Technology news

Editor's note: Check out our oft-updated live blog for all new developments about the Microsoft/CrowdStrike outage.It was a truly awful day for CrowdStrike. There's almost zero chance you missed it, but, in case you did, an issue with a software update from the cybersecurity firm caused a meltdown of the world's IT infrastructure, putting countless Microsoft machines into the Blue Screen of Death. Nearly every industry was affected. Thousands of flights were canceled, hospitals turned away patie

Editor's note: Check out our oft-updated live blog for all new developments about the Microsoft/CrowdStrike outageWindows PCs all around the world are crashing, and it's getting uglier fast. It's all due to an issue with CrowdStrike's Falcon Sensor software, and it's spreading in unpredictable ways. But what is CrowdStrike? What's a "blue screen of death"? And how worried should Windows PC owners be? Here's what you need to know. What is CrowdStrike, and what is Falcon Sensor?CrowdStrike is a cy

Editor's note: Check out our oft-updated live blog for all new developments about the Microsoft/CrowdStrike outageWindows computers around the world are being hit by the dreaded Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) thanks to an outage caused by services provided by cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike. The issue has impacted everyone from banks to airlines, with flights grounded, grocery carts abandoned, and productivity even lower than usual for a Friday.Fortunately, CrowdStrike has since announced at 2:30 a.

Amandla Stenberg pulls off the ultimate switcheroo in The Acolyte.Throughout The Acolyte's first season, Stenberg's dual performance as twins Mae and Osha Aniseya walked the line between the Dark Side and the Light. Osha begins the season as a supporter of the Jedi, even though her intense emotions and grief over losing her family led her to be kicked out of the Order. Her sister Mae, on the other hand, starts off as a devotee to a Sith master, hellbent on gaining justice on the Jedi.SEE ALSO:'T

Editor's note: Check out our oft-updated live blog for all new developments about the Microsoft/CrowdStrike outage.Updating your system is imperative to keeping it safe from cyber attacks and other threats. But sometimes it goes wrong — like it did late this week.CrowdStrike, a cybersecurity company that protects companies and users from cyberattacks, made a mistake, leading to a global meltdown. Users with Windows computers saw the "blue screen of death", flights were grounded, banks went

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Police in the UK have arrested a 17-year-old boy in connection with last year’s cyberattack on MGM Resorts, as reported by the BBC and 404 Media. With the help of the FBI and the UK’s National Crime Agency, the West Midlands Police took the teen into custody on Friday on suspicion of violating the UK’s laws on hacking and blackmail.
The West Midlands police say the suspect has been released on bail while the department investigates. It wi

Instagram is cluttering up our feeds again as the app expands its Notes feature directly to grid posts and Reels. Why? Because apparently commenting on posts isn't enough.SEE ALSO:Microsoft outage updates: Crowdstrike issue still wreaking havoc despite fix
Now users can add tiny floating Notes bubbles, which disappear in three days unless deleted, on top of videos and photos. The somewhat hidden Notes appear above comment sections and have a customizable audience. Users can choose who can see th

The wheel features a handcrafted carbon fiber shell keeping it rigid but lightweight. | Image: Sim-Lab Sim-Lab has just released a new $2,499 steering wheel it claims is an “authentic as possible” replica of the wheels Lewis Hamilton uses while driving the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team’s race cars. It’s a lovely piece of hardware to just stare at, but a reminder that getting really into simulators can be dangerous for your budget.
If that price tag has your jaw o

Ryan Selkis, the co-founder and CEO of the crypto research platform Messari, is stepping down from his position in the aftermath of a social media tirade following the attempted assassination of former President Trump at a rally in Pennsylvania.
Selkis, an outspoken Trump supporter who attended David Sacks’ sold-out fundraiser for him in June, said on X that Trump’s detractors should “die in a fire,” claimed the shooting was a deep state plot orchestrated by Democrats, a

Editor's note: Check out our oft-updated live blog for all new developments about the Microsoft/CrowdStrike outage.You'll have to bear with FedEX and UPS. It's probably hard to coordinate deliveries when every computer simultaneously crashes because of a CrowdStrike bug.That may not be a literal description of what happened to UPS and FedEx on Friday, but you get the point. Both of the major mail carriers issued statements (FedEx via its website and UPS via CBS) in the hours after a faulty Crowd

