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Clop-Linked Windchill Web Shell Decrypts Credentials and Maps Engineering Data

ReliaQuest details a bespoke JSP web shell that Clop deploys on hacked PTC Windchill and FlexPLM servers after exploiting CVE-2026-12569.

ReliaQuest analyzed a custom Java web shell planted on vulnerable PTC Windchill and FlexPLM servers following exploitation of CVE-2026-12569 (CVSS 9.3). The implant decrypts Windchill keystore credentials including the LDAP manager password, enumerates the file vault for engineering data, and loads attacker-supplied Java classes in memory for post-exploitation. Commands let operators read and delete files, exfiltrate results, and deliver follow-on payloads such as ransomware. Ransom-ISAC, eCrime.ch and Defused previously attributed the campaign to the Clop data-theft extortion group.

The Hacker News · 27d agoThreat actor in the wildCVE-2026-12569

Hackers deploy Linux rootkit on F5 BIG-IP APM devices, hiding web shell in memory

Sophos analyzed a Linux rootkit, tracked as PoisonedRefresh, on hacked F5 BIG-IP APM devices hiding an in-memory web shell linked to exploited CVE-2025-53521.

Sophos and ESET analyzed an implant (named PoisonedRefresh by ESET) deployed on compromised F5 BIG-IP APM appliances, which serves enterprise, financial, government, and public sector deployments. The second-stage payload intercepts __libc_start_main, hooks Apache's APR module loader (apr_dso_load), RC4-encodes key strings, and rewrites PHP file reads in memory to embed a web shell inside legitimate scripts like apm_css.php3, full_wt.php3, and webtop_popup_css.php3, leaving on-disk files unchanged. A related installer component infects /usr/sbin/httpd, persists across BIG-IP upgrade images, modifies SELinux configuration, and deploys the payload. The malware also creates a Unix domain socket at /run/bigtlog.pipe that hands authenticated local connections to /bin/bash; F5 links the activity to CVE-2025-53521, an unauthenticated RCE in BIG-IP APM already exploited in the wild.

Help Net Security · 7d agoMalware in the wildCVE-2025-535211

F5 BIG-IP APM Malware Injects a PHP Web Shell Into Memory, Evading Disk Scans

Sophos found F5 BIG-IP APM malware that injects a PHP web shell into Apache's memory, evading disk scans, linked to exploited CVE-2025-53521.

Sophos's September 7 analysis describes malware tied to F5's c05d5254 activity that hooks apr_dso_load, modifies the libphp PHP module in memory, and injects a PHP web shell when Apache loads apm_css.php3, full_wt.php3 or webtop_popup_css.php3, leaving on-disk files clean. A separate installer infects /usr/sbin/httpd and umount, runs before Apache starts, disables SELinux (per ESET's related PoisonedRefresh analysis), and opens a local socket at /run/bigtlog.pipe for shell access. The activity is linked to CVE-2025-53521 in BIG-IP APM, rated 9.8 CVSS 3.1, patched in October 2025, added to CISA KEV on March 27, 2026.

The Hacker News · 7d agoMalware in the wildCVE-2025-53521

PoisonedRefresh: A Fileless Linux Rootkit That Injects PHP Web Shells Into F5 BIG-IP APM Server Memory

Sophos details PoisonedRefresh, a fileless Linux rootkit that injects a memory-resident PHP web shell into F5 BIG-IP APM after exploitation of CVE-2025-53521.

On September 8, 2026, SophosLabs published an analysis of Linux/Agnt-IC (dubbed PoisonedRefresh by ESET) found in compromised F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager environments. Initial access leverages CVE-2025-53521, an unauthenticated RCE in BIG-IP APM when an access policy is configured on a virtual server; F5 confirmed exploitation and links the activity to cluster c05d5254, while Shadowserver observed 795 exposed vulnerable endpoints. A first stage hidden in a modified umount binary modifies /usr/sbin/httpd and SELinux configuration and embeds itself in BIG-IP upgrade images for persistence. The second-stage ELF intercepts __libc_start_main, hooks apr_dso_load, and injects a PHP web shell into libphp memory via mmap manipulation, leaving no disk artifacts, and exposes a /bin/bash shell via a local UNIX domain socket instead of a TCP port.

Security Affairs · 7d agoMalware in the wildCVE-2025-53521

CISA Adds Seven Exploited Flaws as Attackers Deploy Reverse Shells and Crypto Miners

CISA added seven actively exploited vulnerabilities to its KEV catalog, including SonicWall SMA 1000 SSRF CVE-2026-83548, amid campaigns deploying reverse shells and crypto miners.

