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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

The complex corporate web behind a $3.2 billion AI data center

Ars Technica probes diffuse accountability behind TeraWulf's $3.2B Lake Mariner AI data center after a June fire exposed safety and job gaps.

A June fire at the Lake Mariner data center in Somerset, New York exposed missing alarms, a nonfunctioning suppression system, and dry hydrants, highlighting how responsibility is split across TeraWulf (owner-operator), Fluidstack (operator), Google (lease guarantees and equity warrants), and Anthropic (compute customer). The article details local concerns over the gap between promised 165 permanent jobs and a projected 35-40, socialized grid costs, and Governor Hochul's moratorium on hyperscaler development. Anthropic's February 2026 pledge to cover electricity price increases applies to the site but leaves other commitments unverified.

Ars Technica · AI · 9d agoAI industry

New Python-Based Payload MechaFlounder Used by Chafer

Unit 42 identified MechaFlounder, a new Python backdoor used by the Chafer group to target a Turkish government entity via HTTP-based C2.

Unit 42 reports that in November 2018 the Chafer group targeted a Turkish government entity, reusing the win10-update[.]com infrastructure reported earlier in 2018 by ClearSky. The new secondary payload, tracked as MechaFlounder, is Python compiled with PyInstaller and acts as a backdoor supporting file upload/download and command execution. It beacons over HTTP using anomalous GET requests containing the username and hostname, suggesting a custom C2 server rather than a standard web server. Code overlap with OilRig's Clayside VBScript was noted, but Chafer and OilRig remain tracked as separate groups.

Palo Alto Unit 42 · Aug 17, 2026Threat actor

Researcher Releases FalconFlank PoC Showing Privilege Escalation in CrowdStrike Falcon

Researcher Chaotic Eclipse released FalconFlank, a zero-day privilege escalation PoC abusing CrowdStrike Falcon's Office macro remediation; CrowdStrike is investigating and issued a tech alert.

Researcher Chaotic Eclipse published FalconFlank, a proof-of-concept zero-day local privilege escalation in CrowdStrike Falcon Sensor that abuses the Microsoft Office malicious macros remediation feature, tested on fully updated Windows 11 25H2 and Windows Server 2025. CrowdStrike said it is investigating, advised disabling the Microsoft Office File Suspicious Macro Removal policy, and pointed customers to a FalconFlank tech alert, noting cloud anti-malware protection remains active. The article also covers related PoCs from the same researcher: HardBreacher against Kaspersky (fixed via update), ShieldBreak (CVE-2026-69414) against Microsoft Defender, an unpatched patch bypass of CVE-2026-50656, GreenSection against NVIDIA, and PrettyPrague against Avast, which Gen Digital patched in versions 26.7.11086 and 26.8.11125.

The Hacker News · 13d agoExploit / PoCCVE-2026-69414CVE-2026-50656

Analysis of Smoke Loader in New Tsunami Campaign

Fake Japanese Meteorological Agency tsunami warning emails delivered Smoke Loader and AzoRult malware to steal credentials from targets in Japan.

A fake tsunami warning email impersonating Japan's Meteorological Agency asked recipients to click a link on a registered fake agency domain, delivering the commodity loader Smoke Loader to targets in Japan. Smoke Loader, active since 2011, is modular, and its payloads have included banking trojans, ransomware, cryptominers, password stealers, and PoS malware; the campaign later also deployed AzoRult. New samples add junk-jump obfuscation, encrypted network traffic and payload files, a unique machine ID used for tracking and encryption, and PROPagate injection into explorer.exe, with persistence via a Startup folder shortcut and RC4-encrypted C2 communication.

Palo Alto Unit 42 · Aug 17, 2026Malware in the wild

New Chaos Variant Targets Misconfigured Cloud Deployments, Adds SOCKS Proxy

Darktrace says the Chaos botnet now targets misconfigured cloud deployments like Hadoop and added a SOCKS proxy for traffic relaying.

Darktrace identified a new 64-bit ELF variant of the Chaos botnet targeting misconfigured cloud deployments, expanding beyond the malware's traditional focus on routers and edge devices. Captured in a deliberately misconfigured Hadoop honeypot instance, the intrusion began with an HTTP request creating an application that ran embedded shell commands to fetch the Chaos agent binary from pan.tenire[.]com, set chmod 777 permissions, execute it, and delete the artifact to reduce forensic traces. The restructured variant adds a SOCKS proxy feature letting compromised systems ferry attacker traffic, while removing SSH-based spread and router-exploit functions, suggesting monetization beyond crypto mining and DDoS-for-hire. Possible Chinese origin is suggested by language artifacts and infrastructure; the delivery domain was previously used in Silver Fox's Operation Silk Lure phishing campaign delivering ValleyRAT.

