Summer’s almost here, which means rising temperatures, and with them, a constant craving for cool, refreshing beverages. And thanks to a current offer from Panera, you can get two months of free drinks this summer. Here’s what to know.

How to get two months of free drinks at Panera

First, you should know that this offer is only valid for new members of Panera’s Unlimited Sip Club, so if you’re already a subscriber, you’ll need to find a workaround. But for everyone else, the free drinks deal basically amounts to a free two-month trial of their monthly beverage subscription program.

Here’s how to claim the offer:

1. Become a member of their MyPanera loyalty program, if you aren’t already.
2. Register for a subscription to Panera’s Unlimited Sip Club.
3. Cancel your subscription before the end of the second month.

If you don’t cancel your subscription before your second month of free drinks comes to a close—or, if you decide you’d like to keep it—the card you used to register will be charged $11.99 (plus tax) per month. You can also opt to subscribe by the year, which costs $119.99 (plus tax): a savings of 17% over the course of the year.

How to claim your free drinks

Once you’re enrolled in the Unlimited Sip Club, you can get a free drink—including unlimited refills—once every two hours during normal bakery-cafe business hours. You can order these drinks in-store, at PaneraBread.com, and through the Panera app.

The beverages included in an Unlimited Sip Club subscription include: Drip hot coffee, iced coffee, hot tea, fountain soda beverages, bubbler drinks (regular, sweet, and Passion Papaya green iced teas, and Agave Lemonade), and Charged Lemonade beverages (Fuji Apple Cranberry, Mango Citrus Yuzu, and Strawberry Lemon Mint).

The subscription does not include any other drinks, like bottled beverages, smoothies, frozen blended drinks, cold brew iced coffee, and espresso and cappuccino beverages.

Customizations—like adding espresso or syrups (like Madagascar vanilla, bittersweet chocolate, cinnamon, and caramel) to your drink—are not included in the subscription, so upcharges will apply. The usual coffee and tea fixings—like milk, skim milk, almond milk, half & half, and sweeteners—are included.

You can find the other terms and conditions for the offer on Panera’s website.

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Here’s an overview of some of last week’s most interesting news, articles, interviews and videos:

Wireless Broadband Alliance CEO on key drivers for Wi-Fi adoption in enterprise networks
This Help Net Security interview with Tiago Rodrigues, CEO at Wireless Broadband Alliance (WBA), delves into the future of enterprise networking, exploring the significant role of Wi-Fi 6E and Private 5G.

Navigating the quantum leap in cybersecurity
In this Help Net Security interview, we sit down with Dr. Atsushi Yamada, the newly appointed CEO of ISARA, a security solutions company specializing in creating quantum-safe cryptography.

Barracuda email security appliances hacked via zero-day vulnerability (CVE-2023-2868)
A vulnerability (CVE-2023-2868) in Barracuda Networks’ Email Security Gateway (ESG) appliances has been exploited by attackers, the company has warned.

Microsoft, GitHub announce application security testing tools for Azure DevOps
GitHub has announced that its application security testing tools are now more widely available for subscribers of Microsoft’s Azure DevOps Services.

Vulnerability in Zyxel firewalls may soon be widely exploited (CVE-2023-28771)
A recently fixed command injection vulnerability (CVE-2023-28771) affecting a variety Zyxel firewalls may soon be exploited in the wild, Rapid7 researchers have warned, after publishing a technical analysis and a PoC script that triggers the vulnerability and achieves a reverse root shell.

Phishers use encrypted file attachments to steal Microsoft 365 account credentials
Phishers are using encrypted restricted-permission messages (.rpmsg) attached in phishing emails to steal Microsoft 365 account credentials.

Blacklist untrustworthy apps that peek behind your firewall
With an increasing number of endpoints and expanding attack surfaces, dodgy apps can offer a way around your firewall.

New Buhti ransomware uses leaked payloads and public exploits
A newly identified ransomware operation has refashioned leaked LockBit and Babuk payloads into Buhti ransomware, to launch attacks on both Windows and Linux systems.