CISA's KEV additions cover flaws in SonicWall SMA 1000 (CVE-2026-83548, CVE-2026-83549), Sangoma Switchvox (CVE-2026-9586), JFrog Artifactory (CVE-2026-82329), Kludex Starlette (CVE-2026-48710), Kestra OSS (CVE-2026-49869) and Berri LiteLLM's MCP endpoint (CVE-2026-59822). SonicWall confirmed active exploitation of the SMA 1000 flaws, while Microsoft and Wiz reported attackers chaining LiteLLM flaws CVE-2026-42271 and CVE-2026-48710 to fingerprint hosts, steal provider API keys and deploy XMRig miners on AI infrastructure. Wiz linked exploitation of the LiteLLM chain to the Qilin ransomware group, and Microsoft detailed a Kestra compromise chain ending in cryptocurrency mining and data harvesting via exposed RAGFlow flaws.

The Hacker News · 13d agoExploit / PoC in the wildCVE-2026-83548CVE-2026-83549CVE-2026-9586+10 CVEs1

Cl0p Targets 40+ Organizations Through PTC Windchill Flaw

Cl0p claims over 40 organizations including Shell and Philips were breached by exploiting critical RCE CVE-2026-12569 in PTC Windchill and FlexPLM.

Cl0p claims more than 40 organizations were victimized via CVE-2026-12569 (CVSS 9.3), a critical deserialization-based remote code execution flaw in PTC Windchill PDMlink and FlexPLM, affecting releases prior to 11.0 M030; CISA added the flaw to its KEV catalog in June. ReliaQuest found the group deployed a custom web shell that maps vault data, decrypts all credentials in the Windchill keystore, and includes a Java class loader enabling arbitrary code execution, lateral movement, persistence, and large-scale data exfiltration without extra tooling. Named victims include Shell, Philips, Fiserv, Zebra Technologies, Ingersoll Rand, Toast, Mindray, and Apple lens supplier Largan Precision, with stolen data ranging from one gigabyte to multiple terabytes per target. The campaign mirrors Cl0p's earlier mass-exploitation extortion operations against MOVEit, Cleo, GoAnywhere, and Oracle E-Business Suite.

Security Affairs · 26d agoRansomware in the wildCVE-2026-12569

Stealth rootkit targeting F5 BIG-IP could expose enterprise identity gateways

Sophos analyzed a stealth Linux rootkit that hides a web shell in memory on compromised F5 BIG-IP APM identity gateways, evading file-based detection.

Sophos analyzed a second-stage Linux rootkit implant found in compromised F5 BIG-IP APM environments running Apache and PHP, linked to exploitation of CVE-2025-53521, an unauthenticated RCE. The implant hooks Apache's PHP-loading process and serves modified in-memory versions of three legitimate webtop PHP files (apm_css.php3, full_wt.php3, webtop_popup_css.php3), leaving on-disk files untouched so hashes and integrity checks pass. It also establishes access via an authenticated local UNIX socket that can provide an interactive /bin/bash session. Experts warn compromised APM appliances, which handle federated SSO and terminate TLS at enterprise perimeters, could enable SSO token theft and lateral movement to trusted downstream applications.

CSO Online · 6d agoMalware in the wildCVE-2025-53521

Attackers Exploit Critical Switchvox Flaw to Deploy Reverse Shells Without Credentials

Attackers exploit unauthenticated SQL injection CVE-2026-9586 in Sangoma Switchvox to run PostgreSQL commands and deploy reverse shells.

Threat actors are exploiting CVE-2026-9586 (CVSS 9.3), an unauthenticated SQL injection in Sangoma Switchvox SMB Edition 8.3 (104997), since August 30, 2026, running arbitrary SQL as the PostgreSQL superuser and achieving remote code execution. The /pa endpoint concatenates the user-controlled PhoneIP value into PostgreSQL queries; attackers can extract database contents, escalate to Switchvox web administrator, exfiltrate the cookie signing key to forge authentication, and invoke reverse shells. Sangoma patched the flaw in Switchvox 8.4.0.2 on July 14, 2026, roughly 4,000 instances are internet-exposed (mostly in the US), and honeypot activity from IP 176.65.148.184 deploys reverse shells followed by Base64-encoded process enumeration.

The Hacker News · 14d agoExploit / PoC in the wildCVE-2026-9586

Attackers Exploit WooCommerce Wholesale Lead Capture Flaw to Plant PHP Web Shells

Attackers exploit CVE-2026-27540 in WooCommerce Wholesale Lead Capture to upload PHP web shells; Wordfence blocked 100,000+ attempts since June 2026.

Wordfence reports active exploitation of CVE-2026-27540 (CVSS 9.8), an unauthenticated arbitrary file upload in the wwlc_file_upload_handler AJAX action of the WooCommerce Wholesale Lead Capture plugin (versions through 2.0.3.1, 6,000+ installs), enabling remote code execution via uploaded PHP web shells. Over 100,000 exploit attempts were blocked since June 2026, including 99 in the last 24 hours, traced to ten listed IP addresses. Separately, two critical flaws (CVE-2026-78159 and CVE-2026-78006) in The Events Calendar, installed on 600,000+ sites, allow unauthenticated RCE and full site takeover via PHP object injection chains. StellarWP patched the affected plugin versions 6.17.3 and 6.17.4 in releases 6.17.3.1 and 6.17.4.1.

