En GuardIt turns out the only thing the nu-Doom formula needed to draw me back in is a crunchy, satisfying parry system, and Doom: The Dark Ages has absolutely nailed itDoom: TDA knows that a single-player-only game with the largest and most complete campaign experience in the series needed a killer hook.Image credit: VG247 Article by Dom Peppiatt Editor-in-chief Published on March 31, 2025 Doom Eternal was a great game, but it was a huge departure from Doom 2016. The run and gun behaviour that wed been conditioned into over the course of the reboots 13 spectacular levels was traded in for 2020s follow-up. What once was a heavy, brutal campaign of destruction and violence was now a floatier affair. Resources became more limited. You were forced to be more mobile. Double jumps, dashes, strafing, and platforming became essential.It split the fanbase in half. An axe-blow to the center of the Doom faithful. I liked Eternal, for what its worth, but I got tired of the connective tissue that bridged the gaps between combat encounters. Im all for sniffing out secrets, but FPS platforming is a hit-or-miss game, and I think that Eternal often missed its designs. It made the heartbeat of the game irregular and arrhythmic, hobbling that wonderful pace and fluidity that everyone fell in love with in 2016.To see this content please enable targeting cookies. Doom: The Dark Ages, for me, is more in line with 2016 than it is Eternal. The combat is designed to have you stand and fight, not run and gun. The biggest gimmick compared to the two other games in the trilogy is the shield - a ripsaw-modified aegis that sits on your right arm and changes the game in a couple of fundamental ways.Firstly, you can eat up the attacks and projectiles of fodder enemies. Soaking up weak attacks like this means youre free to focus on the big bastards that are raining death upon you from afar. Theres a shield bash that locks onto targets and rushes you to their location (it actually reminds me of the Devil Bringer from the Devil May Cry games - thats high praise, for what its worth). So, pair these things together, and youve got a very simple premise: the little guys are there to give you health, ammo, and armour back. The big guys are there to stop you. Every battle feels intense. | Image credit: BethesdaStomping around the map, you feel like a rook in a game of chess. Moving in bold, strong lines and absolutely obliterating anything in your path, the power fantasy of the Doom Slayer comes back to life. I think in 2016, you felt like a knight; flexible, unpredictable, dangerous. In Eternal, you were a bishop; floaty, mobile, but operating under intense restrictions. Now, in Dark Ages, youre a rook. A hard bastard. The Danny Dyer of the chessboard. Emboldened to swagger up and headbutt whatever stands in your way, with myriad responses to whatever feeble attempt at revenge they may conjure.As you move to a new location, you have options: shoot, guard, or melee. The melee is very powerful in Dark Ages, and as such its got charges now. You cant just wang your mace about at will. But that means youre encouraged to use your shield to attack - itll refill charges. So a standard encounter might look like this: you slam into a group of enemies, guard their melee attacks, mow down the fodder with a gun, refill your melee, then splatter the big guys with your mace.But wait, theres more. Maybe theres a group of shield-carrying enemies over there - your bullets wont do anything to them. So you warm them up a bit with your projectiles (heating up their armoured elements), and then you slam into them with your shield. The resulting impact will detonate them all, in a sense, and one well-deployed bit of strategic thinking will bust their defensive line wide open. There are some stellar setpieces in the game, too. | Image credit: BethesdaDestroying armoured enemies will give you armour, too. Meaning you can risk getting a face full of fireball and dive into another combat encounter quicker, removing the need for the footsies youll play with your shield. Using your mace to tenderise flesh will give you back ammo, and shooting guys in the face refills health. So, as with Eternal, youre encouraged to rotate the deadly arms of your arsenal in order to prolong your survival.But it feels less beholden to the flow chart than Eternal did. More than once, I found myself on the back foot (I was playing too aggressively and wasnt watching the odd hit chip at my health). But I rallied, because of the games best mechanic: the parry.Oh, the parry. Now, Ive written at length about the joy of a good parry (see; Bloodborne), and its really not something I expected to see in an FPS, of all things. But Id has nailed it. In Dark Ages, anything green is your friend; whether its a p**sed-off minotaur firing green projectiles at you, or a revenant attacking you physically with a green tinge, anything green can be parried. Anything. A simple tap of the shoulder button is enough for you to activate the parry - and you can even alter the timing window in the settings if youre a bit slower.Parries are the lifeblood of the game, as far as Im concerned. They give you great incentive to acutally put yourself into the middle of the melee (like a rook) and they power you up, too. So in reflecting