7 access management challenges during M&A
To have a successful conclusion to the mergers and acquisitions (M&As) process, identity and access management (IAM) teams need time to prepare, test, and communicate with users to ensure the process goes as smoothly as possible.

Phishing campaign targets ChatGPT users
A clever phishing campaign aimed at stealing users’ business email account credentials by impersonating OpenAI, the company behind the ChatGPT chatbot, has been spotted by Inky researchers.

How to avoid shadow AI in your SOC
Employees often misuse tools, exposing their organizations to short-term security risks and long-term business complications.

IT employee piggybacked on cyberattack for personal gain
A 28-year-old former IT employee of an Oxford-based company has been convicted of blackmailing his employer and unauthorized access to a computer with intent to commit other offences, after pleading guilty during a hearing at Reading Crown Court, England.

The essence of OT security: A proactive guide to achieving CISA’s Cybersecurity Performance Goals
The widespread adoption of remote and hybrid working practices in recent years has brought numerous benefits to various industries, but has also introduced new cyber threats, particularly in the critical infrastructure sector.

Simple OSINT techniques to spot AI-fueled disinformation, fake reviews
Error messages that ChatGPT and other AI language models generate can be used to uncover disinformation campaigns, hate speech and fake reviews via OSINT collection and analysis, says Nico Dekens, director of intelligence at ShadowDragon.

How continuous security monitoring is changing the compliance game
In this Help Net Security video, Wesley Van Zyl, Senior Manager, Compliance Success at Scytale, discusses how keeping track of all your security controls can be challenging, particularly when new cybersecurity threats emerge unexpectedly.

6 ChatGPT risks for legal and compliance leaders
Legal and compliance leaders should address their organization’s exposure to six specific ChatGPT risks, and what guardrails to establish to ensure responsible enterprise use of generative AI tools, according to Gartner.

How generative AI is reshaping the identity verification landscape
In this Help Net Security video, Peter Violaris, Head of Legal, Compliance and Risk, EMEA for OCR Labs, discusses generative AI’s impact on identity verification.

Malicious links and misaddressed emails slip past security controls
The majority of organizations use six or more communication tools, across channels, with email remaining the channel seen as the most vulnerable to attacks (38%), according to Armorblox.

Gap between OT security assumptions and reality
In this Help Net Security video, Daniel Bren, CEO at OTORIO, discusses a significant discrepancy between how companies perceive their OT security posture and the harsh reality they often face.

12 vulnerabilities newly associated with ransomware
In March 2023, the total number of breaches reported was higher than those reported in the previous three years combined, according to Ivanti.

CISO-level tips for securing corporate data in the cloud
In this Help Net Security video, Matt Radolec, Senior Director, Incident Response and Cloud Operations at Varonis, offers advice for CISO-level executives to enhance the security of corporate cloud data.

Legitimate Android app transforms into data-snooping malware
ESET researchers have discovered a trojanized Android app named iRecorder – Screen Recorder. It was available on Google Play as a legitimate app in September 2021, with malicious functionality most likely added in August 2022.

Legion AWS credential harvester and hijacker analyzed
Researchers from Cado Labs recently encountered an update to the emerging cloud-focused malware family, Legion. In this Help Net Security video, Matt Muir, Threat Intelligence Researcher at Cado Security, overviews Legion’s cloud-specific functionality.

Five Eyes agencies detail how Chinese hackers breached US infrastructure
The National Security Agency (NSA) and Five Eyes partner agencies have identified indicators of compromise associated with a People’s Republic of China (PRC) state-sponsored cyber actor dubbed Volt Typhoon, which is using living off the land techniques to target networks across US critical infrastructure.

How smart bots are infecting and exploiting the internet
In this Help Net Security video, Lynn Marks, Senior Product Manager at Imperva, discusses malicious bot activity.