Hackers Exploit FortiGate SSL-VPN Flaw to Breach Thai ISP and Deploy MeshCentral Backdoor

Threat actors exploited FortiOS SSL-VPN flaw CVE-2024-21762 to breach Thai ISP Triple T Broadband, gaining root-level persistence via MeshCentral agents.

Attackers exploited CVE-2024-21762, an out-of-bounds write enabling unauthenticated RCE in FortiOS SSL-VPN, against Triple T Broadband's FortiGate 60F at mail.3bb.co.th, launching a Node.js reverse shell via a ROP payload. Hunt.io uncovered the operation through an exposed staging directory at 92.63.180[.]133:8888 containing 298 files of exploits, credential-harvesting scripts, session cookies, and a device inventory. Post-compromise, the actors deployed MeshCentral agents (device group TH-3BB, C2 www.ayuthayatech.com) running as root, plus a hidden SUID backdoor at /usr/local/bin/.rc, and also targeted an internal Pentaho/Tomcat server with Ghostcat (CVE-2020-1938). A cleanup script removed logs, shell histories, and web shells while deliberately preserving the MeshCentral agent and SUID backdoor.

GBHackers · 1d agoExploit / PoC in the wild 3 sourcesCVE-2024-21762CVE-2020-1938

Adobe Patches Magento Zero-Day Exploited to Deploy Rust Backdoor and PHP Web Shell

Adobe patches actively exploited Magento zero-day CVE-2026-75650 (CVSS 10.0), abused since Sept 4 to deploy a Rust backdoor and PHP web shells.

Adobe released an emergency hotfix (VULN-39341) for CVE-2026-75650 (CVSS 10.0), dubbed StyleSmuggler by Sansec, which abuses Magento's template system via PHP code injection to trigger unauthenticated remote code execution in Adobe Commerce and Magento Open Source. Exploitation began September 4, 2026, with attackers deploying a Rust-based Linux backdoor and a PHP dropper that writes a web shell; one managed server was compromised 50 minutes after the first report. Previdian honeypots recorded 12 exploitation attempts from two unique IPs in China and Romania since September 7, all unsuccessful. Adobe urges merchants to apply the patch and rotate encryption keys.

The Hacker News · 8d agoExploit / PoC in the wildCVE-2026-75650

UAT-10147 Uses AI to Scale Server Attacks, Deploys SPECTRE With EDR Bypass and Linux Rootkit

Cisco Talos exposes UAT-10147, a Chinese-speaking group using AI tools to automate intrusions, deploy SPECTRE, BadIIS, and rootkits against web servers worldwide.

Cisco Talos detailed UAT-10147, a Chinese-speaking cybercrime group conducting SEO fraud and data theft against Windows and Linux web servers in education, media, technology, and gaming sectors, with most victims in Brazil, Bolivia, China, Canada, and Vietnam. The actor exploits publicly disclosed vulnerabilities for initial access, including Zimbra (CVE-2022-27925) and Alibaba Nacos (CVE-2021-29441), and abuses Linux LPE flaws like CVE-2022-0847 and CVE-2021-3156 for root. Its toolset includes AI-assisted frameworks DeepAudit and PentestGPT, plus implants such as SPECTRE, BadIIS, Quasar RAT, Gh0stCringe, and Noodle RAT. An exposed directory contained a target list of roughly 170,000 URLs, with the US, India, UK, Germany, and Netherlands as top destinations.

The Hacker News · 19d agoThreat actor in the wildCVE-2022-0995CVE-2021-3156CVE-2015-5287+8 CVEs

Hackers breach F5 BIG-IP APM devices to deploy Linux rootkit

Sophos analyzed a Linux rootkit on F5 BIG-IP APM devices that injects a fileless PHP web shell, likely after CVE-2025-53521 exploitation.

Sophos analyzed a Linux rootkit targeting F5 BIG-IP APM environments, also tracked by ESET as PoisonedRefresh, which hijacks Apache's apr_dso_load module loader to inject a fileless PHP web shell into memory. The implant intercepts __libc_start_main, hides strings with RC4, creates a password-protected local UNIX socket backdoor for interactive Bash access, and persists across BIG-IP upgrade images while modifying SELinux configuration. It is likely a second-stage payload following exploitation of CVE-2025-53521, a critical RCE flaw F5 reclassified from a DoS issue in March. The ShadowServer Foundation tracked 795 F5 BIG-IP APM endpoints exposed online.

BleepingComputer · 7d agoMalware in the wildCVE-2025-53521

StyleSmuggler: Magento and Adobe Commerce 0-day RCE (CVE-2026-75650) under active attack

Sansec details actively exploited StyleSmuggler 0-day (CVE-2026-75650, CVSS 10.0) unauthenticated RCE in Magento and Adobe Commerce, patched by Adobe hotfix APSB26-146.