The Hacker News · 29d agoMalware1

Closed-Loop Cooling Explained: The Plumbing Behind Meta’s AI

Meta engineer Tom Shaw explains the closed-loop liquid cooling systems that power Meta's AI data centers more efficiently.

Meta published an explainer describing its use of closed-loop liquid cooling to support AI workloads. The post, authored by Tom Shaw, frames the plumbing and thermal design as key to running AI infrastructure efficiently. The content is primarily corporate/infrastructure marketing rather than a security or product announcement.

Meta Newsroom · 19d agoAI industry

FalconFlank: CrowdStrike Falcon 0-Day PoC

A researcher published a working proof-of-concept for an alleged privilege escalation zero-day in CrowdStrike Falcon Sensor for Windows.

SOCRadar describes 'FalconFlank,' an alleged privilege escalation zero-day vulnerability in the CrowdStrike Falcon Sensor agent for Windows. The finding was published alongside working proof-of-concept code by a researcher. The available text does not state that exploitation has been observed in the wild, nor does it mention an assigned CVE.

SOCRadar · 12d agoVulnerability

Chaotic Eclipse Released ShieldCrash, A PoC For Microsoft Defender Zero-Day

Researcher Chaotic Eclipse released ShieldCrash, a PoC showing Microsoft Defender's CVE-2026-69414 patch is incomplete, enabling arbitrary file reads as SYSTEM.

Security researcher Chaotic Eclipse published ShieldCrash, a proof-of-concept exploit for the Microsoft Malware Protection Engine privilege escalation vulnerability CVE-2026-69414 (ShieldBreak). The PoC performs arbitrary file reads with SYSTEM privileges on all supported Windows versions, including systems running the September 2026 security updates and Malware Protection Engine version 1.1.26080.3. The researcher claims Microsoft's patch fixed several exploit paths but missed a specific condition that still enables the attack. His recent releases also include zero-day PoCs targeting Nvidia, Kaspersky, Avast, and CrowdStrike Falcon.

Security Affairs · 7d agoExploit / PoCCVE-2026-69414

Researcher Publishes CrowdStrike Privilege Escalation Zero Day

Researcher NightmareEclipse published FalconFlank, a zero-day local privilege escalation in CrowdStrike Falcon Sensor abusing its Office malicious macro remediation feature.

A researcher known as Nightmare Eclipse published details of FalconFlank, a zero-day privilege escalation that abuses the Microsoft Office malicious macro removal feature in CrowdStrike Falcon Sensor, verified working on fully updated Windows 11 25H2 and Windows Server 2025 with Falcon Phase 3 Optimal Protection. CrowdStrike urged customers to disable the Office File Suspicious Macro Removal policy while it investigates, noting customers remain protected via Cloud Anti-malware for Microsoft Office Files; no CVE has been assigned. The same researcher previously released the Exploitarium dump of over 30 PoC exploits, and researcher Kevin Beaumont confirmed FalconFlank works.

Infosecurity Magazine · 9d agoExploit / PoC

CryptoBit: Another Ransomware Family Gets an Update

Palo Alto Unit 42 analyzes updated CryptoBit ransomware distributed via the Rig exploit kit, documenting IOCs, eight sample hashes, and disguise tactics from June 2016.

Unit 42 observed an updated CryptoBit ransomware variant (also tracked as CriptoBit or Mobef) delivered through the Rig exploit kit via the gate domain realstatistics.info between June 17-27, 2016. Infections targeted Windows hosts with out-of-date Flash plugins, and post-infection callbacks used fake user-agents and referrers to disguise traffic to laoismacau.com. At least eight samples were collected, and by June 27 the campaign had begun distributing other malware.

Palo Alto Unit 42 · Aug 17, 2026Ransomware in the wild

The Closed Loop Remediation Playbook with Wiz

Wiz announces Workflows general availability and public preview of Remediation and Response for closed-loop, automated cloud remediation.

Wiz published a remediation playbook promoting a closed-loop approach to cloud security remediation. The company announced that Wiz Workflows is now generally available, while Remediation and Response capabilities are in public preview. The announcement is a vendor product release aimed at enabling self-healing cloud environments rather than reporting a new threat or vulnerability.