damage and really hurting an enemy, you actually do a little bump of violence amphetamine yourself. Unsurprisingly from Id, this one's a looker. | Image credit: BethesdaI found myself storming around the battlefield intentionally baiting out green attacks; tempting enemies to get in my space to attack me, and positioning myself in their line of fire to get my parry on. It feels so good. It adds another layer of agency to you as a player, making you think about which route the flowchart can go and how you can power yourself up, instead of relying on Doom Eternals flowchart which was just do this, then this, then this.It forces you to be tactical and aggressive on a macro level; every single second of a combat encounter makes you feel like youre making a decision that matters. There are always options open to you, and even being forced into a corner feels exhilarating. The best offense is a good defense has never been more valid.Doom: The Dark Ages is a return to form. As the Doom Slayer, you feel heavy and deadly. If you die, it feels fair. Enemies fall apart like meat in a slow cooker when you run into them, and even something as simple as landing from a big jump has a weighty satisfaction that lives up to the power fantasy of being a horrible bastard in power armour.After playing for just four hours, Doom: The Dark Ages went from being something I was vaguely curious about to one of my most anticipated games of 2025.Doom: The Dark Ages launches on May 15, and itll launch on Xbox Game Pass for PC and Xbox Series - but itll also come to PlayStation 5.

Keep Your SecretsMy favourite thing about Doom: The Dark Ages so far? Its open areas tell you when theres a point of no returnCompletionists and 100% sickos take note, Doom: The Dark Ages is looking out for your compulsive interests.Image credit: VG247 Article by Dom Peppiatt Editor-in-chief Published on March 31, 2025 In Doom 2016, there were over 650 secrets to find. Doom Eternal had even more. Whether they took the form of toys, codexes, albums, secret encounters, or slayer gate, you could never really be sure you had found everything in a given area before you passed some sort of threshold or point of no return - locking you out of exploration and often meaning youd have to play through a whole level again in order to locate everything you wanted to see.To see this content please enable targeting cookies. Well, it looks like Id Software and Bethesda have learned their lesson in Doom: The Dark Ages. Whether youre playing through the more straightforward levels or exploring the well-put-together open-ended areas, the game will throw up a warning whenever youre about to cross a threshold and leave an area.This means, thanks to a little icon exactly where the game changes you over into a new area or world state, you will always be able to tell when your last opportunity to nab any secrets in a given area will be. If youre a 100% fiend (like me) that likes to lick all the gravy off the bones before you move onto a new meal, Doom: The Dark Ages is going to make things a little easier for you. The slayer won't keep any secrets from you. | Image credit: BethesdaEven in a short four-hour demo of the game at an event in Germany, this tiny little quality of life change saved my ass two or three times. There is no mini-map (this is a good thing), so if youre navigating a large area, you need to bring up the big, multi-layered map from the menu. Playing through the more standard linear parts of the game, this feels like needless busywork; the paths are fairly straightforward and if youve got a secret-sniffing instinct in your bones, youll know when to drop off a ledge or bust down a wall to find that extra loot.Except even the best noses are sometimes a little off, arent they? So, during the second level of the game, I was about to head down some medieval-inspired path, and all of a sudden I get this little logo saying oop, its the end of the level! I kick up the map and notice one tiny little unfinished bit of the hologram so I turn about face, head back into the level, and nab me a nice little toy. Success! Thanks, UI designer, youve saved minutes of my life.Its only a little thing, but in a game as obsessed with secrets and collectibles as Doom is, it shows the developers are as interested in making sure that element of the game has as much attention and production value as the amazing combat. After all, if the devs have pumped hours and hours into making a gnarly little combat encounter in a secret courtyard, it makes sense theyll do everything in their power to make sure you see it, right?Its even better in the massive, open-ended levels. I played through one of these (it took up most of the play session), and knowing that I had free reign to sniff absolutely everything out before the game spirited me away to some ludicrous Atlan-focused set-piece well, it was great. There's plenty of game to explore. | Image credit: BethesdaI got a little frustrated with finding all the collectibles in Doom Eternal, so Im really hoping these little touches in Doom: The Dark Ages make the overall experience a little less frictious. Well see if it works as well in the final game as it does the demo when Doom: The Dark Ages launches on May 15 for PC, Xbox Series X/S, and PlayStation 5.