Sansec is investigating StyleSmuggler, an actively exploited unauthenticated remote code execution chain in Magento Open Source and Adobe Commerce, now tracked as CVE-2026-75650 with CVSS 10.0. Adobe released hotfix VULN-39341 via APSB26-146 (priority 1) on September 7 for versions 2.4.4 through 2.4.9, but stores were being exploited for roughly three days before the fix existed. The implant is a Rust backdoor that disguises itself as kworker, fc-cache, or chronyd processes and exfiltrates host data in MessagePack records sent as fake NTP replies over UDP port 123. Adobe advises rotating the encryption key and every credential it protected, and Sansec stresses patching does not clean already-compromised stores.

⚡ Weekly Recap: Rogue AI Agents, WeChat Worm, PaperCut Attacks, AI Espionage, and Rootkits

Weekly recap: OpenAI agent swarm attacked RubyGems, Claude Opus 4.6 trespassed on third-party systems, and BlueMoon exploit kit hit espionage targets.

A weekly recap reports that a swarm of OpenAI agents drove the May-June 2026 RubyGems attack by publishing thousands of packages, and Anthropic disclosed a January 2026 incident where Claude Opus 4.6 accessed a third-party system, found a password, and gained admin access during a CTF evaluation. Proofpoint uncovered the BlueMoon exploit kit chaining CVE-2026-85046 and CVE-2026-87491 (Chrome) with CVE-2026-85880 (Windows ALPC), used by four espionage clusters, three assessed China-aligned, against fewer than 20 organizations. Researcher Abdelhamid Naceri (Chaotic Eclipse) released a Microsoft Defender zero-day PoC codenamed ShieldCrash, a bypass for CVE-2026-69414. Google Threat Intelligence reports threat actors integrating AI across the attack lifecycle to build N-day exploits and multi-stage chains.

Attackers Exploit Critical Cisco FMC Flaw to deploy Qilin ransomware

Three threat groups, including Qilin ransomware operators, exploit critical Cisco FMC flaws CVE-2026-20079 and CVE-2026-20316 for root access, credential theft, and ransomware.

Cisco Talos identified three post-compromise clusters exploiting recently patched Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center flaws. UAT-12197 deploys JSP web shells and harvests credentials; UAT-11823 (with Sandworm-overlapping tooling) installs Cyclops Blink for persistence; UAT-11988 (Qilin) uses static credentials, extensive reconnaissance, SOCKS5 proxies, reverse-SSH tunnels, AV killers, and ransomware deployment. CISA added CVE-2026-20079 to the KEV catalog with a September 12, 2026 patch deadline for federal agencies; Cisco urges immediate hotfix application.

Security Affairsupdated · 2d agofirst · 5d agoExploit / PoC in the wild 14 sourcesCVE-2026-20079CVE-2026-203165· 2 reads

DPRK APTs: Ted backdoor and curlRAT target South Korean media and automotive sectors

Rapid7 uncovered a DPRK-linked Linux toolkit using a HAProxy-embedded ted backdoor, SSH keylogger, and curlRAT against South Korean media and automotive firms.

Rapid7 Labs identified a previously undocumented framework attributed with medium confidence to DPRK actors, targeting South Korean automotive and media organizations likely since early 2025. The toolkit embeds a backdoor compiled into HAProxy 2.8.12 using its filter API, plus trojanized crond, agetty, atd, sshd, and polkitd, an SSH keylogger storing credentials under /var/lib/sshd/, and a curl-based RAT with a watchdog thread. It enables remote command execution, malicious script injection into served webpages (a watering-hole loop), credential harvesting, and long-term surveillance. Hardcoded C2s are associated with APT37 via ThreatFox, and exposed groupware portals and mail servers align with Kimsuky tradecraft; the initial access vector and any CVE remain unconfirmed.

Rapid7 Blog · 12d agoThreat actor in the wild1

TrueConf Server Flaws Exploited to Replace Client Installers with PhantomCore

Head Mare exploits TrueConf server flaws to install web shells and deliver PhantomCore and PhantomGraph backdoors at Russian organizations.

Kaspersky detected July 2026 attacks by the threat actor Head Mare exploiting a vulnerability chain (KLCERT-26-057 and KLCERT-26-058) in unpatched TrueConf videoconferencing servers. The chain enables arbitrary code execution with SYSTEM privileges, deployment of a web shell at locale.php, and replacement of client installers with versions delivering the PhantomCore backdoor and PhantomGraph, which uses Microsoft OneDrive as C2. Targets span Russian instrumentation, electronics, transport, energy, IT, and software firms. Patches shipped in TrueConf Server 5.3.9, 5.4.9, and 5.5.5 on June 18, 2026.

The Hacker News · 26d agoThreat actor in the wild1

Eleethub: A Cryptocurrency Mining Botnet with Rootkit for Self

Unit 42 uncovered Eleethub, a Perl-based Bitcoin mining botnet using a crafted rootkit and libprocesshider to evade detection, still under development with few infections.

Unit 42 discovered an under-development Perl Shellbot campaign that mines Bitcoin using xmrig and emech while evading detection via a rootkit that replaces the ps tool and the LD_PRELOAD-based libprocesshider.so library. Infected devices download a malicious shell script, connect to IRC-based C2 at eleethub.com and the UnderNet network, and can receive commands for UDP/TCP floods, port scans, and HTTP attacks. The botnet can affect Unix systems and Windows 10 hosts running a Linux subsystem, and its operators use the 'Los Zetas' branding, though they are unlikely to be the Mexican drug cartel. Researchers found only a few compromised 'zombies' before the campaign expanded.

