Hack Forum News - Edition Four

Hack Forum News is back this week with another update on the weekly news to keep you up to date on the latest news on site and around the world. If you have never heard of Hack Forum News, dont worry we have you covered. We are a team of members from the Hack Forums community who are journilists and writers, and we are here to keep you in the loop of the changes around the site and now even around the world.

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Writer - [mention=121196]

The Great Purge Day By [mention=1]
Earlier this week, Omniscient declared "The Great Purge Day," making a bold executive decision to remove a select group of members whom he believes have been damaging his business and driving members away from HackForums. These individuals have been permanently banned, and some have even been completely erased. Omniscient has made it unmistakably clear: cause trouble, and you're out - no exceptions.

Public Convo Closure By [mention=1]
After receiving multiple reports of doxing and harassment in the public conversation room, Omniscient has decided to remove this feature and close the room entirely, stating that the actions of a few have ruined it for the majority. However, Omniscient has mentioned plans to introduce the ability to create private rooms within the conversation feature.

VIP Group Subforums CSS Changes By [mention=1]
Omniscient has implemented updates to the VIP Group Subforums, giving them a customized CSS design that now reflects the unique name colors of each group. This change enhances the visual appeal of the subforums, making it easier to distinguish between the different VIP groups at a glance.

New L33T & UB3R Userbar Design By [mention=1]
As we've highlighted in recent news editions, Omniscient has been implementing various visual changes to give the forum a fresh, updated feel. This week, Omniscient revamped the L33T and UB3R userbars with the assistance of graphic designer Motusora, giving both upgradable user groups a sleek, new look. We think they look fantastic - what do you think? If you're considering upgrading but haven’t already, you can do so here: https://hackforums.net/upgrade.php

Bytes Reward Adjustment By [mention=1]
This week, Omniscient decided to lower the minimum character requirement for posts to just 5. Following this change, Omniscient also determined that it would be more suitable to adjust the byte reward structure. You will now receive 1 byte as a reward for each reply, down from the previous value of 3.

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Writer - [mention=2331053]

Tables currently don't support centering, but fingers crossed this will be fixed soon.

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Writer - [mention=2331053]


This week the donation awards page has had a bit of a change. Omniscient has rotated the awards around and a few old classic awards are back up for purchase. If you would like to check out what is new, head over to the donation award page to snipe up some of the awards today. Or click here!

[mention=2004303] Has been obtained the "King Decade" award -
[mention=553471] Has been obtained the "King Decade" award -
[mention=1519607] Has been obtained the "King Decade" award -
[mention=2370822] Has been obtained the "King Decade" award -
[mention=858991] Has been obtained the "King Decade" award -
[mention=5669221] Has been obtained the "Dicey" award -
[mention=5668244] Has been obtained the "Dicey" award -

Also, a big shout-out to those who managed to grab the new American flag award for Independence Day this year.

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Writer - [mention=3929084]

GROUPS FOR SALE AND SOLD

Succubus group is still listed for sale by [mention=3604010]
Olympians group is listed for sale by [mention=1342286]

No recent group sales.

RECENT GROUP CHANGES & EVENTS
Slots night, $100buy-in, prize pool split among participants, and entry into Gamblers
Fallen has been rebranded to Fidelity.

The Main Boyz crew has been deleted.

RECRUITMENTS:

H4CK3R$ Recruitment
Casino Recruitment
Pink LSZ Recruitment
Warriors Recruitment
Gamblers Recruitment
Legends Recruitment
Allegiance Buy-in
Olympians leader recruitment
The Academy Recruitment

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Writer - [mention=2331053]

This week we had a bit of a mad one. We have sadly seen a few infamous names sadly purge their accounts and we no longer have them around. Due to this, the names can not be tagged as normal. We have also tried our best to mention all notable names due to the purge actions, but sadly, as they have been purged they can all be seen. If we have missed anyone important, feel free to shout them out below.

