The Handover

Wednesday 28 October 2026

The day in 7 stories, as Asia signs off and New York wakes up.

1. Security

   Code-execution flaw in boot-time firmware threatens most servers worldwide

   A memory-corruption flaw in TianoCore EDK II, used in most server vendors' boot firmware, is rated 9.5 out of 10. It could let attackers run code before operating system defenses load.

2. AI

   Google's Genie 4 world model opens to testers with robot training in its sights

   Google DeepMind released Genie 4 to trusted testers, with two-minute interactive scenes and real-time audio. Google pitches it for training AI agents and robots but says its physics can drift in longer sessions.

3. Hardware & Devices

   Apple unveils M6 iMac and MacBook Pro, holds prices at $1,499 and $1,999

   Apple unveiled an M6 iMac and 14-inch MacBook Pro, holding prices at $1,499 and $1,999 respectively. Pre-orders open October 28, with both machines arriving November 6.

4. AI

   Nvidia unveils modular AI factory pods, aiming to cut data centre build time to 14 days

   Nvidia unveiled DSX Pod, a modular AI data centre system it says can cut deployment from six months to 14 days. The prefabricated units require a prepared site with power, cooling and networking infrastructure.

5. Security

   NIST publishes roadmap for transition to post-quantum cryptography

   The US National Institute of Standards and Technology published a roadmap for post-quantum cryptography. It sets timelines and priorities for replacing encryption vulnerable to future quantum computers in federal systems.

6. AI research

   Models flag missing facts more readily than usable unsupported premises

   Google's Naveen Madiraju found four language models warned less about usable unsupported premises than missing facts. The tests suggest omission-based benchmarks can miss whether models check information sources.