================================================================ INFOSECFOLLOW -- security, markets, business, pittsburgh Sunday, July 12, 2026 - 9:06 PM EDT ================================================================ 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. CONTENTS: Emerging Trends and Key Updates | Security | Business and Politics | Pittsburgh | Sports | Reading | Markets EMERGING TRENDS AND KEY UPDATES ---------------------------------------------------------------- * [TREND] An AI system surfaced a root-privilege Linux flaw that human reviewers missed for 15 years, even as the Pentagon moves to train amateurs into a hacker corps. see: AI Uncovers a 15-Year-Old Linux Root Flaw * [UPDATE (new)] Debian's 13.6 'trixie' release routes a fix for the expired 2013 Secure Boot certificate through fwupd, forcing mass firmware updates across most PCs. see: Expired Secure Boot Certificate Forces Firmware Updates * [UPDATE (new)] A new RedHook banking-malware variant abuses Android Wireless ADB to seize shell privileges on a phone with no computer attached. see: RedHook Android Malware Abuses Wireless ADB * [UPDATE (new)] Fresh U.S. strikes on Iranian targets and gunfire on vessels in the Strait of Hormuz drove oil prices higher as the ceasefire collapsed. see: U.S. and Iran Trade New Strikes Over Hormuz * [UPDATE (new)] Wireshark 4.6.7 patches a dozen vulnerabilities and sixteen bugs in the widely used network protocol analyzer. see: Wireshark 4.6.7 Patches a Dozen Flaws * [TREND] AI-hype skeptics pressed their case, with Zitron on the memory crisis, Thompson on the fight for verifiable data, and Newport on productivity paradoxes. see: Premium: The Hater's Guide To The Memory Crisis; Muse Image, Grok 4.5, Alex Karp on CNBC; Beware of Productivity Paradoxes SECURITY ---------------------------------------------------------------- 1. EXPIRED SECURE BOOT CERTIFICATE FORCES FIRMWARE UPDATES Vulnerabilities and Exploits · [patch, firmware] 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. - Help Net Security: https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2026/07/13/debian-13-6-security-update-released/ 2. REDHOOK ANDROID MALWARE ABUSES WIRELESS ADB Ransomware and Cybercrime · [android, malware, banking] 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. - BleepingComputer: https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/redhook-android-malware-now-uses-wireless-adb-for-shell-access/ 3. WIRESHARK 4.6.7 PATCHES A DOZEN FLAWS Vulnerabilities and Exploits · [patch] 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. - SANS Internet Storm Center: https://isc.sans.edu/diary/rss/33146 4. AI UNCOVERS A 15-YEAR-OLD LINUX ROOT FLAW AI Security · [ai, vulnerability, linux] 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. - Wired Security: https://www.wired.com/story/security-news-this-week-ai-found-a-root-bug-in-linux-that-everyone-missed-for-15-years/ BUSINESS AND POLITICS ---------------------------------------------------------------- * U.S. and Iran Trade New Strikes Over Hormuz 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. - WSJ: https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/u-s-launches-new-strikes-on-iran-after-hormuz-tensions-escalate-d6903c7f?mod=pls_whats_news_us_business_f - Financial Times: https://www.ft.com/content/c5beec47-ba53-412e-910e-6b9ab2f3238d - WSJ: https://www.wsj.com/finance/commodities-futures/oil-prices-rise-after-u-s-and-iran-exchange-new-rounds-of-attacks-1a00c574?mod=rss_markets_main PITTSBURGH ---------------------------------------------------------------- Weather: Tonight: Chance Rain Showers then Partly Cloudy, low 67F. Monday: Sunny, high 88F. Monday Night: Mostly Clear, low 66F. Business: * Pennsylvania Enacts $50.8 Billion Budget 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. - WPXI: https://www.wpxi.com/news/local/gov-josh-shapiro-signs-508-billion-budget-into-law/2QXXFY7J5VARXJ3VW2B5UPMJYM/ - TribLive: https://triblive.com/news/pennsylvania/pa-passes-50-8b-budget-that-sends-more-money-to-poorest-schools-skips-difficult-policy-questions/ Around town: * Another Heat Wave Hits Midweek 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. - WPXI: https://www.wpxi.com/weather/another-heat-wave-kicks-off-tuesday/WNOAQ34ITRGRTOQ6YWZ4ILDS4E/ SPORTS ---------------------------------------------------------------- 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 https://plaintextsports.com/mlb/2026-07-11/mil-pit Sat Jul 11 · Brewers 2 · Pirates 3 · Final Esmerlyn Valdez homers again as Pirates edge Brewers, 3-2, sweep twinbill from NL Central leaders https://plaintextsports.com/mlb/2026-07-11/mil-pit 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 https://plaintextsports.com/mlb/2026-07-12/mil-pit Up Next · Pirates @ Guardians · Fri Jul 17, 7:10 PM https://plaintextsports.com/mlb/2026-07-17/pit-cle Around the Teams: * Pirates Prospects Shine in Futures Game 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. - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: https://www.post-gazette.com/sports/mlb/2026/07/12/pirates-mlb-futures-game-seth-hernandez-edward-florentino/stories/202607120089 * How the Pirates Found Power 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. - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: https://www.post-gazette.com/sports/pirates/2026/07/11/pirates-mlb-home-run-reynolds-lowe-o-hearn/stories/202607100074 * Steelers' Greg Hawthorne Dies at 69 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. - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: https://www.post-gazette.com/sports/steelers/2026/07/10/hawthorne-dies-obituary-nfl-player/stories/202607100049 READING ---------------------------------------------------------------- * Ed Zitron -- Premium: The Hater's Guide To The Memory Crisis Zitron dissects the memory crisis, arguing the AI-driven surge in memory-chip demand and pricing is another symptom of an industry running on unsustainable hype. https://www.wheresyoured.at/premium-the-haters-guide-to-the-memory-crisis/ * Stratechery -- Muse Image, Grok 4.5, Alex Karp on CNBC Ben Thompson argues the battle for verifiable data increasingly defines the AI race, tying together Meta, Grok, and the frontier labs. https://stratechery.com/2026/muse-image-grok-4-5-alex-karp-on-cnbc/ * Cal Newport -- Beware of Productivity Paradoxes Newport warns that powerful new tools, like the personal computer before them, often fail to deliver the obvious productivity gains they seem to promise. https://calnewport.com/beware-of-productivity-paradoxes/ MARKETS (weekly average, change vs prior week) ---------------------------------------------------------------- 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% ================================================================ Generated 2026-07-12 21:06 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. ================================================================