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Illustration by Carlo Cadenas / The Verge A cyberattack campaign inserted malicious code into multiple Chrome browser extensions as far back as mid-December, Reuters reported yesterday. The code appeared designed to steal browser cookies and authentication sessions, targeting specific social media advertising and AI platforms," according to a blog post from Cyberhaven, one of the companies that was targeted.Cyberhaven blames a phishing email for the attack, writing in a separate technical analysis post that the code appeared to specifically target Facebook Ads accounts. According to Reuters, security researcher Jaime Blasco believes the attack was just random" and not targeting Cyberhaven specifically. He posted on X that he'd found VPN and AI extensions that contained the same malicious code that was inserted into Cyberhaven.Other extensions possibly affected include Internxt VPN, VPNCity, Uvoice, and ParrotTalks, as Bleeping Computer writes.

Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge, Getty Images We're all impatiently awaiting Nintendo's next console, but in the meantime, it's been quite the sendoff year for the Switch. Read the full story at The Verge.

Amazon's finally added a key feature to the Scribe, but it has a long way to go before it's actually useful. Read the full story at The Verge.

Donald Trump. | Cath Virginia / The Verge | Photos from Scott Olson, Getty Images President-elect Donald Trump is asking the Supreme Court to let him negotiate a deal to save TikTok from an imminent US ban.In an amicus brief filed to the court, Trump says he seeks the ability to resolve the issues at hand through political means once he takes office," and that he alone possesses the consummate dealmaking expertise, the electoral mandate, and the political will to negotiate a resolution to save the platform."Last week, the Supreme Court agreed to hear arguments that a bill passed by Congress banning TikTok on national security grounds violates the First Amendment. The bill gives wide latitude to the president to delay its enforcement if there's progress being made towards a deal that ensures TikTok isn't fully controlled by its Chinese parent company, ByteDance.But the deadline for that determination is January 19th, which is one day before Trump is set to be sworn in.In his Supreme Court filing, Trump asks for the bill's January 19th deadline to be stayed, arguing that the deal he'd negotiate would obviate the need for this Court to decide the historically challenging First Amendment question presented here on the current, highly expedited basis."He offers no details on what said deal would look like, though it would likely have to involve ByteDance selling a signification portion of its ownership in TikTok to an American company.Trump argues that having over 14 million followers on TikTok, along with his ownership of Truth Social, gives him unique ability to evaluate TikTok's importance as a unique medium for freedom of expression, including core political speech." He also cites Brazil's temporary ban of Elon Musk's X as an example of the historic dangers presented" by a government banning a social media platform.While Trump pushed aggressively for a TikTok ban during his first term, he changed his tune after his campaign successfully used the video app during the 2024 election. He recently met with TikTok CEO Shou Chew at Mar-a-Lago and told a crowd that maybe we gotta keep this sucker around for a little while."There's still plenty of political pressure to enforce a TikTok ban, however. A group of senators and congressmen, including Mitch McConnell and Ro Khanna, filed petitions on Friday, joined by 22 U.S. states and former FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, urging the Supreme Court to reject TikTok's appeal.

Image: Warner Bros. If you've been waiting patiently to see how Matt Reeves' story for The Batman continues once the reboot's sequel arrives, you'll have to wait a little longer. It was once set to open October 2nd, 2026, after an initial delay caused by the Hollywood writers' strike derailed Warner Bros. plans to release it in 2025, but the studio has now announced that it's pushing The Batman Part II even further back to October 1st, 2027, according to Variety.It appears the most recent shift could be strategic. Variety adds that Warner Bros. has rushed to fill that October 2nd, 2026, slot with an unnamed film featuring Tom Cruise and directed by Alejandro G. Inarritu.While that sucks for fans of the bat, one nice consolation is news that Bong Joon-Ho's Mickey 17 is coming even sooner than expected; it is now scheduled for March 7th, 2025, after delays of its own caused the original 2024 release to slip. Mickey 17 stars Robert Pattinson (who also plays Bruce Wayne in The Batman Part II) and is directly inspired by the Edward Ashton novel Mickey7, which follows a willingly and literally disposable employee through his many doors of death. Also starring in the film are Steven Yeun, Naomi Ackie, Toni Collette, Mark Ruffalo, and Thomas Turgoose. Warner Bros. reportedly swapped its release date with Ryan Coogler's Sinners, which now opens April 18th, to give Mickey 17 more time on Imax screens.

Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge, Getty Images Elon Musk, Vivek Ramaswamy, and other members of President-elect Donald Trump's Silicon Valley coalition are clashing with the MAGA movement's hardline anti-immigrant faction, and it's allegedly resulted in Musk stripping far-right critics' verification badges on X.The conflict centers on Musk and Ramaswamy's recent praise for foreign tech workers, beginning soon after Indian immigrant Sriram Krishnan joined the team of Trump's AI and crypto czar David Sacks. It's pitted Trump's tech mogul donor class against his older network of far-right influencers like activist and Trump companion Laura Loomer while escalating into racist rhetoric against Indian Americans in particular. The ugly, extremely online fight between the American far-right influence network parallels the immigration debate currently being hashed out more quietly in Washington.Anti-immigrant rhetoric was a cornerstone of Trump's pitch to voters; on top of promoting false, racist rumors about immigrants and promising mass deportations that could destabilize the American economy, he's expected to revive an H-1B visa crackdown that he imposed during his first term. At the same time, Trump is leaning heavily on... Read the full story at The Verge.

An artist's rendering of the Parker Solar Probe. | Image: NASA NASA sent its Parker Solar Probe just 3.8 million miles from the surface of the Sun - and it survived. The probe transmitted a signal back to Earth on the night of December 26th, indicating it's in good health and operating normally," according to NASA.The mission marks the closest the Parker Solar Probe - or any human-man object at all - has ever gotten to the Sun. The probe set off on its mission on December 20th, with the closest approach occurring on December 24th as it flew 430,000 miles per hour past the solar surface. Mission operations were out of contact with the probe during this time.Now that NASA has confirmation of the mission's success, it expects the Parker Solar Probe to send detailed telemetry data on its status" on January 1st. The close flyby is supposed to help scientists get a better understanding of solar wind, the Sun's heat, and how energetic particles are accelerated to near light speed."The Parker Solar Probe was first launched by NASA and Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in 2018. It's designed to why study the corona - the atmosphere surrounding the sun - gets so hot. To survive these close encounters, the Parker Solar Probe is equipped with a Sun-facing heat shield that reaches around 2,500 degrees Fahrenheit, while the probe itself remains just 85 degrees Fahrenheit.

Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge, Getty Images From postapocalyptic wastelands to cozy sci-fi futures, there's a lot to dig into on Microsoft's subscription service this year. Read the full story at The Verge.

I've finally had a chance to test out the new hybrid powerhouse from Canon, the R5 Mark II. The camera comes with much-improved autofocus powered by the new Digic X processor, new eye-controlled autofocus, a backside illuminated sensor capable of faster readout and better low-light performance, and stunning video specs like recording in 8K internally with Canon Log 2 color profile.But as much as those specs sound impressive (and they are), using the R5 Mark II also brought back so many memories I've made with previous 5D cameras that have been a huge part of my professional and personal life for well over 15 years, specifically the 5D Mark II.In this review video, I decided to try something a little bit different. Instead of going through every single one of the specs and pixel-peeping every photo I've taken over the past month, I've picked the top three photos that have taught me something about the new Canon R5. Let us know what you think about the new format. Read the full story at The Verge.

Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge After years of of chasing live-service and open-world blockbusters, games like Astro Bot and Balatro showed that old formats could be a solution to modern industry problems. Read the full story at The Verge.

In late September, Dominik Domtendo" Neumayer received a troubling email. He had just featured The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom in a series of videos on his YouTube channel. Now, those videos were gone.Some of your videos have been removed," YouTube explained matter-of-factly. The email said that Domtendo had now received a pair of copyright strikes. He was now just one copyright strike away from losing his 17-year-old channel and the over 1.5 million subscribers he'd built up.At least, he would have been, if Domtendo hadn't spotted something fishy about the takedown notice - something YouTube had missed.Domtendo had been a little bit confused right from the start; the strikes didn't make sense. Like countless other creators, Domtendo specializes in Let's Play" videos, a well-established genre where streamers play through the entirety of a game on camera.The next copyright strike will close your channel"Nintendo has a complicated relationship with the fans who use its copyrighted works, infamously shutting down all sorts of unauthorized projects by sending cease-and-desists. It has gone after YouTubers, too. But both the Japanese gaming giant and the broader... Read the full story at The Verge.

