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The Verge’s 2024 back-to-school gift guide

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The Verge’s 2024 back-to-school gift guide

Maruman Mnemosyne N196 B6 Notepad

A simple, compact notepad is like a trusted companion, one that can help you get your thoughts and tasks in order. The real, functional beauty of this Maruman Mnemosyne notebook is its top-oriented spiral binding, which makes it lay flat and offers corner-to-corner writability, even for southpaws.
Price: $5.40+

Belkin BoostCharge Magnetic Wireless Power Bank 5K + Stand

If you own a MagSafe-compatible iPhone, you’re doing yourself a disservice by pairing it with an old-fashioned power bank that relies solely on cables. All you need to do with Belkin’s portable charger is slap it onto the back of your phone, providing you with enough juice to recharge even a Max-sized iPhone while on the go. The kickstand and fun color options are just a bonus.
Price: $30.71+

Timbuk2 Custom Prospect Backpack

Choosing a bag you will carry with you all day, every day, for years to come can be tough. Timbuk2 offers deep customization options for its 22-liter Prospect Backpack, however, allowing you to pick the colors for up to six exterior panels. Needless to say, you can go full peacock with vivid hues or as subdued and sleek as you’d like.
Price: $112.59+

Beats Studio Pro

Noise-canceling headphones can help you focus by suppressing distracting sounds, and the Beats Studio Pro are a good choice for anyone who doesn’t want to be locked into a single ecosystem. They offer good sound, a helpful transparency mode designed to let the outside world in, and most importantly, native support for both iOS and Android features.
Price: $179.95+

Steam Deck OLED

The Steam Deck OLED is the perfect way to relieve stress between classes. Valve’s handheld PC plays all sorts of games, ranging from a vast array of indies to even some open-world 3D titles like Elden Ring and Cyberpunk 2077. It certainly beats trying to play games on a school-assigned Mac or Chromebook, so long as you can keep the procrastination to a minimum.
Price: $549+

Majohn A1 “Moonman” retractable fountain pen

The real OG of retractable fountain pens is Pilot’s Vanishing Point (which you should get if you can afford its very high price), but this imitator is a fine substitute for us normies. The Majohn A1 writes great and makes note-taking or journaling with a traditional pen speedier and more casual, namely because its steel nib appears with a satisfyingly quick click.
Price: $36.79

Logitech MX Vertical wireless mouse

Hand and wrist pain, often a result of marathon computer sessions, can really put a hamper on your work. The Logitech MX Vertical may not pull double duty for gaming like most wireless mice, but its tilted, upright positioning can help prevent those long days doing research at the library from coming back to haunt you.
Price: $81.99+

Owala FreeSip water bottle (40-ounce)

Owala’s insulated bottles keep drinks chilled all day, and their swing-top lid keeps dirt off the spout while concealing a hidden internal straw for easy sipping. It’s kind of like you’re getting the best parts of a conventional water bottle and those uber-popular Stanley cups, all without feeling like you’re succumbing to another trend that may one day age like milk.
Price: $32.94+

Apple AirTag

If you’re an iPhone user, Apple’s AirTags are a great way to help find your keys, backpack, or handbag should you ever misplace them. Those textbooks cost enough money as it is — you don’t want to have to buy them twice.
Price: $22.99+

Kindle Paperwhite (2021)

Amazon’s latest Kindle Paperwhite is an easy choice among e-readers for just about anyone. It has a massive ecosystem of books, an easy-to-read 6.8-inch display with adjustable warmth for nighttime reading, and a battery that can easily last a month. It’s even waterproof, allowing for a bit of poolside reading or, at the very least, some “oops” protection.
Price: $149.99

Glocusent Book Light

Late-night cram sessions can be a huge strain on your eyes, especially if you don’t want to turn on the lights and disturb your jerk of a roommate who had the audacity to get their studying done on time. Thankfully, Glocusent’s ultra-nerdy Book Light is a subtle, low-light alternative that’s not nearly as limiting as a clip-on book light.
Price: $17.99+

