================================================================ INFOSECFOLLOW -- security, markets, business, pittsburgh Saturday, July 18, 2026 - 9:06 AM EDT ================================================================ The Inc ransomware crew is chaining two SonicWall SMA zero-days into root-level control of remote-access appliances, as fresh disclosures show governments and criminals racing to hoard and exploit personal data. CONTENTS: Emerging Trends and Key Updates | Security | Business and Politics | Pittsburgh | Sports | Reading | Markets EMERGING TRENDS AND KEY UPDATES ---------------------------------------------------------------- * [TREND] Ransomware crews keep breaching enterprise gear, as the Inc gang chains SonicWall SMA zero-days for root access while a Fairlife attack idled US dairy plants. see: Inc Ransomware Chains SonicWall SMA Zero-Days to Root; Fairlife Halts US Dairy Production After Ransomware * [TREND] Bulk personal data feeds both state surveillance and street fraud, as ICE commits $125 million to Thomson Reuters records while carders assemble clean residential proxies. see: ICE Buys Thomson Reuters Data to Hunt Voter Fraud; Carders Hunt Clean Residential Proxies * [TREND] Iran escalates on two fronts, geolocating US military phones while striking Saudi Arabia directly for the first time in months as the Gulf war widens. see: Iran Tracks US Military Phones; Iran Strikes Saudi Arabia as Gulf War Widens * [TREND] Canadian wildfire smoke rippled across Pittsburgh, clearing Saturday before severe storms, after postponing the Pirates-Guardians opener and thinning Picklesburgh crowds downtown. see: Smoke Clears Saturday as Severe Storms Move In; Smoke Postpones Pirates-Guardians Opener; Picklesburgh Extends Sunday Hours Downtown * [UPDATE (updated)] Ben Thompson's take on IBM's mainframe moat and Zitron's OpenAI bubble thesis both refreshed, framing the AI shift's likely winners and reckonings. see: IBM Misses, IBM's Mainframe Moat, IBM's Many AI Problems; The OpenAI Bubble SECURITY ---------------------------------------------------------------- 1. INC RANSOMWARE CHAINS SONICWALL SMA ZERO-DAYS TO ROOT Vulnerabilities and Exploits · [ransomware, zero-day, exploit] Latest developments: Dark Reading laid out how the Inc ransomware crew chains two SonicWall Secure Mobile Access flaws in sequence to seize root-level control of the appliances. SonicWall's Secure Mobile Access appliances sit at the network edge to broker remote-worker connections. Inc, a ransomware-as-a-service operation, exploits a pair of zero-days together to run commands as root; SonicWall customers should apply the vendor's fixes and hunt their appliances for signs of compromise. - Dark Reading: https://www.darkreading.com/vulnerabilities-threats/inc-ransomware-exploits-sonicwall-sma-zero-days 2. ICE BUYS THOMSON REUTERS DATA TO HUNT VOTER FRAUD Policy and Regulation · [policy, surveillance, privacy] Latest developments: A procurement record shows US Immigration and Customs Enforcement will pay Thomson Reuters $125 million for access to names, Social Security numbers, and ethnicity data to investigate what it calls 'voters fraud' and immigration fraud. ICE is buying bulk personal records from Thomson Reuters to mine for alleged voter and immigration fraud. The deal folds Americans' Social Security numbers and ethnicity into an immigration-enforcement dataset, drawing sharp privacy and civil-liberties objections. - 404 Media: https://www.404media.co/ice-to-pay-thomson-reuters-125-million-to-find-voter-fraud/ 3. FAIRLIFE HALTS US DAIRY PRODUCTION AFTER RANSOMWARE Ransomware and Cybercrime · [ransomware, breach] Latest developments: Fairlife named the plants the ransomware attack idled, sites in Michigan, New York, and Arizona, mapping the footprint of its suspended US production. Fairlife, a Coca-Cola dairy subsidiary whose retail sales passed $1 billion in 2022, stopped US production after a ransomware attack. The disruption spans its plants in Michigan, New York, and Arizona. - The Record: https://therecord.media/dairy-company-fairlife-suspends-production-us-cyber-incident 4. CARDERS HUNT CLEAN RESIDENTIAL PROXIES Ransomware and Cybercrime · [cybercrime, fraud] Latest developments: Flare documented carders shifting to 'clean' residential proxies paired with browser fingerprints and device profiles to slip past modern fraud detection. Residential proxies route criminal traffic through real home IP addresses to mimic legitimate shoppers. As fraud engines flag dirty proxies, carders now chase unflagged 'clean' ones and layer them with stolen device fingerprints and identity signals to cash out stolen cards. - BleepingComputer: https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/inside-the-search-for-clean-residential-proxies-for-carding/ 5. IRAN