PC; Origame Digital
This odd but absorbing adventure sends you waddling across Antarctica in search of an eldritch entity – uncovering a world far stranger than it first appears

A Nazi kneels down on frozen snow, staring at an endless Antarctic horizon. Another holds a gun to his head, ready to end his own life. I direct a small waddling penguin up to them, trying to imagine what it could be thinking. Dismay, perhaps. Likely bewilderment. But then a faint smile seems to break out across its beaky face, as if amused by these silly humans and their misguided belief that they could ever best this howling, harsh landscape.

For most games, the idea of playing as a penguin observing Nazis losing the plot near the south pole would be weird enough. But Penguin Colony, developed by Origame Digital, pushes further. This is an audacious, frequently brilliant retelling of HP Lovecraft’s 1936 novella At the Mountains of Madness, in which eldritch horrors are just as common as Nazis. Further weirdness abounds: the many collectibles scattered about this place are not shiny gold objects à la Super Mario or Sonic. Rather, they are words. So tottering about as a semiaquatic bird, you have a unique mission: collect human language.

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© Photograph: Origame Digital/Fellow Traveller

© Photograph: Origame Digital/Fellow Traveller

© Photograph: Origame Digital/Fellow Traveller

As tourists drank margaritas and lounged at a nearby beach club on a warm January day in Cozumel, Mexico, a scientist observed a young female raccoon partaking in her own kind of leisure. The researcher watched as the raccoon pulled from a trash can a long paper receipt, sculpted it into a ball and began batting it between her paws like a football. But then, researchers say, the animal did something even more surprising — she taught her family how to make the balls and play with them, too. (NYT gift link, archive)

When a user uploads a Minecraft video to YouTube, it automatically gets listed under the Minecraft category. Many of these uploads received only 100 views. This site brings together those raw unseen gameplay videos: Minecraft Roulette

A project by Mike Wing

Researchers have uncovered ToxicPanda 2.0, an Android banking Trojan and remote-access tool designed for account takeover and “on-device fraud.”

Not only does ToxicPanda 2.0 have a much larger target list of banks and e-wallets, it has also expanded its capabilities by combining banking overlays, remote access, PIN capture, Android accessibility abuse, and attempted Wireless Debugging automation. Together, those functions can help operators turn a compromised phone into a platform for account takeover, financial fraud, and longer-term device control.

The core objective is on-device fraud. That means that rather than logging in from an attacker-controlled machine, the operator can carry out actions from the victim’s infected phone, taking over the device, IP address, app session, and behavioral context that banks may use when deciding whether a transaction is fraudulent.

ToxicPanda 2.0 is built around abusing Android’s Accessibility Service, a legitimate feature intended to help people interact with their devices. When a victim grants this permission to a malicious app, the malware can inspect interface elements, observe app activity, automate interactions, and place deceptive content over legitimate apps, known as overlays.

ToxicPanda has historically relied on social engineering to persuade users to sideload a malicious Android application rather than install it through Google Play. The latest campaign uses Amazon AWS-hosted buckets to deliver ToxicPanda 2.0 samples.

After installation, the dropper presents a fake installation flow, requests VPN privileges, blocks certain Google Play and Google Play Services network communications, decrypts an embedded payload, and then seeks Accessibility Service permission for the installed payload.

The consequences can include stolen banking usernames and passwords, intercepted or captured PINs, fraudulent transactions, loss of access to the device, and exposure of the phone’s screen-lock secret. An attacker that can operate inside an active banking session from the victim’s device may have a better chance of evading controls designed to identify unfamiliar devices or unusual login locations.

How to stay safe

However sophisticated it is, ToxicPanda 2.0 still relies heavily on social engineering to get targets to install the malicious app and give it the permissions it needs. So our main recommendations are:

• Avoid sideloading apps, especially from links in unsolicited messages, ads, or alleged support communications.
• Treat requests for Accessibility access, Device Administrator privileges, developer settings, and VPN permissions with particular caution, especially if it’s not clear why the app needs those permissions or if you don’t fully trust it.
• Use an up-to-date, real-time anti-malware solution for your device that can detect and block the malicious payload. Malwarebytes for Android detects apps in the ToxicPanda 2.0 campaign as Android/Trojan.Dropper.agent and Android/Trojan.FakeApp.ACR2401245FC11.