2024 MacBook Air (13-inch)

Regardless of what Google might tell you, Apple’s latest MacBook Air is the quintessential student laptop. The M3 machine offers a great display and enough battery life to get through a full day of classes, along with enough performance headroom to tackle everyday tasks and light creative work for years to come.
Price: $849.98+

Keychron V1 Max mechanical keyboard

If you’re a student, chances are you’re going to spend countless hours tap-tap-tapping away at a keyboard. So, why not make the experience as enjoyable as possible with a touch of nerdy fun? The Keychron V1 Max may be the best gateway into mechanical keyboards we’ve seen, with satisfying typing feel and sound, hot-swappable switches, and loads of customizability.
Price: $94+

Apple EarPods (USB-C)

Wireless earbuds are great, but sometimes, dealing with a small wire feels easier than dealing with another rechargeable battery. Apple’s basic USB-C EarPods work with just about any current phone, tablet, or laptop — even those without a 3.5mm audio jack. What’s more, the mic on these cheap-o buds sounds better than what you might get with a premium pair of Bluetooth headphones.
Price: $17+

League of Lexicon

Fool the kids into learning with League of Lexicon, which is kind of like if Trivial Pursuit was all about words, languages, and their origins. It’s also a beautifully designed quiz game, with terrific art and an easy learning curve for kids as young as 10 years old.
Price: $39.99

Samsung Portable SSD T7 (1TB)

Storing precious files and documents between classes is not something to be taken lightly, as data loss can be a nightmare. Samsung’s portable T7 drive is a good balance of speed, reliability, and price. The aluminum-clad SSD offers plug-and-play functionality for both Windows and macOS machines, as well as iPads.
Price: $99.99+

Philips Hue Solo Lightstrip (10-foot)

In terms of design, dorm rooms range from the mundane to giving off borderline-prison vibes. Luckily, a simple LED strip is an easy way to make things feel cozier and more dramatic. The Philips Hue Solo Lightstrip tucks behind or around furniture and can mimic the warmth of the sun (or any hue) throughout the day, making it easy to add a splash of light to any space.
Price: $54.34+

8BitDo Retro 18 Mechanical Numpad

When you account for laptops, most keyboards have done away with the classic number pad. But what if it returned as a wireless, ambidextrous numpad that also happened to function as a standalone calculator? That’s what 8BitDo has built with this lovely bit of retro-styled tech, which flaunts classic IBM colors and clicky mechanical switches.
Price: $44.99

Azhido Laundry Backpack Bag

Nobody should have to lug their dirty laundry home or to the laundromat in a plastic trash bag, especially when a simple backpack like Azhido’s does the job for so little. The inexpensive, jumbo-sized bag features both backpack straps and tote handles, rendering it a useful tool for the cleaners or your next trip to the beach.
Price: $22.49+

JisuLife Handheld Fan Life8

JisuLife’s portable, folding USB fan has a rechargeable battery that will keep you cool for hours, whether you’re holding it or using its built-in stand to prop it up on a table. Plus, it looks like a cute little bear when packed up to throw in your purse or bag. I don’t think you can ask for much more from such a cool cub.
Price: $14.39+

Ninja Air Fryer (AF101 Series)

Campus life can be rife with food waste from the dining hall, but you don’t have to let those leftovers go unloved. Instead, use a reheating method that best preserves the taste and texture. An air fryer is basically just a small convection oven, which makes it perfect for dorm / apartment living — because nobody wants soggy french fries or mushy pizza.
Price: $89.99+

Nespresso Vertuo Pop Plus

Sometimes, group discussions and late-night cram sessions call for more than the occasional cup of the black stuff. A Nespresso machine may sound like a bit of a luxury, but it will feel well worth it when you’re running on fumes during finals week and have both coffee and espresso at your fingertips.
Price: $99.99+

Fitbit Ace LTE

Google’s new Fitbit Ace LTE gives parents some peace of mind with GPS tracking and a selection of fun, step-activated games that motivate your child to keep moving. The smartwatch requires a $9.99 monthly subscription, but at least it doesn’t require you to go through a carrier or purchase your kid a phone before they’re ready.
Price: $229.95

