In this new era of console… inclusivity? driven by Sony and mostly Microsoft bringing their exclusives to other platforms, it’s getting harder to highlight games that make a singular console shine. Indeed, the top-performing games year after year on both PlayStation and Xbox are multiplatform releases, and often the best games of the year, like 2025 GOTY winner Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, similarly launch on most everything. (Once again, like in all things, Nintendo is the exception.)
Technology
How to minimize your digital footprint when you travel
Those of us old enough to remember traveling before the age of smartphones and mobile internet know we have it pretty good these days. You can find the best flights using comparison sites, choose among hundreds of hotels on a single booking site, get tickets sent to your phone rather than picking them up in person, check in online, order a ride and you’re off.
All this, of course, comes with downsides and trade-offs.
Most people’s biggest concerns are “getting hacked,” which, when you get down to it, really means “being robbed in ways I don’t quite understand.” But that’s one of those risks that, although very real, is unlikely to happen if you take the usual precautions.
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A couple on vacation (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
The dangers few think about until it’s too late
In a time when personal information is said to be worth more than oil, bad actors are often interested in getting their hands on your personal data as much as your money. And a “bad actor” need not be some guy with his hood up, hunched over a laptop in the back of a coffee shop.
In 2024, for example, ClassAction.org reported on suspicions of major cruise lines illegally sharing consumers’ data with Facebook. Cruise lines RoyalCaribbean.com, CelebrityCruises.com, Princess.com and HollandAmerica.com are suspected of collecting personal information through the sneaky “Meta tracking pixel” and sending it to Facebook without users’ consent.
Booking.com, a site most of us have used at one time or another, has also had its fair share of problems. The website has been battling waves of hacking attacks aimed at defrauding its customers; it’s faced accusations of not doing enough to protect its customers and has even been fined for failing to disclose a data breach on time.
Data gathered from these kinds of incidents often ends up circulating online, being added to what was already out there before, just waiting for someone or some company to make use of it.
A woman pulling her luggage while traveling (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
THE BEST TRAVEL GEAR FOR 2025
What you can do to protect your personal data
Avoiding cruise lines and booking sites altogether is hardly a practical solution when you need to book a cruise or accommodation. Here are some things you can do to dramatically reduce the risk when booking flights, cruises, vehicles and accommodation.
1. Invest in personal data removal services: While no service promises to remove all your data from the internet, having a removal service is great if you want to constantly monitor and automate the process of removing your information from hundreds of sites continuously over a longer period of time. Check out my top picks for data removal services here.
2. Use personal security caution: Don’t sign in to anything using your social media accounts. Sign in with your email instead and be sure to use an email address you’ve set aside just for these kinds of situations.
3. Do your homework online: Do an online search for the booking website, cruise line or travel agency in question, keeping an eye out for any recent reports of scams or other issues.
4. Check company reputation carefully: Check ClassAction.org, the Better Business Bureau and Trustpilot specifically. This will help you gain comprehensive insights into a company’s track record, customer experiences and potential issues.
5. Verify communication legitimacy: Whenever you receive a call, email or text message from a booking service, confirm that it’s really them by first checking your account directly and then contacting the company through official, publicly listed channels (not social media).
BEST TRAVEL ADAPTERS OF 2025
More ways to protect yourself online when traveling: Here’s how to stay safe
Here are some of the “usual precautions” that can protect you from “getting hacked” while traveling.
1. Update all your apps and operating systems before heading off: All those security patches are that much more important while you’re traveling. You’ll want to download and install all pending updates at least 24-48 hours before your departure, ensuring you have the latest security protections and giving yourself time to troubleshoot any potential update-related issues that might arise.
2. Lock everything down: Use strong, unique passwords and a reliable password manager to keep track of them.
3. Turn on two-factor authentication where available: Prioritize using authenticator apps over SMS-based codes. This provides a more secure second layer of verification, as authenticator apps are less vulnerable to SIM swapping attacks and interception compared to text message-based authentication. Choose reputable authenticator apps, which generate time-based one-time passwords that change frequently and are tied directly to your device.
4. Keep location services turned off: NFC, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi should also be turned off while you’re not using them. That’ll make your battery last longer as a side benefit.
5. Go dark: Don’t publicly share news of your trip until you’re back. Avoid posting about your vacation on social media or keeping a blog about your adventures, as this information can be used by criminals to piece together a snapshot of your life.
WHAT IS ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI)?
6. Limit social media use: Scammers and hackers often exploit social media to gather personal information and target travelers. To stay secure, avoid sharing trip details publicly and use a privacy-focused messaging app like Signal to stay in touch with family and friends.
7. Use privacy-focused browsers: You should consider using browsers like Brave or Firefox with privacy extensions. Enabling “do not track” settings and utilizing private/incognito mode can provide an extra layer of digital protection.
