Technologies

Aflac Reveals Just How Big Its Data Breach Really Was

The insurance company says the compromised information included Social Security numbers and health insurance information.

Following up on a data breach that it first reported in June, insurance provider Aflac revealed in December that the incursion compromised the personal data of 22.65 million people. In its update, the company said that files containing personal data related to customers, beneficiaries and employees may have included contact information, claims, health information and Social Security numbers.

Aflac said it addressed the breach within hours and began notifying customers soon after. On its homepage, Aflac has a link to a PDF document that includes details on what it’s offering customers to address the breach, including 24 free months of CyEx cybersecurity services.

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The service includes credit monitoring, medical information protection services and identity theft monitoring.

In a press release, the company downplayed the effects of the data breach. «To date, Aflac is not aware of any fraudulent use of personal information and —along with third-party partners —will continue to monitor any fraudulent activity,» it said.

A representative for Aflac told CNET the company has no further comment beyond what it has posted on its website.

The businesses you interact with — insurers, health care providers, financial services companies, retailers and so on — are a trove of personal information about about you that cybercriminals are constantly trying to access. Some ways you can protect your private data include locking your Social Security number, improving your passwords and being on guard against phishing.

Technologies

I Tested the Huawei Pura X: This Wide-Screen Flip Phone Is Refreshing and Fun

Huawei’s Pura X is the wildest flip phone to exist and one of the only two foldable phones that I’ve loved watching videos on.

I’ve tested several flip phones in the past, but I never stuck to any. My lifestyle doesn’t require a phone that folds into a smaller footprint to fit inside my pocket. There’s a market for them, no doubt, but when I’m using a foldable phone, I want it to expand the capabilities of my current phone. And that’s why I’ve loved using the Huawei Pura X.

Most flip phones are narrower and taller than traditional smartphones. They have big 6.9-inch screens with a 21:9 aspect ratio, but the Pura X is unique by design. It has a smaller 6.3-inch display with a wider 16:10 aspect ratio, making it an ideal screen for reading and video consumption. The Huawei Pura X is a refreshing take on flip phones. It is closer to a mini book-style foldable than a flip phone. In fact, I have enjoyed using it more than the Motorola Razrs and Galaxy Z Flips of the world.

Huawei Pura X: What’s it like to use a wide-screen flip phone?

I couldn’t use the Pura X as my primary phone because it is a China-only device. So, most of its preloaded apps are in Chinese. I installed a few Google apps like Chrome and YouTube, among others, to make the experience as close as possible to my main device.

In the last 10 days, I’ve loved consuming content, both video and written, on the Huawei flip phone. It combines the pocketability of a flip phone with the readability of a book-style fold in a single device — while also delivering a better video-watching experience than both of them.

The Pura X unfolds to a 6.3-inch AMOLED display with support for a dynamic 120Hz refresh rate, 2,120×1,320-pixel resolution and 2,500 nits peak brightness for supported HDR content. These specs might seem similar to the iPhone 17, Galaxy S25 and Google Pixel 10, but the Pura X has a wider 16:10 aspect ratio (versus 20:9 on slab phones). Its biggest benefit is immediately noticeable when watching movies and YouTube videos.

The video consumption experience on foldable phones typically isn’t ideal. They usually have huge letterboxing (thick black borders) on either top and bottom (on the Galaxy Z Fold 7) or left and right (on the Galaxy Z Flip 7). Movies shot in 21:9 fare better on flip phones but worse on book-style foldables. The Huawei Pura X minimizes this letterboxing with its 16:10 screen, while also offering a similar on-screen watchable area.

This might surprise many, but as you can see from the above photo, you get a larger video viewing area on Huawei’s 6.3-inch display than Samsung and Motorola’s 6.9-inch flip phone screens. In fact, 16:9 YouTube videos on the Pura X are almost as big as on the Galaxy Z Fold 7 (in the slightly wider horizontal orientation). This is only the second time I’ve loved watching videos on a foldable phone (the first was the Huawei Mate XT trifold phone, also for its increased viewing area with a 16:11 aspect ratio, when fully unfolded).

It also provides a pleasing reading and web browsing experience — you just need to rotate the phone in vertical orientation. By design, the Pura X is slippery, and its wider design doesn’t help the in-hand grip. Thankfully, it weighs under 200 grams, so it isn’t as heavy as modern flagship phones. I got used to it within a few hours.

Another learning curve was getting used to the placement of buttons and unfolding it like a Fold (from the right side) instead of a Flip (from the bottom). The latter was easy, but I still struggle with the former.

When you unfold the Pura X, you need to rotate it by 90 degrees to change its orientation to use vertically. Huawei’s user interface doesn’t allow you to use the phone horizontally. So, every time I open the Pura X, its volume rockers and power button (with a built-in fingerprint scanner for biometric authentication) swap places.

The fingerprint sensor that resides on the natural resting place on my thumb (when the phone is folded) moves to the top of the phone when it is unfolded. I have added my index finger data to unlock the phone, and it might not be a big deal in the long term, once my muscle memory has gotten used to it. But so far, it has been slightly bothersome to get a mention here.

The rest of the specs and features

The Huawei Pura X has a 3.5-inch OLED cover screen with a 980×980-pixel resolution and the same dynamic 120Hz refresh rate. It isn’t as large as Samsung and Motorola flip phones, but it can run a full-fledged browser and multiple first-party apps. This 1:1 display is also good enough to capture selfies using the rear cameras, of which you get three.

Huawei has included a 50-megapixel primary camera with an f/1.6 aperture. It is accompanied by a 40-megapixel f/2.2 ultrawide-angle sensor and an 8-megapixel telephoto camera with support for a 3.5x optical zoom.

