News Briefs

Sam’s Club members now have a flexible payment option to use with the holidays around the corner.

The warehouse membership retailer has tapped Affirm as its exclusive pay-over-time payment provider. Affirm will be available on SamsClub.com in the coming weeks, with Affirm planning to expand availability to Sam’s Club locations in 2027.

At checkout, Sam’s Club members will complete a quick, real-time eligibility check for that specific purchase. If approved, they can choose a monthly plan and see each payment and exactly when they’ll be done before they commit. Affirm says it never charges late fees, and interest never compounds.

[READ MORE: Walmart launches joint paid membership program with Sam’s Club]

“Making every dollar count shouldn’t stop at checkout,” said Wayne Pommen, chief revenue officer at Affirm. “When people pay over time with Affirm, they know what they’ll owe and choose a plan that fits their lives. That way, every dollar counts after checkout, too.”

Sam’s Club, a division of Walmart Inc., operates more than 600 stores in the U.S. and Puerto Rico. 

PopUp Bagels is promoting an executive to its C-suite as it continues its ongoing expansion.

The Connecticut-based bagel chain, known for its “Grip, Rip and Dip” bagels and unique weekly schmear offerings, has named Matthew Pisano as its new chief financial officer. In the new role, he will lead PopUp Bagels’ financial strategy, overseeing financial planning and analysis, accounting and reporting to support the company’s growth.

Pisano has served as PopUp Bagels’ executive VP of finance and accounting since March 2025. He joined the company after more than three years at Mexican restaurant chain Pink Taco, and eight years at tax and advisory firm CohnReznick providing M&A advisory services to restaurant and consumer growth companies.

PopUp Bagels operates more than 50 locations across 15 states. Last year, the chain said its goal was to reach 100 open locations by the end of 2027.

“One of the most important partnerships a CEO can have is with their CFO,” said Tory Bartlett, CEO of PopUp Bagels, who has led the brand since 2024. “You need someone who understands the business as deeply as you do, challenges your thinking, and helps turn ambition into a plan. Matt has been that partner since day one, and I couldn’t be more excited to have him in this role for what’s next.”

[READ MORE: PopUp Bagels makes Times Square debut]

Pisano’s promotion is PopUp Bagels’ second C-suite addition of the year. In July, the company named Mike Smith as its chief operating officer. Smith spent more than four years at Mexican fast-casual chain Moe's Southwest Grill, serving as chief brand officer after previously serving as VP of operations.

The National Security Agency (NSA) is sounding an alarm about vulnerabilities in a widely used open-source programming language.

PHP — short for PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor — works on most major Internet operating systems.  It runs directly on web servers and can be added into HTML to create dynamic web pages. However, the NSA has identified a set of flaws in PHP, collectively nicknamed “PHP2Shell,” which could be exploited by hackers.

[READ MORE: Comcast Business: 2,500 cybersecurity events occur every second]

According to the NSA, PHP2Shell vulnerabilities could allow attackers to take control of affected web servers without prior access or authentication and then steal sensitive data, disrupt services, or move deeper into a network.
“It will be critical in the coming weeks to maintain heightened awareness of your Internet-facing devices and services that are reliant on PHP,” the NSA said in an official advisory. “It is essential for all to prioritize incorporating vendor patches that may be explicitly tied to the PHP2Shell issues.”

The non-profit PHP Foundations released an open-source patch Wed., Oct. 21 and other software vendors may also issue their own PHP patches. The NSA advises users to conduct an inventory of hardware/software services reliant on now-vulnerable PHP versions and vigilantly monitor and apply patches related to their exposed systems.

Other remedial steps recommended by the NSA include adding enhanced logging within network/operational environments and replacing end-of-life PHP services which will not be compatible with patching. If an immediate update is not feasible, the NSA recommends that organizations take any exposed systems offline until PHP vulnerabilities can be fully mitigated.

Information on the latest mitigations and patching guidance is available on the PHP.net Security Advisory page.

[READ MORE: Diesel parent OTB Group to leverage Google Cloud virtual try-on]

JCPenney is expanding its partnership with one of the most popular holiday multi-city concert tours, the iHeartRadio Jingle Ball.

For the second consecutive year, the department store retailer is launching the iHeartRadio Jingle Ball x JCPenney Collection. The limited-edition capsule line features festive fashion and “statement-making” styles for women, men and kids.

In a new addition this year, Penney, iHeartRadio and recording artist Bella Kay have teamed up. Kay designed a collection of exclusive custom patches that bring the spirit of the limited-edition collection to life, according to Penney. Fans can collect the limited-edition designs at select tour stops and through special JCPenney experiences throughout the season.

Beyond the collection, shoppers can also enter a sweepstakes that will run through December 20. Prizes include a flyaway trip to an iHeartRadio Jingle Ball concert, VIP concert access, a meet and greet with Kay, JCPenney gift cards, and signed merchandise. 

Penney is offering members of its free rewards program the opportunity to unlock an exclusive backstage experience with Bella Kay at a select iHeartRadio Jingle Ball tour stop.

“Jingle Ball brings people together through the music and artists they love, and this year, we’re giving fans even more ways to be part of it,” said Marisa Thalberg, executive VP, chief customer and marketing officer at Catalyst Brands. “From exclusive backstage experiences with Bella Kay for JCPenney Rewards members to a fashion collection that brings concert energy to the holidays, we’re making it easier for more people to join in. At JCPenney, we believe everyone deserves a better deal, especially during the holidays, and we’re proud to make great fashion and these special experiences more accessible for families everywhere.”