Month: October 2026

Android 17‘s Advanced Protection mode is getting six new features, and Google is clearly aiming them at people who face more serious threats than the average phone owner: journalists, activists, politicians, and others who deal with a higher risk of surveillance. The biggest addition is a new Intrusion Logging system, which sits at the center of a broader anti-spyware push. Google says it records security events, network activity, and app behavior on the device, including app installs and even network activity from Google Chrome‘s Incognito mode. The idea is that, if something goes wrong, a trusted expert can later decrypt those logs and piece together how the compromise happened. Google also says the logs show website records at the domain level, not exact pages, which makes attacks harder to pull off and harder to cover up afterward.

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Google says those logs are end-to-end encrypted and stored on its servers for a rolling 12-month period. They also can’t be manually deleted, not by you, and not by Google, even if you switch logging off or close the account tied to it. According to Google, the feature was developed with input from civil liberties and press freedom groups. Amnesty International’s Security Lab described it as the first forensic logging system built specifically for a consumer mobile OS, and said it could be a major shift for this kind of investigation.

There’s more in the update. Android 17 adds USB Protection, which blocks new USB data connections while the phone is locked but still lets it charge. If you’ve already connected while the phone was unlocked, that session stays active, and Google says there’s also a short grace period built in. The feature is coming to Pixel 6 and newer, along with selected phones running Android 17. Other changes tighten access to the Accessibility API, disable WebGPU in Google Chrome, add a lockdown mode after repeated failed login attempts, and show which apps are able to check whether Advanced Protection is turned on.

If Android security matters to you, this is an update to install sooner rather than later. Just keep in mind that features like Intrusion Logging don’t turn on automatically; you have to opt in through Advanced Protection, and you’ll need a supported device.

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Apple announced the iPhone Duo on September 9 and said its book-style foldable will go on sale October 23, starting at $1,999. The headline detail is a replaceable protective layer over the 7.6-inch inner folding display. Apple says the phone also has a 5.4-inch outer screen, and that the top layer can be swapped out when it picks up scratches or general wear, so you don’t have to replace the entire display. That layer also has a matte finish meant to make the crease less noticeable. With AppleCare+, Apple says a replacement will cost $19. It still hasn’t said what that repair will cost out of warranty. The company is framing the replaceable layer as a durability and lifespan feature, not as an admission that the screen is delicate.

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Samsung and Xiaomi have gone down a similar road with protective layers, and Samsung already replaces them in some markets. What Apple is doing differently is being more direct about upkeep, and that could make AppleCare+ a little easier to justify. It could also open the door to third-party options later, assuming repair access and parts are actually available. Even then, the usual foldable concerns don’t go away: the hinge, the folding panel under that top layer, and, if the reports are right, production yields sitting just above 60%.

If you’re planning to keep a foldable for a while, the Apple iPhone Duo looks like a pretty solid buy. You’ll be able to get it from Apple on October 23.

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Intel 471 has released new findings today showing that cybercriminals are trying to recruit employees for insider access. The cyber threat intelligence company says the report points to a criminal market for data lookups, account resets, transaction approvals, shipment changes, and SIM swaps.

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The company reviewed 85 underground records. Of those, 45 involved attempts to recruit insiders. Another 15 claimed insider capability, including 11 direct-access claims, and 12 advertised services powered by insider help. The takeaway is hard to miss: many attackers would rather pay someone on the inside than break in from the outside.

Some industries showed up more often than others. Transportation appeared in 19 leads, technology in 17, and telecommunications in 15. Another 26 leads were tagged as multi-sector or unclear. If your team handles valuable data, payments, logistics, or account controls, this report deserves a look.

Intel 471 also says the recruiting methods have widened. They now include public posts, direct outreach, referrals, brokers, partnership offers, deception, and even attempts to get people hired at target companies. The pay structures vary just as much, from per-action fees and one-time sales to commissions, revenue shares, and longer-running deals backed by escrow, staged payments, and checks.

The findings arrive alongside broader industry reports showing the same trend. Seventy-six percent of organizations say insider threats are increasing, average annual costs reached $17.4 million in 2025, incidents take 81 days to contain, and malicious insiders account for 25% to 27% of cases.