Editor's note: Check out our oft-updated live blog for all new developments about the Microsoft/CrowdStrike outage.On Thursday, a Microsoft outage linked to a failed CrowdStrike update affected industry giants across travel and finance, and underscored the risks of our dependence on digital technology. As people flooded into work this morning — and CrowdStrike scrambled to get systems up and running — reactions to the outage on X captured a full spectrum of human emotion.Here are the

Image: Meta Meta is rolling out a revamped version of its Quest mobile app that links it more closely with its 3D social platform Horizon Worlds. The app, now called Meta Horizon, comes with a new tab that lets you complete quests from your phone and customize your avatar.You can also use the app to explore and join new worlds, as well as connect with friends in Horizon Worlds, which launched on mobile and the web last September. Meta says the update won’t take away any features in the exi

Photo: Getty Images Twitch has reinstated former President Donald Trump’s account after “indefinitely” suspending him following the January 6th, 2021, attacks on the US Capitol.“We reinstated former President Trump’s Twitch channel,” a Twitch spokesperson, who asked to remain anonymous due to safety concerns, says in a statement. “We believe there is value in hearing from Presidential nominees directly, when possible. Trump is now the official Republican

Editor's note: Check out our oft-updated live blog for all new developments about the Microsoft/CrowdStrike outage.On Friday morning, nearly every Microsoft Windows machine in the world seemed to suffer from outages related to a faulty CrowdStrike software update that rolled out on Thursday. Now, the head of Microsoft has issued a statement — but don't expect too much from it.Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella took to X (formerly Twitter) to let everyone know that Microsoft knows what's going on

Editor's note: Check out our oft-updated live blog for all new developments about the Microsoft/CrowdStrike outage.If your Windows computer is currently serving you the Blue Screen of Death, take heart in the fact that you aren't alone. Windows outages are being reported across the globe, apparently caused by a CrowdStrike issue. And if your banking app is down or doctor's appointment was canceled, well, you're not alone there either. The problem first arose overnight for the East Coast of the U

The Xiaomi Mix Flip features a 4.01-inch cover screen. | Image: Xiaomi Xiaomi has announced two new folding phones for the Chinese market. The upgraded Mix Fold 4, which introduces water resistance for the first time, and the Mix Flip, the company’s first flip phone foldable featuring a 4.01-inch cover screen surrounded by a nearly non-existent bezel.Image: XiaomiThe Xiaomi Mix Flip features a 4.01-inch external display and can be used to make calls without being opened.
Xiaomi claims the

Illustration by Cath Virginia / The Verge | Photos via Getty Images It’s only been a couple of weeks since the Supreme Court issued its opinion on a pair of social media cases this term, but it’s already making a splash in arguments over other tech laws being challenged by the industry.
Lawyers and judges for the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in California repeatedly referenced the Supreme Court’s opinion in Moody v. NetChoice and NetChoice v. Paxton during oral arguments in t

Amazon Prime Day may be over, but some of the better deals — including those on Beats Fit Pro — are still kicking. | Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge I don’t know about you, but I can’t get on board with the AirPods Pro’s tailpipe design. If I’d participated in The Verge’s summer in / out list, they’d go firmly in the “out” column. But the Beats Fit Pro are a great alternative that you can often find on sale for significantly less, espe

A global Windows outage, reportedly caused by cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike, has impacted businesses including airlines, health services, banks, media broadcasters, schools, and supermarkets, among others.Not just a worldwide Blue Screen of Death for Windows users, the crash has seen over 1,000 flights cancelled, the BBC reports, citing aviation analytics firm Cirium. Reports of delays at airports from Bangkok to Los Angeles, London to Berlin, Barcelona and more are pouring in.Mashable has a ru

Editor's note: Check out our oft-updated live blog for all new developments about the Microsoft/CrowdStrike outage.Numerous Windows PCs and computer systems across the world are down, affecting businesses like airlines, supermarkets, broadcasters, software providers, and more. The issue stems from a faulty update in the Falcon Sensor software from cybersecurity company CrowdStrike, and it's causing BSOD – the "blue screen of death" – for a lot of people.SEE ALSO:W

Illustration by Cath Virginia / The Verge | Photos by Getty Images Have you seen the memes online where someone tells a bot to “ignore all previous instructions” and proceeds to break it in the funniest ways possible?The way it works goes something like this: Imagine we at The Verge created an AI bot with explicit instructions to direct you to our excellent reporting on any subject. If you were to ask it about what’s going on at Sticker Mule, our dutiful chatbot would respond w