TRACKS US MILITARY PHONES Nation-State Activity · [apt, surveillance] Latest developments: SecurityWeek reported that Iran is geolocating the mobile phones of US military personnel. Iranian operators are tracking the physical locations of US service members through their mobile phones as an intelligence effort against American forces. Personnel should tighten location-sharing and harden device settings. - SecurityWeek: https://www.securityweek.com/in-other-news-iran-tracks-us-military-phones-crashstealer-macos-malware-cvd-blueprint/ BUSINESS AND POLITICS ---------------------------------------------------------------- * Iran Strikes Saudi Arabia as Gulf War Widens Latest developments: Iran struck Saudi Arabia directly for the first time in months on Saturday, July 18, opening a front beyond the Kuwaiti desalination plant and Gulf shipping already reported. The United States and Iran traded strikes on infrastructure and military targets across the Persian Gulf on Saturday, July 18, with Iran hitting Saudi Arabia as both sides pressed their fight over the Strait of Hormuz, raising the risk that the war spirals into a broader regional conflict that could choke oil and shipping. - Financial Times: https://www.ft.com/content/e8e8adc5-7c56-45a8-99fc-bb5acfda263e?syn-25a6b1a6=1 - Wall Street Journal: https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/the-u-s-and-iran-creep-toward-a-wider-war-with-escalating-attacks-7323c060 PITTSBURGH ---------------------------------------------------------------- Weather: Today: Showers And Thunderstorms Likely then Chance Showers And Thunderstorms, high 87F. Tonight: Showers And Thunderstorms, low 67F. Sunday: Mostly Sunny, high 82F. Business: * Westmoreland Lamb Demand Climbs as Wool Prices Fall Latest developments: TribLive reported July 18 that growing Middle Eastern and Mexican populations are lifting demand for Westmoreland County lamb and mutton even as wool prices plunge. Sheep and lamb growers in Westmoreland County are selling more meat as the region's Middle Eastern and Mexican communities expand, though a collapse in wool prices squeezes the same producers who raise the animals. - TribLive: https://triblive.com/local/westmoreland/westmoreland-sheep-lamb-market-thrives-on-rising-ethnic-demand-but-wool-prices-plunge/ * Indiana Township Pizza Shop Rises From a Career Pivot Latest developments: TribLive profiled July 18 how John English turned an unexpected career change into a fixture independent pizza shop in Indiana Township. John English never planned to sell pizza, and his unplanned career pivot into the trade has made his independent shop a food fixture in Indiana Township, Allegheny County. - TribLive: https://triblive.com/local/valley-news-dispatch/a-slice-of-nice-friendly-independent-pizza-shop-a-food-fixture-indiana-township/ Around town: * Smoke Clears Saturday as Severe Storms Move In Latest developments: Air-quality alerts across the Pittsburgh region end just before 10 a.m. Saturday, July 18, as a wind shift clears the wildfire smoke, and forecasters now warn of severe storms with damaging winds, hail, and possible tornadoes after 3 p.m. The Canadian wildfire smoke that drove Pittsburgh's air into hazardous ranges this week lifts Saturday, July 18, as winds push it out. Forecasters made the day a Severe Weather Alert Day, with a line of strong storms threatening damaging winds, hail, and tornadoes across Western Pennsylvania from mid-afternoon into the evening; the poor air had already forced cancellation of Friday's America's Mile race. - KDKA: https://www.cbsnews.com/pittsburgh/news/air-quality-improves-on-saturday-in-pittsburgh-but-strong-storms-possible-throughout-the-day/ - WTAE: https://www.wtae.com/article/pennsylvania-storms-saturday-july-18/73174354 - WPXI: https://www.wpxi.com/news/local/americas-mile-race-canceled-because-poor-air-quality-pittsburgh/BD423Y7LQBBRZFRD6QC2JMF66Q/ * Pittsburgh Skirts Its Own Police Residency Rule Latest developments: TribLive reported July 18 that the city promoted a South Fayette resident to assistant police chief last month, despite rules that appear to require commanders to live in Pittsburgh. The Pittsburgh Bureau of Police promoted a South Fayette resident to assistant chief in June, a move TribLive found conflicts with a city residency rule that appears to require police commanders to live within Pittsburgh. - TribLive: https://triblive.com/local/pittsburgh-ignores-its-own-residency-rule-for-police-commanders/ * Transit Chief Urges Drivers to Skip Parkway East Latest developments: TribLive detailed July 18 how commuters are turning to buses and rail during the Parkway East closure, with Pittsburgh Regional Transit chief executive Katharine Kelleman telling drivers, "Don't drive." With the Parkway East (I-376) closed and roughly 