Feb 25, 2025Ravie LakshmananMobile Security / SpywareCybersecurity researchers have flagged an updated version of the LightSpy implant that comes equipped with an expanded set of data collection features to extract information from social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram.LightSpy is the name given to a modular spyware that's capable of infecting both Windows and Apple systems with an aim to harvest data. It was first documented in 2020, targeting users in Hong Kong.This includes Wi-Fi network information, screenshots, location, iCloud Keychain, sound recordings, photos, browser history, contacts, call history, and SMS messages, and data from various apps like Files, LINE, Mail Master, Telegram, Tencent QQ, WeChat, and WhatsApp.Late last year, ThreatFabric detailed an updated version of the malware that incorporates destructive capabilities to prevent the compromised device from booting up, alongside expanding the number of supported plugins from 12 to 28.Previous findings have also uncovered potential overlaps between LightSpy and an Android malware named DragonEgg, highlighting the cross-platform nature of the threat.Hunt.io's latest analysis of the malicious command-and-control (C2) infrastructure associated with the spyware has uncovered support for over 100 commands spanning Android, iOS, Windows, macOS, routers, and Linux."The new command list shifts focus from direct data collection to broader operational control, including transmission management ('') and plugin version tracking ('')," the company said."These additions suggest a more flexible and adaptable framework, allowing LightSpy operators to manage deployments more efficiently across multiple platforms."Notable among the new commands is the ability to target Facebook and Instagram application database files for data extraction from Android devices. But in an interesting twist, the threat actors have removed iOS plugins associated with destructive actions on the victim host.Also discovered are 15 Windows-specific plugins designed for system surveillance and data collection, with most of them geared towards keylogging, audio recording, and USB interaction.The threat intelligence firm said it also discovered an endpoint ("/phone/phoneinfo") in the admin panel that grants logged-in users the ability to remotely control the infected mobile devices. It's currently not known if these represent new developments or previously undocumented older versions."The shift from targeting messaging applications to Facebook and Instagram expands LightSpy's ability to collect private messages, contact lists, and account metadata from widely used social platforms," Hunt.io said."Extracting these database files could provide attackers with stored conversations, user connections, and potentially session-related data, increasing surveillance capabilities and opportunities for further exploitation."The disclosure comes as Cyfirma disclosed details of an Android malware dubbed SpyLend that masquerades as a financial app named Finance Simplified (APK name "com.someca.count") on the Google Play Store but engages in predatory lending, blackmail, and extortion aimed at Indian users."By leveraging location-based targeting, the app displays a list of unauthorized loan apps that operate entirely within WebView, allowing attackers to bypass Play Store scrutiny," the company said."Once installed, these loan apps harvest sensitive user data, enforce exploitative lending practices, and employ blackmail tactics to extort money."Some of the advertised loan apps are KreditPro (formerly KreditApple), MoneyAPE, StashFur, Fairbalance, and PokketMe. Users who install Finance Simplified from outside India are served a harmless WebView that lists various calculators for personal finance, accounting, and taxation, suggesting that the campaign is designed to specifically target Indian users. The app is no longer available for download from the official Android app marketplace. According to statistics available on Sensor Tower, the application was published around mid-December 2024 and attracted over 100,000 installations."Initially presented as a harmless finance management application, it downloads a fraud loan app from an external download URL, which once installed, gains extensive permissions to access sensitive data, including files, contacts, call logs, SMS, clipboard content, and even the camera," Cyfirma pointed out.Indian retail banking customers have also become the target of another campaign that distributes a malware codenamed FinStealer that impersonates legitimate bank apps, but is engineered to collect login credentials and facilitate financial fraud by carrying out unauthorized transactions. "Distributed via phishing links, and social engineering, these fake apps closely mimic legitimate bank apps, tricking users into revealing credentials, financial data, and personal details," the company said."Using Telegram bots, the malware can receive instructions and send stolen data without raising suspicion, making it more difficult for security systems to detect and block the communication."Found this article interesting? Follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn to read more exclusive content we post.SHARE

