daily plain-text briefing: security, markets, business, and pittsburgh
Microsoft's decade-old Secure Boot certificates begin expiring June 24, threatening the trusted boot chain on Windows and Linux machines that skip the update.
Latest developments: Wired warned that the Microsoft-issued cryptographic keys underpinning UEFI Secure Boot start expiring June 24, 2026, on Windows and Linux machines.
Microsoft issued the certificates that validate a computer's boot sequence in 2011, and they now reach end of life. Machines that miss the firmware and certificate refresh can no longer trust new boot-loader updates, opening a path for bootkits, so users and administrators should apply vendor Secure Boot updates before the deadline.
Sources: Wired Security · ↑ top
Latest developments: Researchers at the University of Tennessee and the University of Florida unveiled HAMLOCK, a backdoor that hides inside the FPGAs and ASICs running deep-learning models on edge devices by splitting its malicious logic across the hardware.
Edge AI systems lean on third-party accelerator chips for speed, which creates supply-chain exposure. HAMLOCK spreads its malicious functionality across that silicon so it evades inspection and triggers on demand, putting any organization that buys rather than builds its AI hardware at risk.
Sources: Help Net Security · ↑ top
Latest developments: Wired reported that the attackers behind the Madison Square Garden breach now claim to have leaked the stolen data publicly.
The trove tied to Madison Square Garden Entertainment includes a risk-rated list of celebrities and players alongside New York Knicks records. People named in the data face heightened targeting risk.
Sources: Wired Security · ↑ top
Latest developments: Tehran said Sunday it paused the Switzerland negotiations after Trump threatened to strike Iran over its backing of Hezbollah, even as Vice President JD Vance met Iranian officials near Lake Lucerne to launch the talks.
U.S. and Iranian negotiators gathered at a Swiss resort to build out last week's interim deal ending the war, with Vance meeting parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi; Trump's threat over the Israel-Hezbollah fighting in Lebanon now clouds whether the talks survive.
Sources: WSJ World News · FT World · ↑ top
Latest developments: Trump declared Sunday that Keir Starmer "will resign," and the prime minister went dark at Chequers to weigh his departure with his wife, Victoria, with some ministers expecting an announcement next week.
Andy Burnham's by-election win has pushed Starmer toward quitting as British prime minister, and investors watch whether a Labour leadership change pressures UK gilts as Burnham's team already explores government appointments.
Sources: FT World · FT World · ↑ top
This Afternoon: Partly Sunny, high 82F.
Tonight: Mostly Cloudy then Chance Showers And Thunderstorms, low 62F.
Monday: Showers And Thunderstorms then Chance Showers And Thunderstorms, high 77F.
Latest developments: Galaxie Electronics shut its doors after 30 years selling and repairing turntables in Squirrel Hill.
Galaxie Electronics, the Squirrel Hill shop known for "keeping the tables turning," closed permanently after three decades in business, ending a longtime Pittsburgh source for audio gear and repairs.
Latest developments: Fayette County leaders and community partners launched a comprehensive feasibility study to weigh future uses for the Penn State Fayette campus property.
The study will evaluate future opportunities for the Penn State Fayette campus property, as Fayette County officials look to chart what comes next for the site.
Latest developments: North Huntingdon officials approved hiring a consultant to study a walking and biking trail linking downtown Irwin to the township's Larimer village.
The feasibility study will assess a proposed multiuse trail connecting downtown Irwin to the North Huntingdon community of Larimer in Westmoreland County.
Latest developments: Hempfield reported more applicants than expected for its new senior tax rebate program, and approved seniors should receive checks within the next few months.
Hempfield Township's new senior tax rebate program drew heavier-than-anticipated demand, with approved applicants set to be reimbursed in the coming months.
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
Sun Jun 21 · Pirates 0 · Rockies 1 · Top 4th (in progress at last update)
Up Next · Mariners @ Pirates · Tue Jun 23, 6:40 PM
Latest developments: In a Post-Gazette Father's Day feature, Pirates infielder Brandon Lowe called fatherhood "the greatest gift" after he and his wife battled infertility and turned to IVF.
The Post-Gazette profiled Pirates infielder Brandon Lowe, who spoke about his and his wife's struggle with infertility and their path through IVF to having children.
Sources: Post-Gazette Pirates · ↑ top
Latest developments: ESPN profiled U.S. men's national team defender Alex Freeman, son of former Green Bay Packers Pro Bowl receiver Antonio Freeman, on how his family steered him to the 2026 World Cup.
The feature traces how Antonio Freeman taught his son Alex what it takes to be a professional, while Alex's mother and stepfather gave him his love of soccer, a path that landed him on the USMNT defense for the home World Cup.
Sources: ESPN Soccer · ↑ top
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