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Malcious Admin Menu Editor Pro plugin backdoors 1,500 WordPress sites

Compromised Admin Menu Editor Pro update server distributed backdoored plugin versions installing web shells and hidden admin accounts on roughly 1,500 WordPress sites.

A threat actor with root-level access to adminmenueditor.com pushed trojanized Admin Menu Editor Pro versions 2.35 and 2.36 containing includes/wp-user-consent.php, which installed a web shell and created a hidden wp_-prefixed user account. At least 230 customers and roughly 1,500 sites installed the malicious update, with several hundred more downloads possibly affected. Developer Janis Elsts took the site offline after the attacker recompromised the clean 2.36 release; version 2.34 and the free plugin are believed unaffected.

BleepingComputer · 1h agoMalware in the wild1

KREMLIN Banking Malware Hijacks Chrome and Edge to Steal Credentials and Session Tokens

Elastic Security Labs details KREMLIN, Brazilian banking malware using malicious Chrome/Edge extensions and Ethereum smart contracts to steal credentials and session tokens.

Elastic Security Labs documents KREMLIN (tracked as REF9334), a Brazilian banking malware toolkit active since at least May 2025 that impersonates a dozen Brazilian banks. It uses multi-stage JavaScript loaders, a C++ installer that DLL-sideloads via a legitimate SentinelOne binary, and a malicious Chrome/Edge extension named 'AVSync System Inc.' Ethereum smart contracts act as dead-drop resolvers for C2 endpoints, a shift that occurred May 19, 2026, making infrastructure hard to disrupt. The extension harvests cookies, sessionStorage/localStorage, browsing history, screenshots, and full page HTML via WebSocket plus CSS-disguised polling endpoints. The group has run seven distinct campaigns and also distributes Pulsar RAT and Remcos RAT.

The Hacker News · 3h agoMalware in the wild

Iranian Hackers Use Telegram-Controlled Malware to Spy on Dissidents and Journalists

FBI, NCSC, and AIVD detail Iran MOIS spyware CHOSEN BRICK/HEAVYGRAM, Telegram-controlled Windows malware spying on dissidents since 2023.

A September 15 joint advisory from the FBI, UK NCSC, and Dutch AIVD attributes the Windows spyware HEAVYGRAM (NCSC name CHOSEN BRICK) to Iran's Ministry of Intelligence and Security, with the campaign dating to autumn 2023 and targeting dissidents, journalists, and activists in the UK, US, Netherlands, and worldwide. Delivered via messages impersonating known contacts or tech support, the malware assigns each victim a dedicated Telegram bot for command-and-control and exfiltration, and can take screenshots, record microphone audio, steal Telegram/WhatsApp data, saved passwords, and emails, download more malware, and wipe the computer. Persistence uses a registry Run key (SMQDService or winappx) plus Microsoft Defender exclusions, with stolen data exiting via Telegram and cloud storage services like Vultr and Storj. The US Justice Department seized four pro-Iranian leak sites in March that had published stolen victim data.

The Hacker News · 5h agoMalware in the wild

BambooToken malware controls Windows and Linux systems via MQTT

Lumen Black Lotus Labs exposes BambooToken, a China-aligned malware framework using MQTT C2 to backdoor Windows and Linux systems at roughly a dozen enterprises.

Lumen's Black Lotus Labs documented BambooToken, a previously unknown malware framework active since at least 2023 that adopted MQTT for command-and-control in 2024-2025 variants targeting Windows and Linux. Infection occurs via DLL side-loading through digitally signed Tendyron OnKey USB-token software or an impersonated Kingsoft Office installer; dead code suggests keylogging, clipboard theft, audio/webcam capture, and screenshot modules. Telemetry identified roughly a dozen compromised entities, mostly in Asia and South America, including a Hong Kong GitLab server and possibly users of the SpeedCN VPN service. Targeting patterns are consistent with China-aligned operations, though no attribution to a known cluster was made.

BleepingComputerupdated · 6h agofirst · 7h agoMalware in the wild 2 sources

Hackers Hijack HBO Max Reddit Account to Push 108 ClickFix Malware Ads

Hijacked verified HBO Max Reddit account ran 108 ClickFix malvertising ads delivering AMOS infostealers, Windows loaders, and crypto clipboard hijackers.

HudsonRock and ADAMnetworks identified a cross-platform ClickFix operation dubbed PasteSwitch that abused the compromised verified Reddit account u/hbomax to publish 108 malicious ads over 48 hours, using domains like hbomaxx[.]us and codex-craft[.]com. macOS victims run curl/zsh commands delivering AMOS-related stealers and fake wallets, while Windows users get an InstallFix route using mshta and PowerShell that loads Amatera in memory and disables AMSI. The operation's AnimateClipper and ZigClipper families hijack clipboards to swap cryptocurrency addresses, with C2 domains rotated via Binance Smart Chain contracts. Reddit paused the ads and is investigating.