Feb 25, 2025Ravie LakshmananMalware / Cyber EspionageOpposition activists in Belarus as well as Ukrainian military and government organizations are the target of a new campaign that employs malware-laced Microsoft Excel documents as lures to deliver a new variant of PicassoLoader. The threat cluster has been assessed to be an extension of a long-running campaign mounted by a Belarus-aligned threat actor dubbed Ghostwriter (aka Moonscape, TA445, UAC-0057, and UNC1151) since 2016. It's known to align with Russian security interests and promote narratives critical of NATO."The campaign has been in preparation since July-August 2024 and entered the active phase in November-December 2024," SentinelOne researcher Tom Hegel said in a technical report shared with The Hacker News. "Recent malware samples and command-and-control (C2) infrastructure activity indicate that the operation remains active in recent days."The starting point of the attack chain analyzed by the cybersecurity company is a Google Drive shared document that originated from an account named Vladimir Nikiforech and hosted a RAR archive.The RAT file includes a malicious Excel workbook, which, when opened, triggers the execution of an obfuscated macro when prospective victims enable macros to be run. The macro proceeds to write a DLL file that ultimately paves the way for a simplified version of PicassoLoader.In the next phase, a decoy Excel file is displayed to the victim, while, in the background, additional payloads are downloaded onto the system. As recently as June 2024, this approach was used to deliver the Cobalt Strike post-exploitation framework.SentinelOne said it also discovered other weaponized Excel documents bearing Ukraine-themed lures to retrieve an unknown second-stage malware from a remote URL ("sciencealert[.]shop") in the form of a seemingly harmless JPG image, a technique known as steganography. The URLs are no longer available.In another instance, the booby-trapped Excel document is used to deliver a DLL named LibCMD, which is designed to run cmd.exe and connect to stdin/stdout. It's directly loaded into memory as a .NET assembly and executed."Throughout 2024, Ghostwriter has repeatedly used a combination of Excel workbooks containing Macropack-obfuscated VBA macros and dropped embedded .NET downloaders obfuscated with ConfuserEx," Hegel said."While Belarus doesn't actively participate in military campaigns in the war in Ukraine, cyber threat actors associated with it appear to have no reservation about conducting cyber espionage operations against Ukrainian targets."Found this article interesting? Follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn to read more exclusive content we post.SHARE

About the Role:As a fast-growing EU SaaS startup, we are looking for a Customer Success Manager (CSM) who is fun to work with and ready to handle US client requests promptly, considering time-zone differences.You build strong relationships with your customers.You work closely with our US-based customers, guiding them to success and ensuring they become loyal advocates for Clustdoc. You are their trusted advisor, helping them integrate our platform seamlessly into their workflow.You turn customers into power users.You help customers unlock the full potential of Clustdoc by organizing (and delivering if needed) personalized training sessions. Your goal is to ensure they feel confident using our software to automate and optimize their onboarding processes.You proactively look for ways to make our customers even more successful.You analyze customer needs, provide tailored solutions, and help them streamline their digital onboarding workflows and elevate their client interactions. You identify and address potential challenges before they arise, ensuring an exceptional user experience.You contribute to Clustdocs growth.By maintaining close relationships with customers, you identify expansion opportunities within their organizations and contribute to increasing product adoption. Your insights help shape our product roadmap and improve our services.We'd love to hear from you if youre excited about working in a dynamic SaaS company where customer success drives business growth!

