daily plain-text briefing: security, markets, business, and pittsburgh
Google and the FBI dismantled NetNut, a residential proxy network built from two million hijacked home devices, as commercial Pegasus spyware surfaced on the phone of the very European lawmaker who once investigated it.
Latest developments: Google's Threat Intelligence Group and the FBI, working with Lumen, seized hundreds of NetNut domains on July 2 and cut millions of devices from the network, roughly two weeks after KrebsOnSecurity tied NetNut to the Popa botnet.
NetNut, also tracked as Popa and run by the publicly traded Israeli firm Alarum Technologies (NASDAQ: ALAR), rented access to at least two million compromised home devices so cybercriminals and nation-state actors could mask their traffic. The takedown degraded the pool of usable relays worldwide.
Sources: Krebs on Security · SecurityWeek · The Hacker News · ↑ top
Latest developments: Citizen Lab reported July 3 that forensic analysis found NSO Group's Pegasus spyware on the phone of Stelios Kouloglou twice while he served on the European Parliament committee investigating commercial spyware abuse.
Kouloglou, a former Greek member of the European Parliament's PEGA committee, sat on the very body tasked with probing surveillance-tool abuse across the bloc when attackers compromised his device. Fellow lawmakers called the infection a direct attack on the rule of law.
Sources: The Hacker News · Wired Security · The Record · ↑ top
Latest developments: Jamf Threat Labs disclosed PamStealer, a macOS infostealer shipped as a compiled AppleScript file that impersonates the open-source clipboard manager Maccy and abuses pluggable authentication module checks to capture Mac login passwords.
PamStealer spreads through fake Maccy download sites, then siphons credentials and sensitive data while evading scrutiny. The find underscores mounting investment in Mac-focused infostealers.
Sources: The Hacker News · Ars Technica Security · ↑ top
Latest developments: BleepingComputer detailed ARToken on July 3, a phishing-as-a-service platform operating as an affiliate of the EvilTokens service, exposing an extensive toolkit built to compromise Microsoft 365 accounts.
ARToken lowers the bar for stealing Microsoft 365 credentials and session tokens through ready-made phishing infrastructure. Organizations should enforce phishing-resistant multifactor authentication and monitor for anomalous token use.
Sources: BleepingComputer · ↑ top
Latest developments: Medtronic disclosed July 3 that ShinyHunters breached its corporate IT systems in April and stole the personal and medical information of 3.8 million patients.
The medical-device maker Medtronic joins a growing roster of ShinyHunters victims. Affected patients face exposure of health records; the company is notifying those involved.
Sources: SecurityWeek · ↑ top
Latest developments: The Hacker News reported July 2 that Anubis ransomware affiliates now exploit Citrix Bleed 2 (CVE-2025-5777) for initial access, then pair legitimate remote-monitoring tools, bring-your-own-vulnerable-driver techniques, and stolen supply-chain credentials for hands-on-keyboard intrusions.
Anubis operators bypass NetScaler defenses through the Citrix Bleed 2 information-disclosure flaw and lean on trusted RMM software to move quietly. Administrators running Citrix NetScaler should confirm the CVE-2025-5777 patch and hunt for rogue RMM activity.
Sources: The Hacker News · ↑ top
Latest developments: Thursday's worse-than-expected June nonfarm payrolls pushed the dollar to a weekly low on July 3, lifted gold, and drove a risk-on rally through global stocks as traders unwound rate-hike bets.
The U.S. June employment report undershot forecasts, weakening the dollar against major currencies, sending gold higher, and cooling expectations that the Federal Reserve will raise rates; with U.S. markets closed for Independence Day, the moves rippled through European and Asian trading.
Sources: WSJ Markets · WSJ Markets · ↑ top
Today: Sunny then Isolated Showers And Thunderstorms, high 97F.
Tonight: Chance Showers And Thunderstorms, low 76F.
Independence Day: Mostly Sunny then Chance Showers And Thunderstorms, high 95F.
Latest developments: The Post-Gazette reported July 3 that Kroger's acquisition ambitions, Giant Eagle's hometown defense, and expansion by Wegmans and Meijer have all converged on the Pittsburgh market.
