A technical essay revisits Gary Bernhardt's decade-old 'Functional Core, Imperative Shell' architecture, arguing that the key property enabling easy testing isn't functional purity itself but determinism. The author suggests that state machines and other deterministic constructs can achieve the same testability benefits as pure functions, broadening how developers might structure isolated, predictable 'core' logic versus the messier, IO-heavy 'shell' that talks to the outside world.
outdata.net
· 2026-09-21
Security firm Zimperium has identified RatHat, a new Android malware strain that tricks users into installing a fake app resembling Google Chrome through a spoofed Play Store page. Once granted accessibility permissions, it silently enables developer-level ADB Shell access, deploys an AI-driven agent to run system commands, and funnels stolen data to remote servers. Researchers have already found 162 infected apps tied to roughly a dozen attacker-controlled servers, with China-linked actors primarily targeting payment apps like WeChat Pay and Alipay.
cnet.com
· 2026-09-20
The author recounts struggling for years to move beyond single terminal commands, unable to chain logic like conditionals, loops, or piping output between programs. Over time they gradually learned shell scripting well enough to write basic conditional scripts, such as one checking npm install exit codes and printing custom error messages.
will-keleher.com
· 2026-09-20
Zimperium zLabs identified a new Android malware family, RatHat, spread via malvertising, SMS and phishing sites offering APK downloads outside Google Play. It abuses Accessibility permissions and enables Developer Options and Wireless Debugging to gain shell-level control, installing companion agents that maintain persistence, log keystrokes, and steal banking or crypto credentials through fake overlays. Researchers link the operation to Chinese-speaking actors based on Chinese-language prompts found in its AI automation engine.
bleepingcomputer.com
· 2026-09-17
Scientists led by Asor and colleagues developed a technique to directly observe individual virus-like particles as their protein shells form, publishing the results in Nature. The method allowed them to measure the speed and energy changes of shell assembly, something previously very difficult to track experimentally.
nature.com
· 2026-09-16
A developer released fcbnerd, a free command-line utility for macOS that reads MIDI signals from devices like the Behringer FCB1010 foot controller and either runs shell commands bound to specific pedal presses or outputs each MIDI event as JSON for other software to interpret. It works with any CoreMIDI-compatible source, not just the FCB1010, and is installable via Homebrew or built from source using Swift.
github.com
· 2026-09-14
Sophos researchers detailed a second-stage Linux rootkit infecting F5 BIG-IP APM systems, likely delivered after attackers exploited the critical CVE-2025-53521 remote code execution flaw. The malware infects Apache's httpd process, hooks internal functions to intercept PHP file loading, and injects a web shell into memory rather than writing files to disk, while also altering SELinux settings and persisting through firmware upgrades. ESET separately analyzed the same threat under the name PoisonedRefresh.
bleepingcomputer.com
· 2026-09-08
Security firm Horizon3 says hackers are exploiting CVE-2026-9586, an unauthenticated SQL injection bug in Sangoma Switchvox's /pa endpoint that allows remote code execution. Honeypot data shows a single source IP rapidly hitting multiple exposed systems, deploying reverse shells and exfiltrating process data. Sangoma patched the flaw, one of 12 reported by Horizon3, in version 8.4.0.2 released July 14.
bleepingcomputer.com
· 2026-09-02
Taco Bell has launched a new frozen dessert called the Churro Ice Cream Taco, priced at $3.99. The item features a waffle shell dipped in chocolate and filled with a new churro-flavored ice cream, drawing comparisons to the discontinued Choco Taco. It arrives alongside another frozen menu addition as summer winds down.
fastcompany.com
· 2026-09-02
A new study attributes roughly half of the water depletion driving the American West's crisis to emissions from just 122 fossil fuel and cement producers, including BP, Chevron, ExxonMobil, and Shell. The research is described as the first of its kind to quantify how specific corporate emitters contribute to regional water loss tied to climate change, rather than treating drought as an isolated natural phenomenon.
fastcompany.com
· 2026-08-26
Outdoor gear maker Arc'teryx is beginning a company-wide redesign effort aimed at making every product it manufactures fully recyclable, starting with one of its most technically complex hard shell jackets. The initiative is being framed as a multiyear circularity program rather than a single product launch.
fastcompany.com
· 2026-08-26
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