Dozens of plug-ins for the widely used open source web blogging software WordPress are now offline after a backdoor was discovered in them, used to push malicious code to any website that relied on the plug-ins. The backdoor was discovered after a new corporate owner bought these plug-ins.

Anchor Hosting founder Austin Ginder sounded the alarm in a blog post last week describing a supply chain attack on a WordPress plug-in maker called Essential Plugin. Ginder said someone last year bought Essential Plugin and the backdoor was soon added to the plug-ins’ source code. The backdoor sat dormant until earlier this month when it activated and began distributing malicious code to any website with the plug-ins installed.

Essential Plugin says on its website that it has over 400,000 plug-in installs and more than 15,000 customers. WordPress’ plug-in install page says the affected plug-ins are in over 20,000 active WordPress installations.

Plug-ins allow owners of WordPress-based websites to extend the site’s functionality, but in doing so grant the plug-ins access to their installations, which can open these websites to malicious extensions and potential compromise. But Ginder warned that WordPress users are not notified of any plug-ins’ change in ownership, exposing users to potential takeover attacks by their new owners.

According to Ginder, this is the second hijack of a WordPress plug-in discovered in as many weeks. Security researchers have long warned of the risks of malicious actors buying software and changing its code in order to compromise a large number of computers around the world.

While the plug-ins have been removed from WordPress’ directory and now list their closure as “permanent,” Ginder warned that WordPress owners should check if they still have one of the malicious plug-ins installed and remove it. Ginder has a list of the affected plug-ins in the blog post.

Representatives for Essential Plugin did not respond to a request for comment.

Expanding its powered speaker range for the first time in several years, Kanto Audio has introduced the Tuk Grand alongside refreshed versions of the Tuk, Yu4, and Yu6, with the full lineup making its public debut at AXPONA 2026.

The Tuk Grand sits at the top of the range and steps up from the original Tuk with a larger cabinet, a 6-inch aluminium concave woofer, and a peak power output of 320W, a significant increase over the standard Tuk’s 260W that reflects the new model’s focus on scale and low-frequency extension.

Both Tuk models now feature the brand’s Air Motion Transformer tweeter in a refined configuration, with Kanto noting improvements to the waveguide geometry that deliver smoother high-frequency response and more consistent sound across a wider listening area than the previous generation.

The updated Tuk also moves away from the rounded cabinet profile of the original, adopting sharper square-corner geometry that reduces edge diffraction and contributes to a more focused stereo image, with cabinet volume increased to give the drivers a more stable acoustic foundation.

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Connectivity on the Tuk range includes Bluetooth 5.4 with aptX HD and aptX Adaptive, a TOSLINK optical input, USB-C, and two RCA line-in options, giving the speakers flexibility across both modern and legacy source equipment.

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Passive versions of both the Tuk and Tuk Grand are also available for listeners who prefer to run their own amplification, with the Tuk Grand Passive priced at £599.99 and the standard Tuk Passive at £499.99, extending the range’s appeal beyond the all-in-one powered audience.

The Yu4 and Yu6 receive a complete redesign of the cabinet and front baffle alongside updated drivers and DSP tuning, and both powered versions retain the all-in-one connectivity the series has always offered, including Bluetooth 5.3, phono input, USB-C, RCA, and a subwoofer output.

The full lineup launches in summer 2026, with UK pricing starting at £199.99 for the passive Yu4, rising to £799.99 for the powered Tuk Grand, and colour options across the range including Black, White, Walnut, and several finish-specific choices.

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Boston Dynamics’ Spot, a four-legged machine that has been making its way through factories, warehouses, and power plants on its own for years, can now connect to the Orbit platform and the AIVI-Learning tool. This Google Gemini-powered program uses the photos to provide reports on safety, equipment health, and cleanliness. The system has done well with easy tasks, but when scenarios become cluttered, things become a little hazy.

That all changed with Google Gemini Robotics ER 1.6. This new model brings some high-level thinking to the party, allowing Spot to assess its surroundings, plan its next step, and determine whether or not it has completed the task. It captures photographs from numerous viewpoints at simultaneously, even if the illumination changes or anything obscures the view. It can point to anything on the screen and precisely count them, and it can even avoid producing results that do not exist.

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Pressure gauges are an excellent example of how all of this new technology adds up. Spot moves up to a dial, zooms in if necessary, and then reports the exact reading. It can even manage camera angle distortions and check numerous needles at once if there are more than one to deal with. Sight glasses operate similarly, allowing the robot to estimate liquid levels from empty to full in plain old percentage terms, and those digital displays that used to give it a headache due to glare or bad typefaces. They now work much more consistently.

Spot can also address the bigger picture, as it performs 5S compliance audits without issue, detecting misplaced tools or clutter that violates housekeeping guidelines. If it sees a puddle of liquid, it’s now clever enough to recognize it as a hazard rather than a harmless reflection. Conveyor belts, valves, and other equipment are all thoroughly inspected to detect any minor damage or leaks before they cause major problems.

Every inspection includes a step-by-step analysis of how the robot reached its decision, allowing customers to understand exactly what steps the AI performed rather than receiving a black box response. When the stakes are high and someone will be penalized or the business will be shut down due to unanticipated downtime, that transparency truly creates confidence. The good news is that all of these changes take place completely behind the scenes, with Boston Dynamics and Google handling everything in the cloud, so your robot continues to function normally. As Spot conducts regular patrols, new photographs are fed back into the system, and the models gradually gain a sense of the unique layout, lighting, and equipment of that location.
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Japanese entertainment company Toho has released a teaser video for Godzilla Minus Zero, the upcoming sequel to the award-winning film Godzilla Minus One. The teaser shows the famous monster next to the Statue of Liberty as it rampages across New York. Godzilla Minus Zero is set in 1949, two years after the events of the first film, and will be a direct sequel. You’ll see familiar faces from Minus One in the short trailer, as well, namely Koichi Shikishima and Noriko Oishi, two of the first movie’s main characters.

The kaiju flick was filmed specifically for IMAX with high-definition digital cameras. Even its audio was optimized for the massive screen’s immersive cinema experience. Minus One won an Oscar for Best Visual Effects, so expectations are high for this sequel. The good news is that this movie is also helmed by Takashi Yamazaki, who wrote, directed and oversaw the visual effects for Minus One. Godzilla Minus Zero is heading to cinemas in Japan on November 3 and in the United States on November 6 this year.

• Soccer piracy losses estimated between $700M and $800M annually
• Real-time AI detection cuts piracy rates across major matches
• Traditional blocking tools struggle against large-scale streaming networks

Piracy of live football streams has grown into an industrial-scale problem, with Spanish clubs warning that illegal viewing is draining hundreds of millions of dollars from the sport each year.

LaLiga estimates piracy costs its clubs, which include Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Atlético Madrid, between $700m and $800m annually, a figure that reflects both lost subscriptions and declining broadcast value.