Flash News

TREE NEWS update: Honor officially launched its WIN2 series smartphones, with the Honor WIN2 and Honor WIN RT2 going on sale immediately at a national-subsidy price starting from 3,149 yuan. The launch completes Honor’s WIN esports ecosystem, which now spans phones, tablets and gaming laptops, alongside accessories such as WIN earphones and game controllers, built out in under a year.

TREE NEWS update: OpenAI said the PHP security vulnerabilities disclosed are among the most significant security flaws of recent years, citing the severity of the bugs and PHP’s widespread use. The company did not provide further details on the affected systems or the number of users impacted.

TREE NEWS update: Solana activated Alpenglow, replacing the TowerBFT consensus mechanism and cutting transaction finality from 12.8 seconds to about 150 milliseconds. The upgrade went live on the network, with Anza developing the consensus overhaul. The change reduces confirmation times by roughly 85x on the Solana blockchain.

TREE NEWS update: Solana has activated its Alpenglow consensus upgrade on the live network, retiring TowerBFT, the consensus mechanism that had run the blockchain since its 2020 launch. The handoff on the live network marks the completion of what has been described as the most ambitious upgrade to Solana since Ethereum’s Merge.

TREE NEWS update: Google Cloud has released updated serverless base images for all supported PHP versions after addressing PHP core vulnerabilities CVE-2026-109618 and CVE-2026-109619. The Google Cloud platform itself is not affected, but users running PHP on Google Cloud may be impacted. Customers are urged to upgrade to PHP 8.2 or later and redeploy services with patched versions. Gemini 4 Argon assisted in vulnerability discovery, exploit development, attack detection, and patch verification.

TREE NEWS update: Government websites across Europe and other regions went offline on October 21 after two critical vulnerabilities were disclosed in the widely used PHP programming language. PHP developers said they found the flaws on October 20 and urged users to update once patches were available, announcing fixed versions at around 13:45 GMT on October 21. Agencies in the Netherlands and Finland took sites offline as a precaution before the patches were released amid reports that hackers were exploiting the flaws.

TREE NEWS update: Solana’s first major consensus upgrade, Alpenglow, has launched on mainnet, targeting a 99% reduction in finality time. The upgrade aims to deliver near-immediate transaction settlement and more responsive applications for users.

TREE NEWS reports: Bankless co-founder David Hoffman said Zcash (ZEC) will reach 10% of Bitcoin’s market capitalization this cycle and 25% in the next cycle. The prediction, posted on social media, implies a market value of roughly $200 billion for ZEC at current Bitcoin levels. No timeframe or supporting analysis was given.

TREE NEWS update: OKX will list an AXISUSD-denominated X-Perp contract on its web, app and API platforms, with trading set to open on Oct. 21, 2026 at 22:30 (UTC+8). The exchange announced the listing in an official notice. AXISUSD UM (X-Perp) will be available across all three channels from the stated start time.

TREE NEWS reports: CertiK warned that crypto trading bots and exchange apps may remain exposed to vulnerabilities tied to eight certificates issued by Indian certificate authority eMudhra, even after Google, Apple and Microsoft blocked them, since browser fixes may not cover software using independent security systems. Peiyu Wang, CertiK’s senior director of digital asset security, said attackers could use the compromised certificates to impersonate exchanges, wallet interfaces and APIs and swap deposit addresses, though such attacks also require intercepting or redirecting network traffic.

TREE NEWS update: Russia will require individuals to conduct peer-to-peer digital asset trades through licensed brokers or registered exchanges starting July 1, 2027, and will restrict transfers from regulated digital asset accounts to personal non-custodial wallets. Non-qualified investors must pass a knowledge test and will be capped at 300,000 rubles in annual digital asset purchases per intermediary. Using bitcoin and other digital assets to pay for goods and services remains prohibited in Russia.

TREE NEWS reports: CertiK warned that crypto trading bots and exchange applications may still be exposed to the eMudhra certificate flaw even after Big Tech browser fixes, because those patches may not protect all software. The security firm said browser-level updates do not necessarily cover the non-browser programs that bots and exchange apps rely on.

TREE NEWS reports: Hardware wallets are not the only option for securing bitcoin, with ETFs, passkeys and multisig accounts offered as alternatives to devices like Ledger. Each approach carries its own risks and trade-offs, ranging from counterparty exposure with ETFs to key-management complexity with multisig setups. The comparison covers five alternatives to hardware wallets for bitcoin custody.

TREE NEWS reports: Grand Theft Auto 6 is rumored to feature a meme coin called ‘Dacity’ in its trailer, with crypto traders speculating on how prominently Rockstar Games will integrate the token into the game. No official confirmation has been made by Rockstar or parent company Take-Two Interactive. Traders are weighing whether the rumored inclusion could drive real-world trading activity around the token.

TREE NEWS update: Ledger has integrated Morpho lending, letting eligible users borrow USDC or USDT on Ethereum against wrapped Bitcoin. The pledged collateral sits in smart contracts and remains subject to liquidation. No launch date or fee terms were disclosed.

TREE NEWS update: Privacy startup Fhenix has gone live on Ethereum and Arbitrum, deploying an encryption coprocessor that lets smart contracts compute on hidden balances. The system launches with dual-mode tokens and two initial applications, and Fhenix said Consensys Diligence audited the setup.

TREE NEWS update: BlackRock filed a 485APOS registration statement with the SEC on October 19 for the iShares Bitcoin Managed Protection ETF, proposed ticker PBIT, its third bitcoin ETF filing. The fund would not hold bitcoin or IBIT shares, instead holding options on IBIT or similar bitcoin exposure through three overlapping call-spread tranches. The filing leaves the ticker, management fee and expense examples blank and does not name a listing exchange or date; under Rule 485(a)(2) it would take effect about January 2, 2027.

TREE NEWS update: The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency has finalized a rule covering payment stablecoin issuance and some custody activities under the GENIUS Act framework, which takes effect in mid-January. The final rule sets the regulatory framework for stablecoin issuers and custody providers under the new law.

TREE NEWS reports: JPMorgan has forecast that Bitcoin will outperform all asset classes, including real estate, stocks and gold, over the next 10-15 years. The bank’s projection places Bitcoin ahead of traditional assets in its long-term forecast.