Explore the making of Ada, the impactful topics it addresses, and how V-Ray technology helped bring this animated series to life on TED-Ed's YouTube channel.

Image: MarvelousMarvelous announced the next title in the beloved Story of Seasons series during last week's Nintendo Direct, and we're sticking with the remakes! But this time, we're diverging from the undisputed classics and going a bit off-piste.Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar launches on Switch on 27th August 2025, and it's a remake of Harvest Moon DS: Grand Bazaar, which came to the DS in 2008 in Japan, and 2010/11 for North America and Europe. It's not one of the most well-known entries, and it's not even the next game after the previous remake, A Wonderful Life, but it's getting a brand new art style and plenty of new features all the same.We got to sit down with Hikaru Nakano, Story of Seasons series manager, ahead of this "from the ground up" remake's announcement. We talked daily farm life, nature sprites, remaking lesser-known titles, and where Story of Seasons goes from here...Nintendo Life: Grand Bazaar will be the third remake in the Story of Seasons series. What caused you to pick this DS title for the next remake in the series?Hikaru Nakano, Manager of Story of Seasons series: So you may recall our previous title A Wonderful Life. Similar to that title, each of the Story of Seasons games represents the way that farmers live their lives. So, for example, in A Wonderful Life, the main thing we wanted to focus on with that was living a full life.With Grand Bazaar, the main feature is, "How does a farmer live and make money?" So, because that aspect was something we wanted to shine a light on, that's why we decided to remake Grand Bazaar.Image: MarvelousA Wonderful Life is many people's favourite and it's one of the more popular entries in the series, while Grand Bazaar is perhaps not as well-known. Was that something you were conscious of when you chose to remake this title?Yes, that is something we took into account. You're correct that, compared to A Wonderful Life, Grand Bazaar may not be as well-known, but in that same way we wanted to bring what is a great entry in the series to new and modern fans.With Grand Bazar, we've made it from the ground up. It's nothing like a port, and it's quite new in many ways. So it was also a good opportunity for us to be able to bring this perhaps lesser-known game to new audiences in a modern way. That combined with the fact that Grand Bazaar is also quite a unique title, it seems like this was a good time to remake Grand Bazaar.The setting of Zephyr Town, as well as the location and the people that live there, is a world that I personally really enjoy, so that's another reason I wanted to choose this game at this time. A Wonderful Life, or A Terrible Remake?You've previously talked about focusing on the visual side of things with the next Story of Seasons game. Do Zephyr Town and the larger environments allow for a lot more experimentation, and how have you implemented those visual upgrades in Grand Bazaar?There are two big points I want to talk about with regards to the graphic improvements we focused on. The first is the visual expression of wind. Wind is a big factor in Zephyr Town and it affects the farmer's life in a lot of ways, so we wanted to be able to beautifully represent it in a way that's not too glaring or too loud but still very apparent and beautiful to the player.For example, there are many grassy areas in the game, like pastures, and you can see the grass below in the rain, and almost like sparkle in. And there are other ways that the wind is expressed as well.Images: MarvelousIn addition to wanting to feel like there's this beautiful wind expression, that combines with the way that the animals are milling about your farm, we want to create a feeling for the player that they are happy about having built this farm, so these satisfying results.The second big visual improvement [is] the expressions and animations of the animals, the way that they react to you. So there are a lot of ways that you can interact with them. It's not just the cows and the sheep, like the livestock, but it's also the pets, like the cats and the dogs; the pets will even play with each other. So, there's are a lot of effort put into the way that the animals are expressed.So, with Zephyr Town, what do you hope people will fall in love with most of all about the new location?Zephyr Town is located in a valley in the mountains, so there are a lot of things about it that I think are good [laughs]. One thing in particular I want to mention is the way that you move through the town in your everyday life.You can actually jump from rooftop to rooftop as you make your way and explore the town. So there are many different paths that you can take on your day-to-day, or perhaps even if it's a windy day, you can take your glider down into town and move about that way. So the various ways that you can explore and make your path through the town is one thing that I would like players to enjoy.Image: MarvelousAnother is the way that you experience, the way the player experiences the other townsfolk living in the town. On certain days, certain characters may be talking in the town with each other, or sometimes they might go and get tea together. They each have their own lives with their own things they like to do, and they're doing their own things in their own houses as well. So these are all things that I would love for the player to fall in love with.The bazaar is the big draw of this entry and it was brand new in the original DS game there still aren't many equivalents in other Story of Seasons games, really! Can you explain to those who've never played the original how it works and maybe what's new for the remake?The biggest point that is interesting about the bazaar is the way that the player is able to sell their products they have created on the farm. In most Story of Seasons games, there's a shipment box, so you prepare all of your crops, you put them in the shipping box, and then before you know it, they just turn into money. In this game, the player is able to