The fragmented nature of API security ownership
While API security remains a top cybersecurity concern this year, there is still an alarming lack of implementation for most companies, according to Traceable AI.

Strengthening travel safety protocols with ISO 31030
In this Help Net Security video, Tracy Reinhold, Chief Security Officer at Everbridge, talks about ISO 31030, the officially recognized International Standard for travel risk management, guiding how to manage risks to organizations and travelers.

Online scams target bargain-hunting holiday travelers
30% of adults have fallen victim or know someone who has fallen victim to an online scam while trying to save money when booking travel, according to McAfee.

What flying a plane can teach you about cybersecurity
Cyber attacks against airlines and airports are already becoming commonplace, causing disruption to the commercial aviation ecosystem and creating huge delays in flying, severe economic consequences, and negative media coverage.

New infosec products of the week: May 26, 2023
Here’s a look at the most interesting products from the past week, featuring releases from Axiado, Delinea, Netscout, Radware, and Veriff.

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Photo: EsfilPla (Shutterstock)

Maintaining a traditional green grass lawn is a year-round process, with mowing typically being the most time-consuming task. Not only does this involve cutting the grass, but it also means figuring out what to do with the clippings you’re left with when you finish.

Rather than dumping them into trash bags and throwing them away, here are a few of the best ways you can use these clippings in your garden.

How to use grass clippings in your garden

We’ve talked about recycling grass clippings to back onto your lawn, but they can also benefit your garden—as long as they haven’t been treated with herbicides or other chemicals that you wouldn’t otherwise use in your garden. Here are some ideas:

Mulch for vegetables

While you can use grass clipping as mulch around flowers, shrubs, and trees as well, that may not fit into your landscaping aesthetic. But that shouldn’t be an issue in your garden, where the clippings can help reduce weed growth, conserve moisture, and moderate soil temperatures for your veggies. Just be sure to only use dry clippings as mulch.

Nitrogen for your compost pile

If you are actively composting, grass clippings make a wonderful addition to the pile, thanks to their high nitrogen content. But to be clear, a heap consisting solely of accumulated grass clippings does not count as composting—which requires a combination of other plant materials and small amounts of soil containing microorganisms necessary for decomposition to take place.

Brew some fertilizing tea

Looking for a natural way to fertilize your garden? In addition to nitrogen, grass clippings are also high in potassium, and both nutrients give your plants a boost—especially in midsummer, when the soil isn’t at peak fertility. And you can send these nutrients their way in the form of fertilizing “tea.”

To brew the tea, get a large bucket or container and fill it 2/3 of the way with grass clippings, then top it off with water. Steep it for three days, stirring at least once a day. Then strain the liquid to remove the clippings, and add them to your compost pile (if you have one).

Finally, pour the liquid into a watering can if you plan to apply it to the soil surrounding your plants, or into a spray bottle or pump if you’re going to spray it onto the leaves of the plants. You can fertilize your plants with this tea every two weeks.

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Photo: New Africa (Shutterstock)

Your parents are right: They don’t make appliances built to last anymore. So when your washing machine breaks down, or it becomes clear that it’s starting to fail, you’re faced with a decision: Should you pay to have it repaired, or buy a new one? Here’s what to know.

Should you repair or replace your washing machine?

Before anything else, check your washing machine’s warranty, in case repairs are still covered. If not, you’ll need to figure out whether it makes more sense to repair it, or purchase a new machine. This, however, involves more than comparing upfront costs, as repairing will almost always be less expensive than buying a new washer.

Instead, experts at Consumer Reports recommend taking the following factors into consideration:

• How much you paid for your washing machine
• How many years you have owned it
• Repair costs
• Energy efficiency (newer machines typically use less energy, which means you’ll spend less on electricity)
• Water efficiency (newer machines typically use less water, saving you money on water bills)

That involves a lot of math, so to give you more time to make a decision, you can enter some basic information into this interactive tool, and get a better idea of whether fix your current washing machine, or ditch it for a new one.