PlanetBox lunch box

Making sure the kiddos actually eat the lunch you’re sending them to school with is no small feat. That being said, your little learners are sure to take some pride in brown-bagging it if you let them customize their tray and lunch bag with a custom-ordered PlanetBox (and magnet pack).
Price: $25.46+

Votes for Women board game

Help teach a youngin’ how history isn’t boring at all when you interact with it and see how it relates to you today. Votes for Women is an upcoming card game based in the women’s suffrage movement of the US, allowing for some light education that can be played either competitively or cooperatively.
Price: $74.99+

Satechi 200W USB-C 6-Port GaN Charger

Rechargeable batteries power much of our lives these days, and this satechi charger can handle just about everything for both work and play. Plug this 200W-capable hub into a wall outlet at your desk and you’ve got six lovely USB-C ports at your disposal to power everything from your laptop to your phone and all the odds and ends.
Price: $149.99

Python Flash Cards

Study up your STEM with these Python programming flash cards. These 101 cards quiz you on syntax, vocabulary, and more in the versatile programming language. The beginner-friendly cards are great for light and quick study sessions to help keep you sharp.
Price: $21.63+

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Here’s your first look at Kratos in Amazon’s God of War show

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Here’s your first look at Kratos in Amazon’s God of War show

Amazon has slowly been teasing out casting details for its live-action adaptation of God of War, and now we have our first look at the show. It’s a single image but a notable one showing protagonist Kratos and his son Atreus. The characters are played by Ryan Hurst and Callum Vinson, respectively, and they look relatively close to their video game counterparts.

There aren’t a lot of other details about the show just yet, but this is Amazon’s official description:

The God of War series storyline follows father and son Kratos and Atreus as they embark on a journey to spread the ashes of their wife and mother, Faye. Through their adventures, Kratos tries to teach his son to be a better god, while Atreus tries to teach his father how to be a better human.

That sounds a lot like the recent soft reboot of the franchise, which started with 2018’s God of War and continued through Ragnarök in 2022. For the Amazon series, Ronald D. Moore, best-known for his work on For All Mankind and Battlestar Galactica, will serve as showrunner. The rest of the cast includes: Mandy Patinkin (Odin), Ed Skrein (Baldur), Max Parker (Heimdall), Ólafur Darri Ólafsson (Thor), Teresa Palmer (Sif), Alastair Duncan (Mimir), Jeff Gulka (Sindri), and Danny Woodburn (Brok).

While production is underway on the God of War series, there’s no word on when it might start streaming.

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300,000 Chrome users hit by fake AI extensions

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300,000 Chrome users hit by fake AI extensions

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Your web browser may feel like a safe place, especially when you install helpful tools that promise to make your life easier. But security researchers have uncovered a dangerous campaign in which more than 300,000 people installed Chrome extensions pretending to be artificial intelligence (AI) assistants. Instead of helping, these fake tools secretly collect sensitive information like your emails, passwords and browsing activity.

They used familiar names like ChatGPT, Gemini and AI Assistant. If you use Chrome and have installed any AI-related extension, your personal information may already be exposed. Even worse, some of these malicious extensions are still available today, putting more people at risk without their knowing.

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More than 300,000 Chrome users installed fake AI extensions that secretly harvested sensitive data. (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

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What you need to know about fake AI extensions

Security researchers at browser security company LayerX discovered a large campaign involving 30 malicious Chrome extensions disguised as AI-powered assistants (via BleepingComputer). Together, these extensions were installed more than 300,000 times by unsuspecting users.

Some of the most popular extensions included names like AI Sidebar with 70,000 users, AI Assistant with 60,000 users, ChatGPT Translate with 30,000 users, and Google Gemini with 10,000 users. Another extension called Gemini AI Sidebar had 80,000 users before it was removed.

These extensions were distributed through the official Chrome Web Store, which made them appear legitimate and trustworthy. Even more concerning, researchers found that many of these extensions were connected to the same malicious server, showing they were part of a coordinated effort.

