Data Centers' Growth Strains Local Politics and Power

One of Google’s Android partners converted about 1.3 million set-top boxes into a botnet, according to The Verge. The large device network raises supply-chain and IoT security concerns because compromised consumer devices can be used for attacks such as distributed denial-of-service.

Germany has warned that lawmakers' iPhones may have been compromised using spyware, according to TechCrunch. The reported targeting of elected officials raises concerns about political surveillance and the misuse of commercial hacking tools.

Oracle has filed to sell $20 billion in new stock and bonds to finance its artificial-intelligence buildout. The move highlights how major cloud and database companies are raising large sums to fund AI data-center and computing capacity. It matters because the financing could shape Oracle's balance sheet and intensify competition in AI infrastructure.

Snap has settled a lawsuit accusing its platform of contributing to teen depression and eating disorders, according to TechCrunch. The case adds to growing legal and regulatory scrutiny of social media's impact on young users and mental health.

Ubuntu has still not released a patch for a Linux zero-day remote code execution vulnerability almost three weeks after it became known. The delay leaves Ubuntu users exposed and matters because Ubuntu is widely used on servers and cloud systems.