take their goods and actually bring them to market and directly interact with customers as they sell their products. And you can sell whatever you would like at the bazaar.If you're a player that has been working on their crops a lot, let's say you have lots of vegetables like tomatoes and other things, you can say, "Okay, I'm going to focus on veggies and bring those to the bazaar and become a vegetable seller." Or if you're a player that likes animals more, let's say you put a lot of effort into your cows and you have a bunch of really high-quality milk, you can bring that milk to the bazaar. So in that way I hope that the player is able to think about what it is that they want to bring to the bazaar each week and then plan their farmer lifestyle.Images: MarvelousOne aspect that is new is the addition of sprites. Nature sprites weren't in the original. There are five sprites each with their own unique appearance and style, and they have a few ways that they interact with the bazaar. One, they actually have their own little secret shop that you can go interact with at the bazaar, and they sell weird things like their own strange food and stuff like that. It's very cute.They also help out with the player's stall at the bazaar as well. There is a system where you build up to something called Cheer Time and when Cheer Time happens then the sprites basically help you sell your goods to the customers in a like exciting and fun way and from like a game mechanics perspective, it increases the rate and there are like other benefits. So it's really good for sales in that way.From the more aesthetic perspective, sprites will do dances and stuff and cheer on the customers. So it creates a much more lively experience when the player is selling to the customers. I hope that players are able to enjoy the addition of nature sprites to the bazaar.What has it been like revisiting all of the older games and remaking them, and how has it helped shape the future of the Story of Seasons franchise?So if we're talking about where we want to take Story of Seasons in the future, especially with the influence of these recent past titles that we've been putting out, I want to revisit something that we spoke about earlier, which was, 'How does the farmer spend life?' and various aspects of that. For example, as we said, with A Wonderful Life, it's about spending a full life from start to finish. With Grand Bazaar, it's 'How does a farmer make money?'We want to continue to explore and bring out the enjoyable aspects of a farmer's life, so we're continuing to research and think about that. We're taking the experiences that we've gained working on these past titles, as well as feedback from our players, and we want to make sure that we can use that in all of our titles going forward in order to create a fun farming or fun farm life experience for players.Image: MarvelousThis interview has been edited for clarity.Thank you to Nakano-san and interpreter Scott Parks for speaking to us, and to Sonia Im for arranging this meeting.Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar launches on Switch on 27th August 2025. Have you played the original DS game? Will you be picking up the remake? Let us know down below!Related GamesSee AlsoShare:01 Alana has been with Nintendo Life since 2022, and while RPGs are her first love, Nintendo is a close second. She enjoys nothing more than overthinking battle strategies, characters, and stories. She also wishes she was a Sega air pirate. Hold on there, you need to login to post a comment...Related ArticlesNintendo Direct Confirmed For Today, 27th March 202530 minutes of news for OG Switch gamesMetroid Prime 4: Beyond's Official Switch Box Art Is Absolutely StunningAhhhh we want itPokmon Scarlet & Violet: Mystery Gift Codes ListAll the current Pokmon Scarlet and Violet Mystery Gift codesRound Up: Everything From Japan's Nintendo Direct Broadcast (March 2025)More games are on the way!Rumour: A Switch 1 Direct Presentation May Take Place This WeekColour us sceptical, though

Media software maker and streaming app Plex on Monday released an updated version of its mobile app. The redesign features a new user experience, reorganized navigation that includes giving its Watchlist a dedicated spot, and other changes that aim to make it easier to access power-user features for Plex customers who use its personal media management software, not just its streaming service.The company says the mobile app will soon be followed by an update for its app for TV platforms.In terms of the apps redesign, the focus is on adding richer media, including title artwork for movies and shows a long-requested feature. Other areas that are being tweaked in this area include movie and show detail pages, cast and crew profiles, and users personal profile pages. Image Credits:PlexMeanwhile, Plexs core user base of personal home media pros will now be able to personalize their experience by favoriting certain media libraries, which now also have their own tab.Plex has been known for years for its software that lets home media pros organize their collections of movies, TV shows, home videos, music, photos, and more. However, the company has shifted in more recent years to offer users a one-stop shop for all their media needs by combining access to free streaming TV and movies, plus movie rentals, and a variety of discovery tools that help users find things they want to watch across a fragmented streaming landscape.One feature that helps with discovery is Plexs universal Watchlist, where you can save items you want to watch from across your streaming services or Plexs free streaming. This feature has now been given its own spot in the apps top-level navigation as it has become one of the more popular features in the app.Smaller changes with this release involve reorganizing other features, like the user menu, where you can update and manage your information like your friends list, selection of streaming services, and watch history. After the version of this update for TV platforms rolls out, Plex says it will then focus on adding a few more improvements and bringing its TV and mobile apps into parity.

