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Experts find a way to trick Forminator into deleting a core WordPress fileThis process would trigger the site's setup, where hackers can take it overA patch is available, and users are advised to apply it A popular WordPress plugin active on hundreds of thousands of websites was found to be carrying a high-severity vulnerability which could allow threat actors to fully take over compromised websites.Forminator is a website builder plugin which allows WordPress operators to add custom contact, feedback, quizzes, surveys, polls, and payment forms. Everything is drag-and-drop and thus user-friendly, and plays well with many other plugins.Recently, a security researcher with the alias ‘Phat RiO – BlueRock’ found the plugin had insufficient validation and sanitation of form field input vulnerability, as well as an unsafe file deletion logic. It could be abused to insert a custom file into any field, which would (after a few steps) force Forminator into deleting the core WordPress file. As a result, the entire website enters the “setup” stage, where the attacker can take it over.Get 55% off Incogni's Data Removal service with code TECHRADAR Wipe your personal data off the internet with the Incogni data removal service. Stop identity thievesand protect your privacy from unwanted spam and scam calls.View DealHow to stay safe“Deleting wp-config.php forces the site into a setup state, allowing an attacker to initiate a site takeover by connecting it to a database under their control,” noted experts at Wordfence, a WordPress security project.The vulnerability is tracked as CVE-2025-6463, and has a severity score of 8.8/10 - high. All versions up to 1.44.2 are vulnerable. As per Wordpress.org data, there are more than 600,000 active websites using this plugin, making the attack surface rather large.The first clean version is 1.44.3, and the plugin’s vendors, WPMU DEV, is urging all users to apply it as soon as possible. BleepingComputer says since the patch was released, the plugin was downloaded 200,000 times, “but it is unclear how many are currently vulnerable to exploitation”.To mitigate the risk of attack, website admins should upgrade their Forminator plugin to the newest version, or disable and delete the plugin altogether. Generally speaking, WordPress as a platform is considered safe, with various plugins and themes being the weakest link in this security chain.That being said, WordPress users are advised to only keep those plugins and themes that they’re using, ensuring these are updated regularly, while disabling and deleting all others.You might also likeA critical security flaw could affect thousands of WordPress sitesTake a look at our guide to the best authenticator appWe've rounded up the best password managers

Shark robot vacuums are on sale for Prime Day and there are some good deals to be had. For instance, the AI Ultra is on sale for just $280. This is 50 percent off, as the regular price is $550.

This model topped our list of the best robot vacuums, so it's the real deal. The AI Ultra boasts fantastic suction power and the bagless self-emptying base is incredibly handy. There's a simple mobile app that lets users control the vacuum when not at home. This app also displays home maps made by the vacuum that can be edited to create "no-go" zones.

The battery life is decent, at 120 minutes per charge. Like most modern robovacs, it'll head back to the power outlet on its own. During use, we found that the vacuum did a pretty good job at avoiding obstacles and managed to sidestep the many cat toys strewn across the floor.

The only caveat worth mentioning is that this particular model includes a debris canister that needs to be manually emptied every 30 days. There's a version with a larger canister that's also on sale. It's down to $298 from $600, which is also a discount of around 50 percent.

Many other Shark products are also on sale right now. This includes other robovacs, but also standard upright designs.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/shark-robot-vacuums-are-up-to-50-percent-off-for-prime-day-170023667.html?src=rss

Microsoft was rocked by more than 9,000 job cuts this week. A significant number have come from its gaming division, resulting in the closure of multiple game studios and the cancellation of numerous in-development projects at Xbox and its contracted studios. We’ve already learned that Microsoft has closed the studio that was developing the much-anticipated Perfect Dark reboot, and Rare’s Everwild has also been sunsetted. And now Romero Games — the studio headed up by Doom creator and veteran developer John Romero — is another major casualty of the sweeping cuts.

The news was initially confirmed in a statement signed by Brenda Romero and posted on X. “Last night, we learned that our publisher has canceled funding for our game along with several other unannounced projects at other studios,” it said. "This was a strategic decision made at a high level within the publisher, well above our visibility or control." It went on to say that the studio was powerless to change the outcome, and that the decision was not reflective of the quality of work its team has produced.

