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More victims are emerging from the MOVEit vulnerability exploition and subsequent data breaches.

Amazon has confirmed data has been breached through a third partyThe MOVEit cyberattack left the data of hundreds of thousands exposedThe third party did not have access to highly sensitive data

The MOVEit Transfer cyberattack that swept the world across the second half of 2023 is apparently continuing to wreak havoc, with Amazon confirming some of its employee details have been leaked via a breach in a third-party provider.

The compromised data includes employee work contact information, for example work email addresses, desk phone numbers, and building locations.

Amazon did not state how many employees had their data stolen, but confirmed the unnamed third-party did not hold sensitive data such as Social Security numbers or financial information.

MOVEit breach effects continue

Speaking to TechCrunch, Amazon spokesperson Adam Montgommery said, “Amazon and AWS systems remain secure, and we have not experienced a security event. We were notified about a security event at one of our property management vendors that impacted several of its customers including Amazon.”

The original MOVEit attack impacted an estimated 2,600 organizations after the Cl0p ransomware gang used SQL injection to compromise public-facing servers and steal data using LemurLoot from connected organizations.

Amazon’s confirmation of a breach comes shortly after a threat actor published data on BreachForums, a site used by cyber criminals to advertise stolen data for sale. ‘Nam3L3ss’, the original poster of the data said in their forum post that they had data stolen from 25 major organizations including Amazon, U.S. Bank, HP, Delta Airlines, Lenovo and many more (via HudsonRock).

Nam3L3ss also emphasized that “What you have seen so far is less than .001% of the data I have. I have 1,000 releases coming never seen before.”

The data stolen in the original breach remains a threat to affected organizations and could be used in a number of harmful ways, including phishing, social engineering, and fraud.

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An iPhone 14 Pro prototype has been shown on video, sporting a button design Apple might still be working on.

A video has shown off an iPhone 14 Pro prototypeThis unreleased design has haptic volume and power buttonsThe unified volume button design is reminiscent of a rumored iPhone 17 Pro feature

Apple seems to have developed an obsession with buttons during the last couple of iPhone generations, specifically with changing buttons (consider the move from a mute switch to an Action button) and adding them (see the new Camera Control button).

Previous leaks suggested that Apple had also experimented with various other iPhone button changes in recent years, and now we’ve seen a prototype showing one of these proposed changes in action.

YouTuber Apple Demo (via 9to5Mac) has shown off a prototype iPhone 14 Pro, complete with a haptic volume button. Rather than the two volume keys on current iPhones, the model in question just has a single button, and it’s a solid-state button rather than a mechanical one – meaning it won’t move when pressed, but is designed to provide haptic feedback, so you know the press has been registered.

This prototype uses the same technology for the power button, but it’s the volume buttons that we’re most interested in here, because an iPhone 17 Pro leak suggests this upcoming phone could have a single button in place of the volume buttons and the Action button.

That, then, would be different to what we see here, but with this prototype, Apple has already replaced two volume keys with a single button, so it’s partway to what this leak suggests.

Possibly still planned

Now, this iPhone 17 Pro leak doesn’t say whether a solid-state button will be used, but this is an idea Apple has seemingly spent a while exploring, with Apple Insider previously sharing images of an iPhone 15 Pro Max prototype that also had a unified, haptic volume button. On top of which, some leaks even suggested Apple might equip the iPhone 16 series with solid-state buttons.

That of course didn’t happen, and leaks suggest Apple eventually gave up on the idea due to its complexity. But given the company’s current obsession with changing up the buttons on its phones, and the aforementioned leak about a new combined button on the iPhone 17 Pro, it’s possible that Apple is still working on some version of this concept.

Of course, that doesn’t mean an iPhone 17 Pro with unified volume buttons – let alone solid-state ones – will actually launch, but it’s a possibility. And if not, then this iPhone 14 Pro prototype is still an interesting look at what could have been.

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Apple has changed the Photos app in iOS 18.2 to improve how videos are shown on-screen.

Some users have complained about how videos are displayed in iOS 18Apple has adjusted video layouts in the third beta of iOS 18.2Bezels have been removed and videos automatically fill the screen

Apple made major design changes to the Photos app in iOS 18, with a new layout and new navigation system. But the redesign hasn’t been universally praised, and Apple has had to backtrack on a number of the changes it introduced – and now it’s altered the Photos app again to reverse a change to the way it handles videos.