Php Has purged.
M0hx Has purged.
Sox Has purged.
VRS Has purged.
Caboose Has been closed.
Trust Has been closed.
Hero Has been closed.
Spikkeljuan Has been closed.
Niko1425 Has been closed.
[mention=5417626] Has gone on vacation until the (16.12.2025).
[mention=279955] Has gone on vacation until the (20.12.2025).
[mention=5064970] Has gone on vacation until the (16.07.2025).
[mention=4229993] Has gone on vacation until the (02.08.2025).
[mention=3297465] Has gone on vacation until the (09.07.2025).
[mention=5002443] Has gone on vacation until the (02.01.2026).
[mention=1834476] Has gone on vacation until the (09.07.2025).
[mention=1661823] Has gone on vacation until the (18.07.2025).
[mention=3995095] Has gone on vacation until the (04.08.2025).
[mention=827711] Has gone on vacation until the (06.01.2026).
[mention=5404814] Has gone on vacation until the (06.08.2025).
[mention=3995095] Is no longer Staff.

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Writer - [mention=2331053]

U.S. Trade Tariff Deadline Approaches (9th Of July)

President Trump is set to issue new tariff letters—25% levies to start August 1—targeting countries including Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Kazakhstan, and Myanmar. EU and BRICS face steep tariffs unless last-minute trade deals are reached.

Source

Devastating Texas Flash Floods

Central Texas was struck by flash floods over the holiday weekend, claiming at least 82 lives, including 27 at a riverside summer camp and leaving dozens unaccounted for.

Source

Markets Brace for Trade-Jitter Volatility

Investors are wary ahead of the tariff deadline, citing risks to industries like European auto manufacturing and disruptions in global supply chains.

Source

Extreme Heatwave in Europe

Temperatures soared across Southern Europe, with the Eiffel Tower in Paris closing its summit amid record heat (up to 46 °C in Spain/Portugal and 40 °C in Germany). Mediterranean heatwaves and wildfires are raising alarms.

Source

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[mention=811]

Notable console & hardware releases:

July is a quiet month for major console and hardware releases following the launch of the Nintendo Switch 2 in June. The industry's focus remains on software and adoption of Nintendo's new hardware. There are no major console or hardware releases announced for July 2025 at this time.

Nintendo Switch 2 restocks:

Scalpers are still a concern for this console a month later. Released on June 5th, the Switch 2 remains in high demand. Best Buy briefly restocked July 1st in-store, and sold out. U.K. retailers (Amazon, Currys, ShopTo) maintain steadier supply.
Official pricing: $449 base and $499 bundled with Mario Kart World.

Notable News (July 2025)

Call of Duty Remote Code Execution (RCE) exploit

Highly Vulnerable: Call of Duty: WWII (PC)

When the publisher, Activision, was aware of this critical vulnerability, PC servers went completely offline for emergency maintenance.
Timeline of the event:

July 2nd - 4th: This is when the community became aware of the issue. People began posting on Reddit and X warning other users that hackers began opening applications like Notepad and harassing players in-game.
July 5th: Activision's official "Call of Duty Updates" account acknowledged they were investigating "an issue" and took the PC version of the game offline.

A specific vulnerability "CVE-2018-20817" affected several older Call of Duty games as well. Hackers could exploit the game's authentication process, and execute code on your machine remotely.

Historically Vulnerable and Still Considered Unsafe on PC:

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2009)
Call of Duty: Black Ops
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
Call of Duty: Black Ops II
Call of Duty: Ghosts
Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered (on official servers)
Call of Duty: Black Ops III (A patch was released in 2023 by Treyarch. Members of the COD community still advise caution and recommend community patches.)


Notable Game Releases (July 2025)

It is still early in the month of July, but this will be a blockbuster month for gamers. Most AAA titles launch between September and November. Publishers strategically release during the months before to avoid the "Autumn Logjam".

