Working on a new feature with Claude Code surfaced an unexpected skill gap: software architecture — not the usual suspects like design patterns, component design, or API contracts, but something more fundamental. The ability to communicate architecture clearly, concisely, and precisely. It turns out this is a must if you want great results with Claude Code, especially when building something new that needs to integrate into a larger existing system. And it changed my workflow entirely. Before touching the keyboard, I now have to think everything through end-to-end. I have to truly understand what I'm building, then write it down in plain language that actually makes sense. That process alone exposes the gaps that would otherwise surface much later — buried inside expensive, frustrating debug sessions. It’s a unexpected finding. I went in thinking AI-assisted coding might quietly erode my skills. However, from this new perspective, it’s a opportunity to improve.

Using Claude Code with intention and precision allows us to act as architects.

🛡️ Security & Privacy

• SSHStalker Linux Botnet — A newly discovered Linux botnet uses old-school IRC C2 and decade-old 2009-era kernel exploits to compromise 7,000+ forgotten servers. More
• Microsoft February 2026 Patch Tuesday — Microsoft patched 54 CVEs including 6 actively exploited zero-days; highlights include Windows Shell bypass (CVE-2026-21510) and an MSHTML security bypass (CVE-2026-21513). More
• Chrome Zero-Day CVE-2026-2441 — Google patched Chrome's first actively exploited 2026 zero-day, a high-severity use-after-free CSS bug enabling sandbox remote code execution. Update to 145.0.7632.75 now. More
• Keenadu Android Firmware Backdoor — Kaspersky discovered a sophisticated supply-chain backdoor pre-baked into the firmware of multiple Android tablet brands, granting attackers full device control across 13,700+ infected devices worldwide. More
• Critical VS Code Extension Flaws — Four popular VS Code extensions (Live Server, Code Runner, Markdown Preview Enhanced, Microsoft Live Preview) with 125M+ installs contain critical vulnerabilities enabling file theft and remote code execution. More
• PayPal PPWC Data Breach — A coding error in PayPal's Working Capital loan app exposed ~100 customers' SSNs, dates of birth, and business details for nearly six months between July and December 2025. More
• Bluetooth Privacy: What Your Devices Reveal — A developer built Bluehood, a Bluetooth scanner revealing how much personal data leaks just from having Bluetooth enabled, coinciding with the disclosure of the WhisperPair CVE-2025-36911 vulnerability. More

🛸 Tech

• OpenClaw Creator Joins OpenAI — Peter Steinberger, creator of the viral OpenClaw AI agent platform, is joining OpenAI to work on making agents accessible to everyone; OpenClaw moves to an independent open-source foundation. More
• Palo Alto Networks Acquires Koi for ~$400M — PANW is acquiring Koi Security, pioneer of "Agentic Endpoint Security," to protect AI agents, plugins, and MCP servers that bypass traditional security controls and operate with deep system access. More
• Anthropic Clarifies Ban on Third-Party Claude Access — Anthropic updated its ToS to explicitly prohibit OAuth subscription tokens from being used in any third-party tools, confirming enforcement against token arbitrage while clarifying personal/local Agent SDK use remains permitted. More
• iOS 26.4 Brings AI Chatbots to CarPlay — Apple's upcoming iOS 26.4 introduces a new "voice-based conversational apps" category in CarPlay, paving the way for ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude to run natively in your car dashboard via voice. More
• Gentoo now has a presence on Codeberg. More.
• GrapheneOS: Break Free from Google and Apple — A practical guide to installing and using GrapheneOS, the privacy-hardened Android fork, including supported Pixel devices, installation steps, and a curated list of open-source app replacements. More
• Cleaning Up Merged Git Branches: A CIA Tip — Buried in the 2017 WikiLeaks Vault7 dump was a page of mundane CIA developer docs with surprisingly useful git tips, including a clean one-liner to delete all merged local branches. More

🤖 AI

• AI Agent "Reputation Farming" Targets Open-Source Maintainers — An autonomous AI agent called "Kai Gritun" opened 103 PRs across 95 GitHub repos in two weeks to build fake contributor credibility, raising alarming supply-chain attack parallels to the xz-utils backdoor. More
• Anthropic Launches Claude Sonnet 4.6 — The new default model for Free and Pro users brings major coding, computer use, and agent planning improvements, plus a 1M token context window in beta, at unchanged pricing. More
• The 5-Level AI Dark Factory Framework — Nate's newsletter breaks down why most developers are actually getting slower with AI tools, and lays out a five-level framework from basic AI use to fully autonomous "dark factory" software teams. More
• Claude Code Security — Anthropic launched Claude Code Security in limited preview, a tool that scans codebases for novel, context-dependent security vulnerabilities and suggests targeted patches for human review. More
• Ferret-UI Lite: On-Device GUI Agents (arXiv) — Apple researchers present a compact 3B-parameter GUI agent operating across mobile, web, and desktop with competitive performance, demonstrating how small models can drive autonomous UI interactions. More
• How I Use Claude Code (Boris Tane) — After nine months of daily use, a developer shares a workflow built around one core rule: never let Claude write code until a written plan has been reviewed and approved, separating planning from execution entirely. More

🛠️ Tools

• micasa — A terminal UI for tracking everything about your home: maintenance schedules, projects, appliances, vendors, quotes, and documents — all stored in a single local SQLite file with no cloud, no account, no subscription. More

⌨️ Misc

• Beginner's Guide to Split Keyboards — A comprehensive guide covering why split keyboards reduce strain, which layouts suit different commitment levels, and what to look for when choosing your first ergonomic keyboard. More

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Have a great day!
Bogdan