Pittsburgh's grocery market has become a battleground as local chain Giant Eagle defends its turf against Kroger, Wegmans, and Meijer, each maneuvering for share across the region.
Sources: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette · ↑ top
Latest developments: The Post-Gazette reported July 3 that premium-grade gasoline has grown markedly more expensive as a rising share of American drivers fill up with it.
Premium gasoline has widened its price gap over regular as more U.S. drivers, many in newer vehicles that require higher octane, choose it at the pump, pushing premium costs up.
Sources: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette · ↑ top
Latest developments: WPXI reported July 3 that Pittsburgh's West End Circle will shut overnight starting next week for utility work.
The West End Circle, the heavily traveled interchange tying the West End Bridge to Route 51 and the neighborhoods below, will close overnight next week while crews complete utility work.
Latest developments: WTAE reported July 3 that, ahead of the Parkway East closure, PennDOT is urging drivers to use its 511PA website and app for real-time detour planning.
PennDOT is directing motorists to 511PA, its free real-time traffic website and app, to navigate detours during the coming closure of the Parkway East, Interstate 376, in Pittsburgh's East End.
Latest developments: KDKA reported July 3 that a fourth straight day of 90-degree heat now carries thunderstorm chances, with well-timed storms possibly derailing Saturday's highs.
Western Pennsylvania's extreme-heat warning held for a fourth straight day July 3 with feels-like temperatures above 100 degrees, and forecasters added severe-storm chances Friday through Sunday across the Fourth of July weekend.
Latest developments: The Post-Gazette reported July 1 that the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra's annual budget leapt by $7 million to $42 million, driven largely by its film-music work.
The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra's budget has grown by $7 million to $42 million, an increase the Post-Gazette attributes largely to the orchestra's expanding business recording and performing film scores.
Sources: Post-Gazette Arts & Entertainment · ↑ top
Latest developments: WTAE reported July 3 that Pittsburgh has added drone surveillance, increased security, and parental advisories for Saturday's America 250 Fourth of July celebration.
Pittsburgh's Fourth of July celebration Saturday, July 4, billed as the largest fireworks show in city history for the nation's 250th birthday, will carry heightened downtown security, drone surveillance, and parental advisories for an expected record crowd.
Pirates (44-44)
Thu Jul 2 · Pirates 6 · Phillies 1 · Final
Valdez helps Pirates beat Phillies 6-1 to split their four-game series
Up Next · Pirates @ Nationals · Fri Jul 3, 6:45 PM
Latest developments: In a July 3 deep dive, Post-Gazette columnist Noah Hiles spread responsibility for Paul Skenes' rough stretch across the ace, his catchers, and the coaching staff.
Post-Gazette columnist Noah Hiles examined the causes of Pirates ace Paul Skenes' recent struggles, weighing blame among Skenes himself, his catchers, and pitching coaches after a run of bumpy starts capped by a career-high eight runs against the Phillies.
Sources: Post-Gazette Pirates · ↑ top
Latest developments: The Post-Gazette reported July 1 that Pirates prospects Seth Hernandez and Edward Florentino earned selection to Major League Baseball's All-Star Futures Game.
The Pirates will send two of their top prospects, pitcher Seth Hernandez and Edward Florentino, to the All-Star Futures Game, an exhibition of the sport's rising minor leaguers held during All-Star week.
Sources: Post-Gazette Pirates · ↑ top
Latest developments: A July 3 Post-Gazette video weighed whether Steelers defenders Derrick Harmon, Jack Sawyer, and other 2025 draftees can make second-year jumps.
A Post-Gazette video examined whether the Steelers' recent draftees, among them defensive lineman Derrick Harmon and edge rusher Jack Sawyer, can take the second-year leaps the team needs entering the 2026 season.
Sources: Post-Gazette Steelers · ↑ top
Latest developments: A grand jury in Washington indicted three-time U.S. Olympic canoeist David Hearn on July 2 on a felony charge tied to damage at the Reflecting Pool.
David Hearn, a 67-year-old three-time U.S. Olympic canoeist, was indicted on a felony charge accusing him of maliciously breaking lining material at Washington's Reflecting Pool, which President Trump had blamed on vandals after a $14.7 million renovation.
Sources: Guardian Olympics · ↑ top
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