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New ‘Pack2TheRoot’ flaw gives hackers root Linux access

A new vulnerability dubbed Pack2TheRoot could be exploited in the PackageKit daemon to allow local Linux users to install or remove system packages and gain root permissions.

The flaw is identified as CVE-2026–41651 and received a high-severity rating of 8.8 out of 10. It has persisted for almost 12 years in the PackageKit daemon, a background service that manages software installation, updates, and removal across Linux systems.

Earlier this week, some information about the vulnerability has been published, along with PackageKit version 1.3.5 that addresses the issue. However, technical details and a demo exploit have been not been disclosed to allow the patches to propagate.

Firestarter malware survives Cisco firewall updates, security patches

Cybersecurity agencies in the U.S. and U.K. are warning about a custom malware called Firestarter persisting on Cisco Firepower and Secure Firewall devices running Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) or Firepower Threat Defense (FTD) software.

The backdoor has been attributed to a threat actor that Cisco Talos tracks internally as UAT-4356, known for cyberespionage campaigns, including ArcaneDoor.

The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the U.K. National Cyber Security Center (NCSC) believe that the adversary obtained initial access by exploiting a missing authorization issue (CVE-2025–20333) and/or a buffer overflow bug (CVE-2025–20362).

Windows Update gets new controls to reduce forced restarts

Microsoft is rolling out Windows Update improvements that give users more control over how updates are installed while reducing disruption from frequent or poorly timed restarts.

The company says the improvements are now rolling out to Windows Insiders, following user feedback that highlighted two key issues: updates are disrupting workflows, and there is a lack of control over when they are installed.

“We are continually reading the feedback submitted about the Windows update experience. Personally, I’ve had the opportunity to read over 7,621 direct verbatims over the last few months,” explains Microsoft’s Aria Hanson.

New BlackFile extortion group linked to surge of vishing attacks

A new financially motivated hacking group tracked as BlackFile has been linked to a wave of data theft and extortion attacks against retail and hospitality organizations since February 2026.

The group, also tracked as CL-CRI-1116, UNC6671, and Cordial Spider, is impersonating corporate IT helpdesk staff to steal employee credentials and demand seven-figure ransoms, according to information shared by cybersecurity firm Palo Alto Networks’ Unit 42 with the Retail & Hospitality Information Sharing and Analysis Center (RH-ISAC).

Unit 42 security researchers have also linked BlackFile with moderate confidence to “The Com,” a loose-knit network of English-speaking cybercriminals known for targeting and recruiting young people for extortion, violence, and the production of child sexual exploitation material (CSAM).

Microsoft to roll out Entra passkeys on Windows in late April

Microsoft will roll out passkey support for phishing-resistant passwordless authentication to Microsoft Entra‑protected resources from Windows devices starting late April.

The feature is expected to reach general availability by mid-June 2026 and will also extend passwordless sign-in to unmanaged Windows devices.

Microsoft says that Entra passkeys on Windows will support corporate, personal, and shared devices, with admin controls via Conditional Access and Authentication Methods policies.

3D Recordings of Swimming Algae

Measurements of the 3D fluid flow around a swimming microorganism could help researchers better understand the swimming dynamics of such microbes.

Swimming microorganisms set up complex fluid flows that affect their ability to feed and communicate. Using advanced holographic methods, researchers have now imaged the entire 3D flow field around a swimming alga, revealing vortex rings that help propel the organism [1]. The researchers hope that the experiments will lead to improvements in measuring the energy expenditure and swimming strategies of a wide range of microorganisms.

The single-cell alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii swims in a “breaststroke” style by beating its flagella—two hair-like appendages located at the front of its body—cycling 50 times per second. The flagella propel the organism forward while creating a surrounding fluid flow field that influences nutrient uptake and allows the organism to detect predators or mates. “The flow field generated by a swimming microorganism is one of its most fundamental characteristics,” says Xiang Cheng of the University of Minnesota. But he says that previous experiments have only captured partial details of this field, such as vortices to the left and right of the swimming organism. Researchers have speculated that these vortices might be connected in a larger coherent 3D flow pattern, but experiments have been unable to resolve such structures.

‘Aquila Booster’ challenges theoretical limits of particle acceleration in pulsar wind nebulae

The Large High Altitude Air Shower Observatory (LHAASO) has detected PeV (1015 eV) gamma-ray emission from a pulsar wind nebula powered by PSR J1849-0001 in the constellation Aquila, marking the discovery of a new PeVatron and posing a challenge to the classical theory of particle acceleration in pulsar wind nebulae.

This discovery is important because the calculated particle acceleration efficiency of this celestial structure approaches or even exceeds the theoretical limits allowed under ideal magnetohydrodynamic conditions.

This study, published in Nature Astronomy, was conducted by Prof. Liu Ruoyu, Dr. Wang Kai, and doctoral student Tong Chaonan from Nanjing University, Prof. Chen Songzhan and Assoc. Prof. Wang Lingyu from the Institute of High Energy Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and their collaborators.

Carbon nanotubes are closing the gap on copper conductivity

Carbon nanotubes are one technology that many observers believe hasn’t quite lived up to the extreme hype that surrounded them when they first appeared on the scene in the late 1990s. At that time, much was made of their extraordinary electrical, thermal, and mechanical properties, with predictions that they would revolutionize materials science, electronics, and daily life. But could we be closer to realizing some of that promise?

In a paper published in the journal Science, researchers describe a method for adding a chemical to carbon nanotube bundles that brings them closer to copper’s ability to conduct electricity.

Carbon nanotubes are nanoscale hollow cylinders of carbon atoms, a structure that allows electricity to flow through them with very low resistance. However, when you bundle millions of them together, as you would need for practical applications like power lines and electrical wiring, they lose some of their exceptional conductivity. Electrons move easily along individual nanotubes, but transferring charge between neighboring tubes in a bundle is much less efficient.

New approach to detect ultra-rare part-per-sextillion isotopes could also sharpen dark matter searches

The detection and study of isotopes, atoms of the same element that have different numbers of neutrons, could expand the scope of physics research and enable new scientific discoveries. So far, rare isotopes have been primarily detected using a technique known as accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS), which accelerates atoms, to then measure their mass and charge.

Despite its widespread use, AMS is not always precise at the ultra-rare level, as it is susceptible to what is known as background interference. This essentially means that similar atoms or neighboring isotopes can produce misleading signals that reduce the accuracy and precision of measurements.

Researchers at the University of Science and Technology of China and the Chinese Academy of Sciences recently developed a new technique for detecting and counting individual atoms called Atom Trap Trace Analysis (ATTA).

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