================================================================ INFOSECFOLLOW -- security, markets, business, pittsburgh Sunday, June 28, 2026 - 6:05 AM EDT ================================================================ Two new Linux kernel root exploits and the Miasma supply-chain worm pile fresh pressure on open source software, prompting the Linux Foundation to launch a coordinated defense. CONTENTS: Emerging Trends and Key Updates | Security | Business and Politics | Pittsburgh | Sports | Reading | Markets EMERGING TRENDS AND KEY UPDATES ---------------------------------------------------------------- * [TREND] Two fresh Linux kernel privilege-escalation flaws, pedit COW (CVE-2026-46331) and DirtyClone (CVE-2026-43503), surfaced with public proof-of-concept code within a day of disclosure. see: Linux Kernel Root Exploits * [TREND] Supply-chain malware keeps spreading as Miasma poisons npm releases and GitHub Actions even as the Linux Foundation launches Akrites to coordinate open source vulnerability disclosure. see: Miasma Supply-Chain Malware; Linux Foundation Launches Akrites * [TREND] Securing autonomous AI agents is becoming an identity problem as Cisco acquires Astrix and WideField while Proof ships its issuer-neutral x401 authorization protocol. see: Agentic AI Identity Control Plane * [TREND] AI-bubble anxiety dominates as the BIS warns of a drawn-out bust amid sliding stocks, Zitron debuts his Bubble notes, and Newport slams AI firms' doom trolling. see: BIS Warns AI Boom Risks a Lengthy Bust as Stocks Slide; Premium: Notes From The Bubble, Volume 1; Dear AI Companies: Stop the "Doom Trolling" * [UPDATE (updated)] Iran retaliated June 28 by striking military installations in Bahrain and Kuwait and threatening to abandon the negotiations meant to end the war. see: Iran Strikes Bahrain and Kuwait, Threatens to Quit Talks * [UPDATE (updated)] With the round of 32 opening June 28, analysts mapped the United States' route past Spain, France, and England as ESPN credited the squad's depth of leadership. see: U.S. Path to the World Cup Title Takes Shape; ESPN Credits USMNT's Depth of Leadership SECURITY ---------------------------------------------------------------- 1. RUSSIAN INTELLIGENCE TARGETS MESSAGING APPS Nation-State Activity · [apt, phishing, nation-state] Latest developments: Ukraine's Security Service, working with the FBI, disclosed a long-running Russian intelligence operation that used fake tech-support workers and support texts to trick officials, military personnel, politicians, and activists across Ukraine, Europe, and the United States into surrendering messaging-app credentials. The campaign, which recently added a step coaxing Signal users to hand over their Backup Recovery Key, lets Russian operators restore account backups and read private message history. CISA and the FBI urge messaging users to reject unsolicited support contacts and protect recovery keys. - The Hacker News: https://thehackernews.com/2026/06/ukraine-says-russian-intelligence-used.html - The Record: https://therecord.media/russia-ukraine-social-engineering-messaging-accounts - CISA Advisories: https://www.cisa.gov/resources-tools/resources/russian-intelligence-services-continue-target-commercial-messaging-applications 2. CHINESE FRAMEWORK POWERS SCAM SITES Fraud and Scams · [fraud, scam, cybercrime] Latest developments: SecurityWeek reported that threat actors sell investment-scam templates built with the legitimate Chinese DCloud Uni-App development toolkit, fueling roughly 200,000 fraudulent sites. The ready-made kits let low-skill criminals stand up convincing investment-fraud pages at scale by repurposing a mainstream cross-platform app framework. Defenders should watch for Uni-App fingerprints when triaging suspected scam infrastructure. - SecurityWeek: https://www.securityweek.com/chinese-framework-powers-200000-scam-sites/ 3. LINUX FOUNDATION LAUNCHES AKRITES Application Security · [open-source, policy, patch] Latest developments: The Linux Foundation unveiled Akrites, an industry initiative joining technology companies, financial institutions, security vendors, AI companies, and open source projects to report, patch, and disclose vulnerabilities in widely used open source software. Akrites responds to AI shrinking the gap between flaw discovery and exploitation, while a separate Open Source Sustainability Initiative tackles the risk of aging, end-of-life projects. Enterprises depending on open source should track both efforts to manage remediation and compliance. - Help Net Security: https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2026/06/26/akrites-open-source-security-framework/ - SecurityWeek: https://www.securityweek.com/linux-foundation-unveils-new-open-source-security-project-akrites/ - Dark Reading: https://www.darkreading.com/application-security/initiative-tackles-security-end-of-life-open-source 4. LINUX KERNEL ROOT EXPLOITS Vulnerabilities and Exploits · [linux, privilege-escalation, exploit] Latest developments: Two separate local privilege-escalation flaws surfaced with public proof-of-concept code, pedit COW (CVE-2026-46331) in the traffic-control act_pedit action and DirtyClone (CVE-2026-43503, CVSS 8.8) in the DirtyFrag family. Both flaws let a local unprivileged user corrupt shared file-backed