Ireland-based Romero Games is not owned by Microsoft, but it appears the company’s financial support was crucial to keeping the studio alive — a fact that wasn’t publicly known until the shutdown occurred. IGN is now reporting that the entire Romero Games workforce has been let go, and many Romero Games employees confirm on Linkedin that they no longer have jobs.

According to the company website, Romero Games was founded by John and Brenda Romero in 2014, and had more than 100 developers on its staff. Its most recent release was 2023’s Sigil II, the unofficial sixth episode in the Doom series, which John Romero co-created in 1993 with id Software, the studio he also co-founded. The upcoming game was described by Romero Games as an "all-new FPS with an original, new IP working with a major publisher."This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/xbox/xbox-was-funding-romero-games-new-game-but-layoffs-have-left-the-project-in-crisis-172234905.html?src=rss

OpenAI adds Google TPUs to reduce dependence on Nvidia GPUsTPU adoption highlights OpenAI’s push to diversify compute optionsGoogle Cloud wins OpenAI as customer despite competitive dynamicsOpenAI has reportedly begun using Google’s tensor processing units (TPUs) to power ChatGPT and other products.A report from Reuters, which cites a source familiar with the move, notes this is OpenAI’s first major shift away from Nvidia hardware, which has so far formed the backbone of OpenAI’s compute stack.Google is leasing TPUs through its cloud platform, adding OpenAI to a growing list of external customers which includes Apple, Anthropic, and Safe Superintelligence.Not abandoning NvidiaWhile the chips being rented are not Google’s most advanced TPU models, the agreement reflects OpenAI’s efforts to lower inference costs and diversify beyond both Nvidia and Microsoft Azure.The decision comes as inference workloads grow alongside ChatGPT usage, now serving over 100 million active users daily.That demand represents a substantial share of OpenAI’s estimated $40 billion annual compute budget.Google's v6e “Trillium” TPUs are built for steady-state inference and offer high throughput with lower operational costs compared to top-end GPUs.Although Google declined to comment and OpenAI did not immediately respond to Reuters, the arrangement suggests a deepening of infrastructure options.OpenAI continues to rely on Microsoft-backed Azure for most of its deployment (Microsoft is the company’s biggest investor by some way), but supply issues and pricing pressures around GPUs have exposed the risks of depending on a single vendor.Bringing Google into the mix not only improves OpenAI’s ability to scale compute, it also aligns with a broader industry trend toward mixing hardware sources for flexibility and pricing leverage.There’s no suggestion that OpenAI is considering abandoning Nvidia altogether, but incorporating Google's TPUs adds more control over cost and availability.The extent to which OpenAI can integrate this hardware into its stack remains to be seen, especially given the software ecosystem's long-standing reliance on CUDA and Nvidia tooling.You might also likeChina wants to be the global AI leader in personal computingAMD launches a new single-slot GPU for data centersThis startup may be the answer to running AI training on any GPU

Sony Interactive's Helldivers 2, the third-person co-op shooter developed by Arrowhead Game Studios, is finally coming to Xbox on August 26. The sequel to the 2015 top-down shooter was released for PlayStation 5 and Windows in early 2024 and supports cross-platform play.

After launch, Helldivers 2 was a huge success, selling over 15 million copies and reaching 450,000 concurrent players on Steam, the highest number ever among PlayStation games released for the PC. In fact, there were so many players online that Sony briefly attempted to mandate PlayStation Network account linking, which set off a wave of negative reviews from frustrated gamers. The policy was eventually reversed.

In the announcement of the game's Xbox launch, Game Director Mikael Eriksson said, “we know gamers have been asking for this for some time and we are so excited to bring more Helldivers into our game. We have so much more in store for the future months and years – and the more players we have the more stories we can tell! The fight for Super Earth has only just begun.”

It's notable that this marks only the second time that Sony will publish one of its first-party titles on Xbox, after MLB: The Show. Time will tell if this is just another rare exception, or the start of a new trend by Sony allowing their games to reach more players. Players can pre-order digital copies of both the standard edition and the Super Citizen Edition for Helldivers 2 now. It's unclear if a physical copy of the game will be released.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/xbox/helldivers-2-is-coming-to-xbox-on-august-26-172937757.html?src=rss