Friday's Fast Five: Week of 4.5

Did One Guy Just Stop a Huge Cyberattack? (New York Times): Recently, while doing some routine maintenance, software engineer Andres Freund inadvertently found a backdoor hidden in a piece of software that is part of the Linux operating system. The backdoor was a possible prelude to a major cyberattack that experts say could have caused enormous damage, if it had succeeded.

Why Marriott, Hilton and Hyatt Don’t Own Nearly 99% of Their Hotels (Wall Street Journal - video): Two-thirds of U.S. hotels carry the name of a major brand. But companies like Marriott, Hilton and Hyatt don’t own or even run most of the properties. Here’s what’s behind that strategy and what it means for consumers.

Inside the Glorious Afterlife of Roger Federer (GQ): Nearly two years after he walked away from tennis, Roger Federer has found a different rhythm to life—and an exciting new set of challenges. Now, in his most wide-ranging interview since his retirement, Federer reflects on his old rivals, his new passions, and the fresh sense of urgency that drives him: “I feel minutes matter more now than before.”

Baby boomers aren’t going to crash the housing market—they’re powering it (Fortune): Throughout their lives, baby boomers have disrupted the housing market. When they were younger and moving into their first apartments, there was a massive apartment-building boom; when they began buying homes, the for-sale market tailored to their needs. The sheer size of their generation meant the housing market had to alter itself “to meet the demands of baby boomers.” But there has been some anxiety about whether baby boomers are going to crash the housing market as they age and eventually pass away.

It’s Been 30 Years Since Food Ate Up This Much of Your Income (The Wall Street Journal): Eating continues to cost more, even as overall inflation has eased from the blistering pace consumers endured throughout much of 2022 and 2023. Prices at restaurants and other eateries were up 5.1% last month compared with January 2023, while grocery costs increased 1.2% during the same period, Labor Department data show.