Sitecore would like to bring to your attention a critical security issue affecting all Experience Platform topologies (XM, XP, XC) from 8.0 Initial Release to 10.4 Initial Release.
https://support.sitecore.com/kb?id=kb_article_view&sysparm_article=KB1003650

Sitecore Accelerate Cookbook has got another release done with 17 recipes between new & updates for XM Cloud and Content Hub.

Content Hub
- Go Live Checklist
- Hypercare Strategy
- Identifying the Most Searched Terms on the Assets Page
- SSO on Content Hub
- Automatically set meta data on your entity on pre-commit

XM Cloud
- Go-Live checklist
- Enhancing search with documents
- Publishing Optimization, including updates to links in 𝘗𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘌𝘥𝘨𝘦
- Scope & Governance Framework approaches including updates to 𝘔𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘚𝘢𝘢𝘚, 𝘙𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘎𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘈𝘶𝘥𝘪𝘵, 𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘔𝘪𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 and 𝘗𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯 𝘟𝘔 𝘊𝘭𝘰𝘶𝘥 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵.
- Further ASP.NET Core updates including 𝘚𝘦𝘵𝘶𝘱 𝘚𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘚𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘻𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 and 𝘔𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘈𝘳𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦.

SUGCON 2025 Europe recording are available here: https://tinyurl.com/3m2h4xrr

Stream Free is available for all customers. Accept the Sitecore Stream AI terms and conditions to enable it. With a free tier, you can:

- Organize and automate workflows
- Collaborate and track progress
- Work more efficiently with agents

JSS SDK 22.7 released with support for React 19 and Next.js 15, featuring updated framework support and removal of automatic GraphQL code generation.

This version of JSS uses the latest version (0.5) of the Sitecore Cloud SDK by default, meaning you can integrate your Next.js and Angular apps for XM Cloud with Sitecore Search capabilities.

Automatic generation of code (such as TypeScript types) based on GraphQL data was removed. This improvement reduces the complexity of JSS apps that do not require automatic code generation. It also removes a dependency on the graphql-let package, which is no longer maintained.

Upgrade guides:
- XM Cloud: https://tinyurl.com/3d48wyck
- XP/XM: https://tinyurl.com/2s4hc5r8

Today Sitecore launched a new site https://sitecore.ai, but it looks more promotional rather than technical

Sitecore 10.4.1 has been released

1. Identity Server Security Gets a Major Boost

One of the most notable changes in 10.4.1 is the enhanced security for the Identity Server's database connection. Previously, the SQL Server connection might have implicitly trusted the server certificate. Now, with the addition of Encrypt=true;TrustServerCertificate=false; in the connection string, Sitecore is taking a significant step towards a more robust security posture.

2. Solr Upgrade to Version 9.8.1: A Leap for Performance and Security

Another significant update in Sitecore 10.4.1 is the upgrade of Solr from version 8.11.2 to 9.8.1. This isn't just a minor version bump; it's a move to a more secure and actively supported search platform.

Official download: https://tinyurl.com/2t5uam2a
Release notes: https://tinyurl.com/yyxwty44

Sitecore partnered with Gradial https://www.gradial.com aspiring Gradial's help with AI adoption

More about Gradial from the CEO of Sitecore: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/eric-stine-ceo-sitecore_isnt-it-great-when-work-doesnt-feel-like-ugcPost-7358609012092805120-kqQR

Sitecore just released a new Stream feature: Media Metadata Extraction (v1.4.54).

This capability makes it easier than ever to work with media assets by automatically extracting key metadata.

https://developers.sitecore.com/downloads/Sitecore_Stream_for_Platform_DXP

Stream Brand Assistant chats now supports images

By uploading images such as designs, screenshots, product photos, or ads, you can:
- Extract and analyze text from images
- Check compliance with brand guidelines
- Get targeted feedback on creative work
- Ask open-ended questions about image content
- Use image context for brainstorming and briefing

Image can be up to 20 MB, with a total image size limit of 50 MB per chat.

Sitecore Marketplace received a big update!

Marketplace is the home for extending and customizing Sitecore with brand new capabilities. The Marketplace now supports multiple app architecture and authorization options and granular app access control.

- Full-stack apps - you can now build full-stack Marketplace apps, which have both client-side and server-side components. Full-stack apps let you make direct server-side API requests to Sitecore APIs. This is especially useful for AI-powered apps and agentic workflows because AI tools are typically server-side. For simpler UI extensions, you can continue using the client-side architecture.

- Custom authorization - for apps that need to make server-side API requests to Sitecore APIs, use custom authorization. This involves creating client credentials for your app. If you don't have this requirement, you can continue using the Marketplace SDK's built-in authorization.

- App access - Cloud Portal organization admins and owners can now control which team members with an Organization User role have access to each installed Marketplace app. Grant or revoke access individually for each user and each app to ensure the right people have access to the right tools.

Read more: Marketplace documentation

Sitecore AI: what is coming and how to prepare

- Personalize and CDP become native in the unified experience, no longer isolated.
- Capture site events as structured data now, clicks, forms, video views.
- Define audiences and key journeys in XM Cloud to use targeting immediately.
- Well structured data and content improve personalization quality.

- DAM arrives in December, extends AI into creative workflow.
- Build an asset taxonomy, categories, regions, campaigns.
- Standardize image and video specs, aspect ratios, resolutions.
- Migrate in phases, prioritize high value and recent assets.

- Search becomes a unified platform feature, central for discovery and relevance.
- Configure Sitecore Search to index key content types.
- Structured content enables dynamic FAQs and context aware responses.
- Improves GEO, discovery in AI search like ChatGPT and Copilot.

- Agentic Studio adds 21 prebuilt marketing agents, briefs, translation, content, SEO, research.
- Map campaign workflows, approvals, localization, optimization.
- Automate repetitive steps, keep human oversight where needed.

- Align people, process, systems, data pipelines, taxonomy, content models.
- Goal, faster time to market, better personalization, more autonomous teams.

WAIT, WHAT?! Where has my XM Cloud gone?

What are all these SitecoreAI, Agentic Studio, MCP, and other newbies from Symposium 2025?

Read the detailed explanation of all the big changes.

Blok design system based on Tailwind and Shadcn has officially moved out of Beta and reached General Availability!

What’s new and why GA matters:
- Production-ready stability - fully validated for enterprise use.
- Consistent, scalable design language across Sitecore solutions.
- Enhanced developer experience with streamlined components and improved documentation.

Highlights from the Beta phase:
- Added more getting started guides based on community feedback.
- Extended and fixed MCP documentation for clarity and completeness.
- Redesigned the website for better intuitiveness and usability.
- Introduced sub-navigation for easier variant browsing.
- Added code tabs to improve developer experience.
- Created overview pages for better component discoverability.
- And much more refinements to make Blok future-prove, robust and developer-friendly.

Link