Subscribers in Southern California of Spectrum’s Internet service experienced outages over the weekend following what company officials said was an attempted theft of copper lines located in Van Nuys, a suburb located 20 miles from downtown Los Angeles.

The people behind the incident thought they were targeting copper lines, the officials wrote in a statement Sunday. Instead, they cut into fiber optic cables. The cuts caused service disruptions for subscribers in Van Nuys and surrounding areas. Spectrum has since restored service and is offering a $25,000 reward for information leading to the apprehension of the people responsible. Spectrum will also credit affected customers one day of service on their next bill.

An industry-wide problem

“Criminal acts of network vandalism have become an issue affecting the entire telecommunications industry, not just Spectrum, largely due to the increase in the price of precious metals,” the officials wrote in a statement issued Sunday. “These acts of vandalism are not only a crime, but also affect our customers, local businesses and potentially emergency services. Spectrum’s fiber lines do not include any copper.”

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Tensions between OpenAI and Microsoft over the future of their famed AI partnership are flaring up. WSJ, minutes ago: OpenAI wants to loosen Microsoft’s grip on its AI products and computing resources, and secure the tech giant’s blessing for its conversion into a for-profit company. Microsoft’s approval of the conversion is key to OpenAI’s ability to raise more money and go public.

But the negotiations have been so difficult that in recent weeks, OpenAI’s executives have discussed what they view as a nuclear option: accusing Microsoft of anticompetitive behavior during their partnership, people familiar with the matter said. That effort could involve seeking federal regulatory review of the terms of the contract for potential violations of antitrust law, as well as a public campaign, the people said.

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Recently, a Reddit user discovered a rare RCA Spectra 70/35 computer control panel from 1966 in their family’s old collapsed garage, posting photos of the pre-moon landing mainframe component to the “retrobattlestations” subreddit that celebrates vintage computers. After cleaning the panel and fixing most keyswitches, the original poster noted that actually running it would require “1,500lbs of mainframe”—the rest of the computer system that’s missing.

As it turns out, the panel had been sitting in the garage for decades without the poster’s knowledge. “In short my house is a two-family, my dad used to rent out the other half before I was born,” explained SonOfADeadMeme in the thread on Friday. “One of the people who rented out the apartment worked at IBM (apparently the RCA Spectra 70’s were compatible with IBM sets from the time) and shortly before he left he shown up with a forklift and left something in the garage.”

A view of the RCA Spectra 70/35 computer control panel before (right) and after (left) its owner cleaned it up.
Credit:
SonOfaDeadMeme / Reddit

The equipment remained hidden for decades due to the deteriorating condition of the structure. “The garage was very dilapidated and has since collapsed so no one bothered going in. Fast forward a few decades and I found the RCA terminal and a crate labeled ‘Return to IBM San Jose,'” SonOfADeadMeme wrote. They speculated the unidentified IBM component in the crate was “something power supply related” but noted they hadn’t examined it closely due to their basement being “jam-packed with stuff.”

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Apple’s upcoming iOS 26 update is packed with new features and changes—but not all of them are just for fun. As part of its series of announcements during last week’s WWDC, Apple revealed a series of features and changes aimed at helping parents keep their kids and teens safe when using an iPhone.

Here are eight of the changes you can expect when your update your family’s devices in the fall.

Permission to text new numbers

Once your family updates your iPhones to iOS 26, your kids will only be able to text numbers within their saved contacts. If they want to send a text to a new number, they’ll need your permission first.

The process works similarly to requests for additional Screen Time or to make a purchase: You’ll receive the permission request in Messages, and Apple says it can be granted or rejected with one tap. This framework is also open to developers to implement in their apps, which will let kids send requests to chat, follow, or friend accounts in other apps.

Sharing age ranges with apps

Credit: Apple

If an app offers different types of content and experience depending on the age of their users, it may send you an age range request for your child. The idea is you won’t have to share your kid’s exact birth date; rather, you’d send a range your child’s age is in. That way, the app can curate its content that range without giving away too much of your child’s privacy.

In addition, you can configure these requests like other permissions across apps—you can choose whether to share this age range with all apps that want it, or if apps will need to ask for permission each time. You can also choose to never share age ranges going forward.

This change might be in response to new laws popping up throughout the U.S., that will require app stores like Apple’s to verify the ages of its users.

Teen accounts now have new limits

Child Accounts are required for users under 13, but optional for kids who are ages 13 through 17. That means that while some teens have protections baked into their accounts, those who made an Apple Account after they turned 13 might not have all the limitations you want.