The governments response to the Grenfell Inquirys final report will be announced tomorrow afternoon, Building Design can reveal.Deputy prime minister Angela Rayner will read out an oral statement in the House of Commons around 1.30pm on Wednesday setting out how the government will respond to the inquirys 58 recommendations for improving safety in the built environment.Keir Starmer had promised to provide his full response to the inquirys final report within six months of its publication on 4 September last year.Source: MHCLG/FlickrAngela Rayner will deliver an oral statement to the House of Commons after Prime Ministers Questions tomorrow afternoonThe 1,600-page report looked into the causes of the fire which killed 72 people in June 2017 and came after seven years of hearings, including evidence from those involved in the buildings refurbishment and government ministers and officials responsible for fire safety in the years leading up to the fire.Coming less than three years after the 2022 Building Safety Act, a watershed review of building safety regulations implemented in response to the fire, Rayners response has the potential to unleash another period of adaptation to the industry.Here are some of the reports most significant recommendations.The creation of a single regulator for the entire construction industryThe report argued that the arrangements under which the industry was regulated had, over the course of time, become too complex and fragmented. At the time of the fire, the department now known as the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government was responsible for building regulations and statutory guidance, the business department was responsible for regulating products and the Home Office was responsible for fire and rescue services. Building control was shared between local authorities and approved inspectors operating as businesses, while law enforcement on the sale of products was carried out by Trading Standards. In our view, this degree of fragmentation was a recipe for inefficiency and an obstacle to effective regulation, the report said.In arguably the reports most significant recommendation, the government was asked to create a single independent regulator headed by one individual reporting to one secretary of state. It said this would provide a focal point in driving change in the industry while allowing information to be shared more efficiently between those responsible for different parts of the industry. It would mean a much more radical centralisation of regulatory functions than the current post-Grenfell arrangements, which the report criticised as remaining dispersed.Functions to be within the scope of the proposed super-regulator would include:the regulation of construction productsthe development of suitable methods for testing the reaction to fire of materials and products intended for use in constructionthe testing and certification of such productsthe issue of certificates of compliance of construction products with the requirements of legislation, statutory guidance and industry standardsthe regulation and oversight of building controlthe licensing of contractors to work on higher-risk buildingsmonitoring the operation of the Building Regulations and the statutory guidance and advising the Secretary of State on the need for changecarrying out research on matters affecting fire safety in the built environmentcollecting information, both in this country and abroad, on matters affecting fire safetyexchanging information with the fire and rescue services on matters affecting fire safetyaccrediting fire risk assessorsmaintaining a publicly available library of test data and publicationsThe definition of a higher-risk building to be reviewedIn another major recommendation with potential to cause a lot of headaches in the industry, the report has recommended an urgent review of what buildings should be classed as higher risk and be subject to much more stringent regulatory requirements.Currently, the definition applies to buildings with at least two dwellings which are at least 18 metres in height, or around seven storeys. Already this interpretation has resulted in dozens of schemes across the country being redesigned, some with the loss of entire buildings, in order to add extra fire safety measures including second staircases.However, the report concludes that the reference only to a buildings height is essentially arbitrary in nature, with the use of the building and the likely presence of vulnerable people for whom evacuation could be difficult considered to be more relevant. Influential organisations including RIBA have called for the definition to include all assembly buildings, which encompass any building where people might congregate, including schools, theatres, cinemas, conference centres, train stations, airports and gyms.The appointment of a chief construction advisorOne of the easier to implement recommendations, the chief construction advisor would function as an expert individual who has a good working knowledge and practical experience of the construction industry, who ministers could turn to for advice.Unlike former chief construction advisors such as Paul Morrell, who were effectively lone wolves in government as one expert described them without a large office of supporting staff, the new role as envisaged by the inquiry would have a substantial budget and staff in order to provide advice on all matters affecting the industry.This would include monitoring all aspects of work relating to the Building Regulations and statutory guidance and providing advice to the secretary of state on request. It would also include bringing to the attention of the secretary of state any matters affecting the Building Regulations and statutory guidance or matters affecting the construction industry more generally of which the government should be aware.A review of Approved Document BThe report called for Approved Document B, the part of the regulations dealing with fire safety, to be reviewed as a matter of urgency. This would take into account the evidence provided to the inquiry by expert witnesses including Arups Barbara Lane, none of which was significantly challenged during the proceedings.The document must then be kept under continuous review, amended annually or promptly when needed and drafted conservatively to ensure compliance with it will provide a high degree of confidence that a completed building will comply with the regulations.The report had stated in its conclusions that the document at the time of the fire was poorly worded and liable to mislead designers into thinking that complying with its terms would inevitably ensure that the building would comply with the legal requirements of the Building Regulations. It added that the government department responsible for the regulations had failed actively to monitor the performance of the system and failed to ensure that dangers of which it became aware were communicated to industry.The profession of fire engineer to be regulatedThe term fire engineer does not currently denote a formal qualification, something which the inquiry said has allowed some individuals to perform the role without the necessary competence. It also said the complexity of the subject matter is not well understood.The report called for the profession to be formally recognised and both the title and function protected by statute. It also urged the creation of an independent body to regulate the profession, define the standards required for membership, maintain a register of members and regulate their conduct.Over time that would create a body of registered fire engineers who are capable of contributing to the design and delivery of safe buildings and of educating those construction professionals with whom they work in effective fire safety strategies.A licensing scheme for contractors working on higher risk buildingsThe design and build contract makes the main contractor responsible for all aspects of a scheme, despite different aspects being carried out by subcontractors. The inquiry criticised Rydon, the contractor which carried out Grenfell Towers flawed refurbishment, for failing to make it clear which subcontractor was responsible for aspects of the project and for failing to take an active interest in fire safety. We are not the first to conclude that the construction industry as a whole needs to become technically more competent and less willing to sacrifice quality to speed and cost, the report said.It called for a licensing system for firms wishing to work on higher risk buildings, aiming to ensure they are qualified by experience and organisation to do so. This scheme would be operated by the construction regulator and would be a legal requirement for any application for building control approval on both construction and refurbishment projects at gateway 2.