For more detail on dark web and Telegram recruitment, you can read Intel 471’s full report.

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When James Gunn took over DC, replacing Zack Snyder, he promised a new era that would focus more on lesser-known characters and respect the work of creators. Here we are, barely three years later, with only two films (Superman and Supergirl), a few television series, and projects canceled left and right. Promising and lying, in Hollywood, are one and the same.

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Heavy as a Rock

One of these films was Sgt. Rock, the adaptation of a war comic that debuted in issue 83 of Our Army At War, back in 1959, and kept evolving without ever fully becoming part of the DC Universe. Gunn was convinced that this film could be a success in the right hands, and he gave the project to Justin Kuritzkes (Rivals, Spider-Man: Brand New Day), who would write the script to be directed by none other than Luca Guadagnino.

But the whole thing was canceled very quickly, even when actors were already being considered for the lead roles. And the screenwriter isn’t sure why: “We were more or less getting the movie ready, but if you want to know why it was canceled you can ask DC Studios”. For him, what was exciting was that “none of the people who were going to make it were people particularly interested in making big superhero movies. Sgt. Rock was a superhero movie about everyday heroes, humans, normal people. It was something very experimental”.

James Gunn does have the reason for its cancellation, mind you: simply, after three drafts, the thing wasn’t changing or getting any better. “I said, ‘We can’t make this movie. We can’t. It’s not good. We know it’s not good’. Just because we have a good director and a good screenwriter doesn’t mean the script works. Everybody’s going to be angry in the end. The director is going to look bad, the screenwriter too, and us too. I don’t want that. We’re not going to make the movie”. He’s the guy who approved Supergirl. Just something to keep in mind. Anyway.

Avengers: Secret Wars will be released on December 17, 2027. Or that’s what they’ve assured us over and over again… if it weren’t for the fact that the production, apparently, is such a mess that it wouldn’t be surprising if it ended up being released sometime in 2028. No, it’s not just a saying or some crazy idea: in fact, all things considered, it’s even likely.

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Avengers, just delay already!

Although part of the shoot (especially filler scenes) has already begun, the Russos won’t begin work until January 2027, which has raised more than a few eyebrows: Is it possible to make a movie of this magnitude in just twelve months, including visual effects, editing, and the score? It seems, at the very least, rushed.

But of course, they’d better be able to, because the rest of the movies that will continue whatever universe they have left, like X-Men and Ghost Rider, are planned right after. If the script is complete (something that doesn’t usually happen in this kind of production) and pre-production has done little more than get everything ready to shoot, it’s possible they’ll make the date. If they get caught up in Marvel’s usual chaos, they’re officially doomed.

Paradoxically, Secret Wars has every chance of becoming the highest-grossing movie in history, especially after the Russos said that Doomsday ends on a cliffhanger so surprising that no one will see it coming. Place your bets.

On May 14, 2006, one of the best series in history came to an end: The West Wing. It was a different political context, and they didn’t have to deal with the megalomania of the current president. In fact, some people go back to it to find some calm amid all the noise. And precisely because it has never stopped being important in pop culture, there are already people thinking about its return.

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Flying Without Wings

In particular, it was Bradley Whitford, who played Josh Lyman, who said the series should come back “as some kind of limited series”. And yes, why not? It’s one of the most important series in history, and we’ve had worse pointless sequels, after all. But the comment doesn’t come out of nowhere: its creator, Aaron Sorkin, recently teased fans.

“I just had a couple of ideas for episodes simply walking around the White House. Thinking, ‘why did we never do this? Why did we never do that?‘”. I don’t think anyone’s going to stop Sorkin if he decides to get back to work, of course. Luckily, when Whitford was asked to get him to write it, he replied “I’ll do it, I’ll do it”. We’ll see.

The rest of the actors have said they’re all in: if there are new episodes, they’ll be there one way or another, even if it may be a bit absurd that after so many years and so many changes, the same people are still working in the White House. We need more West Wing. Come on, Sorkin, get to it.