Multiple Chinese hacking groups seen using identical Chrome zero-day exploit
Four China-linked espionage groups share identical BlueMoon Chrome zero-day exploit kit targeting US defense contractors and Asian government agencies.
Proofpoint identified at least four Chinese-aligned espionage groups (TA412/RedBravo, UNK_LateNight, UNK_DoubleCheck, UNK_QuietRacket) using an identical Chrome zero-day exploit kit dubbed BlueMoon in late August through this week. Targets include US defense contractors, NGOs, mining companies, and Southeast Asian government agencies. The exploit chains a Chromium patch-gap vulnerability with a Windows flaw, delivering malware such as ShadowPad and a fake Gemini browser extension backdoor, with possible AI-assisted exploit development.
⚡ Weekly Recap: VMware Exploits, Windows 0-Day, MCP Attacks, Browser Hijacks and More
Weekly recap: suspected China-nexus APT exploited VMware vCenter CVE-2026-59310, Lazarus used Windows zero-day CVE-2026-68820, and macOS flaw dropped Monero miners.
The week's top stories included a suspected China-nexus APT exploiting VMware vCenter CVE-2026-59310 (CVSS 9.8), a directory-traversal flaw enabling arbitrary code execution, with backdoors, reverse SSH and Babuk-derived ransomware deployed, per QUIRSO. NCSC-NL reported active exploitation of macOS Screen Sharing flaw CVE-2026-65400 (CVSS 9.8) to install Monero miners on systems with port 5900 exposed. Lazarus Group exploited Windows zero-day CVE-2026-68820 (CVSS 7.0) in Operation Dream Job, delivering ForestTiger and Troy backdoors to defense and aerospace targets. GeoServer patched a critical SQL injection flaw exploited within hours of disclosure, and Jamf analyzed the new Amnesia Stealer for macOS with live browser control.
CISA Flags Exploited Cisco, Citrix, Fortinet Flaws, Sets Sept. 12 Federal Patch Deadline
CISA adds actively exploited Cisco, Citrix, and Fortinet edge-device flaws to KEV catalog, ordering federal agencies to patch by September 12, 2026.
CISA added CVE-2026-20079 (Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center authentication bypass, CVSS 10.0), CVE-2026-19490 (Citrix NetScaler ADC/Gateway authentication bypass, CVSS 9.3), and CVE-2025-25249 (FortiOS heap buffer overflow, CVSS 7.3) to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog with a September 12, 2026 deadline for FCEB agencies. Cisco confirmed active exploitation of CVE-2026-20079 in August 2026, while Previdian honeypots logged 56 NetScaler exploitation attempts since September 3. SOCRadar attributes Fortinet exploitation to a financially motivated Russian-speaking actor deploying the PivotC2 Node.js RAT, infecting 178 of over 3,000 targeted IP addresses, mostly in the US.
Google Pixel phones pwned in zero-click attacks
CISA added actively exploited zero-click Pixel modem flaw CVE-2026-58704 to its KEV catalog, giving federal agencies three days to patch.
Google disclosed CVE-2026-58704, a high-severity improper authorization flaw in Pixel phones' cellular modems that bypasses permission checks and escalates privileges with no user interaction, noting limited, targeted exploitation. CISA added it to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog with a September 19 deadline for federal agencies. Such zero-click modem bugs are a frequent vector for commercial spyware. The Register also notes two recently KEV-listed Chromium V8 flaws, CVE-2026-85046 and CVE-2026-87491, which Proofpoint says four espionage groups chained in intrusions.
China-Linked Hackers Chain Chrome Zero-Day With Windows Kernel Flaw in Attacks
Volexity reports China-linked UTA0560 and JungleBamboo chained Chrome zero-day CVE-2026-85046 with kernel flaws to spy on NGOs.
Volexity documented campaigns detected on September 1, 2026, in which China-linked actors UTA0560 and JungleBamboo (APT31) chained CVE-2026-85046 (V8 type confusion), CVE-2026-87491 (WebAssembly sandbox escape), and CVE-2026-85880 (Windows kernel privilege escalation in RtlpCreateServerAcl). Victims were lured via links on legitimate U.S. university sites vulnerable to reflected XSS, then served hidden exploit iframes behind a donation-form image. Although a V8 fix had landed in Chromium's source after private August reporting, Chrome had not yet shipped it, creating a patch gap the actors exploited. The two groups installed distinct payloads: UTA0560 delivered the GRIMWEDGE JScript backdoor via DLL side-loading, while JungleBamboo used the SUPERSTOMP loader to install the LONGTALE credential-stealing Chrome extension disguised as Google Gemini.