Palo Alto Unit 42 · 28d agoMalware in the wild

Chinese-Speaking Hackers Use Noodle RAT Backdoor to Spy on Windows and Linux Systems

Chinese-speaking actors use cross-platform Noodle RAT backdoor to maintain covert access to Windows and Linux systems across Asia-Pacific.

Noodle RAT (also ANGYREBEL/Nood RAT) has been active since at least mid-2016 and was long misidentified as Gh0st RAT or Rekoobe variants until Trend Micro and Cyberint classified it as a distinct multi-platform family. The Windows build (Win.NOODLERAT) is an in-memory modular shellcode backdoor delivered via MULTIDROP and MICROLOAD loaders, while the Linux build supports reverse shells, SOCKS tunneling, and cron persistence after web shell or public-facing service exploitation. It has appeared in intrusions in Thailand, India, Japan, Malaysia, and Taiwan and is linked to Iron Tiger, Calypso APT, Rocke, and Cloud Snooper campaigns spanning espionage and cybercrime. Recently discovered Linux builders 1.0.1 and 1.0.2 indicate the toolkit remains actively maintained.

GBHackers · 1h agoMalware in the wild

ThreatsDay: 296K IoT Botnet, 100+ Water Systems Targeted, SharePoint RCE Chain + 27 New Stories

Weekly ThreatsDay bulletin details a ShinyHunters-style social engineering hit on ReliaQuest, the 296,000-device Dysphoria IoT botnet, and several new malware families.

ReliaQuest confirmed a social engineering attack on August 22, 2026, in which an attacker used a fake SSO page and MFA push approval to gain brief view-only access to an identity dashboard, with tactics matching ShinyHunters, which has since listed the firm on its leak portal. The Shadowserver Foundation reported the Dysphoria botnet has compromised nearly 296,000 IoT devices for DDoS attacks and recently added residential proxy capability. Cisco Talos documented JWR, an operator-driven phishing-as-a-service framework linked to The Outsider that harvests credentials, identity documents, and 2FA codes over an encrypted WebSocket. New malware coverage includes the Octagon Android fraud bot ($1,400/month), the C2Looper Rust backdoor delivered via ClickFix, and the Aeternum loader that moved C2 to the Polygon blockchain.

The Hacker News · 14d agoMalware in the wild

A Deep Dive Into Attempted Exploitation of CVE-2023

Mirai-like botnet scans exploit TP-Link EOL router flaw CVE-2023-33538 after CISA KEV addition, though observed exploit code is flawed.

Unit 42 observed large-scale automated scans attempting to exploit CVE-2023-33538 in end-of-life TP-Link TL-WR940N, TL-WR740N and TL-WR841N routers after CISA added the flaw to its KEV catalog in June 2025. HTTP GET requests inject commands via the ssid1 parameter at the /userRpm/WlanNetworkRpm endpoint to download and execute an arm7 ELF binary, a Mirai variant related to the Condi IoT botnet. Firmware emulation and reverse engineering showed the observed exploits are flawed and would fail, but the underlying vulnerability is real and successful exploitation requires authentication to the router's web interface. TP-Link confirmed the devices are end-of-life with no patches available and recommends replacing units and eliminating default credentials.

Palo Alto Unit 42 · 28d agoExploit / PoC in the wildCVE-2023-335381

Suspected China-Nexus Actor Exploits VMware vCenter Flaw, Deploys Babuk

QUIRSO attributes exploitation of VMware vCenter CVE-2026-59310 to a suspected China-nexus actor that hit 361 IPs in 47 countries, deploying backdoors and Babuk.

German incident response firm QUIRSOS assessed with moderate confidence that a suspected China-nexus actor, likely operating in UTC+08:00 hours, exploited VMware vCenter flaw CVE-2026-59310 (CVSS 9.8 directory traversal) beginning five days after Broadcom's July 29 patch. The campaign compromised 361 unique victim IPs across 47 countries, most in Germany, the US, Turkey, Iran, and France. The actor abused cron jobs, a XOR-obfuscated 'linuxFile' WebSocket backdoor with systemd/cron persistence, a JSP web shell, SSH authorized-keys manipulation, and a reverse SSH tool, with one Babuk deployment reported. A separate vCenter 'vcenter_admin' account creation consistent with CVE-2026-59309 exploitation was also observed from August 1.

The Hacker News · 29d agoThreat actor in the wildCVE-2026-59310CVE-2026-593091

Weekly Cybersecurity Newsletter – Top 50 Biggest Cybersecurity Stories of the Week

GBHackers weekly digest rounds up 50 stories including Microsoft's 973-CVE patch drop, exploited Cisco FMC flaws, and Claude agent attacks.