8. Disable automatic Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connections: Disable settings that automatically connect to networks and manually select and verify networks before connecting. This prevents your device from inadvertently joining potentially unsecured networks.
9. Use encrypted messaging and email: Protect your private communications by using services that offer end-to-end encryption for both messaging and email. These platforms ensure your data remains secure from unauthorized access, with features like encryption for non-users, multifactor authentication and tracking protection. See my review of the best secure and private email services here.
10. Travel with minimal digital gear: Consider bringing a “travel-only” phone or laptop with minimal personal data.
11. Be cautious of public charging stations: Avoid using public USB charging ports that could potentially compromise your device. Instead, carry a portable phone charger with you.
12. Monitor your accounts: Set up transaction alerts on financial accounts and use credit cards with strong fraud protection. Regularly check your accounts while traveling to quickly detect any suspicious activity.
13. Bring your own internet access with you: Find a local or international SIM, a mobile hot spot and a trusted VPN (virtual private network) service for those times you can’t help but use public Wi-Fi. Using a VPN can enhance your privacy by encrypting your internet traffic, making it harder for hackers and third parties to intercept your data, especially on public Wi-Fi. A VPN masks your IP address, helping to obscure your location and online activity. While VPNs don’t directly prevent phishing emails, they reduce the exposure of your browsing habits to trackers that may use this data maliciously. With a VPN, you can securely access your email accounts from anywhere, even in areas with restrictive internet policies. For the best VPN software, see my expert review of the best VPNs for browsing the web privately on your Windows, Mac, Android and iOS devices.
A man holding his passport (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
5 WAYS TO SECURELY ACCESS WI-FI ON YOUR PHONE WHILE TRAVELING
Kurt’s key takeaways
There’s plenty of good advice out there when it comes to avoiding public Wi-Fi and protecting your documents while traveling. To really stay safe, though, it’s important to start thinking about your data privacy and data security before even booking your trip. It doesn’t take much when all is said and done, but it could make a huge difference to how you remember your trip for years to come.
When was the last time technology made your travel more stressful instead of easier? What happened? Let us know by writing us at Cyberguy.com/Contact.
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LG unveiled a whole new line of gaming monitors ahead of CES on Friday. The UltraGear evo line are all high-end monitors covering a range of technologies, but united by 5K resolution and AI upscaling.
The three flagships under the new branding are the 39GX950B, the 27GM950B, and the 52G930B. The first number in the model name indicates the size. The rest of the letters and numbers, well, I’m sure they mean something to someone.
The 39-inch GX9 is an ultrawide 21:9 5K2K dual-mode OLED screen. It can run at its full resolution at 165Hz, or jump to 330Hz for fast-twitch games at WFHD. The 27-inch GM9 uses “New” MiniLEDs, which promise to deliver brighter images compared to OLED, without the blooming often associated with MiniLEDs. Lastly, the 52-inch G9 is an absolutely massive curved display that delivers a 12:9 panoramic view at 240Hz in its native 5K2K resolution.
The GM9 model is particularly interesting since LG makes the panels for Apple’s Pro Display XDR, and word is that the monitor is finally getting a long-overdue update in the near future.
All three monitors will be on display at CES next month, but there’s no word on pricing or availability just yet.
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Pornhub is dealing with fresh fallout after the hacking group ShinyHunters claimed responsibility for a massive user data leak. The group says it stole 94GB of data tied to more than 200 million records and is now attempting to extort the company for a Bitcoin ransom.
According to reporting from BleepingComputer, the hackers say they will publish the data if their demands are not met. Pornhub has acknowledged the situation but maintains its core systems were not breached.
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DATA BREACH EXPOSES 400K BANK CUSTOMERS’ INFO
Pornhub is facing new fallout after hackers claimed to steal millions of user records tied to Premium accounts. The group is threatening to release sensitive activity data unless paid in Bitcoin. (Philip Dulian/picture alliance via Getty Images)
What data ShinyHunters claims to have stolen
ShinyHunters says the exposed data focuses on Pornhub Premium users. While no financial information was included, the dataset still contains highly sensitive activity details.
The group claims the stolen records include:
- Email addresses
- Activity type
- Location
- Video URLs and video names
- Keywords linked to videos
- Timestamps showing when the activity occurred
Activity logs reportedly show whether a user watched or downloaded a video or viewed a channel. Search histories are also included, which raises serious privacy concerns if the data is released publicly.