Last chance! Less than 24 hours left to grab your $300+ discount on TechCrunch All Stage founder and investor passes. Planning to bring more than just you? Bundle tickets for even greater savings! Dont wait prices rise at 11:59 p.m. PT tonight.TC All Stage is the ultimate event where founders turbocharge growth, and investors spot the next big investment. Gain game-changing insights and connect with industry leaders on July 15 at SoWa Power Station in Boston.Secure your discounted ticket before today ends dont wait!Discover smart scaling strategies at TC All StageEager to turn traction into rapid growth? Join 1,200 founders and investors at TC All Stage, where founders learn from top VCs and industry experts, engage in practical sessions, and network with influential players all while investors search for their next major startup investment.Discover scaling strategies from the expertsOur roster of scaling experts continues to expand! Head to the speaker page to see the newest additions.Cathy Gao, partner, Sapphire VenturesChris Gardner, general partner, Underscore VCCharles Hudson, founder and managing partner, Precursor VenturesBrandon Krieg, founder and co-CEO, StashTiffany Luck, partner, NEAJon McNeill, CEO and Co-Founder, DVx VenturesJahanvi Sardana, partner, Index VenturesCharles E. Hudson from Precursor Ventures is one of the judges at Startup Battlefield at TechCrunch Disrupt in San Francisco on October 19, 2022.Image Credits:Haje Kamps/TechCrunchTargeted breakout sessions for founders at every growth stageTwo stages. Multiple tracks. Designed to cover every stage of startup growth, from early-stage to growth-stage to IPO, with actionable insights at each level.Foundation Stage: Early-stage founders will dive into the essential principles of building a startup from the ground up. Topics include:What VCs want in pre-seed startupsDeciding when to use AI-driven MVPs for automationCreating a pitch deck that lands fundingScale Stage: For founders at Series A and beyond, uncover strategies to propel your startup to the next level. Dont let growth stall take your startup further:Building scalable and sustainable companiesNavigating Series C and beyond in todays marketPreparing for IPOs and achieving $10M ARRTechCrunch Early Stage 2024 at SoWa Power Station. Breakout session audience.Image Credits:Halo CreativeBringing founders and investors together for long-term impactCreate meaningful connections with founders and investors in intimate 1:1 or small-group sessions. Tackle key challenges, share insights, and form strategic alliances that shape the future of your startup. Keep the momentum going by attending exclusive Side Events across Boston during TC All Stage Week.High-impact networking between founders and investors at Early Stage 2024 at SoWa Station in Boston.Image Credits:Halo CreativeHands-on, in-depth roundtable conversationsTake part in focused, small-group roundtables guided by industry experts. Connect with fellow founders and investors, dive deep into your growth challenges, and leave with tailored strategies and actionable insights to help you scale smarter.Roundtable session at TechCrunch Early Stage 2024 at SoWa Power Station in Boston.Image Credits:Halo CreativeExplore solutions and elevate your brand in the Expo HallHead to the Expo Hall to find solutions for accelerating your startup or meet VCs looking to back your idea. Connect with exhibitors and explore new partnerships. Want to stand out? Reserve a table for 1,200 founders and investors limited spots available. Learn more and secure your table here.Fidelity Investments is exhibiting at TechCrunch Early Stage 2024 at SoWa Power Station in Boston.Image Credits:Halo CreativeThe stage is set for startup pitchesFounders, So You Think You Can Pitch gives you a front-row seat to live pitches paired with expert feedback from top VCs. Uncover the secrets to a winning pitch, get real-time advice, and fine-tune your strategy for the next funding round.VCs, seize this opportunity to find new investment opportunities while mentoring founders to enhance their pitch skills.So You Think You Can Pitch at TechCrunch Early Stage 2024 at SoWa Power Station in Boston.Image Credits:Halo CreativeSave $300+ and power your startup growth before today endsFinal hours to save! Founders and investors, secure up to $320 in savings before the clock strikes 11:59 p.m. PT tonight. After that, these deals vanish. Secure your ticket now and take charge of your startups success!Or, explore sponsorship opportunities and activations at TC All Stage. Get in touch with our team by filling out this form.Dont miss out on the best deals for TechCrunch eventsSubscribe to the TechCrunch Events newsletter and be the first to know about special deals and event announcements.

