daily plain-text briefing: security, markets, business, and pittsburgh
An expired 2013 Secure Boot certificate anchors a broad open-source patching day, as Debian ships its sixth trixie update, AI surfaces a 15-year-old Linux root flaw, and RedHook Android malware turns wireless debugging into a shell.
Latest developments: Debian released 13.6 'trixie' on July 12, 2026, bundling more than a hundred security advisories and routing a fix for the now-expired 2013 UEFI Secure Boot certificate through an updated fwupd.
Most PCs ship a UEFI Secure Boot certificate authority installed by default since 2013 that signs the bootloaders letting machines start with Secure Boot on; that certificate has expired, and Debian's point release patches the trust chain via fwupd. Administrators running Debian 13 should apply 13.6 and update firmware to keep Secure Boot functioning.
Sources: Help Net Security · ↑ top
Latest developments: BleepingComputer reported July 12, 2026 that a new RedHook variant abuses Android Wireless Debugging, or Wireless ADB, to gain shell-level privileges on a phone without any computer connection.
RedHook is Android malware that now escalates to shell access by turning on the operating system's own wireless debugging feature, a technique that sidesteps the usual requirement for a tethered computer. Android users should disable Wireless Debugging, avoid sideloaded apps, and watch for unexpected developer-mode prompts.
Sources: BleepingComputer · ↑ top
Latest developments: The SANS Internet Storm Center noted July 11, 2026 that Wireshark 4.6.7 fixes 12 vulnerabilities and 16 bugs in the widely used network protocol analyzer.
Wireshark, the packet-capture and protocol-analysis tool that security teams run daily, shipped a maintenance release closing a dozen security flaws. Analysts should upgrade to 4.6.7, since malformed captures can trigger dissector vulnerabilities.
Sources: SANS Internet Storm Center · ↑ top
Latest developments: Wired reported July 11, 2026 that an AI system found a root-privilege bug in Linux that human reviewers had missed for 15 years, alongside word that the Pentagon is training amateurs into a hacker corps and that a Flock license-plate-reader error led police to surround a car reviewer.
An AI tool identified a long-buried root-level vulnerability in the Linux kernel, underscoring how machine analysis now finds flaws that eluded a decade and a half of human eyes. Linux operators should track the disclosure and patch once a fix lands.
Sources: Wired Security · ↑ top
Latest developments: The United States launched multiple fresh waves of strikes on Iranian military targets Sunday, July 12, and Iranian forces fired on commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz, sending oil prices higher as the ceasefire collapsed further.
Iran insists it has closed the Strait of Hormuz, the chokepoint for roughly a fifth of the world's seaborne oil, while President Trump says the waterway stays open; the escalating tit-for-tat strikes threaten crude flows and revive inflation fears that could keep the Federal Reserve on hold.
Sources: WSJ · Financial Times · WSJ · ↑ top
Tonight: Chance Rain Showers then Partly Cloudy, low 67F.
Monday: Sunny, high 88F.
Monday Night: Mostly Clear, low 66F.
Latest developments: Governor Josh Shapiro signed a $50.8 billion state budget into law Sunday, July 12, twelve days past the statutory deadline, after the Pennsylvania Senate gave its approval.
The fifth consecutive overdue Pennsylvania budget steers additional aid to the commonwealth's poorest school districts and skips difficult policy fights; last year's impasse dragged into November.
Sources: WPXI · TribLive · ↑ top
Latest developments: A strong heat dome centered over the Midwest will slide into Western Pennsylvania by midweek, driving highs into the 90s from Tuesday, July 14, through at least Thursday, July 16.
Meteorologists at WPXI expect the Midwest heat dome to nudge east over the Pittsburgh area, returning 90-degree temperatures for several days after a milder stretch.
Pirates (50-47)
Sat Jul 11 · Brewers 6 · Pirates 7 · Final
Esmerlyn Valdez's grand slam, two homers lead Pirates past Brewers 7-6 in first game of doubleheader
Sat Jul 11 · Brewers 2 · Pirates 3 · Final
Esmerlyn Valdez homers again as Pirates edge Brewers, 3-2, sweep twinbill from NL Central leaders
Sun Jul 12 · Brewers 5 · Pirates 14 · Final
Skenes wins 2nd straight start after 9-game winless slide, Pirates rout Brewers 14-5 with 10-run 4th
Up Next · Pirates @ Guardians · Fri Jul 17, 7:10 PM
Latest developments: Pirates pitching prospect Seth Hernandez threw a scoreless inning in the MLB Futures Game during All-Star weekend, joined by outfielder Edward Florentino representing Pittsburgh's farm system.
The Post-Gazette reported Hernandez, one of the Pirates' top pitching prospects, aced his Futures Game inning in Philadelphia, spotlighting a system that ranks among baseball's deepest.
Sources: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette · ↑ top
Latest developments: The Post-Gazette's 'Off The Bat' explained how the Pirates cleared their entire 2025 home run total well before the All-Star break.
The feature credited the resurgent bats of Bryan Reynolds, Brandon Lowe, and Ryan O'Hearn for a power surge that has transformed a lineup long starved for home runs.
Sources: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette · ↑ top
Latest developments: The Post-Gazette reported the death of Greg Hawthorne, whom the Steelers made their first-round draft pick in 1979.
Hawthorne, a running back and receiver Pittsburgh took in the opening round of the 1979 NFL draft, was 69.
Sources: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette · ↑ top
S&P 500 7,528.60 ▲ +1.0% Dow 52,690.77 ▲ +0.7% Nasdaq 26,059.80 ▲ +0.8% WTI crude 71.20 ▲ +2.7% EUR/USD 1.1428 ▲ +0.2% GBP/USD 1.3382 ▲ +0.9% USD/JPY 162.16 ▲ +0.1%