Wiz Blog · Aug 17, 2026Tools

Introducing automatic remediation policies with Cloudflare CASB

Cloudflare CASB now offers automatic remediation policies that revoke risky SaaS file shares or trigger webhooks within five minutes of detection.

Cloudflare introduced automatic remediation policies for its CASB product, letting security teams define event-driven logic that revokes risky file shares, dispatches custom webhooks, or forwards findings to SOAR platforms without manual intervention. Native remediation actions currently support Microsoft and Google Workspace file and folder findings, with a target of completing remediation within five minutes of detection. The engine is built on the Cloudflare developer platform, using Cloudflare Queues, Workers and Workflows for durable execution with automatic retries and rate-limit backoff.

Cloudflare Blog · 5d agoTools

Is OpenAI Taking Everyone for Fools?

OpenAI faces accusations it scooped NYU mathematicians' Navier-Stokes proof, possibly using their data, amid skepticism about GPT-6 Astra claims.

NYU mathematicians Tristan Buckmaster and Levent Alpöge published solutions to decades-old blowup problems for incompressible Euler, Boussinesq, and porous media equations on the same day OpenAI claimed its internal model solved the Navier-Stokes existence and smoothness problem. OpenAI admitted its effort began September 1st after hearing a related rumor and said it cannot rule out that de-identified data from the researchers' use of its products, such as private Codex sessions, helped improve its models. The column questions OpenAI's transparency, noting the company had just released GPT-6 Astra with claims including that AGI has been achieved, following recent controversies over its agent hacking Hugging Face and a German wiki site.

Hacker News · security · 6d agoAI industryHN 20↑ · 6 comments

Prolific Microsoft 0-day hunter drops CrowdStrike Falcon exploit PoC

Researcher Nightmare Eclipse released a PoC for FalconFlank, a privilege escalation zero-day in CrowdStrike Falcon's Office macro remediation feature.

Researcher Nightmare Eclipse published a zero-day PoC dubbed FalconFlank targeting CrowdStrike Falcon's Microsoft Office malicious macro removal feature, achieving privilege escalation on fully updated Windows 11 25H2 and Windows Server 2025 with Optimal Protection and macro removal enabled. Kevin Beaumont independently confirmed the exploit works. The same researcher also released HardBreacher, an elevation-of-privilege bug in Kaspersky Endpoint (since fixed via update), PrettyPrague, an Avast Sandbox flaw that dumps the SAM database for a SYSTEM shell (Gen Digital is developing a patch), and GreenSection, an Nvidia memory corruption bug that crashes systems. CrowdStrike advises customers to disable the Suspicious Macro Removal Windows policy while it investigates.

The Register · Security · 12d agoExploit / PoC

Researcher Drops New Microsoft Defender PoC Showing ShieldBreak Patch Can Be Bypassed

Researcher Chaotic Eclipse released a PoC showing CVE-2026-69414's patch is bypassable, allowing arbitrary file reads as SYSTEM on current Windows.

The researcher known as Chaotic Eclipse published a proof-of-concept for a zero-day in Microsoft Defender, dubbed ShieldCrash, assessed as a patch bypass for ShieldBreak (CVE-2026-69414, CVSS 7.8). The PoC demonstrates an arbitrary file read as SYSTEM with the latest Windows installed, and all supported desktop versions are said to be impacted. Microsoft patched the original issue in Microsoft Malware Protection Engine 1.1.26080.3, which updates automatically. The same researcher recently released PoCs for flaws in CrowdStrike Falcon Sensor, Kaspersky, Avast Antivirus and NVIDIA.

The Hacker News · 7d agoExploit / PoCCVE-2026-694141

Controversy over OpenAI's Maths Breakthrough

OpenAI claims its internal model proved the Navier-Stokes equations 'blow up' — a Millennium Prize Problem — amid allegations it borrowed mathematicians' methods.

OpenAI announced that an internal model produced a proof, certified in the Lean proof assistant, showing the Navier-Stokes equations can 'blow up,' implying infinite fluid speeds — a claimed solution to one of the seven $1-million Millennium Prize Problems. Mathematician Tristan Buckmaster alleged OpenAI, after learning of progress by him and Anthropic employee Levent Alpöge on 'blowing up' the related Euler equations, adopted a similar 'forcing' method; OpenAI's Sébastien Bubeck denied this, saying the model independently solved Euler by different means and produced the full Navier-Stokes proof over one weekend. Mathematicians including Diego Córdoba, co-developer of the forcing approach, remain cautious, and the community is still evaluating the competing proofs.