If your device is infected

Although it may require a factory reset to regain control of an infected device, there are some things you can try first:

• First, put the phone in airplane mode and turn off Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. This can cut off command-and-control communications and ongoing credential theft while you investigate.
• Use another device to freeze or closely monitor transactions, revoke active sessions, and reset your banking credentials.
• Do not interact with fake “system update” screens or unexpected prompts for Accessibility, VPN, Device Administrator, Developer Options, or Wireless Debugging.
• Start Android Safe Mode. Google recommends Safe Mode to help identify problems caused by downloaded apps. Remove recently installed or suspicious apps one at a time, reboot normally, and see whether the problem returns.
• Remove Accessibility access first. In Settings > Accessibility > Installed apps/Downloaded apps, disable any service you do not recognize. Focus on recently installed apps or anything pretending to be an update, system component, security tool, document viewer, or bank helper.
• Next, check Device Administrator rights. Go to Security & privacy > More security settings > Device admin apps and disable any unrecognized administrator before attempting removal. An app with Device Administrator privileges can make the Uninstall control unavailable.
• Then check your VPNs. Go to Settings > Network & internet > VPN or search Settings for “VPN,” and delete any VPN profile you did not deliberately install. The ToxicPanda dropper uses VPN permission as part of its reported Google Play and Google Play Services blocking process.
• Disable dangerous developer functionality. Search Settings for Developer options, turn it off entirely, and make sure Wireless debugging and USB debugging are off.
• Remove all the suspicious apps you found. Go to Settings > Apps > See all apps, enable Show system apps if necessary, then locate recently installed or unfamiliar apps. Force stop the suspicious app, clear its storage, and select Uninstall. If an app has a generic name, blank icon, odd install date, or was installed outside Google Play, treat it as suspicious. 
• Reboot normally after removal, then re-check Accessibility, Device Administrator, VPN, and Developer Options. Also review the installed-app list for a second suspicious package, since the reported campaign uses a dropper to decrypt and install its payload.

Please note: The given paths in Settings may differ depending on your device manufacturer or Android version.

If you’re having trouble removing ToxicPanda manually and you can’t install or update Malwarebytes, please reach out to our Support team. They can walk you through the process.

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Google fined €890 million by the European Commission for breaching the Digital Markets Act (DMA) over its practices on Google Search and Google Play. The Commission issued two separate fines of €460 million and €430 million, finding that Google had failed to comply with the DMA's rules on self-preferencing and steering. The decisions concern how Google ranks its own services in search results and how app developers can communicate alternative offers to users through Google Play.

Google Fined Over Self-preferencing on Google Search

The Commission found that Google breached the DMA by giving preferential treatment to its own services, including shopping, hotels, transport and sports results, compared with third-party services appearing in Google Search. Under the DMA, designated gatekeepers are required to treat their own services and third-party services fairly and without discrimination in search rankings. According to the Commission, Google gives its own services greater prominence by placing them at the top of search results or displaying them with enhanced visuals and filters. The Commission said similar third-party services do not receive the same level of prominence. The Commission's decision requires Google to treat third-party services featured in its search results in a fair and non-discriminatory manner compared with its own services. The Commission also noted that Google has proposed and started testing changes to the way it presents its own services on Google Search, including free services covering shopping, hotels and flights. The Commission said these changes represent substantial progress towards compliance and will be monitored. Google has also proposed and started testing changes involving shopping ads and content-related services, including sports. The Commission is assessing these changes and will continue discussions with the company. The dialogue will also cover Google's proposals for applying the principles of the decision to AI Overviews and AI Mode.

Google Play Restrictions Lead to Second Fine

The second decision concerns Google's anti-steering practices on Google Play. Under the DMA, app developers distributing apps through Google Play must be able to inform customers about alternative, often cheaper offers at no cost. Developers should also be able to direct users to make purchases through other channels, including websites and alternative app stores. The Commission found that Google failed to meet these requirements. It said Google restricted app developers from freely communicating and promoting offers and from concluding contracts with users through distribution channels of their choice, including third-party app stores. The Commission acknowledged that Google can charge a fee for facilitating the initial acquisition of a new customer by an app developer through Google Play. However, it found that the level of Google's steering-related fees and the length of time those fees were charged went beyond what is considered compliant with the DMA. Google has since rolled out changes related to its steering terms. The Commission said these changes represent good progress towards compliance but will be assessed in light of the cease and desist order issued as part of the decision.

Digital Markets Act Enforcement Brings Compliance Deadline

As part of the two decisions, the Commission has ordered Google to end the identified non-compliance. The company must implement measures addressing both search rankings and its anti-steering rules. Google is required to comply with the Commission's decisions within 60 days. If it fails to do so, it could face periodic penalty payments of up to 5% of its total worldwide turnover. The fines take into account the gravity and duration of the non-compliance. The Commission said it also considered the recurrence of the breaches and concluded that the fines were proportionate and appropriate. Google may appeal the decisions.

Commission Investigations Began in 2024

Google was designated as a gatekeeper in September 2023 for its online search engine, Google Search. On 25 March 2024, the Commission opened non-compliance investigations into Google's measures addressing self-preferencing and its steering rules. On 19 March 2025, the Commission informed Google of its preliminary view that the company was in breach of the DMA. Google subsequently exercised its rights of defence by reviewing the documents in the Commission's investigation files and responding in writing to the preliminary findings. The two decisions followed a detailed investigation that included feedback from market participants and extensive dialogue with Google. The Commission said the decisions demonstrate its continued enforcement of the DMA and its focus on protecting fairness, business opportunities, consumer choice and innovation in digital markets.