Sam's News — tech — 2026-08-26¶

Security¶

8 CISA confirms Iran-backed hackers targeted over 100 U.S. water systems in July¶

Iran-backed hackers targeted over 100 U.S. water utility systems in July 2026, exploiting vulnerable industrial control equipment from Rockwell, Schneider Electric, and Siemens. Some intrusions allowed attackers to disable safety shutdown processes and alarms, though water supplies to communities remained largely unaffected.

Over 100 internet-exposed water systems targeted in July 2026
Attacks affected providers in Michigan, Minnesota, and at least 5 other states
Hackers targeted programmable logic controllers (PLCs) from Rockwell, Schneider Electric, and Siemens
Some intrusions disabled shutdown processes and alarms without notifying operators
U.S. intelligence believes Iran is likely responsible, though no formal attribution made
Over 100 water and wastewater systems targeted in July 2026
Attacks linked to Iranian threat actors
Affected systems in at least 12 U.S. states including Minnesota, Michigan, Georgia, New Jersey, Alabama
Targeted industrial control systems (PLCs) connected to cellular modems
No significant operational disruptions reported
CISA guidance recommends reducing internet exposure and implementing multifactor authentication

Sources: TechCrunch AI Web Searched, SecurityWeek AI Web Searched

8 FBI Disrupts Chinese Hacking Campaign Targeting U.S. Federal Agencies and Infrastructure¶

The FBI disrupted Chinese proxy tools used in widespread cyberattacks against NASA, the Federal Reserve, U.S. Senate, and Justice Department systems.

Sources: Wired RSS

Consumer Hardware¶

8 Apple iPhone Launch Event September 9¶

Apple announced its iPhone launch event for September 9, marking the first Apple event under new CEO John Ternus, who takes over from Tim Cook on September 1; the event is expected to feature a foldable iPhone.

Event: September 9, 1 PM ET at Steve Jobs Theater
Foldable iPhone with wide form factor expected
iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max iterative refreshes also expected
First launch event under new CEO John Ternus (Tim Cook successor)

Sources: The Verge AI Web Searched, Engadget RSS, TechCrunch RSS

Policy¶

Meta reached a settlement worth up to $18 billion with 52 attorneys general over allegations that Facebook and Instagram were designed to encourage compulsive use by minors.

$18 billion total settlement: $16.7 billion from 47 states plus DC and territories, $1 billion from Texas
10-year requirement: 2-hour daily limit on teen use (both Facebook and Instagram combined)
Midnight–6 am block and school mode (8 am–3 pm) with default notification mute
15-minute continuous-use prompts and alerts at 60 and 90 minutes of daily use
Bans on plastic surgery filters and similar compulsive-use features
Payment reduced by $5 billion if other major social media firms don't adopt similar terms

Sources: BleepingComputer RSS, Ars Technica AI Web Searched, The Verge RSS

7.5 Meta Implements Restrictions on Teen App Access in State Settlement¶

Meta agreed to an $18 billion settlement with 29 U.S. states and implemented broad restrictions on teen access to Instagram and Facebook, including a two-hour daily cumulative time limit (disableable only by parents), Night Mode blocking midnight–6 a.m. access, and muted notifications during school hours. Most controls will remain in place for 10 years pending judicial approval.

$18 billion settlement with 29 states
Two-hour daily time limit across Facebook and Instagram; locked out after limit
Night Mode blocks access midnight–6 a.m.
Default non-algorithmic chronological feed; blocked extreme makeup filters; hidden likes by default
Usage prompts every 15 minutes; muted notifications 8 a.m.–3 p.m. school hours
$17 billion settlement with state and territorial attorneys general
$1 billion separate settlement with Texas same day
Two-hour daily app time limit for users under 18
Night-time access blocked between midnight and 6AM
Hide likes and reactions for users under 18
Ban cosmetic surgery filters for minors
Non-personalized feed option as default for youth
90% response time target for teen content reports under half a day

Sources: TechCrunch AI Web Searched, The Record AI Web Searched

Health¶

8 FDA Approves First-in-Class Targeted Therapy for Metastatic Pancreatic Cancer¶

The FDA has approved a novel targeted therapy for treating metastatic pancreatic cancer.

Sources: Hacker News (front page) RSS

AI¶

8 Anthropic Agrees to $45 Billion AI Data Centre Deal with UK Startup Nscale¶

Anthropic has agreed to a $45 billion deal with UK-based Nscale for long-term AI computing infrastructure access.

Sources: Financial Times RSS, TechCrunch RSS, The Mighty 790 KFGO RSS

AI Models¶

7.5 Z.ai releases Ox Alpha, a new stealth GLM-series model rivaling DeepSeek¶

Chinese AI company Z.ai confirmed development of Ox Alpha, a GLM-series large language model designed to rival DeepSeek, with plans to release model weights. The company previously launched GLM-5.2 in mid-June 2026, an open-source model with 1 million token context window praised for coding capabilities.

Z.ai developing Ox Alpha GLM-series model to compete with DeepSeek
GLM-5.2 launched mid-June 2026 with 1 million token context window
Open-source models allow users to download, operate, and modify locally
Industry leaders praised GLM-5.2 coding capabilities

Sources: AOL AI Web Searched, Hacker News (front page) RSS

Climate¶

7.5 Rising Temperatures Linked to Nepal Flood Catastrophe¶

Climate change-driven glacier retreat and instability likely contributed to the severity of the deadly flash flood in Nepal.