Breakdown & ShowreelsThose About To Die: VFX Breakdown by ReDefineBy Vincent Frei - 31/03/2025 Inspired by Daniel P. Mannixs book, Those About To Die reimagines the spectacle of Roman entertainment with really cool visual effects by ReDefine. Experience the adrenaline of the Colosseum and the intensity of chariot races like never before!WANT TO KNOW MORE?ReDefine: Dedicated page about Those About To Die on ReDefine website. Vincent Frei The Art of VFX 2025

Hello WhimsyIn London, Leopold Banchini Architects uplifts arts and crafts for wine bar Goodbye HorsesByKelly Pau March 31, 2025International (Rory Gardiner)SHAREJapanese folk art, William Morris, and the wider English arts and crafts movement informGoodbye Horses, a new wine bar in Londons De Beauvoir Town. The bars interior, outfitted byLeopold Banchini Architects, prioritizes natural materials, abundant lighting, local craftsmanship, artist collaboration, and swaths of colorful doodles. Drawing from these movements and local heritage, the bar takes a stance against our eras never-ending focus on screens and stimulation. Instead, Goodbye Horses bids farewell to the overwhelming and hello to a sense of being present and convivial. While the interior draws inspiration from across cultures, the bar has a distinct sense of regional sourcing. Located in an old brick building, original walls and materials are preserved and, where modified, were handled with local know-how. The existing walls are painted with limewash and old-fashioned roughcast. The dark green paint acts as a datum that helps proportion the space and add color. The flooring utilizes beaten earth, a mix of soil, straw, and clay with a natural linseed oil coating, commonly used in countryside pubs of yore.Read more on aninteriormag.com. BarsLondon

Livros 2 (2025), water-carved books, inks, pigments, acrylic sealer, and metal clip, 12.99 x 10.63 x 8.27 inches. Photos by by Ivan Macedo Dias. All images Guy Larame, courtesy of JHB Gallery, New York, shared with permissionBlasting Books with High-Pressure Water, Guy Larame Scales Mountains of KnowledgeMarch 31, 2025ArtKate MothesFrom his mountainside studio in Nova Friburgo, Brazil, Guy Larame (previously) creates otherworldly sculptures that mirror nearby peaks like Pico da Calednia. Using a unique method of blasting antique books with high-pressure water and stripping them of their covers, he manipulates the bound text blocks into craggy cliff faces and rocky promontories.When viewed from certain angles, each sculptures identity as volumes of text nearly vanishes as we perceive mountains in miniature. As one moves around the pieces, the rigid form of stitched binding appears or printed pages ruffle and hint and the contents.Detail of Livros 3Larames sculptures tread the line between object and landscape, juxtaposing themes of knowledge, history, and archives with geology, time, and the environment. The artist often employs dictionaries and encyclopedias, which constantly evolve and require updates, exploring the tension between physical representations of information and learning and our relationship with the natural world.Find more on the artists website.Livros 3 (2025), waterblasted books, inks, pigments, and acrylic sealer, 9.06 x 10.63 x 8.27 inchesLivros 6 (2025), waterblasted books, inks, pigments, and acrylic sealer, 7.87 x 14.17 x 5.91 inchesLivros 6Livros 2 (2025), water-carved books, inks, pigments, acrylic sealer, and metal clip, 12.99 x 10.63 x 8.27 inchesLivros 1 (2025), water-carved books, inks, pigments, acrylic sealer, and metal clip, 6.66 x 9.84 x 5.91 inchesLivros 5 (2025), waterblasted books, inks, pigments, and acrylic sealer, 11.4 x 15.75 x 9.06 inchesDetail of Livros 5Livros 4 (2025), waterblasted books, inks, pigments, and acrylic sealer, 9.84 x 15.75 x 9.06 inchesNext article

Published March 31, 2025 10:00am EDT close 'CyberGuy' warns of cyberscams costing Americans billions a year Tech expert Kurt Knutsson joins "Fox & Friends" to warn of new cyberscams and his tips on how to avoid them. Phishing attacks are everywhere, and most of us can spot the obvious ones. Even if someone falls for one and hands over their password, two-factor authentication (2FA) usually adds a crucial layer of protection. But a new phishing kit making the rounds can bypass 2FA entirely by using session hijacking and real-time credential interception.Known as Astaroth, this tool intercepts and manipulates traffic between your device and legitimate authentication services like Gmail, Yahoo and Microsoft. Since it grabs everything in