Going forward, Apple will apply new limits to accounts for teens by default. That includes web content filters as well as Communication Safety, a feature that warns when content containing nudity is sent or shared.

New categories for age ratings

Currently, there are four age ratings for apps on Apple’s App Store: 4+, 9+, 12+, and 17+. Apple now says they’re expanding this list to five, and adding the following three ratings for adolescents: 13+, 16+, and 18+. While the company doesn’t specify, presumably, 4+ and 9+ will remain.

I can understand the logic here: 12+ and 17+ introduces a five year gap in between app ratings, which could pose an issue for developers with questionable content: Maybe the app isn’t quite right for users 12 and under, but is fine for 16 year olds. But in the current ranking, they’d need to place it under 17+, which locks out those users would could benefit from the app. Plus, developers can now tailor their apps to more specific demographics.

App Store content warnings

With the new updates, you’ll see new warnings on app store pages for apps that contain potentially problematic content, such as user-generated content, messaging, or ads. You’ll also see whether the app ships with in-app content controls, so you can fine-tune the experience for your kids.

Inappropriate apps will not be shown to kids

Apple says when you set app content restrictions for your kids, the App Store will hide apps with age ratings that exceed those restrictions. That means your kids can browse through App Store pages like Today, Games, and the Apps tab without needing to see apps that are inappropriate.

An expanded Ask to Buy

On the flip side, there is now a way for kids to request to buy something outside of their age range, through Ask to Buy. Ask to Buy is the feature that allows your kids to send you a request to buy something on the App Store. Going forward, you’ll be able to grant an exception to the age range, to allow your kid to buy the app anyway. You’ll also be able to rescind permission at any time, which will block your kid from using the app.

New Communication Safety triggers

Apple says Communication Safety will now look out for nudity in FaceTime calls too, and will “intervene” when it detects it. In addition, the feature will blur nudity in Shared Albums in Photos.

Critics warn that the United States may soon be taking on more nuclear safety risks after Donald Trump fired one of five members of an independent commission that monitors the country’s nuclear reactors.

In a statement Monday, Christopher Hanson confirmed that Trump fired him from the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) on Friday. He alleged that the firing was “without cause” and “contrary to existing law and longstanding precedent regarding removal of independent agency appointees.” According to NPR, he received an email that simply said his firing was “effective immediately.”

Hanson had enjoyed bipartisan support for his work for years. Trump initially appointed Hanson to the NRC in 2020, then he was renominated by Joe Biden in 2024. In his statement, he said it was an “honor” to serve, citing accomplishments over his long stint as chair, which ended in January 2025.

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Researchers are cautioning users against clicking unsubscribe links embedded in email bodies, citing new data showing such actions can expose recipients to malicious websites and confirm active email addresses to attackers. DNSFilter found that one in every 644 clicks on unsubscribe links leads users to potentially malicious websites.

“You’ve left the safe, structured environment of your email client and entered the open web,” TK Keanini, DNSFilter’s chief technology officer, told WSJ. The risks range from confirming to bad actors that an email address belongs to an active user to redirecting victims to fake websites designed to steal login credentials or install malware. Clicking such links “can make you a bigger target in the future,” said Michael Bargury, CTO of security company Zenity.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

If you’ve received an invite link to Discord but never used it to join that specific server, don’t click through it weeks or months later. As Bleeping Computer reports, hackers have repurposed Discord invite links that have expired or been deleted to deliver malware, including infostealers and keyloggers.

How Discord links are spreading malware

The malware campaign, identified by Check Point Research, capitalizes on a flaw in how Discord handles invite links, which can be temporary or permanent or, for paid servers with Level 3 Boost status, customized.

URLs to join regular Discord servers are randomly generated and unlikely to ever repeat, but vanity links—as well as expired temporary invite links and deleted permanent invite links—can be claimed and reused. Discord also allows invite codes with uppercase letters to be recycled in vanity links with lowercase letters while the original is still active.

This means that hackers can redirect users to malicious servers via links originating from legitimate Discord communities. These links are being shared on social media and official community websites.

When a user clicks the stolen link, they land on a Discord server that looks authentic and prompts them to verify their identity to unlock access. The verification link launches a ClickFix web page, which indicates that a (fake) CAPTCHA has failed to load and directs the user to “verify” by manually running a Windows command. This executes a PowerShell script, which downloads and installs the malware.

The payload itself may include malicious programs—like AsynchRAT, Skuld Stealer, and ChromeKatz—that allow keylogging, webcam or microphone access, and infostealing to harvest browser credentials, cookies, passwords, Discord tokens, and/or crypto wallet data.