How much does it cost to repair a washing machine?

According to a Consumer Reports survey, the overall median out-of-pocket cost for repairing a washer (not counting the service quote fee) is $155, with some types being pricier to fix than others. Here are the median repair costs for three different categories of the appliance:

• Top-Load Agitator Washers: $129
• Top-Load HE Washers: $165
• Front-Load Washers: $171

The full report contains even more information on washing machines, including what to look for in a repair technician, and the most common problems with the appliance.

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If you or your child has had anxiety, anger, or other dysregulation, you may be familiar with “grounding techniques,” mindfulness exercises that help calm the nervous system. You can name objects, check in with your physical state, or use physical “tricks” such as the “butterfly hug” or by using ice to help hack your body from the outside in. Another grounding technique is called “anchoring,” and it’s a personalized way to unlock your calm-down skills. One anchoring method that has proven successful involves using your own memories to help you come back to yourself, calm down, and feel better.

How to anchor with a memory

During a panic or anxiety attack, you might feel unmoored from your true self, insecure, and, frankly, miserable. Using a memory from your own life can help you snap out of these negative feelings. “The most powerful anchor is a memory anchor,” says Dayna Abraham, a teacher, parenting expert, and author of three books including Superkids Activity Guide to Conquering Everyday, Sensory Processing 101, and the upcoming Calm the Chaos: A Failproof Roadmap for Parenting Even the Most Challenging Kids, based on her popular workshop of the same name. “Because memories are so personal and evoke all the senses, they are the quickest way to settle the nervous system,” she says.

When used as a calm-down technique, “Having a grounding memory counteracts these other triggering thoughts that might race through your head when you feel unheard, non-important, or in danger from your child’s behaviors,” Abraham says. The trick is, just like in Peter Pan, to think happy thoughts. Simply thinking of a time you were happy might do it for you, but Abraham says you should shoot for a memory that includes images, smells, sensations, and multiple senses, or “Something that makes you smile or sigh in relief just thinking of this moment in time”—and that you can easily imagine when you close your eyes.

Don’t wait until you’re upset to try incorporating a memory anchor. Practice during moments of calm, when you are doing everyday activities. If you feel like you’re forgetting to practice or think you don’t have time, Abraham has a unique solution: train yourself in this method while you pee. Everyone has to use the bathroom multiple times a day, and you don’t really have anything better to do at that time. Then, in a tense moment, “your brain jumps into action immediately with stop, breathe, anchor.” You’ve practiced your grounding technique like an actor practices their lines and are ready for the “performance” when the time comes.

How to use the method as parents

It’s important to be good at this skill yourself so you can keep your cool during meltdowns or tantrums and avoid emotionally flooding around your kids, freeing you up to parent. Sometimes our kids can be frustrating and it’s hard, in a difficult moment like a tantrum, to connect with them in a loving way.

To use the anchoring method on yourself, pick a memory of you and your child. “This is typically a memory of you and your child during a happy, connected moment that reminds you and your brain that you both love each other and are, in fact, connected—even though in the present moment it doesn’t seem like it,” Abraham says. Using a kid-centered memory, “allows you to enter the situation with more empathy, compassion, and patience because you are grounded in this inner knowing that your child is in need of your help and not out to get you.”

Some of her suggestions for good anchors include:

• The first time you held your child.
• The first time your child hugged you.
• Holding hands with your child at a peaceful time.
• The time your child won the school art fair.
• Your children playing together without fighting.

How to teach your child to use memory

It’s important, first and foremost, to use this technique yourself before attempting to teach your child. “By modeling these anchors, and modeling the calm that can come from using them, we make it much easier for our kids to experience the security that they need to begin to calm themselves,” Abraham says. She says to say your anchor outloud when you use it, such as, “I’m thinking of cuddling you before your nap when you were a baby.” Establishing a safe, calm base in yourself fosters a positive relationship with your child, even when they are dysregulated.