Previously, when you opened a video in Photos it would be displayed with thick bezels around the top, bottom and sides, with the video squashed down slightly in order to fit within these borders. When you tapped the video, the playback controls would disappear and the video would expand to fill the screen.

That’s all done differently in the third beta of iOS 18.2, as videos now fill the screen automatically when you open them. The playback controls – including the play and mute buttons, as well as the video timeline – are still visible and overlaid on top of the video. When you tap the screen, the playback controls disappear but the video retains its regular dimensions.

It’s a similar situation to how the Photos app worked before iOS 18, and should be good news to people who weren’t fond of Apple’s alterations to video layouts.

On the left is the video playback layout in iOS 18. The iPhone on the right shows how the video playback design has changed in the third beta of iOS 18.2 (Image credit: Future)

It’s not the first time that Apple has had to revert changes it’s made to the Photos app. One of the headline features of the Photos app was a carousel of highlighted images and videos, but Apple ditched it in iOS 18 beta 5. The app is highly customizable, which means you can tweak its layout if you don’t appreciate its default arrangement.

The Photos app is very different in iOS 18 compared to earlier versions of the iPhone operating system, with most of the app’s various categories, features and highlights placed in a single page. Apple says this is to “help users easily find and relive special moments.”

To get the latest update, you’ll need to enroll your device into Apple’s beta software program on the company’s website, then open the Settings app on your iPhone and head to General > Software Update > Beta Updates and enable the iOS 18 developer beta.

Note that you shouldn’t install the beta on your main device, as it could come with bugs and issues that may cause problems for your phone. We’ve got a full guide on installing the iOS 18 developer beta if you need more details.

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Missing physical media in the streaming age? Apple Music’s 100 best albums are now available as a pricey limited-edition book.

Apple Music’s 100 best albums are now available in book formStrictly limited to 1,500 hand numbered copiesYours for just $450

If you’ve moved from buying music in a physical format (CD, vinyl, cassette tapes… 8-tracks?) to streaming it, you’ve probably encountered an important issue: what do you do with all the shelf space you previously needed for music? The answer, it seems, is “spend $450 on a big book”.

This is no ordinary book, though. Apple Music: 100 Best Albums is a hand numbered limited edition and very fancy guide to – yes! – the 100 best albums on Apple Music, as chosen by – yes! – Apple Music. And it features the same liner notes you’ll find on – wait for it! – Apple Music. The foreword is by Zane Lowe and the book promises insights from the likes of Pharrell Williams, Mark Hoppus and Charli XCX.

Apple Music is believed to pay artists $0.01 per stream, so if an artist wanted to earn enough to buy a copy of the book, they’d need their music streamed 45,000 times.

Apple Music: 100 Best Albums – the details

So what do you get for your $450 compared to reading Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, which is free and has 400 more things for you to listen to?

The book is a strictly limited edition of 1,500 copies, each one housed in a transparent acrylic slipcase etched with the Apple Music logo. The linen hardcover is embossed with the same logo, and the book edges are gilded with a gold finish that mirrors the title on the spine.

Inside, you’ll find coverage of records from 1959 to the present day, with 208 pages and 97 illustrations. The book weighs a whopping 8lbs and is 16 inches by 11 inches and 2.5 inches thick. The sub-editor of this piece checked though, and an IKEA Billy bookcase shelf has a depth of just over 11 inches and maximum load limit of 66lbs, so you’re good.

You can probably tell by the snark that this book isn’t going to be in my letter to Santa. But then, it’s not really aimed at the average Joe or Jane. It’s part of the Assouline Legends Collection, which includes expensive tomes dedicated to fine watches, famous artists, designer brands and similarly refined subjects. So if you see it casually slung on a Le Maé coffee table soon, next to your flat white, consider yourself fortunate.

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Microsoft’s latest Windows 11 update redesigns default app settings, potentially making it easier for users to select their preferred apps without constant prompts toward Microsoft apps like Edge.