The release of a new album, Is This What We Want?, which features silent contributions from musicians including Kate Bush, Damon Albarn and Annie Lennox, is drawing attention to proposed changes to UK copyright law in regards to AI.The protest album, organized by musician and AI entrepreneur Ed Newton-Rex, is made up of 12 tracks that include more than 47 minutes of silence recorded in empty studios and other spaces by more than 1,000 contributors. The titles of the tracks combined say, "The British Government Must Not Legalise Music Theft To Benefit AI Companies."The album, along with a previous statement released months ago by nearly50,000 creatives and artists, is aligned against proposed UK changes that would allow companies to train AI models on fair use as well as copyrighted content unless copyright owners specifically opt out of giving permission.The UK government on Feb. 25 held a public consultation on the rule changes, which have drawn public criticism from figures including Andrew Lloyd Webber, Dua Lipa and Paul McCartney.Companies such as ChatGPT maker OpenAI, Google, Microsoft and Apple all require vast amounts of data to train their large-language data models. The information can include everything from newspaper digital archives to digitized books to social media accounts.At issue in the UK now is whether AI models can be trained not just on publicly available data and academic research, but on copyrighted music and text (such as lyrics) as well. Under the changes that are being proposed, companies and individuals who hold copyrights for songs or other items would need to opt out to prevent companies from training AI with their works.Read more: The New Beatles Video: How AI Is Helping and Hindering the Music IndustryAlina Trapova, a British legal scholar and lecturer who has been closely following the debate, says the proposed changes "go beyond music," but the music industry has been well-organized in bringing attention to the issue.The opt-out feature of the proposal, Trapova said, "may result in leaving right-holders without any control of their work. This is because the opt-out mechanisms that exist nowadays can be and are being circumvented." Artists may be unaware that they must opt out. Trapova said an opt-in mechanism, which would require rights holders to explicitly give permission, has been suggested."Whatever the government goes ahead with, it has to follow some sort of a standardized process which ideally will coincide with what the other big jurisdictions do on that front," she said, adding that the EU has passedsimilar measuresas part of last year's AI Act, but is in the process of refining the way cases are handled to improve transparency and rights reservations."There is an ongoing debate about the efficacy and burden of opt-out models," said Chris Mammen, a partner at Womble Bond Dickinson who specializes in tech and AI law. "On the issue of privacy and consumer data protection, the US is widely described as following an opt-out model while Europe, with the GDPR, follows an opt-in model."For this set of changes specifically, "the fear of musicians and other content creators is that AI models trained on their work will be able to generate free or cheap new works, at an industrial/supercomputer scale, that will box them out of earning income from their content-creating activities," Mammen said."There may still be some guardrails imposed by the AI platforms, for example, by prohibiting prompts that ask for an output 'in the style of' a specific living artist. But one can easily imagine designing AI prompts to circumvent that type of specific guardrails," he added.