It’s a complex strategy. “Children’s brains are still developing, and being able to access these skills is something that takes time and practice,” Abraham says. However, in practice, she has seen kids use it not only with their parents, but with siblings and at school.

Teach this method to your child during calm, happy moments, like when they’re in the bath, in the car, or while playing. Bring it up in a collaborative way. You can try saying, “I’d really like to try this new tool I learned that could help us both stop yelling. Are you interested?”

Have them answer questions such as, “How do you know you need to calm down?” “What does your body do to tell you that you are upset?” “When will you know how to use your tool?” Then have the child draw what comes to mind for each step of “Stop, Breathe, Anchor,” Abraham says.

Have them brainstorm some memories that bring them joy. Practice many times during peaceful moments—not during tantrums. Only when they’ve mastered the technique while calm will they be able to use it when upset.

If it’s not working yet, go back to modeling. “If your child is resistant, don’t lose hope,” Abraham says. “It simply means that you using the tool will be your best course of action for now while you build safety and belonging. In time, your child will start to notice how calm mom or dad is and how well this tool works.” Soon, they may be willing to try again for themselves.

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Summer is (almost) here, and many folk are switching from hot coffee to icy cold brew. Not me though. I’ve been drinking iced coffee this whole time. My caffeinated summer switch is a little more subtle: Instead of changing the temperature of my coffee, I switch from half & half to a plant-based “milk.”

Drinking dairy when I’m hot and sweaty makes me nauseated. It’s just too rich for temperatures over 75℉. Oat milk works fine, but it doesn’t bring a ton of flavor. I was thinking about playing around with cashew milk, until a friend and fellow food writer posted a meme about pistachio milk. I had not considered pistachio milk until that moment, and I found myself considering it hard.

Making your own pistachio milk is cheaper than buying it

Unlike almond, oat, or cashew milk, pistachio milk is hard to find, even at hippy-centric markets and health food stores. It’s also predictably pricey, as nuts are not cheap. The most popular brand of pistachio milk—Táche—runs around $8 for 32 ounces. But like any other nut milk, it’s easy to make yourself. All you need is raw pistachios and water (and maybe a little salt and vanilla, as a treat).

Blend everything together and strain it through a fine mesh sieve lined with cheese cloth or a nut milk bag. That’s all you need to do. Sourcing the pistachios will probably be the hardest part. I went to three different stores in my pursuit of raw pistachios, but eventually ended up ordering them on online, because I was tired of going to stores.

I was able to get roughly four cups of pistachios for $22.50, enough to make four 32-ounce batches of pistachio milk, which translates to less than six bucks per batch, a couple bucks cheaper than Táche, and about the same price as a single beverage from Starbucks.

How to use pistachio milk

Pistachio milk is like any other nut milk. It’s lightly creamy, and tastes like the nut from which it came. You can drink it straight, pour it over your morning Wheaties, or stir it into a coffee. Be aware, however, that dumping it into hot, acidic coffee can cause it to curdle. I didn’t have any issues with my iced coffee, but adding it to hot drip coffee caused it to form the tiniest little curds. To prevent this, try adding the coffee to the milk to gradually warm and decrease the pH, instead of shocking it with sudden changes.

Like I said, I didn’t have any issues with iced coffee. I added cold coffee to a shaker with ice, along with some fresh pistachio milk and a little simple syrup, then shook it all up to make an, icy, frothy, slightly sweet beverage that tasted like pistachios (which happens to be one of my top-three nuts). It was delightful, and is now poised to become my official Beverage of the Summer, along with Diet Coke, which is really my official Beverage of Eternity.

DIY Pistachio Milk

Ingredients:

• 1 cup raw shelled pistachios
• 3 cups water, plus more for soaking
• 1 big pinch of salt
• 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)

Add pistachios to a bowl or large measuring cup and cover with a few inches of water. Let soak in the fridge overnight.

