daily plain-text briefing: security, markets, business, and pittsburgh
Attackers turn neglected software and aging hardware into instruments of theft, exploiting a Gravity SMTP plugin flaw to harvest secrets while the new AryStinger botnet conscripts thousands of outdated D-Link routers.
Latest developments: Researchers documented AryStinger for the first time, a previously unknown botnet that has compromised more than 4,000 outdated D-Link routers worldwide and turned them into proxies for malicious traffic.
AryStinger infects aging D-Link routers and relays attacker traffic through them, masking its origin. Owners of old D-Link hardware should patch where fixes exist or replace devices that no longer receive firmware updates.
Sources: BleepingComputer · ↑ top
Latest developments: Threat actors began actively exploiting CVE-2026-4020, a CVSS 5.3 information-disclosure bug in the Gravity SMTP WordPress plugin, to pull configuration data, API keys, secrets, and OAuth tokens from unauthenticated requests.
Gravity SMTP routes outgoing mail for about 100,000 WordPress sites. The flaw lets unauthenticated attackers read sensitive configuration and credential data, so administrators should update the plugin and rotate any exposed keys and tokens at once.
Sources: BleepingComputer · ↑ top
Latest developments: Trump threatened today to strike Iran over renewed Israel-Hezbollah fighting in Lebanon, and Tehran said it has again closed the Strait of Hormuz, both escalations beyond Sunday's opening of talks.
Vice President JD Vance and senior Iranian negotiators opened talks in Switzerland on Sunday, June 21, meant to lock in Trump's earlier accord; fresh Hezbollah-Israel combat and Iran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz, the chokepoint for roughly a fifth of seaborne oil, now jeopardize the deal.
Sources: WSJ World News · FT World · FT World · ↑ top
Latest developments: Andy Burnham's by-election victory pushed Keir Starmer to the brink of resigning, with some ministers expecting him to announce his exit next week.
Keir Starmer, Britain's Labour prime minister, faces resignation after Andy Burnham, the Greater Manchester mayor, won a Commons seat, positioning Burnham to become the country's seventh prime minister since the 2016 Brexit vote as gilt markets weigh the turnover.
Sources: FT World · FT World · ↑ top
Today: Partly Sunny, high 81F.
Tonight: Mostly Cloudy then Slight Chance Showers And Thunderstorms, low 62F.
Monday: Chance Showers And Thunderstorms then Showers And Thunderstorms, high 77F.
Latest developments: POGOH landed a $1.5 million grant to extend its bike-share network past Pittsburgh's borders.
POGOH, Pittsburgh's nonprofit bike-share operator, won a $1.5 million grant to add stations in communities beyond the city limits, widening the system's reach into surrounding municipalities.
Sources: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette · ↑ top
Latest developments: The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette announced it will bring back Dateline Pittsburgh and explained how local companies can take part.
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette is reviving Dateline Pittsburgh, a feature that publishes news and announcements from area companies, and laid out how local businesses can submit theirs.
Sources: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette · ↑ top
Latest developments: Allegheny County's proposed paid parental leave benefit could keep teachers out for up to half a school year, prompting districts to question how they would staff the gaps.
Allegheny County's proposed paid parental leave policy could let teachers take leave covering as much as half a school year, and the Post-Gazette reports school districts wonder how they would cover such long absences.
Sources: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette · ↑ top
Latest developments: Jurgen Koster formed a New Kensington community group to tackle local problems and will host a cookout Tuesday, June 23.
Jurgen Koster, a three-year New Kensington resident frustrated that little has changed since he arrived, started a community advocacy group that holds a cookout Tuesday, June 23, to draw neighbors in.
Latest developments: The South Side Street Fest opened Saturday, June 20, drawing largely positive reviews on a calmer-than-usual weekend along East Carson Street.
The South Side Hospitality Partnership's new South Side Street Fest, which closes East Carson Street on the South Side, opened Saturday, June 20, with attendees telling KDKA the event felt safe and welcoming.
Latest developments: The Carnegie Museum of Natural History announced 'Egypt on the Nile,' an exhibition opening May 1, 2027.
The Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Oakland will open 'Egypt on the Nile' on May 1, 2027, an exhibition tracing how ancient Egyptians lived along the Nile River and the landscapes around it.
Pirates (38-39)
Sat Jun 20 · Pirates 1 · Rockies 2 · Final
McCarthy hits leadoff inside-the-park homer off Skenes in Rockies' 2-1 win over Pirates
Up Next · Pirates @ Rockies · Sun Jun 21, 3:10 PM
Latest developments: A Post-Gazette mailbag laid out the Pirates' catching options after the Joey Bart trade and weighed whether Marcell Ozuna returns.
Having dealt catcher Joey Bart to the Braves for reliever Hunter Stratton, the Pirates now lean on Henry Davis behind the plate, the Post-Gazette mailbag explained, and addressed whether designated hitter Marcell Ozuna comes back.
Sources: Post-Gazette Pirates · ↑ top
Latest developments: The Post-Gazette detailed how rookie safety Robert Spears-Jennings's 4.32-second 40-yard dash reshaped his draft trajectory.
Steelers rookie safety Robert Spears-Jennings ran the 40-yard dash in 4.32 seconds at the NFL combine, a time the Post-Gazette reports vaulted his draft stock and changed how teams saw him.
Sources: Post-Gazette Steelers · ↑ top
Latest developments: After topping Group D, the United States men's team advances to the round of 32, and ESPN makes the case this squad feels genuinely different.
The United States men's national team, co-host of the 2026 World Cup, won Group D and reached the round of 32, with ESPN arguing the team's belief and chemistry give supporters real reason to dream.
Sources: ESPN Soccer · ↑ top
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