The IT Week — “SMS of Death”: one text message can freeze unpatched Android phones, Europe wants lighter waste rules for small businesses, and how to start Edge faster on Windows 11

📰 News of the week: “SMS of Death”, one message can knock out unpatched Android phones

On 31 October a proof of concept for an attack called “SMS of Death” (CVE-2026-58882) was made public. All it takes is a specially crafted text message: the person receiving it does not have to open or touch anything. On an unfixed phone the cellular service stops or the phone restarts, and calls in progress, including emergency calls, can be cut off. The message is processed before it reaches the SMS inbox, so the user sees no trace of what happened.

Who is protected: Android 14, 15, 16 and 17 with the October 2026 security update. Who is exposed: Android 12 and 13, which according to the source have not received the fix (and the article does not say whether it will come). In the researchers' tests, about 20 messages are enough to make an Android 12 phone restart roughly every 90 seconds, until a factory reset is needed. The source does not report real attacks already under way: for now there is a public demonstration, but it is a good reason to check.

What to do: open Settings → About phone and look at the Android version and the date of the last security update; if the October one is missing, install it (it usually arrives by itself, but it depends on manufacturer and carrier and may need a restart). If the phone is stuck on Android 12 or 13, it is time to think about replacing it. For companies with business phones: take stock of the versions in use.

A second story, for those who run their own systems: GitLab, the platform many companies use to build software, has a maximum-severity flaw (CVE-2026-97229) that the US agency CISA confirmed as exploited by attackers on 29 October. Anyone running their own GitLab must move to one of the fixed versions (19.4.2, 19.3.5 or 19.2.8); according to Shadowserver about 2,800 GitLab Community Edition installations are exposed on the Internet. Those who use GitLab as an online service need do nothing.

♻️ Refurbished world: Europe wants lighter waste rules for small businesses

On 20 October the European Parliament voted its position on two proposals to simplify waste rules, covering packaging, batteries, textiles, footwear, electronic products and single-use plastics. The Commission proposed suspending the obligation to appoint an “authorised representative” who ensures compliance; MEPs instead ask for a more targeted measure, only for small and micro businesses based in the EU (fewer than 50 employees and less than €10 million in annual turnover or balance sheet), until 2035 or until a more complete circular-economy law is adopted.

The votes: 616 in favour on the batteries and packaging text, 612 in favour, 8 against and 39 abstentions on the text for textiles, footwear, electronic equipment and single-use plastics. Negotiations with EU governments now begin, so nothing is in force yet. The source does not specify how the rule would apply to electronic waste.

For anyone working with computers the link is simple: when a PC or phone reaches the end of its life, the data it holds remains a duty and a risk for the company, whatever the waste paperwork says. And if you are buying a refurbished phone, apply this week's lesson: ask which Android version it runs and until when it will receive security updates. Transparency note: this story dates from 20 October, not from the last 7 days; in the past few days we found no verifiable refurbished-market news from admitted sources.

🪟 The Windows tip: how to start Edge faster

On 29 October Microsoft made available, in the optional update KB5127936 for Windows 11 (versions 26H2, 25H2 and 24H2), a feature called “Accelerated App Launch”. Edge is the first app to use it: when you reopen it, Windows sends the request straight to the Edge process that is already running, without an intermediate step. The benefit shows most when many programs are open. Microsoft plans to extend it to other apps and file types, such as PDFs. The article does not say how much faster it is, so we promise no figure.

How to get it: go to Settings → Windows Update → Advanced options → Optional updates and install KB5127936 if it appears; you also need Edge 150 or later (it usually updates itself; check from Edge → Settings → About Microsoft Edge). There is no setting to switch on: the feature works when you open Edge from a link, the taskbar or the Start menu.

Before installing an optional update at work, make sure you have a recent backup of important files: an always-valid rule. For company PCs managed by an IT department or a supplier, ask them.