Future Technology[Daily Briefing] Linux root bug 🐧, 161 black holes 🕳️, £250 4K 🖥️
A Linux bug called Bad Epoll turns any user into root
Researchers just disclosed CVE-2026-46242, nicknamed Bad Epoll, and it is about as bad as local bugs get. A completely unprivileged user, someone with a normal account and nothing special, can climb straight to root. No dodgy link to click, no file to open, no second exploit needed.
It lives in epoll, the kernel plumbing that lets programs wait on thousands of connections at once. Almost everything leans on it, which is why this reaches across desktop Linux, most servers, and Android too, since Android sits on the same kernel underneath.
It did not arrive alone. The same week brought six flaws in Apple AirDrop and Android Quick Share, roughly five billion devices between them, that let someone nearby force a connection or crash a device.
Why it matters: If you run a Linux server, a Docker host, or anything self hosted, this is a patch that jumps the queue. Watch for your distro kernel update (Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora, all affected) and apply it the moment it lands. On your phone, switch AirDrop and Quick Share off in crowded places until the fix reaches you.
Quick hits
Nvidia launched Rubin and claims a 10x cheaper AI. Six new chips, a new Vera CPU, and a claim that it cuts the cost per token by up to 10x versus Blackwell. AWS, Google Cloud, Microsoft and Oracle are lined up for later this year. AMD and OpenAI both showed their own silicon the same week, so the chip race is properly on. Read more (4 minute read)
Astronomers just added 161 black hole collisions in one go. The biggest gravitational wave catalogue yet, released 1 July, takes the running total to 390 since 2015. Hidden in the data is a hint of a primordial black hole, one that would be older than the stars themselves. Read more (4 minute read)
NAS or cloud? The honest answer for 2026. Own the box or rent someone else's. Local speed and full control versus a monthly bill that never ends. Most privacy minded people are landing on a NAS for the important stuff, with cloud as an offsite backup. Read more (5 minute read)
4K monitors got cheap, and one stands out. The MSI MAG 275UPD E14 is a 27 inch, 144Hz, 4K panel for around 250 pounds, which would have been flagship money two years ago. Check it on Amazon, or see the full budget roundup. Read more (5 minute read)
Gear of the day
Synology DiskStation. If the NAS versus cloud debate above nudged you toward owning your data, this is the box most people start with. Genuinely worth it if you have a growing pile of photos and video you never want to lose, or you are tired of paying every month for storage you do not control. Skip it if a few gigabytes in the cloud already covers you. See Synology on Amazon, or read our full NAS vs cloud guide.
Genuine question for the Linux folks: do you patch the moment a root bug like this drops, or does it sit in the "I will get to it" pile until something breaks? Hit reply, I read every one.
Nath, Future Technology
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