it creates for identity theft and misuse.

While companies at McDonald’s scale face unique challenges in rolling out secure systems, such basic failures raise difficult questions about priorities.

This is not the first time McDonald’s has faced scrutiny for weak safeguards, as just a month earlier, a different issue came to light when a platform storing private data was protected by the password “123456.”

When flaws are repeatedly so easy to exploit, it raises doubts about whether firewalls, security suites, or even routine internal reviews are consistently applied.

For a corporation with global reach, lapses of this kind have consequences beyond marketing assets, as employee and customer information could be at stake.

McDonald’s reportedly fixed most of the vulnerabilities flagged by Bob, but the company has not reestablished a reliable reporting channel for future disclosures.

Without one, the risk remains that serious flaws will be overlooked or ignored until exploited.

Via Toms Hardware

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• Acemagic F5A Ryzen AI 9 HX370 delivers claimed 80 TOPS across workloads
• Early buyers get $120 off with pre-sale code “ACEUS120”
• DDR5 memory expansion reaches 128GB, unusual for compact desktop systems

Acemagic has introduced the F5A, a new mini PC powered by the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 processor, part of the Zen 5 generation and built on TSMC’s 4nm FinFET process.

This chip carries 12 cores and 24 threads, runs at up to 5.1GHz boost clock, and includes 24MB of L3 cache with a configurable TDP of up to 54W.

The company claims the processor can reach up to 80 TOPS of total computing power, with 50 TOPS reserved for AI-related workloads.

This device is currently on pre-sale, and any order made between now and August 31, 2025 using the code “ACEUS120” will get a $120 discount. It will begin shipping on September 10, 2025.

The F5A is available in several versions, starting with a barebone option without RAM or storage for $769 ($649 with code).

There are also the 32GB RAM + 1TB SSD and 64GB RAM + 2TB SSD models, which are selling for $909 ($789 with code) and $1,139 ($1,019 with code), respectively.

Acemagic is offering a two-year warranty across all models, which is in line with consumer electronics standards but not unusually generous for a system designed to compete with higher-end business PCs.

Unlike many compact systems, the F5A includes two M.2 2280 PCIe 4.0 x4 slots, supporting up to 4TB of storage, along with memory expandability up to 128GB of DDR5.

The cooling system features copper heat pipes and dual fans, with added thermal management for solid-state drives.

While Acemagic emphasizes quiet operation, real-world performance under sustained load will be the true test of its effectiveness.

Connectivity is another area where the F5A appears well-prepared. It supports Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4, and dual 2.5Gbps LAN ports.

For wired expansion, there are two USB4 ports delivering up to 40Gbps transfer speeds, along with HDMI 2.1, DisplayPort 2.1, and OCuLink.

The device also supports four simultaneous 4K displays, which could appeal to users seeking a compact workstation environment.

Pre-installed Windows 11 Pro comes as standard, with support for Linux distributions like Ubuntu and Manjaro for those who prefer open-source systems.

Acemagic’s F5A will compete with the recently released Geekom A9 Max, another HX370 model, which costs more.

While Geekom leans on a longer warranty and established brand recognition, Acemagic counters with affordability and flexible expansion.

The comparison reflects the wider dynamics of the mini PC market, where buyers weigh cost and specifications against support and brand assurance.

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