Hacker News · security · 7d agoAI researchHN 21↑ · 5 comments1

Training a coding model to paint watercolours with TRL and OpenEnv

Hugging Face tutorial trains a coding model with TRL and OpenEnv to paint watercolours through generated code.

A Hugging Face blog walkthrough uses the TRL reinforcement learning library and the OpenEnv environment framework to train a coding model. The target task is generating code that produces watercolour-style drawings, serving as a hands-on reinforcement learning training example. No article body was available in the feed, so specifics are limited to the title.

Hugging Face Blog · 13d agoAI tools & infra1

On the Navier–Stokes Millennium Prize Problem

OpenAI announced an AI-generated solution to the Navier-Stokes Millennium Prize Problem, including a writeup and a formal Lean proof.

OpenAI shared what it describes as an AI-generated solution to the Navier-Stokes Millennium Prize Problem, one of the Clay Mathematics Institute's seven Millennium Prize Problems concerning fluid dynamics. The announcement includes a writeup and a machine-checkable formal proof in the Lean theorem prover. Details on the model, methodology and independent verification were not provided in the announcement text.

OpenAI News · 8d agoAI research

FlyWP Adds Proactive Vulnerability Protection with Patchstack

FlyWP integrated Patchstack into its managed WordPress hosting platform via a new FlySecurity Pro add-on for proactive vulnerability protection.

FlyWP, a managed WordPress cloud hosting and server management provider, has integrated Patchstack vulnerability intelligence into its platform. The new FlySecurity Pro add-on gives customers proactive protection against WordPress vulnerabilities from a single dashboard. The announcement is a vendor partnership rather than a new flaw or incident.

Patchstack · 29d agoTools1

GitHub Introduces Project HydraFusion: Runtime Multi-Model Orchestration That Builds a Workflow Per Coding Task in Copilot CLI

GitHub's Project HydraFusion research preview builds per-task multi-model workflows (Single, Cascade, Critique) in Copilot CLI, reporting +4.9 quality at 67% lower cost on TerminalBench 2.1.

Project HydraFusion is a research preview available on all GitHub Copilot plans inside Copilot CLI that treats model routing as workflow selection, choosing among Single, Cascade (draft plus quality gate), and Critique (cross-family reviewer) execution patterns per request. Against Claude Opus 5 baselines at medium reasoning, fixed HydraFusion policies cut estimated cost 67% while adding 4.9 quality points on TerminalBench 2.1, and cut cost 36% and 65% with slight quality dips on DeepSWE and CheckpointBench. Billing is per token at each underlying model's standard rate; there are no open weights or self-hosting options.

MarkTechPost · 10d agoAI tools & infra1

Attackers plant remote access tools on compromised PaperCut servers

Attackers chained two PaperCut NG/MF zero-days for unauthenticated access, installing SimpleHelp and AnyDesk remote access tools on compromised servers.

An ongoing campaign exploits chained zero-days CVE-2026-81578 (improper access control) and CVE-2026-82078 (unsafe dynamic class loading) in internet-facing PaperCut NG and MF Application Servers, enabling authentication bypass and arbitrary Java bytecode execution. Post-compromise activity includes user and domain enumeration, payload download from sendit.sh, and silent installation of SimpleHelp and AnyDesk for redundant remote access; Defused observed CVE-2026-81578/CVE-2026-82078 exploit activity in honeypots since August 29, including data theft via Derby database dumps. Emergency patches were released August 28 and August 30, but 47% of roughly 2,500 PaperCut installs tracked by Huntress run v23 or older, for which no patch is available.

Help Net Security · 14d agoExploit / PoC in the wildCVE-2026-81578CVE-2026-820781

Researchers Uncover 10,000+ Malware Loaders Behind YouTube and SEO Poisoning Campaign

Unit 42 uncovers CL-CRI-1171, a two-year pay-per-install campaign distributing 10,000+ OfferLoader samples via YouTube and SEO poisoning.

Palo Alto Networks Unit 42 tracked a campaign as CL-CRI-1171, an infection-as-a-service platform operating for at least two years. It used 11 YouTube gaming channels with hundreds of thousands of subscribers and SEO-poisoned download pages for trojanized WinDirStat and Bluetooth driver installers to distribute OfferLoader, a disposable loader embedded in Inno Setup installers. Payloads delivered included Insomnia RAT (Node.js and Python backdoors), ARKTunnel (a WebSocket-based RAT using LSB steganography), and Docro Hijacker (Chrome browser hijacker), with later infections delivering GCleaner and Socks5Systemz. Over 200 rotating domains across .xyz, .cfd, .space, and .info TLDs were used, with gating filters that served broken links or decoy pages to scanners and researchers.