For context, most flip phones have only two rear cameras, but the Pura X’s optics are as versatile as a slab phone. The camera performance is similar to what you’d expect from a Huawei phone: smooth and brightened skin tones, good dynamic range and rich details.

The Huawei Pura X is powered by last year’s Kirin 9020 chipset and has up to 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage. My unit runs on HarmonyOS 6.0, which is smooth and fluid in day-to-day use. It packs a 4,720-mAh battery with support for 66-watt wired superfast charging and 40-watt wireless fast charging.

The Pura X is for those who want the best video consumption experience on a foldable phone, without compromising portability and cameras. It was launched earlier this year at a starting price of 7,499 yuan (roughly $1,065) for the 12GB RAM and 256GB storage version. However, it received a price cut recently and is now selling for 6,899 yuan (roughly $980).

After using the Huawei Pura X, I can confidently say that wide-screen foldable phones have their own place in the niche category. It has made me more excited for the rumored 4:3 iPhone Fold and Samsung «Wide Fold» in 2026.

Technologies

Verum Messenger Introduces Its Own Next-Generation eSIM Technology

Digital mobile connectivity is evolving rapidly, and eSIM is becoming a key element of this transformation. The Verum Messenger team has developed and launched its own eSIM technology, designed for users who value freedom of communication, the absence of roaming, and independence from operator restrictions.

Verum eSIM is a virtual SIM card that works without a physical carrier and provides mobile internet access in different countries around the world under unified conditions. Users simply install the eSIM on a smartphone, tablet, Wi-Fi router, or any other supported device — without visiting a mobile store and without replacing a SIM card. From the very beginning, the technology was designed as a global solution, not tied to a single operator or region.

Verum eSIM offers a range of regional and international plans: World eSIM (global coverage), London eSIM, USA eSIM, Euro eSIM, Africa eSIM, Türkiye eSIM, Canada eSIM, Balkan eSIM, Ukraine eSIM. The key difference is the absence of traditional roaming. Users receive stable mobile internet in multiple countries without sudden tariff changes or unexpected charges.

One of the core features of the technology is its operation without a physical SIM card. This minimizes dependence on local operators, allows users to bypass network restrictions and blocks, and enables effective use of eSIM in countries with strict internet censorship, including Russia. When using only the Verum eSIM profile, connection flexibility and privacy levels are significantly increased.

A separate advantage of Verum eSIM is full support for eSIM-enabled Wi-Fi routers. All available plans can be used not only on smartphones but also on compatible eSIM routers, providing internet access to multiple devices at once. Such a router can serve as the primary internet source at home, in the office, while traveling, in cars, on yachts, or in temporary locations, automatically connecting to available networks in different countries without being tied to local operators.

The Verum team focuses on affordable and transparent pricing. Plans are structured to be competitive compared to local operators and traditional international roaming. Users know the data cost in advance and do not encounter hidden fees.

For user convenience, Verum eSIM supports a wide range of payment methods, including bank cards, cryptocurrencies, and alternative payment solutions. This makes the service accessible to users from different countries with various financial instruments.

Verum Messenger and Verum eSIM are not just an eSIM service, but a step toward rethinking mobile connectivity as a global, open, and independent technology. No roaming, no physical SIM card, no territorial limitations — a new standard of mobile internet, truly worldwide.

https://esimglobal.world

https://ios.verum.im

Technologies

Today’s NYT Strands Hints, Answers and Help for Dec. 30 #667

Here are hints and answers for the NYT Strands puzzle for Dec. 30, No. 667.

Looking for the most recent Strands answer? Click here for our daily Strands hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Today’s NYT Strands puzzle could be tough, if you haven’t been tuned in to popular music this year. Some of the answers are difficult to unscramble, so if you need hints and answers, read on.

I go into depth about the rules for Strands in this story.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections and Mini Crossword answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: NYT Connections Turns 1: These Are the 5 Toughest Puzzles So Far

Hint for today’s Strands puzzle

Today’s Strands theme is: 2025 Top Twenty.

If that doesn’t help you, here’s a clue: Turn on the radio.

Clue words to unlock in-game hints

Your goal is to find hidden words that fit the puzzle’s theme. If you’re stuck, find any words you can. Every time you find three words of four letters or more, Strands will reveal one of the theme words. These are the words I used to get those hints but any words of four or more letters that you find will work:

RAID, DATA, GOLD, CHILD, HORN, DIARY, BRAS, BRAID, CHILD, CATS, SCAT, BAGS

Answers for today’s Strands puzzle

These are the answers that tie into the theme. The goal of the puzzle is to find them all, including the spangram, a theme word that reaches from one side of the puzzle to the other. When you have all of them (I originally thought there were always eight but learned that the number can vary), every letter on the board will be used. Here are the nonspangram answers:

GOLDEN, DAISIES, MANCHILD, ORDINARY, ABRACADABRA

Today’s Strands spangram

Today’s Strands spangram is HITSONGS. To find it, look for the H that’s the first letter on the far left of the top row, and wind down.

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Toughest Strands puzzles

Here are some of the Strands topics I’ve found to be the toughest in recent weeks.

#1: Dated slang, Jan. 21. Maybe you didn’t even use this lingo when it was cool. Toughest word: PHAT.

#2: Thar she blows! Jan.15. I guess marine biologists might ace this one. Toughest word: BALEEN or RIGHT.

#3: Off the hook, Jan. 9. Similar to the Jan. 15 puzzle in that it helps to know a lot about sea creatures. Sorry, Charlie. Toughest word: BIGEYE or SKIPJACK.