While some extensions have since been removed, others remain available. This means new users could still unknowingly install them and expose their personal data. Here’s the list of the affected extensions:

  • AI Assistant
  • Llama
  • Gemini AI Sidebar
  • AI Sidebar
  • ChatGPT Sidebar
  • Grok
  • Asking ChatGPT
  • ChatGBT
  • Chat Bot GPT
  • Grok Chatbot
  • Chat With Gemini
  • XAI
  • Google Gemini
  • Ask Gemini
  • AI Letter Generator
  • AI Message Generator
  • AI Translator
  • AI For Translation
  • AI Cover Letter Generator
  • AI Image Generator ChatGPT
  • Ai Wallpaper Generator
  • Ai Picture Generator
  • DeepSeek Download
  • AI Email Writer
  • Email Generator AI
  • DeepSeek Chat
  • ChatGPT Picture Generator
  • ChatGPT Translate
  • AI GPT
  • ChatGPT Translation
  • ChatGPT for Gmail

FAKE AI CHAT RESULTS ARE SPREADING DANGEROUS MAC MALWARE

These malicious tools were listed in the official Chrome Web Store, making them appear legitimate and trustworthy. (LayerX)

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How the fake AI Chrome extension attack works

These fake extensions pretend to offer helpful AI features, such as translating text, summarizing emails, or acting as an AI assistant. But behind the scenes, they quietly monitor what you are doing online.

Once installed, the extension gains permission to view and interact with the websites you visit. This allows it to read the contents of web pages, including login screens where you enter your username and password.

In some cases, the extensions specifically targeted Gmail. They could read your email messages directly from your browser, including emails you received and even drafts you were still writing. This means attackers could access private conversations, financial information and sensitive personal details.

The extensions then sent this information to servers controlled by the attackers. Because they loaded content remotely, the attackers could change their behavior at any time without needing to update the extension.

Some versions could also activate voice features through your browser. This could potentially capture spoken conversations near your device and send transcripts back to the attackers.

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If you installed one of these extensions, attackers may already have access to extremely sensitive information. This includes your email content, login credentials, browsing habits and possibly even voice recordings.

We reached out to Google for comment, and a spokesperson told CyberGuy that the company “can confirm that the extensions from this report have all been removed from the Google Web Store.”

BROWSER EXTENSION MALWARE INFECTED 8.8M USERS IN DARKSPECTRE ATTACK

Once installed, the extensions could read emails, capture passwords, monitor browsing activity and send the data to attacker-controlled servers. (Bildquelle/ullstein bild via Getty Images)

7 ways you can protect yourself from malicious Chrome extensions

If you have ever installed an AI-related Chrome extension, taking a few simple precautions now can help protect your accounts and prevent further damage.

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1) Remove any suspicious or unused browser extensions

On a Windows PC or Mac, open Chrome and type chrome://extensions into the address bar. Review every extension listed. If you see anything unfamiliar, especially AI assistants you don’t remember installing, click “Remove” immediately. Malicious extensions depend on going unnoticed. Removing them stops further data collection and cuts off the attacker’s access to your information.

2) Change your passwords

If you installed any suspicious extension, assume your passwords may be compromised. Start by changing your email password first, since email controls access to most other accounts. Then update passwords for banking, shopping and social media accounts. This prevents attackers from using stolen credentials to break into your accounts.

3) Use a password manager to create and protect strong passwords

A password manager generates unique, complex passwords for each account and stores them securely. This prevents attackers from accessing multiple accounts if one password is stolen. Password managers also alert you if your login credentials appear in known data breaches, helping you respond quickly and protect your identity. Check out the best expert-reviewed password managers of 2026 at Cyberguy.com.

4) Install strong antivirus software and keep it active

Good antivirus software can detect malicious browser extensions, spyware, and other hidden threats. It scans your system for suspicious activity and blocks harmful programs before they can steal your information. This adds an important layer of protection that works continuously in the background to keep your device safe. Get my picks for the best 2026 antivirus protection winners for your Windows, Mac, Android & iOS devices at Cyberguy.com.

