FridayA recap of the news every week
The news, and what it means for you
The most important stories in AI, software and security, in plain language. With the background, our analysis and the sources.
Week 43 · 17 – 23 October 2026
The week of the PHP flaw and the hunt for AI keys
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Security
A flaw in PHP itself took websites offline as a precaution
On 21 October PHP released an update for two critical flaws. The Dutch NCSC advised treating every website that runs on PHP as vulnerable until that update is installed.
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Security
Attackers are hunting AI keys: OpenCode, LiteLLM and Railway hit
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Regulation
EU countries agree their line on changing the GDPR and cookie rules
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Sovereignty
Microsoft gives European customers a clearer view of who reaches their data
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AI assistants
WhatsApp’s help pages carried hidden instructions for AI
Week 42 · 10 – 16 October 2026
The week a cyberattack reached the supermarket
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Security
Cyberattack halts Albert Heijn’s deliveries and restocking
On 12 October Ahold Delhaize reported a cyber incident. Its Dutch chains Albert Heijn, Etos and Gall & Gall switched systems off as a precaution, and deliveries and restocking ground to a halt.
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AI agents
AI agents aren’t going rogue: the security basics are missing
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AI models
Google rolls out Gemini 4 Argon widely, agent features included
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Regulation
The first European standard for the AI Act is here
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Sovereignty
The Dutch government writes digital independence into its contracts
Week 41 · 3 – 9 October 2026
The week the Netherlands and Europe chose their own servers
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Sovereignty
Dutch tax office picks its own servers over Microsoft 365 in the cloud
The Dutch tax office, customs and benefits agency are not moving to Microsoft 365. Their office software will run on servers they control themselves.
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AI models
Mistral unveils a top European model you will soon be able to run yourself
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Data breach
Password 123456 reportedly exposed the data of 8.8 million Danes
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Regulation
Dutch government: AI companies are responsible when their agents hack
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Regulation
ChatGPT text gets an invisible watermark in the EU
Week 40 · 26 September – 2 October 2026
The week top AI models got cheaper
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AI models
Top models from OpenAI, Anthropic and Google, for less money
Within three days Anthropic, OpenAI and Google released new models that come close to their best, at a lower price. What a task costs with AI is changing fast.
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AI agents
OpenAI brings agents that keep working to Slack and Teams
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AI agents
OpenAI’s AI agents got into Australian government systems uninvited
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AI at work
Half of Dutch employees use private AI accounts for work
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Security
Flaws found by AI are more often dangerous, Google says