Our Experts Written by David Carnoy Our expert, award-winning staff selects the products we cover and rigorously researches and tests our top picks. If you buy through our links, we may get a commission. Reviews ethics statement Why You Can Trust CNET 16171819202122232425+ Years of Experience 14151617181920212223 Hands-on Product Reviewers 6,0007,0008,0009,00010,00011,00012,00013,00014,00015,000 Sq. Feet of Lab Space How we test CNETs expert staff reviews and rates dozens of new products and services each month, building on more than a quarter century of expertise. What to consider Amazon or not? There are a lot of Amazon-made e-readers out there, but that doesn't mean it's the best choice for your personal needs. Budget Depending on the time of year, e-readers can range from as low as $75 to more than $400. Waterproofing Are you planning to read poolside or in a bath tub? Make sure you know your e-reader can handle that. Screen quality The resolution and pixel density of an e-reader display dramatically impacts how easy it is to read different fonts and text sizes. Physical buttons Do you want to be able to swipe to turn a page or press a button? It makes a bigger difference than you might think. Table of Contents Our Picks Best all-around e-reader Kindle Paperwhite (2024) View details $160 at Amazon View details Best value e-reader Amazon Kindle (2024) View details $110 at Amazon View details New Kindle color e-reader Kindle Colorsoft View details $280 at Amazon View details Best jumbo Amazon e-reader you can draw on Amazon Kindle Scribe (2024) View details $400 at Amazon View details Best Kobo color e-reader Kobo Libra Colour View details $230 at Rakuten View details Best value non-Amazon e-reader Kobo Clara BW View details $140 at Kobo View details Best non-Amazon tablet e-reader Kobo Elipsa 2E View details $400 at Kobo View details Table of Contents Whether you're an avid reader or someone who is trying to read more in 2025, a great e-reader can make a huge difference. Easily getting your hands on new books alone makes it more likely that you'll read more, not to mention the enhanced portability an e-reader offers. While it can be easy to fall into the trap of thinking that Amazon's Kindle lineup is the only viable option, you might be surprised by how many alternatives there are.I've been reviewing e-readers since 2007 when the first Kindle was released. Most e-readers use E Ink, which is an energy-efficient display technology designed to resemble printed paper. As a result, these e-readers look great when you're using them outdoors on a sunny day, unlike phones and tablets with screens that can get washed out in direct sunlight. E Ink displays used to be exclusively monochromatic, but now there are E Ink color displays, available in some e-readers like the new Kindle Colorsoft and Kobo Libra Colour.If you're looking to shop new e-readers, Amazon still has the best digital "ecosystem" for ebooks and many of the best e-readers out there. The recently refreshed Kindle Paperwhite (2024) is our current favorite e-reader, and it's the best option for the money if you find it on sale. If you want a more basic model, however, Amazon's slightly improved entry-level Kindle (2024) is a great choice. For those who want to opt for non-Amazon e-readers, the Kobo models on this list are excellent options. Read more:How to Get Free E-Books From Your Local LibraryBest e-readers of 2025 Photo Gallery 1/1 Pros Slightly larger 7-inch 300 ppi high-resolution display Higher contrast ratio and faster page turns More advanced lighting scheme than entry-level Kindle Fully waterproof Cons No dedicated page-turn buttons Power button still on bottom of device Costs $20 to remove ads Full Review Read full review Like the entry-level Kindle, the new Kindle Paperwhite also costs $10 more than the previous Paperwhite base model. But the changes to the Paperwhite seem more substantial. Amazon has reduced the size of the bezel around the screen (at the bottom of the device), so instead of a 6.8-inch diagonal E Ink display in a similar-sized chassis, you get a larger 7-inch screen. The device itself is also slightly thinner, has the highest contrast ratio of any Kindle and 25% faster page turns. Amazon is touting it as the fastest Kindle yet -- the page turns and refresh rates do seem noticeably quicker.Aside from the larger screen and more advanced lighting scheme than the entry-level Kindle, the Paperwhite is fully waterproof, while the Kindle isn't. The Paperwhite also comes in a Signature Edition, which offers 32GB of storage, wireless charging and an autoadjusting front light for $200. Both the standard Paperwhite (16GB of storage) and Signature Edition are available in metallic raspberry, metallic jade and metallic black colors.