The new changes in Windows 11’s settings aim to streamline how users select their default apps, addressing longstanding complaints about the difficulty of switching from Microsoft’s default programsMicrosoft’s insistence on setting Edge as the default for certain link types, like hyperlinks in Outlook and Teams, has caused frustration among users and app developers. Microsoft claims this was meant to improve workflow, but it has spurred criticism about limiting user choiceThis update, discovered by Windows observer Albacore in a Windows 11 preview build, is still in development. Microsoft’s willingness to adjust the default app settings could signal a shift toward more user-friendly options, though it remains to be seen if the final implementation will fully address user concerns

Microsoft has taken to redesigning Windows 11’s settings for its default apps, bringing changes to how people choose their preferred apps in the operating system (OS). This will affect apps that automatically open certain types of files or web links. It’s suspected to have to do with Microsoft’s reluctance to let users pick an app not made by the company, such as using the Chrome web browser instead of Microsoft Edge, for example.

The tech giant has been fairly forceful in trying to steer users towards its own browser that comes installed on new Windows 10 or 11. It’s become a common point of complaint for users, as lots of us have own own apps that we prefer to use.

Microsoft is also sometimes suspected of making it hard to change what apps you use by default. Neowin found evidence that indicates that Microsoft deliberately added parts to its software to make modifications when users change their default apps. When speaking to Neowin in May 2023, Microsoft expalined that it added a modification that defaulted hyperlinks included in messages in Outlook and Teams to be opened with Edge. Apparently, this was meant to improve users’ workflow.

This position by Microsoft has triggered complaints from other software companies and individual users alike, which Neowin describes in-depth, as some feel the company has an unfair advantage. Luckily, it looks like Microsoft might actually be listening to these complains and making some user interface (UI) changes in the page about default app choices in the Settings app.

(Image credit: Shutterstock/Mojahid Mottakin)

We expect to see new default-app related settings soon

The development was discovered and shared by X user and eager Windows observer Albacore, who often shares peeks of the newest additions and changes in Windows 11. This is a part of a recently released Windows 11 version 24H2 preview build (build number KB5045885), which was released in the Dev Channel of the Windows Insider Program.

The change is still in development, with the rest of the new page in the Settings app being mostly filled with placeholder labels such as one titled “Set a default for a file type or link type.”

If Microsoft fleshes this out, it could be seen as evidence that the company is still thinking about the user experience of its products. People want to be able to customize their user experience, and it can be especially annoying when Microsoft puts artificial blocks to changes to force people to use apps that they might not want to. We’ll have to see if Microsoft’s efforts bear fruit or if they fall by the wayside as the Windows 11 preview build makes its way with testers.

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The QA talent shortage exposes vulnerabilities, but test management strategies optimize efficiency and safeguard security.

This year has seen an increase in businesses addressing a wide range of software vulnerabilities. Most recently, the CrowdStrike outage caused thousands of flight cancellations and disruptions for companies relying on devices running Windows 10 and 11 in their daily operations. This highlights the critical need for rigorous, high-quality testing to prevent similar incidents. Software engineers and quality assurance (QA) testers are working diligently to mitigate and keep up with the rise of such events. However, a significant roadblock is exacerbating the problem: shortage of technically skilled, qualified talent to meet the increasing requirements of the modern QA/test engineer.

Job openings for software developers, quality assurance analysts, and testers are projected to grow by a significant 17% between 2023 and 2032. If this gap remains unfilled, the United States economy stands to lose $162 billion in annual revenue. The growing complexity of software, coupled with rapid technological advancements, makes it increasingly difficult for companies to find skilled professionals. This shortage leaves organizations of all sizes vulnerable to escalating defects, delays, and cyberattacks.

Organizations must focus on optimizing their QA processes to mitigate the impact of the QA talent shortage. Testing and QA are essential in safeguarding against these threats. By leveraging the proper tools and software platforms, teams can streamline test planning, execution, and reporting, freeing up valuable time for higher-level and more specialized testing.

The QA talent shortage

Entire enterprises, especially their software development departments, are under immense pressure to ensure that system vulnerabilities are identified and addressed before they potentially escalate into major security breaches. Unfortunately, many development teams struggle to keep pace with increasingly rapid technological advancements. A recent Harvard Business Review article noted that some tech skills become outdated in as little as 2.5 years. This quick turnover is particularly problematic for QA engineers within development teams, where deep expertise in testing and processes is essential to maintaining software quality.