5) Use an identity theft protection service

Identity theft protection services monitor your personal data, including email addresses, financial accounts, and Social Security numbers, for signs of misuse. If criminals try to open accounts or commit fraud using your information, you receive alerts quickly. Early detection allows you to act fast and limit financial and personal damage. See my tips and best picks on how to protect yourself from identity theft at Cyberguy.com.

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6) Keep your browser and computer fully updated

Software updates fix security vulnerabilities that attackers exploit. Enable automatic updates for Chrome and your operating system so you always have the latest protections. These updates strengthen your defenses against malicious extensions and prevent attackers from taking advantage of known weaknesses.

7) Use a personal data removal service

Personal data removal services scan data broker websites that collect and sell your personal information. They help remove your data from these sites, reducing what attackers can find and use against you. Less exposed information means fewer opportunities for criminals to target you with scams, identity theft or phishing attacks.

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.

Get a free scan to find out if your personal information is already out on the web: Cyberguy.com.

Kurt’s key takeaway

Even tools designed to make your life easier can become tools for cybercriminals. Malicious extensions often hide behind trusted names and convincing features, making them difficult to spot. You can significantly reduce your risk by reviewing your browser extensions regularly, removing anything suspicious and using protective tools like password managers and strong antivirus software.

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Have you checked your browser extensions recently? Let us know your thoughts by writing to us at Cyberguy.com.

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Anthropic refuses Pentagon’s new terms, standing firm on lethal autonomous weapons and mass surveillance

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Anthropic refuses Pentagon’s new terms, standing firm on lethal autonomous weapons and mass surveillance

Less than 24 hours before the deadline in an ultimatum issued by the Pentagon, Anthropic has refused the Department of Defense’s demands for unrestricted access to its AI.

It’s the culmination of a dramatic exchange of public statements, social media posts, and behind-the-scenes negotiations, coming down to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s desire to renegotiate all AI labs’ current contracts with the military. But Anthropic, so far, has refused to back down from its two current red lines: no mass surveillance of Americans, and no lethal autonomous weapons (or weapons with license to kill targets with no human oversight whatsoever). OpenAI and xAI had reportedly already agreed to the new terms, while Anthropic’s refusal had led to CEO Dario Amodei being summoned to the White House this week for a meeting with Hegseth himself, in which the Secretary reportedly issued an ultimatum to the CEO to back down by the end of business day on Friday or else.

In a statement late Thursday, Amodei wrote, “I believe deeply in the existential importance of using AI to defend the United States and other democracies, and to defeat our autocratic adversaries. Anthropic has therefore worked proactively to deploy our models to the Department of War and the intelligence community.”

He added that the company has “never raised objections to particular military operations nor attempted to limit use of our technology in an ad hoc manner” but that in a “narrow set of cases, we believe AI can undermine, rather than defend, democratic values” — going on to specifically mention mass domestic surveillance and fully autonomous weapons. (Amodei mentioned that “partial autonomous weapons … are vital to the defense of democracy” and that fully autonomous weapons may eventually “prove critical for our national defense,” but that “today, frontier AI systems are simply not reliable enough to power fully autonomous weapons.” He did not rule out Anthropic acquiescing to the military’s use of fully autonomous weapons in the future but mentioned that they were not ready now.)

The Pentagon had already reportedly asked major defense contractors to assess their dependence on Anthropic’s Claude, which could be seen as the first step to designating the company a “supply chain risk” – a public threat that the Pentagon had made recently (and a classification usually reserved for threats to national security). The Pentagon was also reportedly considering invoking the Defense Production Act to make Anthropic comply.

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Amodei wrote in his statement that the Pentagon’s “threats do not change our position: we cannot in good conscience accede to their request.” He also wrote that “should the Department choose to offboard Anthropic, we will work to enable a smooth transition to another provider, avoiding any disruption to ongoing military planning, operations, or other critical missions. Our models will be available on the expansive terms we have proposed for as long as required.”

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