BioWare co-founder reflects on Mass Effect 3 ending controversy, life under EA, and the "worst advice" received from Xbox"There's all kinds of shenanigans we did."Image credit: BioWare / EA / Xbox News by Tom Phillips Editor-in-Chief Published on Feb. 25, 2025 BioWare co-founder Greg Zeschuk has looked back on his time at the company behind Dragon Age, Mass Effect and Star Wars: The Old Republic, and discussed some of the studio's most notorious moments, as well as his relationship with mega-publisher owner EA.Speaking to Simon Parkin on the My Perfect Console podcast, Zeschuk said EA had been a decent partner, despite some BioWare fans' view that the studio's buyout was the beginning of its end."I like to comment that EA gives you enough rope to hang yourself," Zeschuk said. "And what I mean by that is you have to learn to work within the structure and I think we did quite well, if you look at the Mass Effect [trilogy that] came out of there. It was actually a pretty successful run. "But you have to understand how to work within a big company. And, for me, that was the end. It was like, 'oh, I don't like big companies'. So I knew by year two that I was going to leave at some point. I just didn't know when."I lived in Austin on-and-off half-time for two-and-a-half years making Star Wars: The Old Republic and that was like my swansong in the industry," Zeschuk continued, recounting his work on his final game. Both of BioWare's co-founders famously quit the company and games industry in 2012, and Zeschuk now spends his days happily working in craft beer."I knew that was kind of a one-way trip," Zeschuk says of his decision to focus on BioWare's big Star Wars MMO bet. "If it was super successful, super-duper successful, Ray and I would have probably launched a bid to try and take over EA from the inside, being the corporate pirates that we are. But it needed to be like $2bn a year successful. It didn't work out so I was like, 'I'm fine'."As for EA in general, Zeschuk says the publisher behind FIFA and Madden "let us operate freely" - though BioWare's antics sometimes raised eyebrows. "There's all kinds of shenanigans we did," Zeschuk recalled. "We actually made Facebook games under false pretenses, under false names actually."Zeschuk remembers a game about a yeti running around delivering gifts, which BioWare staff made as an experiment to test the platform. BioWare was not allowed to work on mobile games, Zeschuk continued, but some team members were curious about it - so they made up fake company name to test development for it. The idea was that BioWare might want to include mobile integration into one of its bigger games - which indeed happened with Mass Effect 3's Galaxy at War app."You can't have a company of cowboys," Zeschuk said. "I wouldn't say we were cowboys, we were usually somewhat calculating in what we did. But we liked to try stuff. So when they discovered we had a couple of Apple development devices and we weren't in the mobile division, they were like 'what are you doing?'"While discussing his biggest regret of his time at BioWare, Zeschuk recalled receiving advice from another gaming giant - Microsoft - which ultimately swayed the company into launching Jade Empire for the original Xbox, to a middling response."Microsoft was like 'no no, you should release it now, right at the end of the cycle, because it's a great time'," Zeschuk recalled. "It was the worst advice, absolute moronic advice from them, the stupidest thing ever. I'll say that and Peter Moore will punch me in the mouth next time he sees me. It wasn't his fault, but we should have pushed that to the beginning of the [Xbox] 360. "We could have rezzed [Jade Empire] up, we could have amped it up. We could have said no. We just missed... I wish I'd said, 'this is a terrible mistake, give us another six months, give us the chance to make it a launch title for 360' and we'd have had another franchise, and then who knows. I just think it would have been a way more successful product at the beginning of a cycle than the end, because by the time it came out people weren't even buying Xbox anymore, they were waiting for the next one."Zeschuk recalled concerns from within BioWare at the company's acquisition by EA, particularly around the perception that the publisher had a culture of overworking, or 'crunch'. But this was something BioWare already had experiences with itself, he noted."There was a pretty heated all-hands in the studio to talk about the sale and whether EA was going to force its philosohical work-life balance onto us," Zeschuk said, "but we actually all did it to ourselves. We were the ones who were immature, and so we were the ones who could get ourselves out of that. "I think we did the best we could, we always could have done better, but I don't know. There are times you had to put in maximum effort, but we also tried to institute things like, 'hey