Thank you for reading the LinuxSecurity.com weekly security newsletter. The purpose of this document is to provide our readers with a quick summary of each week's most relevant Linux security headlines.

LinuxSecurity.com Feature Extras:

- LinuxSecurity debunks some common myths and misconceptions regarding open source and Linux by answering a few Linux-related frequently asked questions.

Security Highlights from Defcon 26 - Defcon 26 provided individuals and organizations with valuable tips and insight on security and the latest and most effective defenses. Here are some security-related highlights from the event.

  (Sep 30)
 

A high-severity cache invalidation bug in the Linux kernel has been uncovered, which could allow an attacker to gain root privileges on the targeted system.
  (Oct 4)
 

LinuxBoot is the year-old project for replacing proprietary UEFI implementations with the Linux kernel in essence. Adoption continues to grow for LinuxBoot and is now being used inside several large corporations.
  Hackers demand ransom from hijacked Instagram influencers (Oct 2)
 

Hackers are taking over high-profile Instagram users' accounts and holding them to ransom, it was revealed this week. At least four influencers have lost control of their accounts and received demands to send bitcoin for their return, but in some cases the attackers retained control or deleted the accounts.
  Facebook could face $1.63bn fine under GDPR over latest data breach (Oct 2)
 

Facebook could face potentially billions in fines under GDPR for the latest data breach which impacted roughly 50 million accounts.
  NSA staffer takes top-secret hacking tools home ‘to study', gets 66 months (Oct 3)
 

Taking work-related documents home to study might get you a promotion and pay raise at some jobs, but not when your employer is the National Security Agency (NSA) – and most certainly not when those materials are classified.
  (Sep 30)
 

While the maintained Linux 4.x kernel branches have all seen a lot of work on L1TF/Foreshadow and other x86/x86_64 speculation execution mitigation work, the Linux 3.16.59 kernel is bringing a load of work for those still riding this old kernel base.
  (Oct 3)
 

As Linux adoption expands, it's increasingly important for the kernel community to improve the security of the world's most widely used technology. Security is vital not only for enterprise customers, it's also important for consumers, as 80 percent of mobile devices are powered by Linux.
  Tesco Bank Fined £16m After 2016 Cyber Heist (Oct 1)
 

Tesco Bank has been fined £16.4m by the UK's financial regulator for deficiencies which allowed hackers to steal millions from its customers in 2016.
  (Oct 1)
 

Continuing to serve as the release manager in the absence of Linus Torvalds, Greg Kroah-Hartman today released Linux 4.19-rc6 as the latest test release for the Linux 4.19 kernel that will debut as stable in October.
  Malware Outbreak Causes Disruptions, Closures at Canadian Restaurant Chain (Oct 5)
 

Recipe Unlimited, a publicly traded company that operates nearly 1,400 restaurants under 19 different brands in Canada, has experienced what appears to be a significant security incident impacting several of its brands.
  Dragora 3.0 Alpha 2 Released As One Of The Libre GNU/Linux Platforms (Sep 30)
 

Dragora is one of the lesser known Linux distributions that is focused on shipping "entirely free software" to the standards of the FSF/GNU.
  (Oct 1)
 

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