Drain and rinse the pistachios, and transfer to a high-powered blender. Add everything but the vanilla, and blend on high until as smooth as possible. You should see some pistachio grit, but no discernible chunks. Stir in the vanilla. Strain through a fine mesh sieve lined with cheese cloth or a nut milk bag. Store in the fridge for three to four days, and shake well before each use.

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Edgewater Wireless Systems has announced its next-generation of Wi-Fi Spectrum Slicing powered silicon solutions targeting residential, enterprise and prosumer applications. Building on the latest Wi-Fi standard, WiFi7 (802.11BE), Edgewater’s platform offers more physical channel capacity than single-channel, legacy Wi-Fi architectures — bringing lower latency and reduced contention for existing and new devices.

With ‘Beta’ Spectrum Slicing capable silicon now available for select partner evaluations, engineering samples of Edgewater’s WiFi7 silicon are targeted by the end of Q2 CY2024, with commercial products expected at the end of Q2 CY2025.

“We are thrilled to announce Edgewater’s groundbreaking MLX 488 platform, our Spectrum Slicing enabled WiFi7 solution. With the MLX 488 platform, we are bringing Spectrum Slicing to WiFi7 and creating the highest link density for features like MLO,” said Eric Smith, VP of Product for Edgewater Wireless.

“WiFi7, with its marquee feature Multi-Link Operation (MLO), offers one of the most significant advancement in the recent history of Wi-Fi. Simply put, the more available physical links, the more effective the MLO feature becomes. Our platform boasts the highest link density in the market and can force-multiply performance for both new and existing devices, as proven by our work with Liberty Global,” Smith continued.

WiFi7 (802.11BE), or Extremely High Throughput, is the newest iteration of the Wi-Fi standard and will support 320 MHz wide channels and increased QAM (4096) in the 6 GHz band. Most importantly, WiFi7 will include Multi-Link Operation (MLO), a coup for Edgewater and its supporters.

An embrace of multi-channel architecture, Multi-link Operation (MLO), and the Dual-Channel Wi-Fi standard are the first features capable of taking advantage of more physical links/channels between access points and devices to increase throughput and lower latency.

Increasing link density on Access Points will become critical as the number of MLO-capable devices increases. Edgewater’s Spectrum Slicing boasts link density, creating a future-proof platform for service delivery.

Edgewater’s MLX 488 WiFi7 platform is the silicon solution to couple the performance of WiFi7 with the proven robustness and flexibility of Wi-Fi Spectrum Slicing: up to 320 MHz wide channel support, Multi-Flex MLO and 4K QAM.

Wi-Fi Spectrum Slicing enables more in-band links/channels than all legacy Wi-Fi architectures. Backed by 26 granted patents, Edgewater’s physical layer spectrum slicing allows a frequency band to be divided, or sliced, to enable more radios to operate in a given area.

Think of Spectrum Slicing as moving from a single-land road to a multi-lane highway — Levelling up Wi-Fi features and applications for existing and new devices.

Edgewater’s MLX 488 WiFi7 platform key features and benefits are engineered to include:

• AI-enabled, dynamic channel width supporting up to 28 concurrent links/channels.
• Multi-Flex MLO: the first high-performance MLO solution engineered to support multiple concurrent MLO connections.
• Integrated SSA (Spectral Surveillance Architecture): real-time, full-band capture spectral surveillance capabilities without disrupting Wi-Fi traffic.
• Intelligent Channel Association (ICA™) optimizes device and application layer performance.

“Bringing Spectrum Slicing capabilities to a WiFi7 platform finally offers service providers a way to deliver next-level performance to new devices and the billions of existing Wi-Fi devices on their networks today. We are tackling some of the biggest challenges facing Wi-Fi today, and Spectrum Slicing has been proven to deliver dramatic performance gains for all devices,” said Andrew Skafel, President and CEO of Edgewater Wireless.

“It is a very exciting time in our industry as Wi-Fi moves to embrace multi-channel/link, and we are thrilled to announce the MLX 488 platform — engineered for service providers,” Skafel concluded.

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