Bitdefender Named Executive Partner of prpl Summit 2026 in Vienna

VIENNA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug 27, 2026--

The prpl Foundation is pleased to announce that Bitdefender has been named the Executive Partner for the prpl Summit 2026, the premier sponsorship position for the industry’s flagship event focused on open-source, carrier-grade CPE.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260827810861/en/

The prpl Summit 2026 will take place in Vienna from October 12–13, 2026, bringing together a global ecosystem of service providers, OEMs, silicon vendors, and software developers. The event spans two distinct programs: a Business Day at the historic Palais Auersperg and a members-only Technical Day dedicated to deep-dive engineering collaboration.

This year's Summit is themed Innovate. Scale. Deploy. – a throughline reflecting where the prpl ecosystem stands as its members move from open-source innovation toward operator-scale deployment. During the Business Day, attendees will experience innovative prpl-based demos from across the ecosystem and get an overview of the year's main achievements, while sessions on both days address the key topics facing the industry.

As the Executive Partner of the 2026 edition, Bitdefender will have an event-wide presence, reinforcing its role as a leader in home network protection and standardized, open-source security platforms.

“Becoming Executive Partner of prpl Summit 2026 is a natural step for Bitdefender,” said Florin Vîrlan, Senior Vice President, Engineering, CSG, Bitdefender. “As pioneers in CPE security and early members of the prpl Foundation, we’ve long believed that the future of home network protection relies on open, standardized platforms. We were among the first providers to develop and commercially launch a security solution running on prpl, and this partnership reinforces our commitment to making robust protection more accessible to users, ISPs, and manufacturers alike.”

“We are delighted to feature Bitdefender as our Executive Partner for this year’s Summit,” said Dr. Leonard Dauphinee, President of the prpl Foundation. “As connected devices become increasingly intelligent, software-defined, and AI-enabled, cybersecurity is emerging as a foundational requirement for every service provider deployment and every device manufacturer. We look forward to working with the Bitdefender team to showcase innovative approaches to securing the next generation of connected platforms, and to bring our global prpl community together on AI and resilience.”

For more information about the prpl Summit 2026, please visit prplfoundation.org.

About the prpl Foundation

The prpl Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the development and promotion of open-source solutions for carrier-grade CPE. By bringing together the industry’s leading operators, manufacturers, and developers, prpl fosters a collaborative ecosystem that accelerates innovation in broadband and connected home technology.

About Bitdefender

Bitdefender is a cybersecurity leader delivering best-in-class threat prevention, detection, and response solutions worldwide. Its Subscriber Protection Platform (SPP), purpose-built for the operator channel, enables telecommunications providers, ISPs, and network operators to protect subscribers across every connected device and the home network, combining device- and network-level protection, privacy and digital identity safeguards, and scam and threat defense. It is powered by the same technology that guards millions of consumer, enterprise, and government environments. Bitdefender has pioneered breakthrough innovations in antimalware, IoT security, behavioral analytics, and artificial intelligence, and its technology is licensed by more than 200 of the world's most recognized technology brands. For more information, visit https://www.bitdefender.com/en-us/iot.

prpl Summit 2026 takes place at Palais Auersperg in Vienna on October 12-13, 2026, with Bitdefender as Executive Partner

Fenerbahce’s first Champions League qualification for 17 years ended with a mass brawl that got both players and staff involved after a win over Lyon.

Matteo Guendouzi was at the center of it all.

The long-haired midfielder was already an unpopular figure among Lyon fans because of his past as a former player for its French rival, Marseille. He riled up the home supporters at Lyon’s Groupama Stadium even more with some inflammatory antics before and mostly after Fenerbahce’s 2-1 win on Wednesday that helped the Turkish team get beyond the qualifying stage for the first time since 2008-09.

He was seen raising his middle finger to Lyon fans during the warmup and after the game, shouting “Allez l’OM” (“Go Marseille”), and also grabbing his crotch — a gesture also apparently performed by teammate Mason Greenwood — in wild post-match scenes that are likely to be investigated by UEFA.

His overexuberant celebrations in front of Lyon’s supporters increasingly riled them – some were seen attempting to get onto the field – and, as he was being dragged away by teammates, Guendouzi broke away from them and started leaping about on the field.

Lyon players responded to that by sprinting up to him, barging into him and tossing water toward him, provoking a mass melee.

Worse was to come. With Guendouzi still appearing to be goading Lyon fans as he was escorted off the field by teammates Romelu Lukaku and Milan Škriniar, Lyon goalkeeper coach Antonio Ferreira emerged from the tunnel area and fly-kicked Guendouzi — sparking another free-for-all in the tunnel.

Speaking afterward, Guendouzi said home fans had been insulting his family during the warm-up and throughout the game.

“If you want to tease, (it) goes both ways,” said Guendouzi in quotes carried by French radio station RMC. “They insulted my family, and for me, that was disrespectful. If afterwards, we can’t even celebrate the way we want to, I think that’s a shame.”

Lyon captain Corentin Tolisso described Guendouzi's actions as “irresponsible” and said he hopes he “learns and grows from it.”

“I told him to remain humble in victory, to go celebrate with his team in the locker room," Tolisso said in quotes on RMC taken from an interview with Canal+. "There’s no need to do that. He told me it was because the fans had insulted him, but we get insulted every weekend when we’re away from home, we can’t react like that with that mentality.”

The 27-year-old Guendouzi, who has played for France and also for Arsenal early in his career, was at Marseille from 2022-24 and then Lazio before completing a permanent move to Fenerbahce in January.

See AP’s full soccer coverage here

FILE - Fenerbahce's Matteo Guendouzi, right, vies for the ball with Galatasaray's Lucas Torreira during a Turkish Super Lig soccer match between Galatasaray and Fenerbahce in Istanbul, Turkey, Sunday, April 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra, File)