As systems grow more interconnected and the environments in which they operate become more complex, even the most experienced professionals find it difficult to stay ahead of emerging threats. Without adequate personnel, QA professionals are often bogged down with repetitive, low-level tasks—such as manual testing or bug triaging—leaving little time to focus on strategic priorities such as vulnerability management and advanced threat mitigation. This creates bottlenecks that can delay projects, weaken security, and limit the organization’s ability to seize market opportunities.

For organizations looking to thrive in today’s fast-paced tech landscape, addressing the QA talent shortage is no longer just an operational concern—it’s a business imperative.

Software vulnerabilities: the growing concern

Software vulnerabilities pose significant operational and financial challenges for organizations. Unaddressed defects lead to delays in time to market, higher development costs, and missed business opportunities. Software that lacks rigorous testing not only hampers efficiency but also exposes the company to long-term reputational harm. Without experienced and capable QA-focused engineers on development teams, these issues will continue to escalate, stalling the entire development pipeline and driving up costs.

As these operational setbacks compound and technology continues advancing, cybersecurity threats’ growth in both sophistication and complexity makes them increasingly difficult to detect and prevent. Without proper QA processes in place, businesses are exposed and vulnerable to disastrous breaches. According to IBM, the average cost of a data breach is projected to reach $4.88 million by 2024, emphasizing the financial pressure organizations face to prevent these incidents. For industries like finance, healthcare, and e-commerce, the stakes are even higher. Not only do they risk financial and reputational damage, but they also face legal repercussions and regulatory penalties for failing to safeguard sensitive data.

The solution to the QA talent gap

While the QA talent shortage presents a significant challenge, companies can take strategic steps to mitigate its impact. One of the most effective approaches is optimizing QA processes by leveraging advanced test management tools. These tools help alleviate some of the pressure on development teams by creating highly visible and transparent metrics for continuous state of quality monitoring for a product or software development life cycle, and they also significantly enhance overall software quality and speed to market.

Modern test management platforms streamline the entire testing lifecycle—from planning and execution to tracking and reporting. By centralizing these processes, entire development teams can collaborate effortlessly, track progress in real time, and ensure thorough, timely testing. These platforms also strengthen collaboration between departments, supporting a more cohesive and agile software development process that adapts easily to shifting requirements.

QA teams can improve both efficiency and development timelines by leveraging common test management platform features such as templates or various integration options, which can free up their skilled individuals to focus on higher-priority testing, such as vulnerability assessments and complex test scenarios. Test management platforms enable software development teams to scale testing efforts without increasing headcount, risking stability, or compromising on security, a critical advantage in the face of a talent shortage.

The QA talent shortage is a growing concern, and the risks posed by software vulnerabilities and high impact production defects are only becoming more severe. Testing and QA are an essential step in preventing cyber-attacks and defects from having debilitating effects on businesses. Organizations that proactively address the QA talent gap and strengthen their testing capabilities will be well-positioned to tackle future challenges and protect against the rising threat of software vulnerabilities. By investing in innovative technology and tools, organizations can ensure that their software vulnerabilities are minimized and their software testing and quality practices remain strong, even in a challenging talent market.

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

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Android 15 is adopting a standard called Wi-Fi Ranging so you won’t get lost without a GPS signal.

Android 15 is adding support for Wi-Fi RangingIt locates devices indoors via Wi-Fi signal strengthHardware support hasn’t yet rolled out

Google Maps works great when you need to get from point A to point B outdoors, but what about when you’re trying to get from one end of a shopping mall to another? The latest Android 15 update should make that kind of indoor navigation more straightforward.

As spotted by Android Authority, Android 15 now supports a new location technology known as Wi-Fi Ranging: it uses the varying strength of signals from Wi-Fi access points to figure out whereabouts you are.

Technically known as IEEE 802.11az, the Wi-Fi Ranging protocol is accurate to less than a meter (just over three feet) and offers a high level of security and bandwidth (so it should keep working in crowded places).