Some EVs in stock on the Hertz Car Sales site. | Screenshot: The Verge Hertz has contacted multiple electric vehicle renters recently with interesting low-cost offers for cars like Teslas, offering them the option to buy their rental EVs instead of returning them. One 2023 Model 3 renter shared on Reddit that they were offered a price of $17,913, which is similar to deals currently showing on the Hertz Car Sales site. However, the rental they were in had about 30,000 miles on it - fewer than other current listings.Another renter was offered a 2023 Chevy Bolt for $18,442, while a Polestar 2 renter says they saw a $28,500 purchase price. The used cars come with a limited 12-month, 12,000-mile powertrain warranty and a buy-back offer within 7 days.Asked by The Verge if this was a special offer for EVs or a typical offer for Hertz's used cars, communications director Jamie Line confirmed the strategy isn't new, saying, By connecting our rental customers who opt into our emails to our sales channels, we're not only building awareness of the fact that we sell cars but also offering a unique opportunity to someone who may be in the market for the same car they have on rent."Last year, Hertz decided to scale back its big ambitions to electrify its rental fleet due to low customer demand and repair difficulties on some models, including the Tesla Model 3. Then, in February, Hertz said it would no longer buy Polestar 2 vehicles either before marking 30,000 Teslas to sell off from its rental fleet.

Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge Here's what to watch over the holidays in case all those live sports broadcasts don't work out. Read the full story at The Verge.

Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge, Getty Images Glasses may be more promising as the head-worn computers of the future - and there's a chance Apple might be looking in that direction. Apple's Vision Pro headset is an incredible piece of technology, but even Apple's design and marketing magic hasn't been enough to convince many people to don a VR headset for an entire day. Instead, people seem more willing to use discreet wearables like Bluetooth headphones, smartwatches, and products like the Ray-Ban Meta glasses - so Apple's headset isn't making the waves the company would have wanted.Of course, an instant transformation of the computing landscape wasn't exactly the point of the Vision Pro. Apple was clearly launching its headset for Apple enthusiasts, first adopters, and people who love VR. At a starting price of $3,499, the barrier of entry was just too high to expect the device to be a hit from the jump. Even CEO Tim Cook called it an early-adopter product." Would you really want to wear this all day? Nearly a year from launch, though, Apple hasn't done enough to demonstrate why the Vision Pro should be a potential showcase of the future of computing. It's taking a long time to put together its immersive content library, and while those are great demonstrations of what's possible, the videos have been short and isolating. There aren't many great games, either.Yes, Apple keeps adding cool new software features. The wide and ultra widescreen settings for using a Mac display seem exceptionally useful. But those are pretty specific options for pretty specific use cases. There still isn't an immediate, obvious reason to buy a Vision Pro the way there usually is with the company's newest iPhones and Macs. If I bought a Vision Pro today, I wouldn't know what to do with it besides give myself a bigger Mac screen or watch movies, and I don't think either of those are worth the exorbitant price.It seems Apple may have already acknowledged that the Vision Pro might not be the future, either. The company has reportedly scaled back production and focused efforts on a cheaper version of the headset (perhaps just called Apple Vision?).If Apple still wants to make a splash in VR, the company might need to race to get its next product out the door. It can be argued that Meta has the best VR headsets and ecosystem on the market right now - and a very clear lineup for consumers to consider. Its most affordable offering is the $299 Quest 3S, which has the same chip as the $499 Quest 3, meaning you can access the same experiences across both headsets. The price difference between the two largely comes down to displays and storage, and I'd argue that the cheaper Quest 3S is an excellent VR headset for most people. The Meta Quest Pro, which launched at $1,499, was a flop. But like the Vision Pro, Meta hasn't really found a way to make its headsets much more than a great way to play VR games. The Quest Pro, which Meta pitched in part as a headset for work, was such a flop that the company discontinued it only two years after it launched. Horizon Worlds, the company's 3D social network, still feels amateur and barren, despite the company's efforts to make it a better place to hang out.When I put on a Meta headset, I find that I just want to play games, either serious titles like Batman: Arkham Shadow or lighter fare like Maestro, where you conduct a virtual orchestra. I don't care about the mixed reality features except to glance at my phone or computer screen to make a note or check notifications. You can make a pretty solid living selling game consoles, as Sony and Nintendo know very well, but it's a far cry from the full-fledged computing platform Mark Zuckerberg once promised.I just don't know if any tech company is going to crack the code on how to make VR headsets anything but solo technology. Yes, you can use VR headsets to interact with other people over the internet. But putting on a VR headset at home means I can't look my wife in the eye; if I'm going to look at a screen, I'd prefer to look at one that we can share or that I can easily put off to the side. And even if you're fine with VR being mostly a solo thing, VR headsets don't fit neatly into everyday life unless you have a good amount of space in your home for them. (And hopefully your controllers haven't run out of battery power!) Maybe AR glasses are the way to go. Perhaps that's why glasses seem like a much more promising option for computers that you wear on your face. Augmented reality glasses have been an aspirational goal for a long time, and you can see why. It's much easier to make eye contact with somebody while you're wearing glasses. Meta may have already proved that the glasses form factor works: its relatively simple Ray-Ban Meta glasses, which have a camera, speakers, and look fashionable, are already a huge hit.If glasses-equipped cameras do truly go mainstream, I have some concerns that I've already written about. But I also wrote about the immediate appeal of the tech: whenever I wear the Ray-Ban Meta glasses, I find myself snapping tons of photos because it's so much fun to capture my point of view without holding up a phone. And because they look like regular glasses, I can walk around and most people will think that they're glasses, unlike a VR headset, which just looks silly in public.It seems that Apple might be eyeing computer glasses as well; the company reportedly launched an internal study about the market. I think even glasses with some basic tech would make way more sense for Apple than a VR headset, especially if they let you easily snap photos and listen to podcasts. These devices could be years off, though, meaning that, right now, Apple is stuck selling VR headsets that barely anyone wants.

Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge, Getty Images These days, podcasts are going video, and there are a number of visual trends we've noticed - some good, some not so much. We'll show you. Read the full story at The Verge.

Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge, Getty Images This year showed that a roguelike can be almost anything. Read the full story at The Verge.

Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge, Getty Images We got a healthy dose of Star Wars and Marvel shows on Disney Plus this year, but the more mature series from Hulu helped balance things out. Read the full story at The Verge.

Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge, Getty Images It was another sci-fi-heavy year for Apple's streaming service. Read the full story at The Verge.

Hi, Barbie! The Barbie Phone, much like the doll it pays tribute to, is a thing of beauty. But like that doll whose proportions, historically, are impossible, the Barbie Phone just isn't built for the modern world.Even if the ultra-feminine aesthetic isn't your thing - and it's not really mine - you have to hand it to the Barbie flip phone. From the box it comes in, to the interchangeable back plates, rhinestone stickers, and Barbie-fied interface, it's a delight. The charger and battery are both pink, though they're a lighter shade than Mattel's trademarked Barbie Pink (Pantone 219). The phone says Hi Barbie!" when you turn it on. It's the definition of committing to the bit.The breezy fun of the Barbie aesthetic, Pantone 219 or otherwise, is at odds with the actual experience of using the phone. It's based on one of HMD's feature phones, and it runs an operating system called KaiOS. The phone is designed for basic connectivity - texting, calling, emails - and even includes a web browser.According to HMD, in addition to being cute, the nostalgic design and limited feature set are supposed to encourage you to disconnect and spend time with your friends IRL. There are a series of... Read the full story at The Verge.

Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge, Getty Images This year paved the way for a future where earbuds are much more than audio accessories. Read the full story at The Verge.

An Ioniq 5 using a CCS to NACS adapter to charge at a Supercharger. | Image: Hyundai Hyundai announced it will start distributing free CCS to Tesla NACS adapters to its EV customers in the first quarter of 2025. The adapters will enable vehicles such as the Ioniq 5 and Ioniq 6 to connect to 20,000-plus" Tesla Supercharger stations. The free adapter is available to those who purchased or leased their Hyundai EVs on or before January 31st, 2025.The NACS adapter deal includes 2024 and earlier Kona Electric, Ioniq hatchback, Ioniq 5, and Ioniq 6. It also includes the 2025 Ioniq 6, 2025 Ioniq 5 N, 2025 Kona Electric, and Genesis brand EVs (a full list will be revealed next year). You can request the free adapter through the My Hyundai owner portal.Hyundai's sister brand, Kia, is also giving free NACS adapters to some owners starting in early 2025.Meanwhile, the 2025 Ioniq 5 with a native Tesla port will have Supercharger access as soon as it ships to customers. Tesla posted on X that it has already flipped the switch, enabling the 2025 Ioniq 5 to charge at Superchargers. Still, owners with older CCS-native models must wait for the Hyundai-approved adapters to get access.

Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge, Getty Images After its victory against Google in an antitrust trial earlier this year, the Department of Justice recently proposed a sweeping set of changes its search business. The DOJ put a lot on the table, demanding that Google sell its Chrome browser, syndicate its search results, and avoid exclusive deals with companies like Apple for default search placement. It even kept open the possibility of forcing an Android sale.Now, Google has responded with a far simpler proposal: prohibit those default placement deals, and only for three years.A court found Google liable for unlawfully monopolizing online search, and its remedies are supposed to reset the market, letting rivals fairly compete. Google (obviously) disagrees that it's running a monopoly, but before it can appeal that underlying conclusion, it's trying to limit the fallout if it loses.Google's justification is that search deals were at the heart of the case, so they're what a court should target. Under the proposal, Google couldn't enter deals with Android phone manufacturers that require adding mobile search in exchange for access to other Google apps. It couldn't require phone makers to exclude rival search engines or... Read the full story at The Verge.