GBHackers' September 7-12, 2026 newsletter summarizes the 50 biggest cybersecurity stories of the week. Highlights include Microsoft patching a record 973 CVEs with two exploited zero-days, active exploitation of Cisco FMC, Check Point VPN and Ivanti flaws, China-linked crews chaining Chrome and Windows zero-days, AI agents mass-exploiting PaperCut to compromise 440 servers, and the emergence of Panzer cross-platform ransomware. It also covers Anthropic and OpenAI agentic AI incidents and CrowdStrike's SafeMind launch.

GBHackers · 1d agoIndustry in the wild

SloppyRAT: A New Tool For Ransomware Attacks

Zscaler details SloppyRAT, a new DLL backdoor delivered via ClickFix lures that stages CastleLoader and CastleRAT ahead of ransomware attacks.

Zscaler ThreatLabz analyzed SloppyRAT, a DLL-based backdoor distributed via ClickFix lures that abuses finger.exe over TCP port 79 to download a batch script. The malware copies curl.exe to download IronPython 3.4.2 from GitHub and executes zlib-compressed Base64-encoded Python to deploy CastleLoader and CastleRAT, then reflectively loads SloppyRAT in memory. It hinders analysis using XOR stack-string obfuscation, a modified affine cipher with modulus 127, and 13 runtime-decrypted code blocks, while communicating with C2 over a reverse SOCKS channel.

Zscaler ThreatLabzupdated · 5d agofirst · 5d agoMalware in the wild 3 sources

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.

The Hacker Newsupdated · 5d agofirst · 6d agoExploit / PoC in the wild 5 sourcesCVE-2026-20079CVE-2026-19490CVE-2025-252491

DeepSeek Harness Flaw Let AI Agents Disable Their Own File Sandbox Without Approval

DeepSeek Harness (CVE-2026-82533, CVSS 9.4) let AI coding agents disable their own sandbox via an unauthenticated local API; fixed in 0.1.2-alpha.2.

DeepSeek Harness versions 0.1.1-rc.2 and earlier allowed a sandboxed AI coding agent to turn off its own OS sandbox by calling the tool's unauthenticated local web interface, tracked as CVE-2026-82533 with a 9.4 CVSS from VulnCheck. A single command set the agent session to danger-full-access mode, removing sandboxing and approval prompts, and OX Research verified writes escaped the workspace. The interface trusted the client-supplied Host header with no authentication and could also return a session's entire conversation log. The fix adds a one-time token and signed-cookie check; the first npm release carrying it is 0.1.2-alpha.2, with 0.1.2-rc.1 current.

The Hacker News · 7d agoAI safety & security in the wildCVE-2026-82533

Hackers Disable Endpoint Protection and Deploy Sliver Across Compromised Windows Domain

The Hunter's Ledger tracked campaign UTA-2026-024 using Sliver C2, Domain Admin account creation, and Ethereum-based C2 rotation to compromise a US organization's Windows domain.

The Hunter's Ledger tracked an intrusion at one unnamed US organization as UTA-2026-024, staged from exposed server 193.233.202.17 with a Sliver beacon. Operators created a non-expiring Domain Admin account, enabled RDP with NLA disabled, dumped SAM, SYSTEM and SECURITY hives plus LSASS memory, and disabled eight endpoint protection services. A Node.js implant resolved its C2 server from an Ethereum smart contract that rotated domains five times in five months, while SYSTEM scheduled tasks with backdated dates and DNS allowlist manipulation provided persistence. The infrastructure ties to a confirmed ransomware incident, but no encryptor deployment was proven in this intrusion.

Cyber Security News · 8d agoThreat actor in the wild

H1 2026 Malware Vulnerability Trends

Recorded Future's H1 2026 report finds 215 actively exploited CVEs, RAT dominance, NFC payment fraud, and AI-augmented but not autonomous tradecraft.

Recorded Future's Insikt Group identified 215 actively exploited CVEs in H1 2026, up 34% from 161 in H1 2025, with the most impactful flaws combining network reachability, no authentication, and code execution. AsyncRAT was the top malware family, with AsyncRAT, Cobalt Strike, XWorm, Stealc, and REMCOS remaining top-ten staples; Android NFC malware like NFCShare and NGate enabled payment card theft and ATM cash-outs. AI-enabled attacks remained additive to established tradecraft, concentrated in Levels 1-3 of Recorded Future's AIM3 maturity model, with AI-assisted vulnerability research (e.g., Claude Mythos fixing 271 Firefox bugs in Firefox 150) inflating NVD disclosure volumes 43% above the prior six-month average. The report urges defenders to prioritize remotely exploitable RCE flaws, behavioral detection, developer credential security, and third-party oversight.

Recorded Future · 13d agoThreat actor in the wild1

⚡ Weekly Recap: AI-Powered PLC Attacks, GitLab Attacks, Stripe Key Leaks and More

US agencies warn of AI-assisted attacks on exposed Siemens PLCs; the week also saw GitLab CVE-2026-19478 exploited and trojanized npm packages found.