100,000 daily drivers rerouting, Pittsburgh Regional Transit chief executive Katharine Kelleman is pressing commuters to leave their cars and ride the agency's buses and rail through the shutdown. - TribLive: https://triblive.com/local/offbeat-pittsburgh-surviving-the-parkway-east-closure-with-public-transit/ Events: * Picklesburgh Extends Sunday Hours Downtown Latest developments: The Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership extended Picklesburgh's Sunday hours, WPXI reported July 18, to help vendors recover after wildfire smoke thinned Friday and Saturday crowds. Picklesburgh, the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership's food festival in Downtown Pittsburgh, closes Sunday, July 19, and partnership president and chief executive Jeremy Waldrup lengthened the festival's final-day hours to give vendors a stronger finish after wildfire smoke cut into attendance earlier in the weekend. - WPXI: https://www.wpxi.com/news/local/picklesburgh-extends-sunday-hours-hoping-help-vendors-finish-unprecedented-weekend-strong/RCPALIWW5ZGM3NIGHANVPXFD6I/ SPORTS ---------------------------------------------------------------- Pirates (50-47) Fri Jul 17 · Pirates @ Guardians · Postponed https://plaintextsports.com/mlb/2026-07-17/pit-cle Up Next · Pirates @ Guardians · Sat Jul 18, 1:10 PM https://plaintextsports.com/mlb/2026-07-18/pit-cle Around the Teams: * Curiel's Win-First Makeup Draws Pirates Praise Latest developments: A Post-Gazette profile July 18 detailed how first-round pick Derek Curiel, the LSU and Orange Lutheran outfielder, "does whatever it takes to win." The Post-Gazette profiled Derek Curiel, the outfielder out of LSU and Orange Lutheran High School whom the Pirates took fifth overall in the 2026 draft, casting his win-at-all-costs makeup as the trait that drew the organization to him. - Post-Gazette Pirates: https://www.post-gazette.com/sports/pirates/2026/07/18/pirates-derek-curiel-lsu-orange-lutheran-draft-pick/stories/202607170065 * Smoke Postpones Pirates-Guardians Opener Latest developments: The Post-Gazette reported July 17 that the Pirates postponed their series opener against the Cleveland Guardians because of the hazardous air quality from Canadian wildfire smoke. The Pirates called off their series opener against the Cleveland Guardians as wildfire smoke pushed Pittsburgh's air quality into unhealthy ranges, one of several regional events disrupted by the haze. - Post-Gazette Pirates: https://www.post-gazette.com/sports/pirates/2026/07/17/mlb-pirates-series-opener-guardians-postponed-air-quality-conditions/stories/202607170036 Team USA: * IOC Complaint Over Balogun Affair Likely to Fizzle Latest developments: The Guardian reported July 18 that FIFA president Gianni Infantino will probably escape IOC sanction over a human-rights group's complaint about his Trump dealings surrounding United States forward Folarin Balogun. The human-rights organization FairSquare asked the International Olympic Committee to punish FIFA president Gianni Infantino after President Trump said he had phoned Infantino over the affair around United States forward Folarin Balogun's red card and lifted ban; the Guardian reported Infantino is poised to avoid any penalty. - Guardian World Cup 2026: https://www.theguardian.com/football/2026/jul/18/gianni-infantino-unlikely-to-face-ioc-sanctions-over-balogun-red-card-scandal READING ---------------------------------------------------------------- * Stratechery -- IBM Misses, IBM's Mainframe Moat, IBM's Many AI Problems Ben Thompson dissects IBM's disappointing preliminary results, arguing the durable mainframe franchise still anchors the company even as its software and services face mounting pressure from the AI shift. https://stratechery.com/2026/ibm-misses-ibms-mainframe-moat-ibms-many-ai-problems/ * Ed Zitron -- The OpenAI Bubble Zitron contends OpenAI's soaring valuation and the wider AI investment frenzy amount to a bubble built on unsustainable spending and thin revenue, one he expects to burst. https://www.wheresyoured.at/the-openai-bubble/ * Cal Newport -- Why Reading Matters Responding to Rose Horowitch's Atlantic piece proclaiming the end of reading, Newport makes the case that sustained deep reading remains essential to serious thinking. https://calnewport.com/why-reading-matters/ MARKETS (weekly average, change vs prior week) ---------------------------------------------------------------- S&P 500 7,524.56 ▼ -0.1% Dow 52,472.99 ▼ -0.4% Nasdaq 25,930.32 ▼ -0.5% WTI crude 79.70 ▲ +11.9% EUR/USD 1.1434 ▲ +0.1% GBP/USD 1.3444 ▲ +0.4% USD/JPY 162.28 = +0.0% ================================================================ Generated 2026-07-18 09:06 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. ================================================================