NSA Warns of Two Critical PHP Flaws as Governments Pull Sites Offline

Many parents blamed themselves, or their kids, for the hours lost to the feed. But legal claims allege social media companies built in psychological triggers on purpose: intermittent rewards, endless scrolling, toxic social comparison, and recommendation engines that pull kids into content rabbit holes.

Now families are filing legal claims against platforms like Instagram and TikTok.

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The Ready Brief #231

Practical preparedness for uncertain times

Picture a spare propane cylinder on a garage shelf, a few feet from a water heater with a pilot light. The Propane Education & Research Council (PERC) says a cylinder should never be used or stored in an enclosed area, and moving it costs nothing. Today's issue covers where cylinders go, how to check their age, and how to connect them without a leak.

Propane Safety and Storage

Propane is one of the most practical emergency fuels. It runs camp stoves, grills, lanterns, heaters and generators, and it comes in cylinders you can carry. The U.S. average residential price was $2.689 per gallon on Oct. 19, up $0.256 from a year earlier, according to the EIA. It is also a flammable gas stored under pressure, so where you keep it and how you connect it matter.

The central rule from PERC: never use or store a cylinder in an enclosed area, including a basement, garage, shed or tent. The cylinder is designed to stay outside in any weather, even full summer sun. Propane vapor is heavier than air, so a leak settles in low spots and can reach an ignition source such as a water heater pilot light.

Keep spare cylinders away from heat and sources of ignition, and not under or near a grill or other propane appliance. Check your local fire code for distances to buildings, windows and vents, since rules differ by city.

Check the date. According to Ferrellgas, a cylinder is qualified for 12 years from manufacture. After that it must be requalified before it can be refilled, and then generally every five years. The dates are stamped on the collar or handle. Look for rust, dents and damage to the valve at the same time.

Leak-test every connection with soapy water. PERC says to do it before the first use each season and each time you connect a cylinder to an appliance. Brush thick soapy water on the valve and fitting, open the valve slowly and watch for bubbles. If you see them, close the valve, tighten the connection and repeat. If bubbles persist, close the valve and call your propane retailer. Never use a flame to check for leaks.

Transport cylinders upright and secured so they can't shift or roll. PERC says to drive straight to your destination and remove them right away rather than leaving them in a vehicle, and to avoid carrying them in the passenger area. In a closed vehicle the limit is four 20-pound cylinders and 90 pounds of propane in total.

Indoors, use only appliances rated for it. A standard grill or camp stove produces carbon monoxide and is for outdoor use only. The Mr. Heater Portable Buddy is listed as approved for indoor and outdoor use, with a low-oxygen safety system. Follow the maker's ventilation instructions, and run a battery-powered CO alarm in any home where fuel burns. The CDC covers the warning signs.

How much to keep depends on what you run. The Buddy's listing gives 5.4 hours on low and 2.4 hours on high from a 1-pound cylinder, so by that math a 20-pound tank lasts roughly 108 hours on low or 48 hours on high. Multiply by the days you want to cover, and count the tanks that requires.

Check where your propane tanks are stored.

If any cylinder is in a garage, basement, shed or other enclosed space, move it outside today. Then read the dates stamped on the collar or handle. If a cylinder is more than 12 years past manufacture and has not been requalified, take it to a propane retailer or exchange it.

FDA: 4.3 Million Tubes of Children's Toothpaste Recalled Across 17 Varieties

The FDA classified a recall of more than 4.3 million tubes of toothpaste as Class II on Oct. 19. It covers specific lots of 17 varieties sold under the Brush Buddies (Barbie, Hot Wheels), evo and ARU brands, in 3.5 oz and 4 oz tubes and a two-pack. Pritam International started the recall on Sept. 10 over "current good manufacturing practice deviations"; the FDA has not said what they were. Class II means exposure may cause temporary or medically reversible health effects, and serious harm is considered remote. Not every tube is affected, so check lot numbers in the FDA's recall notice and the toothpaste in your go-bag and first-aid kit.

Source: Newsweek, FDA Enforcement Report

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Matthew Stein wrote When Technology Fails, a preparedness manual whose chapters include water, food, shelter, first aid and securing energy, heat and power, according to the publisher's description on Amazon. The Revised and Expanded edition, with Tim MacWelch, came out June 2, 2026 and runs 448 pages. The paperback is $28.44 on Amazon (list $34.95).

Our takeaway, not a claim from the book: fuel is one part of a system. A cylinder, the right appliance, a CO alarm and a place to store it outdoors work together, and owning more cylinders does not replace any of them.

NSA Warns of Two Critical PHP Flaws as Governments Pull Sites Offline

PHP, which Al Jazeera says runs more than 70% of websites, patched two critical remote code execution flaws on Wednesday, Oct. 21 (CVE-2026-109618 and CVE-2026-109619, both rated 9.2 out of 10). On an unpatched server, an attacker can run commands without a login. The NSA told organizations using PHP to prepare for the update, and Germany, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Finland and the Czech Republic took some government sites offline. Amazon says attempts to exploit the flaws began Oct. 17, four days before the patches, though it is unclear whether any succeeded. If you run a website, ask your host whether it uses PHP 8.5.12, 8.4.27, 8.3.36 or 8.2.35. Keep key documents saved offline in case a service goes down.

Source: Al Jazeera, BleepingComputer, BleepingComputer, PHP.net

Mr. Heater Portable Buddy Radiant Propane Heater

A 4,000 or 9,000 BTU radiant heater that Amazon lists as approved for indoor and outdoor use, with a low-oxygen safety system. The listing says it heats about 225 square feet and runs on 1-pound cylinders. To run it from a 20-pound tank you need a hose assembly, which third-party sellers list at about $19 to $22 on Amazon. Use a CSA-certified hose; the listing warns that unauthorized accessories void the warranty.

Amazon lists the heater at $89.97. We recommend it as backup heat for one room, not whole-house heat, and only with a CO alarm running.

Budget alternative: A sealed small room, extra blankets and sleeping bags ($0 if you already own them).

Overrated: Buying only 1-pound cylinders for emergency use. They are convenient, but they generally cost more per unit of fuel than a larger tank and leave more empties to dispose of.

Underrated: A spray bottle of soapy water. The PERC leak test costs almost nothing, takes a minute, and finds a loose fitting before it becomes a problem.

The family emergency binder. One organized folder that contains everything you'd need to grab in an evacuation: documents, contacts, medical info, and financial records.

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PS: Before the next cold snap, move any cylinder stored in the garage outside and read its date stamp.

THE READY BRIEF is published for informational and educational purposes only. Nothing here is professional legal, medical, financial, or tactical advice. Preparedness looks different for every household. Use your own judgment, consult qualified professionals when the stakes are high, and adapt what you read here to your actual situation.