Source: Help Net Security

4 stories in the last 3d

DomainAll Cyber AIWindow24h 3d 7d 30d AllIn the wild Important only Show duplicates

CategoryAll Tools 12 Industry 10 AI safety & security 4 Advisory 2 AI tools & infra 2 Data breach 2 Exploit / PoC 2 Research 2 AI policy 1 Malware 1 Policy & legal 1 AI research 1 Vulnerability 1 Threat actor 1

SeverityAll critical 1 high 4 medium 5 low 0 info 33 source: Help Net Security ✕

CenterPoint Energy confirms data breach following claims on hacking forum

CenterPoint Energy confirmed a breach after a hacker claimed stealing 7.49 million customer records via an unauthenticated API lacking WAF, rate limiting, and token checks.

CenterPoint Energy, a Houston-based utility serving about 7 million customers, confirmed in a September 14 SEC Form 8-K that an unauthorized third party accessed customer data through an external system after a hacker posted a 7.49 million-line dataset online. The exposed fields include names, phone numbers, addresses, account numbers, emails, driver's license numbers, and the last four digits of Social Security numbers. The hacker said the API had no web application firewall, rate limiting, certificate checks, or authentication token, and that a CAPTCHA stopped exfiltration at 7.49 million of a claimed 17.44 million lines. The company faces multiple class action lawsuits and is working with outside experts to determine scope.

Help Net Securityupdated 11:40 UTC · 10m agofirst 10:35 UTC · 1h agoData breach in the wild 4 sources

Acronis backup plugin flaw exploited in targeted attacks (CVE-2026-87886)

Acronis warns CVE-2026-87886, an authenticated Linux privilege escalation flaw in its cPanel, WHM, and Plesk backup plugins, is under limited targeted exploitation; patches released.

Acronis disclosed CVE-2026-87886, a privilege escalation vulnerability caused by insecure file permissions in its backup plugins for cPanel, WHM, and Plesk, platforms popular among hosting providers and MSPs. Exploitation has been detected in the wild in limited, targeted attacks against cPanel & WHM deployments, with no exploitation observed on Plesk so far, and the low-complexity attack requires no user interaction. Fixes shipped last week: backup plugin version 1.9.3 HF3 for cPanel & WHM and extension version 1.8.11 for Plesk.

Help Net Securityupdated 11:08 UTC · 42m agofirst 09:33 UTC · 2h agoExploit / PoC in the wild 6 sources CVE-2026-87886

Iranian hackers use CHOSEN BRICK data-stealing malware to spy on dissidents and journalists

UK NCSC, FBI and Dutch AIVD warn Iranian state hackers deploy CHOSEN BRICK spyware via WhatsApp and Telegram lures against dissidents and journalists since 2025.

The UK's NCSC, the FBI and the Netherlands' AIVD jointly warned that Iranian state cyber actors have deployed CHOSEN BRICK against dissidents, activists and journalists in the UK, US and Netherlands since at least 2025. Victims are contacted on WhatsApp or Telegram by impostors posing as known contacts or platform support, then tricked into running files disguised as software such as fake Norton Antivirus, KeePass, Telegram or MRI scan results. The Windows malware adds Microsoft Defender exclusions, persists via HKCU Run keys, uses per-device Telegram bots for C2, and can capture screens, activate microphones, steal email and messaging data, and download further payloads. Some stolen data has later appeared on pro-Iranian leak sites, and the agencies note Iranian intelligence has plotted kidnappings or lethal operations against targets abroad.

Help Net Security09:06 UTC · 2h agoThreat actor in the wild 4 sources

Attackers hijack HBO Max’s Reddit account for 48-hour malvertising blitz

Attackers hijacked HBO Max's verified Reddit account to push 108 ClickFix infostealer ads delivering AMOS, MacSync, and crypto clippers.

Threat actors compromised the verified u/hbomax Reddit account and ran 108 ClickFix malvertising ads in 48 hours as part of the PasteSwitch operation, analyzed by Hudson Rock and ADAMnetworks. macOS victims received curl-to-zsh payloads (MacSync, AMOS Helper, fake Ledger/Trezor/Exodus wallets harvesting BIP39 seed phrases); Windows users got Amatera via mshta and PowerShell loaders. Clipper C2 addresses are stored in Binance Smart Chain smart contracts, with 36 mainnet changes observed between March and July 2026.

Help Net Securityupdated Sep 15, 11:51 UTC · 1d agofirst Sep 15, 10:10 UTC · 1d agoMalware in the wild 7 sources