real time, it completely bypasses 2FA and gives attackers full access to your account. Illustration of a hacker at work (Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson)How Astaroth worksAstaroth is a next-level phishing kit that takes scamming to a whole new level. Instead of using basic fake login pages like traditional phishing kits, it works as a middleman between your device and the real authentication service while silently grabbing everything needed to break in.The attack begins when you click on a phishing link and land on a malicious site that looks identical to the real one. Since the site has valid SSL certificates, there are no red flags, no security warnings and no sketchy pop-ups. When you enter your login details, including username, password, device info and IP address, Astaroth snatches them up before passing the request to the actual website.Two-factor authentication is not a problem for Astaroth. It intercepts one-time passwords the second they are entered, whether they come from an authenticator app, SMS or a push notification. The stolen codes are instantly sent to the attacker through a web panel or Telegram alert, so they can use them before they expire.The real kicker is that Astaroth also grabs session cookies, which are the small bits of data that keep users logged in after authentication. Attackers can inject these cookies into their own browsers, skipping the need for passwords or two-factor authentication altogether. Once they have the session, they are in with no extra steps required. An example of what the victim and attacker would see (SlashNext) (Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson)Astaroth is shockingly advancedAs reported by cybersecurity companySlashNext, Astaroth stands out from other phishing kits because of its ability to intercept credentials in real time, automate attacks and resist takedown efforts. Traditional phishing depends on tricking victims into entering their credentials on fake login pages, but Astaroth removes that step entirely.Beyond its advanced capabilities, Astaroth comes with features that make it appealing to cybercriminals. It uses bulletproof hosting to stay online despite law enforcement efforts, receives frequent updates to bypass security patches and follows a structured payment model. For $2,000, buyers get six months of continuous upgrades. To build trust, the creators even let hackers test the phishing kit before purchasing.Astaroth is widely available through Telegram and underground cybercrime forums. The anonymity of these platforms makes it difficult for authorities to track distribution. The seller sharing information on testing the phishing kit out (SlashNext) (Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson)Signs you may be infected with Astaroth1) Unexpected account logins or security alertsYou receive alerts from Gmail, Microsoft or other services about a login from an unknown device or locationYou get a 2FA request when you werent trying to log in2) Youre mysteriously logged out of accountsIf your session cookies were stolen, an attacker might log in as you and force a log-out elsewhere3) Password changes or settings updates you didnt makeIf an attacker has control, they may change recovery emails, phone numbers or passwords4) Slow system performance or odd behaviorAstaroth uses legitimate Windows processes (likeWMIC,BITSAdmin orRegsvr32) to hide itselfIf your system is sluggish or the Task Manager shows strange processes using high CPU/network with no explanation, that could be a clue5) Browser acting strangelyLogin fields autopopulate incorrectly or redirect loops occurPages that used to work suddenly trigger warnings or errors6) Unfamiliar programs or scripts running in the backgroundCheck for odd Scheduled Tasks, Registry changes or background network connections (especially if they're outbound to suspicious domains or IPs).What to do if you suspect infectionDisconnect from the internet immediatelyRun a full malware scan usingtrusted antivirus softwareCheck for unauthorized logins on your major accounts andchange all passwords on another trusted deviceEnable passkeys or hardware security keys where possibleReset your device if malware persists; a full factory reset may be requiredMonitor bank accounts and email inboxes for suspicious activity4 ways to stay safe from Astaroth phishing attacks1) Avoid unknown links and use strong antivirus software: Remember that no matter how advanced the malware is, it still needs input from you. In most cases, an attacker will require you to click