4 groups caught using the same Chrome and Windows exploit kit
Proofpoint says at least four groups, some China-linked, actively share the BlueMoon kit chaining two Chromium and one Windows kernel exploit.
Proofpoint researchers report that at least four hacking groups, some with ties to the Chinese government, are actively using a nearly identical exploit kit named BlueMoon. The kit chains two Chromium browser vulnerabilities and one Windows kernel flaw affecting Windows 10, Windows 11 initial release, and a later Windows version to install malware of the attacker's choice. All three vulnerabilities received patches within the past 24 hours. Proofpoint attributes the kit's rapid, widely shared deployment to a Chromium patch-gap window and AI agents accelerating exploit development against publicly accessible upstream patches.
Critical RCE flaw in Windows IKE Extension now actively exploited
CISA warns CVE-2026-33824, a critical unprivileged RCE in Windows IKE Extension, is now actively exploited.
CVE-2026-33824 is a critical remote code execution vulnerability in the Windows IKE Extension affecting all supported Windows 10, Windows 11, and Windows Server releases. The flaw allows unprivileged attackers to gain code execution on affected systems. CISA has flagged the vulnerability as actively exploited in attacks, indicating a KEV addition and urgent patching priority for Windows environments.
Four Nation-State Actors Used the Same Chrome Zero-Day Exploit Kit Within 12 Days
Proofpoint reports four nation-state actors, mostly China-nexus, adopted the BlueMoon Chrome and Windows zero-day exploit kit within 12 days, targeting US organizations.
Proofpoint tracked an exploit kit dubbed BlueMoon that chains CVE-2026-85046, a Chrome V8 type-confusion bug, with an unnamed V8 sandbox escape and CVE-2026-85880, a Windows kernel privilege escalation using ALPC and the Windows Notification Facility. The first observed use was by China-nexus TA412 (APT31, Violet Typhoon, JungleBamboo) on August 28, 2026 against US NGOs, mining companies, and commodity trading firms, followed by UNK_LateNight targeting US aerospace and defense companies on September 2. Both V8 bugs were patch-gap zero-days: the fix was committed to Chromium on August 7 but reached stable Chrome on September 3, enabling rapid weaponization from public patches. TA412's post-exploitation payload, GemStone, is a malicious browser extension posing as an AI-powered Google Gemini companion that captures keystrokes, cookies, screenshots, and browsing history via a Cloudflare Worker C2.