News briefs for October 3, 2018.

Google this week released the Android Security Patch for October 2018. Softpedia News reports that the patch fixes 26 vulnerabilities, the most severe of which could allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary code. See the Android Security Bulletin for more information.

Rumor has it that Google Pixel Slate will be the official name for the first detachable Pixelbook 2-in-1, which may be coming out soon. According to Appuals, a Google Pixel Slate benchmark was leaked recently and Android Police also mentioned in a tweet that "Google Pixel Slate is the name of Google's first Chrome OS tablet." Further details on the tablet are slim.

Skype on Debian is vulnerable to attack. On installation, the package automatically inserts Microsoft's apt repository, which means "after obtaining control of Microsoft's Debian apt repository, an attacker would be able to inject malicious content in various distro packages using the update system, as well as replace legitimate packages with maliciously crafted ones". See the Softpedia News post for more details and steps you can take to protect your computer after installing Skype.

A beta of PyTorch 1.0 has been released. Facebook recently open-sourced the Python-based project, which "provides developers with the power to seamlessly move from research to production in a single framework". ZDNet reports that the project now has many new supporters, and "with deeper cloud service support from Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud, and Microsoft Azure, and tighter integration with technology providers ARM, Intel, IBM, NVIDIA, and Qualcomm, developers can easily deploy PyTorch's ecosystem of compatible software, hardware, and developer tools."

Feral Interactive is releasing another game for Linux! XCOM 2: War of the Chosen - Tactical Legacy Pack, the expansion for the XCOM 2 award-winning strategy game, will be released for Linux and macOS soon after the Windows release on October 9, 2018. See this video for a gameplay overview.