Most global firms have cloud setups from tactical choices, but hybrid models and AI are driving stronger strategies amid rising security and sovereignty concerns. Read...

One person sustained serious injuries, another moderate, while ten others received minor injuries. Read...

Tania Kura `seemed surprised` when Commissioner Richard Chambers `saw it as a problem`. Read...

The destructive batter will be joined in Team Cricket by two recently retired Black Caps fast bowlers. Read...

Researchers from the University of Vienna and SBA Research did something pretty astonishing: they were able to retrieve all existing WhatsApp numbers. In fact, they were able to view and analyze an incredible 3.5 billion WhatsApp profiles, making this one of the largest data collection efforts in history. According to the researchers, all existing WhatsApp profiles were unprotected on the web and they were able to download all phone numbers and their associated profile data. The researchers informed Meta (owner of WhatsApp) about this leak back in September 2024, but Mark Zuckerberg’s company didn’t respond at first. (Incidentally, Meta is being sued by a former WhatsApp security chief!) Meta’s initial lack of interest is all the more surprising when you consider everything that emerges from this freely accessible data. For example, we can determine how many WhatsApp users there are per country and how they’re distributed between Android and iOS. India has the most WhatsApp users, followed by Indonesia and Brazil. The association of WhatsApp accounts to certain countries isn’t as harmless as it may sound. In authoritarian states where the use of WhatsApp is banned and/or monitored—such as North Korea, China, and Myanmar—it can be life-threatening for the owners of certain phone numbers if state surveillance bodies can analyze this data. Sensitive data freely accessible Around 30 percent of WhatsApp users have entered detailed information about themselves in their WhatsApp profiles, including sexual orientation and/or political views. Some users have even mentioned their drug habits, while others (who are obviously drug dealers) have mentioned their drug supply and operations. Links to Tinder and OnlyFans posted on WhatsApp were also freely accessible. Some WhatsApp profiles were also registered using email addresses associated with government and military organizations. Many profiles contained photos in which the users can be clearly identified. In other words, all of this freely accessible WhatsApp data could be used to synthesize full identities complete with phone numbers, photos, preferences, and email addresses. The researchers also found security problems with some public keys of WhatsApp accounts. What you can do about this Based on the findings, we recommend that all WhatsApp users keep their profile information as limited as possible and refrain from posting photos in which they can be identified. Also, don’t provide any links to dating profiles or other sites that could be detrimental to you. The full research paper—entitled “Hey there! You are using WhatsApp: Enumerating Three Billion Accounts for Security and Privacy”—is published for free on GitHub. Read...

Microsoft Support operates an X/Twitter account called MicrosoftHelps to help users with problems, highlight features, and explain technical bits. Typically, Windows 11 takes center stage there, as Microsoft wants to showcase the current Windows generation and spread it further. However, Microsoft Support recently focused on Windows 10 of all things. Although Microsoft wants to move away from this now-unsupported version of the operating system, many satisfied Windows 10 users remain loyal to it. And that’s much to the annoyance of Microsoft, who continues to aggressively promote Windows 11. Here’s what happened: In a recent post, MicrosoftHelps wanted to highlight the Night Light feature of Windows, which adjusts the color temperature of the screen to reduce blue light. It’s believed to help relieve eye strain and improve sleep hygiene. Turning on Night Light while we`re working is easier than wearing blue light glasses ??Switch it on to help ease ?? strain: https://t.co/KjFAsE8blJ pic.twitter.com/nCubLboDaC— Microsoft Support (@MicrosoftHelps) October 20, 2025 But the GIF used in the post shows the Windows 10 Action Center. As you might know, Windows 11 doesn’t have an Action Center and instead uses a separate Quick Settings panel and a Notification Center. The alt text of the GIF reads: “Graphical depiction of turning on the night light setting on a Windows PC.” Apparently, a standard “Windows PC” is still one that runs Windows 10 according to this GIF! It’s currently unknown why MicrosoftHelps didn’t use Windows 11 for the illustration. Read...

One of the world`s most popular gaming platforms has faced criticism for its child safety record. Read...

Portable handheld PC gaming is all the rage right now. But these little machines have some big limits, which means users need to carefully manage both their expectations and their hardware. For example, one popular tweak for the Steam Deck is to undervolt its CPU to give it better battery life. To that end, Asus is enabling finer user control on the new ROG Xbox Ally X with its latest software update. The new update to the Armoury Crate driver management program adds the option to tweak the P-core and E-core settings for the flagship of the Ally line. For the unfamiliar, we’re talking about Performance cores and Efficiency cores in the AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme CPU. Unlike some earlier iterations of AMD’s highly customized laptop processors with integrated graphics, the Z2 Extreme has three Zen 5 performance cores and five efficiency cores, the former used for high-intensity 3D games and the latter used for more mundane background tasks. As Tom’s Hardware explains, the expanded settings should allow Xbox Ally X owners to more carefully target either better game performance or better battery life, a careful balancing act for any handheld. Sadly, the P-core/E-core split is exclusive to the Z2 Extreme chip, so the less powerful (white) Xbox Ally and the older ROG Ally designs don’t get access to this feature. That being said, there’s nothing stopping competitors like Lenovo from adding it to other Z2 Extreme handhelds, like the competing Legion Go 2. Other members of the Ally family are getting tweaks, including an “improved gyro aiming algorithm” and a new 40 FPS limiter option, also aimed at balancing power and battery life. You can see the full list of changes, and which models they apply to, on the Asus ROG forum. Read...

Sundar Pichai says no company is immune if AI bubble bursts, echoing dotcom fears. Read...

An Auckland mother of three says it makes her sad to see her children accepting there could be no presents this Christmas. Read...