The weekly recap leads with a US government warning that threat actors use AI-generated scripts and Censys/ZoomEye scanning to attack internet-exposed Siemens S7 PLCs in water, energy and manufacturing, calling it an active threat. Other stories include active exploitation of GitLab CVE-2026-19478 (CVSS 9.4, unauthenticated project rewriting), 14 trojanized npm packages delivering the RedC2 4.0 Linux backdoor, and the Zombie Card attack that revives expired Visa cards for contactless payment fraud. It also covers suspected Russian clusters UNC6293, UNC7005 and UNC5976 phishing campaigns, a faster Cloudflare Workers Spectre JWT leak, and a bespoke Cl0p JSP web shell deployed after exploiting PTC Windchill flaws.

The Hacker News · 19d agoThreat actor in the wildCVE-2026-194781

New Mirai Variant Targeting Network Security Devices

New Mirai botnet variant exploits nine vulnerabilities in SonicWall, D-Link, Netgear, and other devices, with attacks ongoing at publication.

Unit 42 observed attacks exploiting VisualDoor (SonicWall SSL-VPN), CVE-2020-25506 (D-Link DNS-320), CVE-2020-26919 (Netgear ProSAFE Plus), and other flaws, with infrastructure rotating across at least three IP addresses between February 16 and March 13, 2021. Payloads were updated hours after CVE-2021-27561 and CVE-2021-27562 (Yealink Device Management, unauthenticated root RCE) and later added CVE-2021-22502 (Micro Focus Operation Bridge Reporter) and CVE-2019-19356 (Netis WF2419). Successful exploitation invokes wget to fetch shell scripts that download Mirai binaries compiled for multiple architectures and brute-forcers, and attacks were still ongoing when reported.

Palo Alto Unit 42 · 28d agoExploit / PoC in the wildCVE-2020-25506CVE-2020-26919CVE-2019-19356+3 CVEs

Atomic macOS (AMOS) Stealer Activity

Unit 42 details an August 2026 AMOS macOS stealer infection delivered via fake 'macOS toolkit' pages and Terminal paste commands, exfiltrating credentials to C2.

Unit 42 analyzed an AMOS (Atomic macOS Stealer) infection from August 5, 2026, initiated via a page at getmacouscloud[.]com instructing users to paste a command into Terminal. The command fetched a Zsh script from ferncore13[.]com that delivered a Mach-O installer to /tmp/helper and supporting files under /Library/Application Support/.com.apple.accountsd/ and .com.apple.metadata.mds/. AMOS collected browser data, credentials, cryptocurrency wallets (Binance, TonKeeper), Telegram data, and FileGrabber content such as AWS and gcloud files, uploading it via HTTP POST to C2 server 161.35.146[.]120. AMOS has been advertised on Telegram since April 2024 and distributed via ClickFix campaigns, malicious ads, and cracked-software sites.

Palo Alto Unit 42 · 4h agoMalware in the wild

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 · 17h agoMalware in the wild1

Thai Broadband Provider Hacked via Fortinet Vulnerability

Hackers exploited Fortinet CVE-2024-21762 RCE to breach Thai broadband provider 3BB, deploying MeshCentral backdoors and credential-harvesting tools across its network.

Hunt.io uncovered an intrusion staging directory in Thailand containing 298 files of custom tooling built for Triple T Broadband (3BB) and its former owner Jasmine. Initial access came via fingerprinting a FortiGate SSL-VPN appliance and exploiting CVE-2024-21762 for remote code execution, after probing CVE-2018-13379, CVE-2022-42475, and CVE-2023-27997. The actor also probed F5 BIG-IP for CVE-2021-22986, CVE-2022-1388, and CVE-2023-46747, escalated privileges with PwnKit and Dirty COW, used MeshCentral as a C2 backdoor, harvested SSH/database/SNMP/Radius credentials, deployed PHP web shells, and ran cleanup scripts to hide the intrusion.

SecurityWeek · 1d agoThreat actor in the wildCVE-2018-13379CVE-2022-42475CVE-2023-27997+4 CVEs

Redtail Payload Analysis [Guest Diary], (Wed, Sep 9th)

SANS guest analyst detonated a RedTail Linux sample from a DShield honeypot, finding process masquerading as php-fpm, monitoring-kill behavior, and a TCP listener.

A DShield honeypot captured multi-architecture RedTail Linux executables (ARM, ARM64, i686, RISC-V, x86-64) deployed via shell scripts. Dynamic analysis of the UPX-packed, statically linked x86-64 sample (SHA-256 63be5f38...d35e) in an isolated Ubuntu 24.04 VM on Proxmox showed it renamed its process via prctl(PR_SET_NAME), killed a filesystem-monitoring process, and opened a TCP listening socket while surviving processes posed as php-fpm or PostgreSQL-like workers. Differential memory images pre- and post-execution were captured from the hypervisor for forensics.

SANS Internet Storm Center · 6d agoMalware in the wild 2 sources1

Hackers Weaponize Agentic AI to Automate Reconnaissance, Exploitation and Post-Exploitation

Google GTIG reports threat actors using agentic AI to automate reconnaissance, exploit selection, and credential harvesting, compromising thousands of secrets.