there's still sympathetic... if you work from home, go home. You don't have to be in the office'. "The biggest offenses in that world were, 'just in case, we'll have you stay in the office for hours on end in case someone needs you'. Nah, just go home. We'll call you in. Be reasonable. We tried to do it better. I don't know if we did? I think we did it better than we could have done. There's always ways to improve."Finally, Zeschuk recalled the Mass Effect 3 ending controversy, when a fan backlash prompted the release of a new extended ending to the sci-fi space opera in response to complaints online, but also harassment and death threats."I think intentions were good," Zeschuk said. "You can never do anything perfectly, and that's one of the challenges as a game developer. To some degree, especially when there's high expectations - think of a series like Mass Effect, absolutely beloved, an incredible overall experience - and then to maybe not reach the players' expectations of agency and decision-making at the final step when providing a more nuanced ending... it's complicated. "Speaking fully and honestly, I was a bystander on it as I was working on Star Wars: The Old Republic, and so I was in the mix but not in the firing line, if that makes sense. But I really felt for the team because I understood the purpose. "Your dream scenario is [to] release a game no one's really heard of and do it really well, because as soon as the expectations are there, it's really tough," he continued. "And the other extreme pressure on the other side of that... you got these giant business conglomerates that are pushing for certain release dates and release times. At BioWare, when Ray and I ran [it], our most effective thing was pushing for the dates that made the most sense that made the best possible game. "We would play something and declare that, with lots of resource, it wasn't ready, and make it happen at a later date. I look at a game like Anthem and think 'man, there's such a great core to that game, but yeah, it needs to bake for another year'."BioWare has now shrunk down in size following the completion of Dragon Age: The Veilguard last year, with a smaller team committed to Mass Effect 5. Its release window is unknown. For more from Zeschuk, do check out his episode of the My Perfect Console podcast - it's well worth a listen.

High-end AMD processors take top billing in our rankings of the best gaming CPUs, but most people should get the cheapest somewhat modern CPU that can fit into their system. Right now, that CPU is the Ryzen 5 5600, part of a generation that launched in 2020 but still supports modern components like PCIe 4.0 SSDs and graphics cards. We've seen the 5600 as low as 100 over the past few months, making it eminently affordable for new builds or upgrading existing Ryzen systems, but how does it hold up in performance terms five years later? To find out, I recently built a Ryzen 5 5600 system at home and ran it through a gauntlet of performance tests, including synthetic benchmarks and modern games. 1 of 13 Caption Attribution CategoryComponentJustificationCPUAMD Ryzen 5 5600The most affordable Ryzen processor worth considering in 2025 and the focus of this article. GPUAcer RX 7800 XT 16GB OCOur favourite mid-range GPU, offering strong rasterised performance and plenty of VRAM for ~450. However, Nvidia rivals offer better RT performance and a feature advantage. RAM32GB Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR4-3200 CL163200MT/s CL16 RAM is the sweet spot for AM4 in terms of price-to-performance, and this 32GB Corsair kit is affordable and well-regarded.Main StorageCrucial P310 1TB NVMe SSDOne of Crucial's newer PCIe 4.0 SSDs with zippy reads and writes that makes for decent value.Secondary StorageWD SN5000 4TB NVMe SSDA drive for storing less frequently-accessed files and games in a big capacity that we quite like.CaseNZXT H5 Flow (2024) (Black)I wanted to try NZXT's latest H5 Flow, given its clean aesthetics, good airflow, and the popularity of the previous generation.MotherboardGigabyte B550 Aorus Elite AX V2A decently specced AM4 motherboard with solid I/O, on-board Wifi 6E and Bluetooth, and PCIe 4.0 support for GPU and the primary SSD.CoolerNoctua NH-U12SIt might be overkill for the 5600, but it remains a fantastic cooler that can push a serious amount of air while remaining quiet.FansNoctua NF-A14 PWM chromax,black.swap & Noctua NF-F12 PWM chromax.black.swap.These are high-performance, quiet case fans that can help a lot with airflow.PSUNZXT C850 Gold ATX 3.1 (Black)850W provides more than enough power for the current components inside, and provides headroom for later down the line with support for the latest generation of parts.Now, onto what makes this CPU such a canny choice, and the first performance testing. To see this content please enable targeting cookies. Ryzen 5 5600: how does it hold up in 2025?