page-cache memory and gain root on affected Linux systems, with pedit COW spawning a working exploit within a day of its June 16 CVE assignment and JFrog publishing a DirtyClone exploit walkthrough June 25. Administrators should apply the upstream kernel patches immediately. - The Hacker News: https://thehackernews.com/2026/06/new-linux-pedit-cow-exploit-enables.html - The Hacker News: https://thehackernews.com/2026/06/new-dirtyclone-linux-kernel-flaw-lets.html 5. AGENTIC AI IDENTITY CONTROL PLANE AI Security · [ai, identity, agents] Latest developments: Cisco acquired Astrix and WideField to add non-human identity security to its stack, and Proof launched x401, an open, issuer-neutral protocol that lets any website or API verify the identity and authorization behind an AI agent. Vendors are racing to govern autonomous agents that inherit permissions and act at machine speed, treating identity as the primary control. Security teams deploying agentic tools should inventory non-human identities and demand verifiable agent credentials. - Dark Reading: https://www.darkreading.com/identity-access-management-security/cisco-adds-nhi-security-stack-with-astrix-widefield - Help Net Security: https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2026/06/26/proofs-x401-establishes-an-open-protocol-for-ai-agent-identity-and-authorization/ 6. MIASMA SUPPLY-CHAIN MALWARE Application Security · [supply-chain, npm, malware] Latest developments: The Mini Shai-Hulud malware family evolved again as Miasma, poisoning new npm releases tied to LeoPlatform and RStreams, abusing GitHub Actions workflows, and propagating into the Go ecosystem. Miasma, part of a lineage that also includes the Hades malware, compromises packages and continuous-integration pipelines to spread through open source dependencies. Developers pulling affected npm or Go packages should audit builds and rotate any exposed CI secrets. - The Hacker News: https://thehackernews.com/2026/06/miasma-malware-targets-npm-packages-and.html BUSINESS AND POLITICS ---------------------------------------------------------------- * Iran Strikes Bahrain and Kuwait, Threatens to Quit Talks Latest developments: Iran retaliated on June 28 by hitting military installations in Bahrain and Kuwait and warning of a complete halt to the negotiations meant to end the war. A preliminary ceasefire between the United States and Iran is unraveling as the two trade strikes; Iran's new attacks on the U.S. Navy's Mideast headquarters in Bahrain and on Kuwait followed American airstrikes inside Iran, pushing Strait of Hormuz shipping risk higher as the strait stays restricted to half its prewar traffic. - FT World: https://www.ft.com/content/5f4cd16c-fa4a-4806-94ce-84df6f51ecc0 - WSJ World News: https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/mideast-fighting-widens-with-attacks-on-bahrain-hormuz-tanker-30a313a8 * BIS Warns AI Boom Risks a Lengthy Bust as Stocks Slide Latest developments: The Bank for International Settlements warned June 28 that AI 'exuberance' could end in a drawn-out investment bust, capping a week in which the S&P 500 and Nasdaq composite fell in every session. The Basel-based central bankers' bank cautioned that weak AI returns could trigger a sharp pullback in tech funding that threatens the global economy, a warning landing as chipmaker valuations sit at records worldwide and Google caps Meta's use of its Gemini models amid a computing-capacity crunch. - FT World: https://www.ft.com/content/e81ce414-e4bd-4e8c-bac7-94f7bf17def4 - WSJ Markets: https://www.wsj.com/finance/stocks/stock-rally-collides-with-a-new-slate-of-worries-5843a9e0?mod=rss_markets_main PITTSBURGH ---------------------------------------------------------------- Weather: Today: Widespread Fog then Chance Showers And Thunderstorms, high 85F. Tonight: Chance Showers And Thunderstorms then Partly Cloudy, low 67F. Monday: Mostly Sunny, high 90F. Business: * First U.S. Chrome Plant in Decades Lands in New Castle Latest developments: The Post-Gazette reported June 28 that specialty-metals maker AMG will build the first new chrome production facility in the United States in decades in New Castle. AMG's New Castle plant in Lawrence County will produce chrome metal used in airplanes, jet engines, and rockets, the first such U.S. facility in decades. - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: https://www.post-gazette.com/business/tech-news/2026/06/28/chrome-maker-amg-new-castle/stories/202606250007 * Outback Steakhouse Closes in Washington After 20 Years Latest developments: WTAE reported June 27 that the Outback Steakhouse in Washington, Pennsylvania, has permanently closed after two decades. The Outback Steakhouse in Washington, Washington County, shut its doors for good after 20 years in business. - WTAE: https://www.wtae.com/article/outback-steakhouse-washington-pennsylvania-closes/71756573 Around town: * Pa. May Tap Rainy Day Fund to Balance Budget Latest developments: The Post-Gazette reported June 28 that Pennsylvania lawmakers may need to draw on the commonwealth's rainy day reserves to balance this year's budget. With revenue falling short, Pennsylvania legislators are weighing a withdrawal from the state's rainy day fund to close this year's budget gap. - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: https://www.post-gazette.com/news/politics-state/2026/06/28/pa-budget-2026-rainy-day-fund/stories/202606280069 * Senators Restore Pa. Spot at Great American State Fair Latest developments: U.S. Senators Dave McCormick and John Fetterman announced June 27 that Pennsylvania will be represented at President Trump's Great American State Fair after Governor Josh Shapiro declined to take part. After Governor Josh Shapiro said Pennsylvania would skip President Trump's Great American State Fair, the state's two senators, Republican Dave McCormick and Democrat John Fetterman, arranged for the Keystone State to participate. - TribLive: https://triblive.com/news/pennsylvania/mccormick-and-fetterman-secure-pa-s-presence-at-great-american-state-fair-after-shapiro-snub/ * Allegheny County Sheriff Warns of Jury-Duty Scam Latest developments: Allegheny County Sheriff Kevin Kraus warned June 27 of a phone scam threatening residents with arrest for allegedly missing federal grand jury duty. Sheriff Kevin M. Kraus alerted Allegheny County residents to callers who threaten arrest over a supposedly missed federal grand jury summons to extract money or personal information. - WPXI: https://www.wpxi.com/news/local/allegheny-county-sheriff-warns-jury-duty-phone-scam/PPV5ZGPFLZFBLODH4O5QIFSEXU/ Events: * Polar World Closes at Carnegie Museum of Natural History Latest developments: The Post-Gazette reported June 27 that the Carnegie Museum of Natural History will close its Polar World exhibit after 43 years. Polar World, the 43-year-old exhibit on Arctic and Antarctic life at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Oakland, is closing, ending more than four decades on display. - Post-Gazette Arts & Entertainment: https://www.post-gazette.com/ae/art-architecture/2026/06/27/polar-world-carnegie-museum-of-natural-history-closure/stories/202606280064 SPORTS ---------------------------------------------------------------- Pirates (41-42) Sat Jun 27 · Reds 9 · Pirates 7 · Final Eugenio Suárez hits 3-run homer in 9th as Reds rally for 9-7 win over Pirates https://plaintextsports.com/mlb/2026-06-27/cin-pit Up Next · Reds @ Pirates · Sun Jun 28, 1:35 PM https://plaintextsports.com/mlb/2026-06-28/cin-pit Team USA: * U.S. Path to the World Cup Title Takes Shape Latest developments: With the full bracket set and the round of 32 opening June 28, analysts mapped the United States' route to the title, projecting potential meetings with Spain, France, and England. Mauricio Pochettino's United States, winners of Group D as co-hosts, open the knockout stage against Bosnia and Herzegovina; a run to the final would likely require beating Spain, France, and England. - Guardian World Cup 2026: https://www.theguardian.com/football/2026/jun/27/usa-bracket-world-cup-path-to-final - ESPN Soccer: https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/49167690/judging-overreactions-world-cup-bracket-knockout-rounds-usmnt-argentina-france-cape-verde * ESPN Credits USMNT's Depth of Leadership Latest developments: An ESPN feature June 28 attributed the United States' run to a roster full of leaders as the team enters the knockout rounds. ESPN argued the U.S. men's national team's World Cup success stems from a squad rich in leaders of varied temperaments, with captain Tim Ream among many setting the tone. - ESPN Soccer: https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/49196528/usmnt-squad-full-leaders-world-cup-knockouts-not-just-captain-ream READING ---------------------------------------------------------------- * Ed Zitron -- Premium: Notes From The Bubble, Volume 1 Zitron launches an ongoing series compiling running observations on what he sees as the AI investment bubble, tracking the sector's finances and hype. https://www.wheresyoured.at/premium-notes-from-the-bubble-volume-1/ * Stratechery -- An Interview with Figma CEO Dylan Field About Design and AI Ben Thompson interviews Figma chief executive Dylan Field on building the design tool and why he believes AI works as a tailwind for the company. https://stratechery.com/2026/an-interview-with-figma-ceo-dylan-field-about-design-and-ai/ * Cal Newport -- Dear AI Companies: Stop the "Doom Trolling" Newport criticizes AI firms for 'doom trolling'—loudly warning of the dangers of their own products—comparing it to a carmaker calling its own vehicles perilous, and argues the rhetoric serves as self-promoting marketing. https://calnewport.com/dear-ai-companies-stop-the-doom-trolling/ MARKETS (weekly average, change vs prior week) ---------------------------------------------------------------- S&P 500 7,381.60 ▼ -1.4% Dow 51,805.04 ▲ +0.4% Nasdaq 25,577.30 ▼ -2.7% WTI crude 71.90 ▼ -9.0% EUR/USD 1.1382 ▼ -1.3% GBP/USD 1.3200 ▼ -0.8% USD/JPY 161.63 ▲ +0.7% ================================================================ Generated 2026-06-28 06:05 EDT. Sources: 24 security feeds; 9 Pittsburgh feeds; 4 Pittsburgh arts and events feeds; 6 Pittsburgh sports beat and podcast feeds; 4 Team USA feeds; the Wall Street Journal, the Economist, and the Financial Times; and Ed Zitron, Stratechery, Cal Newport. Markets from Yahoo Finance, weather from the NWS, scores from ESPN. Summaries are AI-generated from the linked reporting; verify at the sources. ================================================================