According to Check Point’s analysis, the malware has numerous features that allow it to evade detection by antivirus tools. The report also notes that while Discord took action to mitigate this specific campaign, the risk of similar bots or alternative delivery methods still exists.

How to avoid malicious Discord links

First and foremost, be wary of old Discord invite links, especially those posted on social media or forums weeks or months back. (Temporary invite URLs on Discord can be set to expire within 30 minutes or up to a default of seven days.) Don’t click links from users you don’t know and trust, and request a new invite rather than relying on an old one.

You should use caution when engaging with verification requests, especially those that prompt you to copy and run manual commands on your device. ClickFix attacks via fake CAPTCHA requests abound, and any verification that tells you to execute a Run command is not legit.

If you run a Discord server, use permanent invite links, which are harder to steal and repurpose than temporary or custom URLs.

A Dutch court on Monday confirmed a 2021 consumer watchdog’s ruling saying that Apple had abused its dominant position by imposing unfair conditions on providers of dating apps in the App Store. From a report: The Rotterdam District Court ruled that the Dutch Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) was therefore right to impose an order subject to a penalty for non-compliance. The court ruled that ACM was right in finding that dating app providers had to use Apple’s own payment system, were not allowed to refer to payment options outside the App Store, and had to pay a 30% commission (15% for small providers) to Apple.

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The Roomba 105 Vac Robot + AutoEmpty Dock has been discounted to $280 as part of an extended Father’s Day sale. This is a record-low price, as it usually costs $450. Math tells me that’s a cool $170 off.

As the name suggests, this lil robovac will automatically head to the included debris dock to empty its contents. It’ll do this after every cleaning session and the company says the canister is large enough to go 75 days before requiring manual disposal. However, results will likely vary on that front. I’m talking to you, pet owners.

This is a solid effort by Roomba, which is a company that appeared numerous times in our list of the best robot vacuums. The suction power is on point and the dock includes a filtration bag that traps allergens. It ships with a multi-surface bristle brush and an edge-sweeping brush. Of course, it also provides access to the company’s LiDAR software for navigation. It can even clean in the dark.

There’s one downside. This is a fantastic vacuum, but it is just a vacuum. The Roomba 105 is not a hybrid unit, so there’s no mopping functionality. For that, you’ll have to spring for a pricier model.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on X for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/this-roomba-with-an-auto-empty-dock-is-down-to-a-record-low-price-184105673.html?src=rss

Meta is testing a way to hide spoilers on Threads, according to a new post from Mark Zuckerberg. The feature lets you obscure text or an image so that they’re only viewable once they’re tapped or clicked.

In the current version being tested, you have to highlight your chosen text or tap on the image and then tap “Mark spoiler” to hide it. Inside the Threads app there’s even a swirling particle animation that covers text and images before flittering away when you tap on them.

Meta

Meta suggests the feature is being added to make it easier to talk about ongoing shows without accidentally spoiling anything. The platform has a growing community of users who use Threads to discuss media, and an algorithmic feed that makes it pretty easy to get a spoiler dumped in front of you. Not many social media platforms outside of Reddit offer a way to obscure spoilers, either. Instead, users often have to turn to more general moderation tools like muting words or phrases to avoid learning things before they’ve watched a new movie or show.

The new spoiler feature doesn’t appear to be widely available yet, but it’s just the latest in a series of changes Meta has been experimenting with in Threads over the last few months. The biggest being the addition of a dedicated DM inbox. Up until this point messaging someone on Threads sent you to Instagram DMs, but Meta is now testing a separate Threads DM inbox in Hong Kong, Thailand and Argentina.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/threads-is-testing-out-a-way-to-hide-spoilers-182346919.html?src=rss

For the first time since launching in 2009, WhatsApp will now show users advertisements. The ads are “rolling out gradually,” the company said.

For now, the ads will only appear on WhatsApp’s Updates tab, where users can update their status and access channels or groups targeting specific interests they may want to follow. In its announcement of the ads, parent company Meta claimed that placing ads under Updates means that the ads won’t “interrupt personal chats.”

Meta said that 1.5 billion people use the Updates tab daily. However, if you exclusively use WhatsApp for direct messages and personal group chats, you could avoid ever seeing ads.

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Microsoft has disabled Windows Hello’s ability to authenticate users in low-light environments through a recent security update that now requires both infrared sensors and color cameras to verify faces. The change forces the system to see a visible face through the webcam before completing authentication with IR sensors.

Windows Hello earlier relied solely on infrared sensors to create 3D facial scans, allowing the feature to work in complete darkness similar to iPhone’s Face ID. Microsoft pushed the dual-camera requirement to address a spoofing vulnerability in the biometric system.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.