Game Releases - July 2025

Mecha Break (PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S) - July 1
Harvest Moon: The Lost Valley & Skytree Village (Switch) - July 3
EA Sports College Football 26 (PS5, Xbox Series X/S) - July 7
Every Day We Fight (PC) - July 10
Everdeep Aurora (PC) - July 10
Islanders: New Shores (PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch) - July 10
Mycopunk (PC) - July 10
Patapon 1+2 Replay (PC, PS5, Switch) - July 11
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4 (PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Switch, Switch 2) - July 11
Kaizen: A Factory Story (PC) - July 14
Destiny 2: The Edge of Fate (PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S) - July 15
Edens Zero (PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S) - July 15
Eriksholm: The Stolen Dream (PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S) - July 15
Neverwinter Nights 2: Enhanced Edition (PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch) - July 15
Hunter × Hunter: Nen × Impact (PC, PS5, Switch) - July 16
Worship (PC) - July 16
Donkey Kong Bananza (Switch 2) - July 17
Neon Abyss 2 (PC) - July 17
RoboCop: Rogue City - Unfinished Business (PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S) - July 17
The Wandering Village (Switch) - July 17
Shadow Labyrinth (PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch, Switch 2) - July 18
Kick'n Hell (PC) - July 21
Abiotic Factor (PC) - July 22
Misc. A Tiny Tale (PC, Switch) - July 22
Monument Valley 3 (PC) - July 22
Wildgate (PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S) - July 22
Eat the Rich (PC) - July 23
Wheel World (PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S) - July 23
Killing Floor 3 (PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S) - July 24
Super Mario Party Jamboree (Switch 2) - July 24
Total Chaos (PC) - July 24
Wuchang: Fallen Feathers (PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S) - July 24
No Sleep for Kaname Date (PC, Switch, Switch 2) - July 25
Ratatan (PC) - July 25
Wild Hearts S (Switch 2) - July 25
Grounded 2 (PC, Xbox Series X/S) - July 29
Tales of the Shire: A The Lord of the Rings Game (PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch) - July 29
Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound (PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Switch) - July 31
System Shock 2: 25th Anniversary Remaster (PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch) - July 2025 (Specific date TBD)


🏆 E-Sports

🏆 Winners of most recent E-Sports tournaments: 🏆

CS2: BLAST Austin Major: Team Vitality takes the trophy in Austin, TX
Valorant Champions Tour: Paper Rex Paper Rex lifted the trophy at VCT Masters in Toronto, Canada

Ongoing and upcoming E-Sports tournaments:

Mid-Season Invitational (LoL): June 27–July 12, top teams compete in Vancouver.
VALORANT (July 8th - 13th)
Dota 2 (July 8th - 19th)
Apex Legends (July 10th - 13th)
League of Legends (July 16th - 20th)
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 (July 24th - 27th)
PUBG Mobile (July 25th - August 3rd)

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Writer - [mention=2331053]

Windows 11 overtakes Windows 10 in global desktop OS share

After roughly four years since its launch, Windows 11 has become the most-used desktop operating system worldwide. Adoption is accelerating as Windows 10 approaches its end-of-support reminder, prompting more upgrades.

Source

Amazon Prime Day 2025 preview—huge tech deals ahead

Prime Day runs from July 8–11 this year. Major discounts on electronics, PC hardware, and tech accessories are already starting. Experts recommend eyeing headline tech deals—think MacBook Air M4s and noise-cancelling headphones—while holding off on big-tix smart TVs or furniture.

Source

Samsung Galaxy Unpacked coming 9th Of July 

Samsung’s summer Unpacked will unveil the Galaxy Z Fold 7, Z Flip 7, Galaxy Watch 8, and more—potentially including concepts like a tri-fold phone and Android XR headset. It’s set for July 9th in New York City.

Source

AI talent race: Big bucks, big layoffs

Meta and Microsoft are pouring massive incentives into AI talent acquisitions—Meta reportedly offered $100 million bonuses—while massive layoffs are still rocking the wider tech workforce, with over 250,000 jobs cut in 2023.

Source