Most buildings now have a multitude of Wi-Fi hotspots in them, and while Wi-Fi Ranging doesn’t actually connect you to these networks, it can triangulate a position from the different signal strengths as you move around.

Find my device

As yet, phones such as the Pixel 9 don’t have Wi-Fi Ranging support (Image credit: Future)

While there are already several standards in place for indoor tracking, Wi-Fi Ranging does offer a few advantages: compared to Bluetooth and ultra-wideband, it’s cheaper, it scales up better, and it works across longer distances (while being slightly less accurate).

Google has suggested numerous ways in which the tech can be used, from guiding you towards the right part of a store to find the product you’re after, to making smart home apps more intelligent (as you won’t have to say which room you’re in).

Now for the bad news: this requires hardware as well as software support, and (as far as we can tell) it’s not available on any current handsets at the moment. Hopefully that will change in the future, as the software standard gets finalized in Android 15.

Although Android 15 has yet to make it to many phones beyond Google’s own Pixel series, Android 16 is already on the horizon: we know it’s going to turn up in the first half of 2025, and we already have some ideas about the features it’ll include.

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Stellar Blade will finally receive a photo mode feature next week, alongside Nier: Automata downloadable content (DLC).

Stellar Blade’s next update finally has a release dateThe game will receive its long-awaited photo-mode featureNew Nier: Automata downloadable content will be added

Stellar Blade will finally receive a photo mode feature next week, alongside Nier: Automata downloadable content (DLC).

In a new PlayStation Blog post, developer Shift Up confirmed that the next major update will arrive on November 20 and introduce a host of new features, including the highly-anticipated collaboration with Nier: Automata, a game that “significantly inspired Stellar Blade“.

According to Shift Up, the collaboration between Stellar Blade‘s director Kim Hyung Tae, and Nier: Automata‘s director Yoko Taro “marked by mutual respect and creativity, led to this successful outcome.”

With the DLC, players can discover a collection of Nier-inspired costumes for Eve and her friends, including those designed after 2B, A2, Kainé, and Emil.

“Emil’s Shop makes a surprise appearance in the world of Stellar Blade where eleven different collaboration-special items will be available,” the post reads. “Items that intertwine the best of both games, leading you to a more enriched world.”

Alongside the Nier DLC, the PS5 exclusive will also finally get a photo mode, which will allow players to pose Eve and her companions, and dress them up in different outfits featured in the game.

The update will also add four new costumes and one new accessory called ‘Symbol of Legacy’, a “No Ponytail” option in the settings, as well as the ability to now select a specific song from camp turntables.

Lip-sync support for six additional languages – French, Spanish, Italian, German, Portuguese, and Latin American Spanish – will also be added.

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What If…? season 3’s first trailer teases a Power Rangers-inspired Avengers story, ties to X-Men 97, and some evil-looking Watchers.

The first trailer for What If…? season 3 has been released onlineOne of the Marvel TV show’s final eight episodes will feature Storm from X-Men 97Season 3 will debut on December 22, with new episodes airing daily until December 30

The first trailer for What If…? season 3 has been released online – and the animated show’s final installment will feature a curious crossover with X-Men 97.

Well, sort of. The Marvel TV series’ third and final season, which makes its Disney Plus debut on December 22, will include a story starring – or, at the very least, featuring – Storm, who’ll be voiced by none other than X-Men 97 actor Alison Sealy-Smith. The weather-controlling, omega-level mutant superhero, whose real name is Ororo Munroe, won’t show up as a member of the X-Men, though. As season 3’s trailer reveals, in one of the Marvel multiverse’s seemingly infinite realities, it’s Storm, not Thor, who wields the hammer known as Mjolnir and is this universe’s Goddess of Thunder.

It’s unclear which episode Storm will show up in. However, she’s seen battling the tentacled leviathan that Captain Carter fought in What If…?‘s first season, so it’s possible that Carter enlists Storm’s help to combat the eldritch titan. The teaser certainly makes out that this will be the case, with Carter and Kahhori – the latter being a brand-new Marvel character who was introduced in season 2 – discussing the prospect of calling for aid to defeat an off-screen foe. Marvel has previous form for misdirecting audiences in its trailers though, so I suspect the Carter and Kahhori-starring scene, plus the Storm-led one, towards the end of season 3’s trailer aren’t part of the same episode.