How Mixpanel is connected to the breach
The alleged breach appears linked to a separate November security incident involving Mixpanel, a data analytics vendor that previously worked with Pornhub. That earlier breach occurred after a smishing attack gave threat actors access to Mixpanel systems. However, Mixpanel says it does not believe Pornhub data came from that incident. The company stated it found no evidence that the data was taken during its November 2025 breach. Pornhub has also clarified that it stopped working with Mixpanel in 2021. That means the stolen data would be several years old. Reuters contacted some Pornhub customers to verify the claims. Those users confirmed the data tied to their accounts was accurate but outdated, which aligns with the Mixpanel timeline.
What Pornhub says was not exposed
Pornhub moved quickly to reassure users following the reports. In a security notice, the company said:
“This was not a breach of Pornhub Premium’s systems. Passwords, payment details and financial information remain secure and were not exposed.”
That distinction reduces the immediate risk of financial fraud. However, exposure of viewing habits and search activity still carries long-term privacy risks. We reached out to Pornhub for a comment, but did not hear back before our deadline.
Why ShinyHunters remains a serious threat
ShinyHunters has been linked to some of the most disruptive data breaches this year. The group relies heavily on social engineering tactics such as phishing and smishing to gain access to corporate systems. Once inside, the group typically steals large datasets and uses extortion threats to pressure companies into paying ransoms. This strategy has affected businesses and users worldwide.
PASSWORD MANAGER FINED AFTER MAJOR DATA BREACH
A hacking group says it obtained years-old Pornhub Premium user data, including viewing activity and search history. Pornhub says its core systems were not breached. (Donato Fasano/Getty Images)
Pornhub warns Premium members about direct contact from hackers
Pornhub has updated its online statement to warn Premium members about possible direct contact from cybercriminals. In cases involving adult platforms, this type of outreach often escalates into sextortion attempts, where criminals threaten to expose private activity unless victims pay.
“We are aware that the individuals responsible for this incident have threatened to contact impacted Pornhub Premium users directly. You may therefore receive emails claiming they have your personal information. As a reminder, we will never ask for your password or payment information by email.”
Pornhub remains one of the world’s most visited adult video platforms. People can view content anonymously or create accounts to upload and interact with videos.
PETCO CONFIRMS MAJOR DATA BREACH INVOLVING CUSTOMER DATA
ShinyHunters claims responsibility for a massive Pornhub data leak involving alleged user activity records. The company says passwords and payment details remain secure. (Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Ways to stay safe after a data breach
Even if the data is several years old, users should take this opportunity to strengthen their digital security.
1) Change your passwords
Start by updating your Pornhub password. Next, change the password for any email or payment account linked to it. Using a password manager makes it easier to create and store strong, unique passwords.
Next, see if your email has been exposed in past breaches. Our #1 password manager (see Cyberguy.com/Passwords) pick includes a built-in breach scanner that checks whether your email address or passwords have appeared in known leaks. If you discover a match, immediately change any reused passwords and secure those accounts with new, unique credentials.
Check out the best expert-reviewed password managers of 2025 at Cyberguy.com
2) Stay alert for phishing attempts and install strong antivirus software
Data breaches often lead to follow-up scams. Be cautious of emails, texts or phone calls that reference Pornhub or account issues. Avoid clicking links, downloading attachments or sharing personal information unless you can verify the source. Installing a strong antivirus program adds another layer of defense against malicious links and downloads.
The best way to safeguard yourself from malicious links that install malware, potentially accessing your private information, is to have strong antivirus software installed on all your devices. This protection can also alert you to phishing emails and ransomware scams, keeping your personal information and digital assets safe.
Get my picks for the best 2025 antivirus protection winners for your Windows, Mac, Android & iOS devices at Cyberguy.com
3) Use a data removal service to limit future exposure
Data removal services work to remove your personal information from data broker websites that collect and sell details such as email addresses, locations and online identifiers. If leaked data from this breach is shared, resold or cross-referenced with broker databases, removing your information can make it much harder for scammers to connect it to you.
This step is especially important after high-profile breaches involving activity data. Shrinking what is publicly available about you reduces the risk of targeted phishing, impersonation and long-term privacy harm.
Check out my top picks for data removal services and get a free scan to find out if your personal information is already out on the web by visiting Cyberguy.com/Delete
Get a free scan to find out if your personal information is already out on the web: Cyberguy.com/FreeScan
4) Consider identity theft protection
Identity Theft companies can monitor personal information such as your Social Security Number (SSN), phone number, and email address and alert you if it is being sold on the dark web or used to open an account. Early warnings can help limit damage if your data surfaces. They can also assist you in freezing your bank and credit card accounts to prevent further unauthorized use by criminals.
See my tips and best picks on how to protect yourself from identity theft at Cyberguy.com
5) Add extra privacy protection with a VPN
A VPN helps protect your browsing activity by masking your IP address and encrypting your internet traffic. That is especially relevant in breaches like this one, where exposed activity data may include location signals or usage patterns. While a VPN cannot erase past exposure, it reduces how much new information is visible going forward and makes it harder to link future activity back to you. Using a VPN consistently can also limit tracking across sites, which helps lower your overall digital footprint after a breach.
