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New HybridPetya ransomware can bypass UEFI Secure Boot

A recently discovered ransomware strain called HybridPetya can bypass the UEFI Secure Boot feature to install a malicious application on the EFI System Partition.

HybridPetya appears inspired by the destructive Petya/NotPetya malware that encrypted computers and prevented Windows from booting in attacks in 2016 and 2017 but did not provide a recovery option.

Researchers at cybersecurity company ESET found a sample of HybridPetya on VirusTotal. They note that this may be a research project, a proof-of-concept, or an early version of a cybercrime tool still under limited testing.

World’s First Clinical Trial Showing Lubiprostone AIDS Kidney Function

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a major health issue worldwide. Many patients end up requiring regular dialysis to avoid kidney failure and stay alive. Despite the severity of the condition, there are currently no drugs available that improve kidney function. A research group led by Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine’s Professor Takaaki Abe has found a remarkable solution to treat patients with CKD by co-opting a drug typically used for constipation. This is the first time that this drug (lubiprostone) was shown to prevent the decline of renal function in patients with CKD.

“We noticed that constipation is a symptom that often accompanies CKD, and decided to investigate this link further,” explains Abe. “Essentially, constipation disrupts the intestinal microbiota, which worsens kidney function. Working backwards, we hypothesized that we could improve kidney function by treating constipation.”

To address this issue, the group conducted a multicenter Phase II clinical trial (LUBI-CKD TRIAL) at nine Japanese medical institutions, enrolling 150 patients with moderate CKD. This study evaluated the effects of lubiprostone on kidney function. The results showed that, compared to the placebo group, the decline in kidney function (defined as the estimated glomerular filtration rate: eGFR) was suppressed in a dose-dependent manner in patients treated with 8 µg or 16 µg of lubiprostone.

A drug called lubiprostone — typically used for constipation — was remarkably shown to help patients with chronic kidney disease.

Brain cells simulated in the electronic brain

Europe now has an exascale supercomputer which runs entirely on renewable energy. Of particular interest: one of the 30 inaugural projects for the machine focuses on realistic simulations of biological neurons (see https://www.fz-juelich.de/en/news/effzett/2024/brain-research)

[ https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-02981-1](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-02981-1)

Large language models (LLMs) work with artificial neural networks inspired by the way the brain works. Dr. Thorsten Hater (JSC) is focused on the nature-inspired models of LLMs: neurons that communicate with each other in the human brain. He wants to use the exascale computer JUPITER to perform even more realistic simulations of the behaviour of individual neurons.

Many models treat a neuron merely as a point that is connected to other points. The spikes, or electrical signals, travel along these connections. “Of course, this is overly simplified,” says Hater. “In our model, the neurons have a spatial extension, as they do in reality. This allows us to describe many processes in detail on the molecular level. We can calculate the electric field across the entire cell. And we can thus show how signal transmission varies right down to the individual neuron. This gives us a much more realistic picture of these processes.”

For the simulations, Hater uses a program called Arbor. This allows more than two million individual cells to be interconnected computationally. Such models of natural neural networks are useful, for example, in the development of drugs to combat neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s. The physicist and software developer would like to simulate and study the changes that take place in the neurons in the brain on the exascale computer.

Surprising gut discovery reveals a hidden trigger of diabetes and liver disease

Scientists in Canada have uncovered a surprising culprit behind high blood sugar and liver problems: a hidden fuel made by gut bacteria. This little-known molecule, called D-lactate, slips into the bloodstream and pushes the liver to make too much sugar and fat. By creating a simple “trap” that blocks the molecule in the gut, researchers saw big improvements in blood sugar, insulin resistance, and liver health in obese mice—without changing diet or weight. The discovery opens up a fresh way to fight diabetes and fatty liver disease by targeting the gut’s secret fuel before it can do harm.

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