North Korean hackers targeted ethnic Koreans in China with a malware disguised as a popular Android mobile game called BirdCall, allowing them to steal personal data from victims.
PC gamers are increasingly favoring budget-friendly titles, with a significant portion of the market consisting of full-price games priced under a certain threshold. This trend is driven by the success of indie games, such as "Gamble With Your Friends," which sold 500,000 copies in three days. The demand for affordable gaming options is rising, reflecting a shift in consumer behavior towards valuing quality without high costs. The sub-category of games priced below a specific amount is thriving on PC, contrasting with the console gaming experience.
Sage from Valorant is experiencing side effects from her powers that are turning her into crystal. In Patch 12.08, a voicemail to Brimstone reveals her frustration with being told to take a break during a crisis. There are rumors of a potential rework for Sage, especially following Deadlock's comments about her losing her revive ability. Sage's struggles have been highlighted in various updates, including a music video where she loses control of her abilities and a recent update showing crystallization spreading to her neck and face. Despite her challenges, she remains a popular choice among players, with a 28.47% pick rate overall, though this decreases at higher competitive levels.
Microsoft will include the psmounterex.sys driver in its Vulnerable Driver Blocklist in the April 2026 security update, affecting third-party backup applications that use this driver for image mounting and Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS) snapshots. This decision addresses CVE-2023-43896, a critical buffer overflow vulnerability. Affected software includes Macrium Reflect, Acronis Cyber Protect Cloud, UrBackup Server, and NinjaOne Backup on Windows 11, Windows 10, and Windows Server platforms. Users may face issues during image-mount operations, receiving error messages related to VSS timeouts and Code Integrity errors in the Event Viewer. To check if a system is affected, users can look for Event ID 3077 in the Code Integrity Operational log. Microsoft recommends upgrading to newer versions of backup applications that do not use blocked drivers and advises against uninstalling or delaying the April update. Additionally, the update may cause certain Windows Server 2025 devices to boot into BitLocker recovery mode and has led to out-of-band updates for Windows Server update failures and restart loops on domain controllers.
Samsung has added a TikTok-style short video feed to its News app on Galaxy smartphones, allowing users to like videos and follow topics for a personalized experience. The update also includes articles from trusted publishers for more in-depth news coverage.
Lidl has launched Lidl Plus Points, a rewards system in the Lidl Plus app, allowing shoppers to earn points with every grocery purchase. New and existing app users receive 100 complimentary points that can be redeemed for select rewards. The points can be exchanged for money-off coupons, free or discounted products, and rewards on various items. From May 5 to May 22, customers earn double points on fruit purchases. Lidl has partnered with Liberty X for a marketing campaign to promote the new program.
Approximately 49.95% of PC gamers are using graphics cards with more than 8GB of VRAM, with 23.51% using 16GB, 13.45% using 12GB, and 26.76% using 8GB. Additionally, 6.19% of gamers have GPUs with 24GB or more VRAM. The demand for higher VRAM is driven by the need for better image fidelity in gaming, particularly with high-quality textures and effects like ray tracing. The growth of GPUs with 16GB of VRAM is notable, led by models such as the GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 16GB and Radeon RX 9060 XT 16GB. Despite this trend, the current memory crisis may keep 8GB cards relevant for another generation.
Bitdefender Mobile Security is currently regarded as the best mobile antivirus software, achieving a 100% detection rate for malware on Android devices according to AV-TEST's August 2025 report. The 2026 version introduces App Anomaly Detection and includes features like Scam Alert and anti-theft tools. Sophos Intercept X for Mobile offers a free version with a perfect score in AV-TEST's comparisons and features such as multi-factor authentication and a Privacy Advisor. Surfshark Antivirus, part of the Surfshark One package, scored six out of six in AV-TEST's evaluations and includes various security tools, but is only available for Android, macOS, and Windows. Avast Mobile Security is a popular free option with robust features and achieved perfect scores in protection and usability in AV-TEST's September-October 2025 report. AVG Antivirus, operating on the same engine as Avast, also detected 100% of malware in AV-TEST's March-April 2025 evaluations and includes anti-theft tools.
A North Korean hacking group has targeted a digital gaming platform popular among the Korean ethnic enclave in China, using a sophisticated strategy to infiltrate Android applications. Researchers from Eset discovered that an app on the platform contained a backdoor known as BirdCall, linked to North Korea. The official website for the gaming platform hosted the same suspicious APK file. A second Android file associated with another game on the same site was also found to contain the BirdCall backdoor. This supply-chain attack was attributed to the threat actor ScarCruft (APT37), active in Asia and extending into Europe and the Middle East since late 2024. The hackers likely compromised the web server to recompile original APKs with the backdoor, which can collect sensitive information such as contacts, SMS messages, call logs, documents, media files, and private keys, and can take screenshots and record audio. The malware disguises its command and control traffic among regular internet traffic, primarily using Zoho WorkDrive for operations.
A modder named Soda Baka has created a room-sized gaming PC that allows users to engage with games through a screen mounted on the motherboard. This build includes a functional gaming PC and a 12,000W charcoal sauna, which initially raised the internal temperature to 100.4°F. To manage the heat, a cooling system with giant fans and an air conditioning unit reduced the temperature to 77°F. The project showcases innovative design within the modding community.