Cyber Security Newsupdated · 10h agofirst · 15h agoMalware in the wild 7 sources

Twitch extension with 30K installs exposes users’ OAuth tokens

Twitch extension with 30,000+ installs exfiltrates users' OAuth session tokens to Russian-run JeetBot proxy servers.

Socket analysis shows the "Twitch Enhanced Viewer | JeetBot" browser extension, with over 30,000 installs on the official Chrome and Firefox stores, captures the Twitch web client's authorization header and extracts the user's OAuth token. The token is appended as an auth= URL parameter to video playlist requests routed through JeetBot proxy servers, landing in cleartext request logs retrievable by the Russian-language bot service vendor; ten hardcoded Russian-language channels are exempted. Earlier versions used more explicit token exfiltration, and the extension remained live in both stores at publication. Socket recommends removing the extension, disconnecting all Twitch sessions, and re-authenticating.

BleepingComputer · 1d agoMalware in the wild

Malicious Twitch Extension Exposes OAuth Tokens of 30,000 Chrome and Firefox Users

Malicious 'Twitch Enhanced Viewer | JeetBot' browser extension stole live OAuth session tokens from roughly 31,000 Chrome and Firefox users.

Socket.dev found the cross-store extension 'Twitch Enhanced Viewer | JeetBot' rerouted Twitch playlist requests through operator-controlled proxies, attaching the victim's account-level OAuth token as a URL parameter where it could be logged in cleartext. About 30,000 Chrome and 552 Firefox installs were exposed, with tokens forwarded for nearly every watched channel to infrastructure tied to a Russian commercial bot service. The stolen bearer token enables chat, whisper, account-setting access and channel-point spending without the password or 2FA.

Cyber Security Newsupdated · 1d agofirst · 1d agoMalware in the wild 2 sources

Cyclops Blink Evolves Into x86-64 Linux Implant With Packet Sniffing and Internal Network Scanning

Sophos uncovers a new x86-64 Cyclops Blink Linux implant with packet sniffing and internal network scanning on compromised Cisco FMC appliances.

Sophos identified a 64-bit Linux Cyclops Blink implant in August on compromised Cisco Firewall Management Center devices, persisting via SysV init scripts and masquerading as the process 'kworker01'. The modular malware runs five child processes for reconnaissance, file transfer, scanning, packet capture, and persistence, and beacons hourly over outbound TLS to hardcoded C2 89.34.96.56 on ports 43856 and 49172. The family was previously tied to Russian-linked Sandworm activity on WatchGuard appliances, though Sophos treats 2026 attribution cautiously. The packet-capture module applies configurable filters to retain credentials, cookies, and authentication tokens from raw Ethernet traffic.

Cyber Security News · 1d agoMalware in the wild

Sandworm-Linked Cyclops Blink Returns With Network Scanning and Packet-Sniffing Capabilities

Sophos uncovers a 64-bit Cyclops Blink variant on hacked Cisco FMC appliances, adding internal network scanning and selective packet capture; linked to Sandworm.

Sophos CTU analyzed a new 64-bit x86-64 Cyclops Blink implant (timezone_check) deployed on Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center appliances compromised via CVE-2026-20079 authentication bypass and CVE-2026-20316 low-privileged login. The activity is assessed with high confidence as Russian-nexus, with a moderate-confidence link to Sandworm (IRON VIKING, also tracked as Seashell Blizzard). The implant runs a parent controller plus five worker modules, masquerades as [kworker/0:1], persists via SysV init scripts at /lib/tz/timezone_check, and beacons to hard-coded C2 89.34.96.56 over a custom TLS protocol on ports 43856 and 49172. New module 0x11 scans internal IPv4 networks for SSH, SMB, LDAP, VMware, HTTP/HTTPS and VPN services, while module 0x12 performs filtered packet capture that can expose cleartext credentials, cookies and tokens.

GBHackers · 1d agoMalware in the wild 13 sourcesCVE-2026-20079CVE-2026-20316

Hackers Deploy Casbaneiro Banking Trojan That Activates When Victims Open Bank Websites

Fortinet details Casbaneiro banking Trojan campaign hitting Latin American bank customers via invoice-themed PDF phishing, with AutoIt loading, RegSvcs.exe injection, and bank-site-triggered activation.

Fortinet identified an August 2026 Casbaneiro banking Trojan campaign targeting users in Argentina, Peru, Colombia, and Mexico through phishing PDFs styled as urgent invoices or legal notices. The staged chain uses IP-based geo-filtering, a Base64-encoded ZIP, an HTA file, and a legitimate AutoIt interpreter before injecting into RegSvcs.exe or mobsync.exe and persisting via a Startup shortcut. The Trojan exfiltrates address book and Outlook data unencrypted, stays dormant until victims visit targeted bank sites, then accepts commands for keyboard control, clipboard pasting, file execution, and command execution. It uses an expected HTTP 403 response from a second server and malformed HTTP requests to complicate network analysis.