a link before they can steal your data. For example, for Astaroth to work, you have to click a link, visit a malicious website and enter your credentials. If you dont click the link, you stay clear of the malware.The best way to safeguard yourself from malicious links that install malware, potentially accessing your private information, is to have strong antivirus software installed on all your devices. This protection can also alert you to phishing emails and ransomware scams, keeping your personal information and digital assets safe.Get my picks for the best 2025 antivirus protection winners for your Windows, Mac, Android and iOS device.2) Double-check sites:Always verify website addresses and use bookmarks for trusted sites. Instead of clicking on links in emails or messages, manually type the URL or use a trusted bookmark. This minimizes the risk of landing on a fraudulent page designed to mimic a legitimate website.3) Update your devices:You might wonder how keeping your devices updated helps against malware like Astaroth. While it doesnt directly prevent an attack, it ensures the situation doesnt get worse.Keeping your operating system and applications up to date with the latest security patches closes vulnerabilities that malware might exploit, making it harder for attackers to gain a foothold on your device.4) Avoid typing passwords:Avoid entering passwords whenever possible to reduce the risk of credential theft. Instead, use authentication methods like passkeys, Google Sign-In or Apple Sign-In.A passkey is a feature that uses cryptographic key pairs to verify your identity, eliminating the need for traditional passwords. It allows you to sign in to apps and websites using the same process you use to unlock your device, such as biometrics, PIN or pattern.Google Sign-In is a feature that allows you to log in to third-party apps or websites using their Google Account credentials. It simplifies the sign-in process by eliminating the need to create and remember separate usernames and passwords for each service. You can sign in via a "Sign in with Google" button, a Google sign-in prompt or automatic sign-in if previously authorized.Apple Sign-In is a feature that enables you to privately sign in to participating third-party apps and websites using your Apple ID. It offers a fast, easy and more private way to authenticate without the need to create new accounts or remember additional passwords. To set up an account to "Sign in with Apple," when a participating website or app asks you to set up or upgrade an account, do the following: Tap Sign in with Apple. Follow the onscreen instructions. Some apps (and websites) dont request your name and email address. In this case, you simply authenticate with Face ID or Touch ID (depending on your model), then start using the app.Others may ask for your name and email address to set up a personalized account. When an app asks for this information, Sign in with Apple displays your name and the personal email address from your Apple Account for you to review.These methods rely on cryptographic keys or secure tokens, making it much harder for attackers to intercept your login information, even if they manage to trick you into visiting a malicious site.Kurts key takeawayAstaroth shows just how far phishing kits have come, taking things beyond the usual tricks and bypassing 2FA with ease. Its a reminder that no matter how secure we think our systems are, theres always a smarter attack waiting to exploit the gaps. Cybercriminals are adapting fast, and while traditional defenses may not cut it anymore, there are still steps you can take to fight back: use passwordless logins, stay updated and keep learning about these evolving threats.What do you think governments and companies should be doing to protect you from sophisticated cyber threats like the Astaroth phishing kit, which can bypass traditional security measures? Let us know by writing us atCyberguy.com/Contact.For more of my tech tips and security alerts, subscribe to my free CyberGuy Report Newsletter by heading toCyberguy.com/Newsletter.Follow Kurt on his social channels:Answers to the most-asked CyberGuy questions:New from Kurt:Copyright 2025 CyberGuy.com.All rights reserved. Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson is an award-winning tech journalist who has a deep love of technology, gear and gadgets that make life better with his contributions for Fox News & FOX Business beginning mornings on "FOX & Friends." Got a tech question? 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