Regardless, season 3 of the Marvel Phase 5 TV series, whose release date was previously announced when Marvel revealed its full TV lineup for late 2024 and all of 2025, will be the animated offering’s final season. And, with the comic-book giant set to call time on Uatu the Watcher’s journey through the multiverse, it seems that Marvel is going all out to make What If…?‘s final hurrah the biggest and best season yet.

We already knew that season 3 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) show would feature an episode centered on a buddy-cop road trip starring Bucky Barner/The Winter Soldier and Red Guardian. Indeed, in December 2023, a season 3 sneak peek, which you can view above, was released as a post-credits season 2 stinger.

The arrival of What If…? season 3’s first teaser, though, gives us a much clearer picture of the other stories that’ll be part of the animated anthology show’s last outing on Disney Plus, aka one of the world’s best streaming services. One of the more promising episodes appears to be a Power Rangers / general Mecha-inspired entry, which sees Sam Wilson’s Captain America lead a new Avengers team against a kaiju-sized threat. Part of that tale will see Earth’s Mightiest Heroes control giant robots (otherwise known as mechs) that, when combined, form a Power Rangers-style Megazord. Color me incredibly intrigued.

There are plenty of other interesting-looking narratives that’ll comprise season 3’s eight-episode run. A Shang-Chi and Kate Bishop western team-up, the return of Oscar Isaac as Moon Knight and X-Men villain Apocalypse, the arrival of some evil-looking Watchers (better *ahem* watch yourself, Uatu…), and an Eternals-centric story starring Agatha Harkness, aka everyone’s favorite bewitching anti-hero from WandaVision and Agatha All Along, are just some of the other potential festive treats that lie in store for us. Carter and Kahhori notwithstanding, we’ll also be reunited with Nebula and Howard the Duck, who featured in season 2 episode 1.

Will season 3 be epic enough to finally secure What If…? a spot in our best Disney Plus shows guide? Based on its positive ratings on Rotten Tomatoes (RT), you could argue that it deserves a place now, but we know that RT users only account for a fraction of a series’ global fanbase. In short: season 3 will need to wow more people if it’s going to earn a permanent position on said list.

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FiiO’s BTR17 boasts support for LDAC, aptX Adaptive 96kHz/24-bit and aptX Low Latency and a special desktop mode for power-hungry headphones.

Lossless audio via aptX AdaptiveLDAC, aptX Adaptive 96kHz/24-bit and aptX Low LatencyDesktop mode for hard-to-drive headphones

Bluetooth doesn’t have the best reputation for sound quality. That’s often because many devices, especially more affordable ones, don’t use the latest versions of Bluetooth and the higher resolution codecs it offers. But as we demonstrated when we checked out FiiO’s BTR 7 Bluetooth DAC last year, with the right hardware and codec support, you can get sensational audio without wires.

FiiO has just launched an even more capable Bluetooth DAC, the BTR 17. And it promises spectacular sound without a sky-high price tag.

FiiO BTR 17: key features and pricing

The star of the show is the flagship Qualcomm Bluetooth platform QCC5181, which supports aptX Lossless. With 2.1Mbps of transmission bandwidth that means CD quality lossless audio with compatible headphones. It also supports Sony’s LDAC, aptX Adaptive 96kHz/24-bit and aptX Low Latency.

The processor is an XMOS 16-core XU316 teamed up with two ESS ES9069Q DACs and four-way full balanced THX AAA 78+ amps, the same amp we’ve already seen in the splendid FiiO M23 digital audio player. You can run it from an external power supply to run high-powered headphones without worrying about draining the battery. There are three modes: PC powered, Bluetooth DAC/amp, and phone dongle.

FiiO is very pleased with the latest version of its PEQ adjustment algorithms, which are designed to fine-tune the audio to simulate or correct the frequency response of various headphones; you can also import EQ curves from others, or share your own.

The new FiiO BTR 17 is available now for $199/£199 (which is around AU$305, based on the price in US dollars). If we’re lucky enough to get our hands on one for a thorough review, we think it could even feature in our mini roundup of the best wireless DACs to seriously upgrade the music from your phone… 

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