Cyber Security News · 1d agoMalware in the wild

Hackers Abuse YouTube Gaming Channels and SEO Poisoning to Deploy RATs and Chrome Hijacker

Unit 42 exposed CL-CRI-1171, a pay-per-install operation using YouTube gaming channels and SEO poisoning to deliver RATs and a Chrome hijacker.

Palo Alto Networks Unit 42 identified over 10,000 OfferLoader samples and 11 YouTube channels pushing trojanized installers via gaming lures and SEO-poisoned searches for tools like WinDirStat and Bluetooth drivers. Trojanized Inno Setup installers spawn three payload branches: Insomnia RAT (dual Node.js/Python backdoor that disables Microsoft Defender), ARKTunnel (undocumented RAT hiding its payload in a bitmap image and tunneling TCP/UDP), and Docro Hijacker (alters Chrome protected preferences to hijack search and affiliate links). The pay-per-install model sells each infection to multiple buyers, reaching gamers as well as corporate and government endpoints.

Cyber Security News · 1d agoMalware in the wild1

Malicious Twitch Browser Extension Leaks OAuth Tokens From Nearly 31,000 Users

Malicious Twitch extension 'Twitch Enhanced Viewer | JeetBot' leaked OAuth tokens from nearly 31,000 users to Russian bot-service proxy servers.

Socket researchers found the 'Twitch Enhanced Viewer | JeetBot' browser extension forwarded users' live Twitch OAuth tokens as an &auth= query parameter to operator-controlled proxy servers, affecting about 30,000 Chrome users and 604 Firefox users. The tokens, written in cleartext to proxy logs, are bearer credentials granting access to chat, whispers, and account settings without password or 2FA. The operator is a Russian commercial Twitch/Kick/VK-Live bot SaaS linked to Cyprus-based developer Aleksandr Popov; earlier v4.x builds also POSTed tokens to a set-token endpoint. Firefox add-on version 85.8.7 stops the token forwarding, but previously transmitted tokens remain valid until revoked.

The Hacker News · 1d agoMalware in the wild

Hackers Abuse AutoIt to Inject AsyncRAT Into Microsoft-Signed Windows Process

Attackers use AutoIt and an invoice-themed batch file to inject AsyncRAT into Microsoft-signed charmap.exe for stealthy remote access.

Point Wild Threat Intelligence documented a five-stage campaign starting with 'Right-click to open Invoice Details.bat' that launches hidden PowerShell, drops a renamed AutoIt interpreter and encrypted loader into a random Temp folder, and persists via a Startup-folder batch file. The loader decrypts AsyncRAT only in memory and injects it into the Microsoft-signed charmap.exe (Windows Character Map) process, leaving no payload file on disk. The final payload patches AMSI inside the infected process and includes screen-capture code that prepares images for transfer to a command-and-control server at 158[.]51[.]122[.]136:4944.

Cyber Security News · 1d agoMalware in the wild1

Casbaneiro Banking Trojan Uses Distributed C2 Servers to Evade Detection and Target Bank Users

Casbaneiro banking Trojan targets Latin American bank users via phishing PDFs, geofencing, AutoIt staging, and distributed C2 servers to evade detection.

FortiGuard Labs detailed a Casbaneiro banking Trojan campaign observed in August 2026 targeting users in Argentina, Peru, Colombia, and Mexico via fake invoice and legal-notice emails. The operation uses geofenced landing pages, an HTA downloader with WMI-based sandbox checks, a legitimate AutoIt interpreter, and process injection into RegSvcs.exe (fallback mobsync.exe). C2 activation is conditional on victims visiting banking websites, enabling keyboard control, clipboard manipulation, and fake overlay windows for bank-focused fraud, while distributed exfiltration servers and unusual HTTP 403-based signaling hinder analyst correlation.

GBHackers · 1d agoMalware in the wild1

The extension you never installed: KREMLIN forges Chrome's own integrity checks to steal banking sessions

Elastic details KREMLIN, a Brazilian banking malware whose malicious Chrome/Edge extension forges Chromium integrity checks to steal sessions.

Elastic Security Labs tracked operation REF9334 and its KREMLIN toolkit, a Brazilian banking malware campaign impersonating twelve banks across seven campaigns since May 2025. The infection chain uses multi-stage obfuscated JavaScript loaders with sandbox checks (file and process counting), scheduled-task persistence, and an Ethereum smart contract acting as a dead-drop resolver for C2 and payload URLs, abusing Archive.org for hosting. The malicious browser extension bypasses Chromium integrity mechanisms by manipulating Secure Preferences and regenerating required HMACs and App-Bound encrypted hashes. Threat Command disrupted over 1,500 infections by registering the kill-switch canary domain.

Elastic Security Labs · 1d agoMalware in the wild