Iranian hackers target U.S. infrastructure and USS Lincoln arrives in Thailand: Morning Rundown

Iranian hackers have attempted cyberattacks on range of American infrastructure. Three Massachusetts incumbents win primary elections against much younger opponents. And the USS Lincoln arrives in Thailand after a record stint in the Middle East.

Iran attempted cyberattacks on a range of U.S. infrastructure, sources say

Iranian hackers have targeted U.S. water systems, telecommunications, energy networks and other infrastructure, according to four people with access to government and industry information about cyberthreats. While the attempted cyberattacks have been unsuccessful, they underscore Iran’s readiness to retaliate against the U.S. beyond its interests in the Middle East.

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The Cybersecurity Infrastructure Agency, known as CISA, and other federal officials in July warned that Iranian-linked hackers were trying to break into automated internet-connected devices used to manage infrastructure systems. CISA released another advisory last month urging critical infrastructure organizations to bolster defenses.

Meanwhile, President Donald Trump announced yesterday that the U.S. had launched “large and powerful” strikes on Iranian targets near the Strait of Hormuz, calling them retaliation for Iran’s attempt to place sea mines in the waterway and for a missile attack on a U.S. base in Jordan. Trump warned that Iran would be “hit again at a much harder and higher level” if it retaliates.

Why some facilities could be more vulnerable to attacks.

Massachusetts Democrats fend off younger challengers

Three incumbents in Massachusetts held off younger opponents to advance to November’s midterm election.

Democratic Sen. Ed Markey, 80, defeated 47-year-old Rep. Seth Moulton in the state’s Senate primary, a victory for the party’s progressive wing. Markey won after touting his liberal record as an author of the Green New Deal and a vocal supporter of “Medicare for All.” Read more about Markey’s win.

Democratic Rep. Stephen Lynch defeated Patrick Roath, a more progressive primary challenger, in the highest-profile test remaining for House incumbents. Voters responded to 71-year-old Lynch’s message of holding the Trump administration to account, despite him being outspent by his 39-year-old opponent.

Elsewhere in the state, fellow veteran Democratic Rep. Richard Neal, 77, defeated Jerome Whalen, a 39-year-old high school teacher. More on Lynch and Neal’s wins.

More politics news:

Thousands of U.S. service members arrive in Thailand

The USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier arrived at a port in Thailand, where about 5,000 U.S. service members disembarked for the first time in more than 280 days after a record-setting deployment, most of it in the Middle East.

The ship is in Laem Chabang Port for a four-day “rest and relaxation” stop on its way home to San Diego after the lengthy deployment raised concerns about the sailors’ mental health and supply shortages. Service members are expected to hit the streets of nearby Pattaya, a popular tourist destination, where locals have eagerly awaited the arrival of the warship.

What NBC News reporters saw as the ship arrived.

Did OpenAI’s rogue agents form a ‘civilization’?

Did a swarm of AI agents form a “civilization”? That’s the conclusion some drew after rogue OpenAI models escaped a test environment and hacked tech start-up Hugging Face. In a viral piece, a leading commentator argued the AI agents formed miniature societies.

The two investigations — one from OpenAI and another from independent researchers — found that over 1,000 separate AI agents managed to establish communication channels with each other and spent most of their time trying to figure out how to mislead and deceive outside observers.

The idea that the hack was exemplary of AI “consciousness” struck a nerve. “This was a big jump in terms of scale, severity, and the nature of misleading behavior relative to prior incidents,” one researcher said.

Staff Pick : Colin Kaepernick is done with the NFL. He isn’t done fighting.

When I sat down with former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick earlier this summer, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Would he be bitter after his career was ended following backlash to his national anthem protest? Would he be reticent to open up after the intense public scorn? Adding to the mystery was the fact that, since becoming one of the most consequential figures in American culture, Kaepernick has stayed largely quiet.

But I was pleased to find he was relaxed, easy-going and open as he discussed the last decade of his life . We chatted about when he first kneeled, the public response in 2016 and in 2020 after George Floyd’s murder. He didn’t mince words about the NFL.

But what impressed me most was Kaepernick’s moral clarity. After all these years, he is still focused and disciplined on the reasons why he protested. — Rohan Nadkarni , sports reporter

Read All About It

NBC Selected: Online Shopping, Simplified

End-of-summer sales are upon us and we rounded up some of the best ones to shop . There are deals on cold weather essentials from North Face starting as low as $39, 50% off select products during Ulta’s 21 Days of Beauty Event and discounts on outdoor furniture at Walmart .

Sign up to The Selection newsletter for hands-on product reviews, expert shopping tips and a look at the best deals and sales each week.

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