Cybersecurity experts warn of new vulnerabilities affecting Apple, Atlassian and Fortra products

Atlassian Confluence Data Center and Server contain an unauthenticated OGNL template injection vulnerability (CWE-74) in which attacker-controlled input is evaluated by the application as an OGNL expression. A remote, unauthenticated attacker can trigger the flaw by sending a crafted HTTP request that injects OGNL expressions, which the server then executes. Successful exploitation leads to remote code execution on the host running Confluence, giving the attacker control of the system without any credentials. Any organization running self-hosted Confluence Data Center or Server is potentially affected — the available data does not specify version ranges, so operators should consult Atlassian's advisory — with internet-facing instances at highest risk. Exploitation is active: the flaw was added to CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on 2024-01-24 with known ransomware use, and EPSS assigns it a 100% probability of exploitation within 30 days (100th percentile).

Do: Patch to the fixed release specified in Atlassian's advisory immediately, prioritizing internet-exposed instances, since the flaw is in CISA's KEV with known ransomware use and carries a 100% EPSS. If patching is not immediately possible, apply the vendor's mitigations per the KEV required action — or discontinue/restrict use — for example by limiting unauthenticated access to Confluence from the internet. Review Confluence access and application logs for anomalous unauthenticated requests and indicators of command execution or ransomware activity.

VMware vCenter Server contains an out-of-bounds write vulnerability (CWE-787) in its implementation of the DCERPC protocol. A remote, unauthenticated attacker with network access to vCenter Server can send crafted DCERPC traffic that corrupts memory, potentially leading to remote code execution on the vCenter appliance. Because vCenter is the central management plane for VMware vSphere environments, full compromise of it hands attackers a high-value foothold for lateral movement, consistent with the critical 9.8 CVSS score. Any organization running an affected VMware vCenter Server release is exposed (exact version ranges per VMware's advisory, including VMware Cloud Foundation deployments that bundle vCenter). Exploitation is confirmed in the wild: the flaw was added to CISA's KEV on 2024-01-22, a public PoC is available, news reports describe China-linked APT UNC3886 exploiting it as a zero-day, and EPSS estimates a 99.4% probability of exploitation within 30 days.

Do: Immediately upgrade vCenter Server — and VMware Cloud Foundation deployments that bundle it — to the patched builds identified in VMware's advisory, prioritizing internet-facing instances; if patching must wait, restrict network access to the vCenter management interface as the CISA KEV required action permits. Because exploitation is confirmed in the wild including by an APT, also hunt for signs of compromise such as unexpected processes or authentication activity on vCenter hosts and managed ESXi estate.

CVE-2023-46604 is a critical deserialization flaw (CWE-502) in the Java OpenWire protocol marshaller of Apache ActiveMQ that permits unauthenticated remote code execution (CVSS 9.8). An attacker with network access to either a Java-based OpenWire broker or client can manipulate serialized class types in the OpenWire protocol, causing the peer to instantiate arbitrary classes on the classpath and execute arbitrary shell commands. Successful exploitation yields full command execution on the target broker or client, with no authentication or user interaction required. Affected parties include anyone running ActiveMQ broker or Java client versions prior to 5.15.16, 5.16.7, 5.17.6, or 5.18.3, as well as NetApp E-Series products and Debian packages that ship affected ActiveMQ/OpenWire components. Exploitation is confirmed in the wild: the flaw was added to CISA's KEV on 2023-11-02 with known ransomware use (RansomHub), and has been used to drop Kinsing malware, Godzilla web shells, and the DripDropper implant, in some cases with attackers patching the flaw post-exploitation to lock out competing intruders.

Do: Upgrade all ActiveMQ brokers and Java OpenWire clients to 5.15.16, 5.16.7, 5.17.6, or 5.18.3 (or later), and apply the relevant NetApp E-Series and Debian updates for bundled components; restrict the OpenWire port (default TCP 61616) from untrusted networks. Hunt for indicators of the documented campaigns (Godzilla web shells, Kinsing malware, DripDropper, RansomHub) and verify the broker's current version, since attackers have been observed patching the flaw post-exploitation to hide from defenders. The CISA KEV listing means federal agencies must apply vendor mitigations or discontinue use of the product.

Authentication bypass in Fortra's GoAnywhere MFT prior to 7.4.1 allows an unauthorized user to create an admin user via the administration portal.

CVE-2024-23222 is a type confusion flaw (CWE-843) in Apple's WebKit engine that allows arbitrary code execution when a device processes maliciously crafted web content, for example when a user is lured into loading attacker-controlled web pages in Safari or another WebKit-based view (the CVSS vector confirms user interaction is required). It affects a broad slice of the Apple ecosystem: Safari, iPhone OS/iPadOS on the iOS 15, 16 and 17 branches, macOS Monterey/Ventura/Sonoma, tvOS and visionOS, prior to the January 22, 2024 fixes. A successful attacker gains code execution on the target device with high impact on confidentiality, integrity and availability (CVSS 3.1: 8.8). The flaw was fixed in Safari 17.3, iOS/iPadOS 17.3, and backported to iOS/iPadOS 15.8.7 and 16.7.5 for devices that cannot upgrade to iOS 17, plus macOS Monterey 12.7.3, Ventura 13.6.4, Sonoma 14.3, tvOS 17.3 and visionOS 1.0.2. Exploitation is confirmed in the wild: the vulnerability was added to CISA KEV on 2024-01-23, one day after the fixes shipped, and is associated with the Coruna exploit kit, which reportedly chains multiple exploits to target iOS devices including older versions.

Do: Update all affected devices to Safari 17.3, iOS/iPadOS 17.3 (or the iOS/iPadOS 15.8.7 and 16.7.5 backports for devices that cannot run 17), macOS Monterey 12.7.3, macOS Ventura 13.6.4, macOS Sonoma 14.3, tvOS 17.3 and visionOS 1.0.2. Prioritize endpoints used for web browsing and mobile users, since exploitation only requires a user to process crafted web content. The CISA KEV listing (added 2024-01-23) makes applying these vendor updates mandatory under the KEV required action, so verify fleet versions and confirm no devices remain on pre-patch builds.