A cyber-espionage campaign has been identified involving a counterfeit Bahrain Alert Android application designed to surveil individuals in Bahrain and the Gulf region. The app masquerades as an official civil defense tool and employs social engineering tactics to compromise Android devices, extract sensitive data, and maintain remote access. It targets high-value individuals such as activists and journalists, particularly during civil unrest and missile alerts, leveraging trusted government branding to increase infection rates.
The malware features a complex, multi-stage architecture with advanced evasion techniques and is distributed through phishing links and malicious websites. It initiates a four-stage infection process, ultimately installing a remote access trojan (RAT) that enables covert surveillance and encrypted communications. The malware can monitor device activity, capture credentials, and intercept communications, while also employing mechanisms to avoid detection and maintain persistence.
The campaign primarily targets Bahraini citizens, exploiting fear during crises to encourage app installation. Although there are indications of Russian-speaking developers involved, there is no definitive attribution to a specific nation-state or APT group. Mitigation strategies include monitoring for suspicious app installations, user education on verifying app authenticity, and blocking known malicious domains.
European Union regulators fined Google €890 million for unlawfully leveraging its dominance in search and Android to promote its own services. The European Commission found that Google violated the Digital Markets Act by prioritizing its offerings in search results and restricting Android app developers from directing users to alternative payment methods. Google has 60 days to comply with the ruling or face additional penalties of up to 5% of its global annual revenue. Since 2017, Google has faced fines exceeding €10 billion from EU regulators. The ruling reflects the EU's ongoing efforts to regulate Big Tech and ensure fair competition in digital markets.
The European Union imposed a fine of 890 million euros on Google for violations of digital antitrust regulations, alleging that Google manipulated its Play platform and search engine to favor its own services over competitors. This action is part of the EU's broader efforts to regulate major technology firms and protect consumer interests. Google has faced previous legal challenges, including an unsuccessful appeal of a 4.3 billion euro antitrust fine related to its Android operating system. The EU has identified major tech companies as "gatekeepers" that must ensure fair competition. Google's President of Global Affairs criticized the fine, claiming it would harm European businesses and consumers.
Valve has introduced enhancements to the Steam wishlist and gifting features. Users can now create customizable wishlist categories with personalized tags, improving organization and management of game preferences. The search functionality has been upgraded with autocomplete features, and titles with demos are clearly marked. Users can generate custom URLs to share specific wishlist categories, and a guest checkout feature allows gifting without a Steam account. Email gifting options enable users to send gifts directly to an email address, with limitations on acceptance and scheduling. Cross-region gifting has been introduced, allowing users to send gifts to friends in different locations, with costs adjusted based on the recipient's region.
Microsoft has released preview updates for Windows 11, specifically for the 24H2 and 25H2 builds, identified as 26100.8942 and 26200.8942. Key features include a redesigned File Explorer with automatic file size conversion, the ability to open folders in new tabs, and improved file previews. Voice Access now includes Voice Isolation to filter background noise. Windows Search can now handle two-letter file names and identify misspelled applications. New customizable settings for precision touchpads are introduced, and the Start menu will show subscription statuses for Microsoft services. Users can set a custom battery level for power-saving mode, and widget usage on the lock screen is simplified. The update is currently available to Windows Insiders and will be rolled out to all users later.
Valve has updated Steam's gifting and wishlist functionalities. Users can now gift games via email without requiring the recipient to have a Steam account, provided both are in the same country, and gifts not accepted within 30 days will be refunded. For international gifting, users must be friends on Steam, and the game price will be automatically adjusted for the recipient's region. The wishlist feature has been enhanced to allow users to categorize saved games with custom names, filter by categories, and manage notifications for sales on individual categories. Additional features include generating shareable links to categories, checking for available demos, and previewing trailers by hovering over wishlist titles.
LG monitors are automatically installing McAfee bloatware on Windows 11 PCs without user consent, as indicated in the changelog of the LG Monitor App Installer on the Microsoft Store. This installation occurs when an LG monitor is connected, leading to a McAfee pop-up due to automatic installation triggered by Windows Update, which is logged by the Windows Reliability Monitor. Users can prevent this by enabling a setting in the Group Policy Editor to stop automatic downloads of applications linked to device metadata. It is recommended that users who have manually installed the LG monitor app remove it, as McAfee is a core component of the application. Microsoft has not commented on this issue.
Microsoft has launched its Xbox Backward Compatibility preview, enabling four original Xbox games—Blinx: The Time Sweeper, Conker: Live and Reloaded, Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge, and Fuzion Frenzy—to be played on PC and handheld devices. These games feature enhancements such as 4x resolution upscaling, VSync support, multiple display modes, anisotropic filtering, and improved anti-aliasing. They are available for purchase on the Xbox Store and can be accessed on PC or handhelds through Xbox Play Anywhere or Xbox Cloud Gaming. All four titles are also included in Xbox Game Pass.
Minimum system requirements for playing these games include:
- GPU: Nvidia GTX 950 or AMD Radeon RX 550 or Intel UHD 770 or Intel Arc A310
- CPU: Minimum 4 Cores Intel Core i3-8100 or AMD Ryzen 3 1200 or AMD Ryzen Z2 A Processor
- RAM: 8GB
- OS: Windows 11
- Drivers and Versions: Latest Version as of January 2026
Recommended specifications include:
- GPU: Radeon RX 68005 or Nvidia GTX 1070 Ti or Intel Arc A770
- CPU: 6 cores and 12 threads Intel Core i5-10400 or AMD Ryzen 5 3600 or AMD Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme
- DirectX Version: DirectX12 API, Hardware Feature Level 11
- GPU VRAM: 8GB
- OS: Windows 11
- Drivers and Versions: Latest Version as of January 2026