Novel Blue Moon kit targeting Chrome and Windows reflects new reality of AI-driven exploits
Proofpoint reports the BlueMoon exploit kit, chaining two Chrome V8 zero-days and a Windows ALPC bug, being shared across China-linked espionage groups.
Proofpoint identified a new exploit kit, BlueMoon, first observed on August 28 and used by TA412 (APT31/Violet Typhoon) against US NGOs, mining firms, and commodity trading companies. The kit chains a V8 type confusion RCE (CVE-2026-85046), a V8 sandbox escape, and a Windows Advanced Local Procedure Call privilege escalation (CVE-2026-85880), both patched flaws having been exploited in the wild. At least four espionage groups, most with suspected China nexus including UNK_LateNight, adopted the kit within days, targeting US aerospace firms with defense-sector lures. Fewer than 20 organizations were observed targeted, and researchers believe AI-assisted exploit development against upstream Chromium patches enabled the kit's rapid creation and sharing.
Critical MikroTik Vulnerability - Patch Now, (Sun, Sep 6th)
MikroTik patched a critical SSH authentication bypass already exploited in the wild; attackers add accounts to affected routers for post-patch persistence.
MikroTik released a patch late last week for a critical vulnerability allowing SSH authentication bypass that is already being exploited in the wild, per the vendor's September 2026 advisory. Attackers have been adding new accounts to affected devices to maintain access even after the patch is installed. The patch attempts to detect compromise and set a 'Flagged' status on affected devices, and SANS ISC advises administrators to assume compromise.