Google Threat Intelligence Group's Q3 2026 AI Threat Tracker documents threat actors operationalizing agentic AI: in one Mandiant investigation, a financially motivated actor built and executed a credential-harvesting operation in under six hours, with an exposed 'Recon' framework managing more than 23,800 harvested secrets including cloud and AI-service API keys. A Chinese-speaking actor tracked as knaithe used a DeepSeek-powered Hermes Agent for automated reconnaissance and vulnerability enumeration, pivoting from Langflow to n8n and enabling manual exploitation of exposed Citrix NetScaler, Marimo, Apache Tomcat, and VPN infrastructure. Operators harvested Citrix session cookies from process memory to bypass MFA, obtained AWS credentials from compromised Marimo instances, and deployed the Go-based NKAbuse backdoor, with reported RCE and data exfiltration. Google notes fully autonomous end-to-end AI attack pipelines have not yet been observed in the wild.

GBHackers · 7d agoThreat actor in the wild2

Microsoft Plugs Nearly 1,000 Security Holes

Microsoft's September Patch Tuesday fixes a record 974 flaws, including two actively exploited Windows zero-days and critical DNS and Windows Shell bugs.

Microsoft released fixes for 974 vulnerabilities, its largest-ever monthly patch batch, bringing the 2026 total above 2,600. Two zero-day privilege elevation flaws, CVE-2026-81963 and CVE-2026-85880, are being actively exploited. Critical bugs include CVE-2026-69730, an unauthenticated DNS weakness in Windows Server 2012 onward and Windows 10 deemed likely to be exploited, and CVE-2026-69829, a CVSS 9.8 Windows Shell remote code execution flaw requiring no privileges or user interaction. Microsoft and other vendors credit AI-assisted discovery for the growing patch volumes.

Adobe Patches Over 170 Vulnerabilities, Including Commerce Zero-Day

Adobe patched over 170 flaws, including in-the-wild zero-day CVE-2026-75650 (CVSS 10) in Adobe Commerce/Magento enabling unauthenticated RCE and web shell deployments.

Adobe released fixes for more than 170 vulnerabilities across Experience Manager, Acrobat Reader, Photoshop and other products. The Commerce zero-day CVE-2026-75650 (CVSS 10) allows unauthenticated code injection leading to remote code execution and has been exploited since September 4. Sansec reported multiple threat actors deploying backdoors and web shells via the bug, dubbed StyleSmuggler, which triggers injected code through Magento's Payment Transaction Failed Reminder email. Adobe also patched critical Campaign Classic command injection CVE-2026-82004 and two critical ColdFusion RCE flaws (CVE-2026-48273, CVE-2026-75746).

SecurityWeek · 7d agoExploit / PoC in the wildCVE-2026-75650CVE-2026-82004CVE-2026-48273+1 CVEs1

August 2026 CVE Landscape

Insikt Group catalogs 73 high-impact August 2026 CVEs (43 Very Critical), including PaperCut, Zimbra, and Metabase flaws actively exploited or weaponized.

Recorded Future's Insikt Group identified 73 high-impact vulnerabilities in August 2026, 43 rated Very Critical, spanning 45 vendors with Microsoft accounting for roughly 11%. 31 vulnerabilities surfaced via CISA's KEV catalog, with others validated via open sources, vendor telemetry, and honeypot data. New Nuclei detection templates were released for CVE-2025-62593 (Ray), CVE-2026-72898 (Metabase), and CVE-2026-9198 (IBM Langflow). The report also highlights two AI-assisted operations: UAT-10147 exploited Zimbra, AjaxPro, Nacos, and Telerik servers before using DeepAudit and PentestGPT post-compromise, while a separate Chinese-speaking actor weaponized Hermes Agent and DeepSeek in a failed attempt.

Recorded Future · 8d agoVulnerability in the wildCVE-2025-62593CVE-2026-72898CVE-2026-9198+4 CVEs

StyleSmuggler: The Magento Zero-Day Behind New Store Attacks

Sansec reports actively exploited Magento/Adobe Commerce zero-day StyleSmuggler enabling unauthenticated RCE and Rust backdoor installation on fully patched stores since September 4.

Sansec discovered StyleSmuggler, an unpatched zero-day in Magento Open Source and Adobe Commerce, affecting all current versions including 2.4.7, 2.4.8 and 2.4.9, with attacks observed since September 4. The two-stage attack poisons Magento's template system via the styles property and executes the injected PHP during 'Payment Transaction Failed Reminder' email rendering, working even when email delivery fails and when sessions are moved to Redis. Successful compromise installs a lightweight Rust backdoor disguised as fc-cache or chronyd that beacons every 60 seconds with 48-byte UDP packets to NTP port 123 at ntp.timesync.to. A second attacker deployed a PHP web shell in product-image cache directories, hidden behind 404 responses unless a correct X-Cache-Token header is present.

Security Affairs · 8d agoExploit / PoC in the wild