Photo: Stephanie Lindgren Evo 2024 starts Friday July 19th, kicking off a weekend full of one of the most intense fighting game competitions in the world. This year over 10,000 players will participate in a host of games, making this the largest Evo ever while also setting the record for the largest esports tournament.Evo has been getting bigger and bigger, with participation bolstered by the release of new versions of the tournament’s most popular games. Street Fighter 6 made its Evo debu

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Editor's note: Check out our oft-updated live blog for all new developments about the Microsoft/CrowdStrike outage.Windows PCs around the entire planet crashed this morning because of a CrowdStrike update glitch. You may have heard about it.But what you may not have heard about is just how many services have been affected by the biggest global IT outage in years. It's not quite a Y2K level of apocalyptic meltdown, but everything from airline travel to broadcasting, 911 calls,

Much of the world woke up Friday discovering much of the internet wasn't working due to an outage caused by cybersecurity company CrowdStrike. And, unfortunately, it doesn't appear like the problems will be totally fixed for quite some time. Now, if it's just your personal Windows computer that's affected, there appears to be a workaround. The CrowdStrike issue caused many Windows computers to display the Blue Screen of Death but announced a fix around 2:30 a.m. ET. Mashable has the full coverag

Image: Kristen Radtke / The Verge The FBI used an unreleased tool from the Israeli mobile forensics company Cellebrite to unlock the Trump rally shooter’s phone — and opened it in less than an hour, according to reports from Bloomberg and The Washington Post.
Investigators at the FBI’s Pittsburgh field office first tried to open Thomas Matthew Crooks’ phone with a Cellebrite tool but weren’t able to break into it. The phone was sent to the FBI lab in Quantico, Virgi

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Image: Kristen Radtke / The Verge; Getty Images Just days after former President Donald Trump vowed to send Mark Zuckerberg to prison for “long periods of time,” the CEO of Meta is returning the favor — by complimenting Trump.
In an interview with Bloomberg that’s set to air on Tuesday, Zuckerberg was asked about what’s at stake in the upcoming US presidential election. Zuckerberg first spoke about how Meta is focusing less on politics across its platforms by allowi

Windows computers are seeing the Blue Screen of Death, flights are being grounded, and websites are down, all because of an update gone wrong from CrowdStrike."CrowdStrike is aware of reports of crashes on Windows hosts related to the Falcon Sensor," CrowdStrike wrote in an alert at 1:30 a.m. ET on Friday. "Symptoms include experiencing a bugcheck\blue screen error related to the Falcon Sensor. Our Engineering teams are actively working to resolve this issue and there is no need to open a suppor

AMD touts its new Ryzen AI chips, aka Strix Point, on stage. | Image: Paul Sakuma for AMD 2024 will go down in tech history as the year Microsoft was finally able to make Windows laptops into serious competitors to the MacBook. So far, that’s thanks to Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon chips, which switched to a homogeneous chip architecture, increased clock speeds, and caught up to Apple’s speedy and power-efficient processors. But now, AMD says it has chips that can take on the MacBo

Image: Channel 4 / Talkback Thames Have you turned it off and on again? That familiar refrain from IT departments and The IT Crowd is being echoed by Microsoft today as a recommended way of fixing the faulty CrowdStrike update that has taken down thousands of Windows PCs and servers today.
In a support note on Microsoft’s Azure outage page, the company says it has heard from customers that rebooting virtual machines and PCs multiple times can help. “We have received feedback from cus

Image: Adrienn Szabo / Paramount Plus Paramount has canceled its live-action Halo series for Paramount Plus, according to The Hollywood Reporter and Variety. But if you’re a fan of the show and want to see it continue, there’s a sliver of hope: both publications report that the show’s producers are shopping the series around, so perhaps there will be a third season.The Halo show premiered in 2022 and ran for two seasons, with the second debuting earlier this year. Pablo Schreib

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It's cliche to say but college football is back. And it only feels trite to say, because at this point, despite all the hype, the memes, the teasers, and the trailers — none of this feels real. For the first time in 11 years, there is a college football game and it's called EA Sports College Football 25.All 128 NCAA Division-1 FBS teams are in the game, and for an unprecedented first, this year's version of college football also features current players. It's a massive grab and statement f