For the best VPN software, see my expert review of the best VPNs for browsing the web privately on your Windows, Mac, Android & iOS devices at Cyberguy.com
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Kurt’s key takeaways
The Pornhub massive data leak highlights how long stored user information can remain a risk. While passwords and payment details were not exposed, activity data can still be damaging if released. ShinyHunters has shown it is willing to apply pressure through public threats. As a result, you should stay vigilant and proactive about your online security.
Should companies be allowed to store years of user activity data once it is no longer needed? Let us know by writing to us at Cyberguy.com
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Copyright 2025 CyberGuy.com. All rights reserved.
But while lists like this will probably disappear as we get deeper into the era of everything being an Xbox, Sony still seems committed to high-quality exclusives. Here are its best of 2025.
Photo by Antonio G. Di Benedetto / The Verge
As software exclusivity goes the way of Sega’s console business, console makers have other ways to attract consumers to their part of the video game ecosystem. For Microsoft, it’s Game Pass; for Sony in 2025, it’s the PlayStation Portal. This year, Sony launched an update for the Portal that enables cloud streaming and making the device a must-have for PlayStation households. For $200, roughly half the price of a PS5, you essentially get a second one, able to play select games without the need to stream them from the console. The list of streamable games isn’t comprehensive, but there are over 2,000 of them, and the ability to play them on the go is a literal game changer.
Get into a discussion with true Final Fantasy sickos about the top 10 games in the franchise, and you better have a lot of time and earplugs on your hands as everyone debates entries two through 10 — because No. 1, invariably, is Final Fantasy Tactics. Having finally played the game for the first time, taking advantage of the remaster Square Enix released this year, I get it. The best video games are often timeless while also able to speak to a specific moment, and Tactics’ story is and does exactly that.
But more than narrative, Tactics’ brilliance is also in its expansive job system that grants players a facsimile of godhood that’s so much fun to wield. The arithmetician class has the ability to cast any learned spell in the game instantly and without requiring mana. To offset the class’s ruinously slow speed, pair it with white mage to create the most diabolical unit in the history of strategy RPGs. Ramza Beoulve is just a guy trying to save the world, and FFT made me believe he can because I made his ragtag band of misfits into walking nuclear weapons.
Sucker Punch’s sequel to Ghost of Tsushima plays things relatively safe. It doesn’t change things up dramatically but instead polishes the experience. Which means the experience isn’t all that different from its predecessor — that means lush landscapes to explore, lots of combat techniques to learn, and, uh, plenty of hot springs to bathe in — but everything feels more finely tuned this time around. That’s especially true of the game’s tale of revenge, which is both more gripping than the original and also gives the open-world experience some much-needed structure.
The original Death Stranding was so weird that half of the fun was just wrapping your head around the experience. I’m not sure I really understood it until I was almost done (if at all). The sequel is still plenty weird, but because it builds off of the previous game, it’s also much easier to understand from the get-go. It’s still a delivery simulator where you trek across a postapocalyptic landscape to get goods and people where they’re needed. But now the setting has shifted to Australia, which means there are new environmental elements to deal with — hello, sandstorms — along with a whole new cast of weirdo characters to meet, played by everyone from Elle Fanning to George Miller.
But don’t worry; the story is still as inscrutable as ever.
Bennett Foddy sure made you feel the “walking” part of this elaborate walking simulator. In Baby Steps, your job is to walk, and you do that by controlling every move involved in taking a step, down to the fine motor details. What results is a hilarious examination of human psychology, emotional maturity, and a newfound appreciation for just how hard it is to ambulate a body with nothing more than DualSense trigger buttons.
When Lumines Arise was first announced, I made the mistake of asking, “Oh, is it a series or something?”, unfamiliar with Lumines’ days as a PSP powerhouse. My elders have never let me live that down, so I thought I’d see for myself what the game is.
Lumines Arise is Evil Dr. Tetris Effect Mean Bean Machine. Mean Bean Machine in that the game is played by globbing together matching blocks in two-by-two configurations. It’s part Tetris Effect because the game has an incredible synth / pop-house soundtrack that’s synced to the action, creating a full-body puzzle-playing experience. And evil in that the game is hard as shit. My skills as a Tetris player, limited though they are, just do not transfer to Lumines Arise. But! There is a flow state I can reach. Throughout playing, the shapes of the blocks will change from blocks, to eggs, to clocks, whatever, and I’ve found some patterns are easier to group than others. It’s interesting and fun to figure out what shapes make the game easier for me and which ones are impossible to configure.
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