You can trust VideoGamer. Our team of gaming experts spend hours testing and reviewing the latest games, to ensure you're reading the most comprehensive guide possible. Rest assured, all imagery and advice is unique and original. Check out how we test and review games here Contents hide Larian Studios absolutely cooked with Baldurs Gate 3 on launch with its large list of playable classes and subclasses. While there are even more subclasses on the way with the official release of Patch 8, modders are constantly working on their own additions as well.With the new Baularian Warforged mod, Baldurs Gate 3 players can now play as a more recent race from Dungeons and Dragons. Introduced in the Eberron campaign back in 2004, the Warforged race are living, sentient, fantastical robots that offer a brand-new way to play.Baldurian Warforged comes to Baldurs Gate 3Available right here on Nexus Mods, modder Mirrismods added the living machines to Larians RPG with their own look, skills and more. Save Up to $1,200 on the Samsung Galaxy S25! Pre-order now and save big with trade-in and Samsung credit. Limited time only! *Includes trade-in value + $300 Samsung credit. In the BG3 mod, the Warforged class comes with two class abilities. Constructed Resilience makes it so that your character cannot be put to sleep and is completely immune to all disease. Additionally, the class Integrated Protection skill gives you a permanent +1 to Armour Class and another +2 to Constitution.As a race that isnt native to Faerun, it wouldnt have made sense to see a load of Warforged characters in the main campaign. However, with the addition of other constructs in the game powered by Mind Flayer tadpoles (is that a spoiler now?) it couldve been vaguely interesting to see a construct party member interact with that. Must-Listen: Publishing Manor Lords w/ Joe Robinson VideoGamer Podcast Listen Now A Baldurian Warforged standing in the character creator screen.With cracked mod tools releasing in recent months, Baldurs Gate 3 players are not just creating custom classes anymore. In fact, players are now working on entirely custom campaigns with some based on World of Warcraft and others returning to areas from past games with their own custom companions.For more BG3 coverage, read about how Larian Studios is leaving Faerun behind for new pastures after the games next patch. Additionally, read about the new mod that brings players into a cursed concert thats a huge trap for bards. Baldurs Gate 3Platform(s):macOS, PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series S/X, Xbox Series XGenre(s):Adventure, RPG, Strategy10VideoGamerSubscribe to our newsletters!By subscribing, you agree to our Privacy Policy and may receive occasional deal communications; you can unsubscribe anytime.Share

Twenty-one staffers with Elon Musks Department of Government Efficiency have resigned, citing their disapproval of his actions under President Donald Trump.We swore to serve the American people and uphold our oath to the Constitution across presidential administrations, the DOGE staffers wrote in a joint resignation letter, per The Associated Press on Tuesday. However, it has become clear that we can no longer honor those commitments. We will not use our skills as technologists to compromise core government systems, jeopardize Americans sensitive data or dismantle critical public services, they continued. We will not lend our expertise to carry out or legitimize DOGEs actions. The staffers who resigned were all originally employees of the United States Digital Service, a technology unit established during President Obamas second term in 2014. The unit was renamed and reorganized in January via executive order by Trump into the Musk-headed DOGE. In their resignation letter, the former USDS staffers recounted how they were interviewed the day after Trumps inauguration by figures wearing White House visitors badges who demonstrated limited technical ability.Several of these interviewers refused to identify themselves, asked questions about political loyalty, attempted to pit colleagues against each other, the workers, all of whom previously worked at tech companies such as Google and Amazon, recounted. This process created significant security risks.Forty USDS staffers were laid off following these interviews as part of Trump and Musks ongoing slashing of the federal governments workforce. Around 65 remaining workers were then incorporated into DOGE, 21 of whom have now resigned from their positions. These highly skilled civil servants were working to modernize Social Security, veterans services, tax filing, health care, disaster relief, student aid and other critical services, the letter mentioned of their laid-off co-workers. Their removal endangers millions of Americans who rely on these services every day. The sudden loss of their technology expertise makes critical systems and Americans data less safe. This mass resignation comes at a time when concerns about the safety and legality of Musk and Trumps drastic DOGE cuts are increasing at an exponential rate. Last week, Musk only further fueled those concerns by taking the stage at the 2025 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) and posing with a chainsaw, proclaiming, This is the chainsaw for bureaucracy!