GBHackers · 5d agoMalware in the wild2

Democratizing FinOps with Wiz: Driving Cost Attribution with the Wiz Service Catalog

Wiz promotes Service Catalog and Cloud Cost features that automate cost attribution to teams and services to enable developer-led FinOps optimization.

Wiz describes how its Service Catalog and Cloud Cost capabilities automate cloud cost allocation to engineering teams and services. The stated goal is to connect cloud spend to business value and power developer-led cost optimization. The post is vendor product marketing rather than a security disclosure.

Wiz Blog · 20d agoTools

When a PNG Isn’t a PNG: WordPress Patches an Author-Level Imagick RCE

WordPress 7.0.4 patches an author-level RCE in how uploaded media is handed to ImageMagick.

WordPress maintenance release 7.0.4 includes a security fix that changes how uploaded media is passed to ImageMagick, closing a path that let a logged-in author turn a crafted image upload into remote code execution. Patchstack's analysis explains the flaw as a file-type handling issue where a PNG may not be treated as a PNG. The text does not mention a CVE ID or observed exploitation, but the flaw affects extremely widely deployed software.

Patchstack · Aug 12, 2026Vulnerability

Russian APT BlueDelta Uses HOOKEDGE to Target Defense and Diplomatic Organizations

Russian GRU-linked BlueDelta (APT28) deployed HOOKEDGE backdoor via macro Word lures against European governments using webhook.site and Microsoft Edge for stealthy C2.

Recorded Future's Insikt Group documented a BlueDelta (APT28/Fancy Bear/Forest Blizzard) espionage campaign from late September 2025 through early April 2026 targeting government and diplomatic organizations in Romania, Spain and Türkiye. The group delivered HOOKEDGE, a lightweight Windows batch-script backdoor, via macro-enabled Word documents with diplomatic lures, including one impersonating Spain's Ministry of the Presidency after a Spanish-Moldovan meeting. HOOKEDGE uses webhook.site as C2, a scheduled task every 30 minutes that downloads commands through Microsoft Edge, and canary pixels like docopened.jpg to track phishing funnel progress. A second tier with 5-minute check-ins served high-value victims, and beaconing intervals were stretched to 61 minutes to evade sandboxes; code overlap ties HOOKEDGE to BlueDelta's earlier HEADLACE backdoor.

Security Affairs · 19d agoThreat actor in the wild1

CVE-2026-78318: Apache Syncope: Unauthenticated reflected XSS in Console and Enduser

Apache Syncope Console and Enduser UIs suffer unauthenticated reflected XSS via notification messages, affecting versions 4.0.4 through 4.1.2.

CVE-2026-78318 is a moderate-severity cross-site scripting flaw in Apache Syncope's syncope-client-idrepo-common-ui module. The notification message, optionally shown by the Console and Enduser UIs, is improperly neutralized, enabling unauthenticated reflected XSS. Affected versions are 4.0.4 through 4.0.7 and 4.1.0-M0 through 4.1.2; no exploitation is reported.

oss-security · 1d agoVulnerabilityCVE-2026-783181

ApateWeb: An Evasive Large-Scale Scareware and PUP Delivery Campaign

Unit 42 uncovers ApateWeb, a campaign using over 130,000 domains and multilayered redirects to deliver scareware, adware and PUPs to millions of users.

Unit 42 discovered ApateWeb, a large-scale campaign using a network of more than 130,000 domains to deliver scareware, potentially unwanted programs, adware including a rogue browser and browser extensions, and scam pages. The campaign uses a three-layer structure with deceptive emails as the entry point, centralized victim tracking via UUIDs, intermediate adware or anti-bot redirections, and evasion tactics such as cloaking, bot detection error pages, and wildcard DNS abuse. Activity spiked since August 2022, with several hundred attacker-controlled sites remaining in Tranco's top 1 million rankings and millions of monthly hits; Unit 42 blocked an estimated 3.5 million sessions across 74,711 devices in November 2023.

Palo Alto Unit 42 · Aug 17, 2026Phishing & fraud in the wild

Making Knowledge Distillation Cheap Enough to Run at Scale

Hugging Face blog by Multiverse Computing describes techniques making knowledge distillation cheap enough for large-scale training.

A Hugging Face blog post from Multiverse Computing (CAI) presents methods for reducing the cost of knowledge distillation so it can be run at scale. The post is aimed at practitioners compressing large models into smaller, cheaper ones for production use.

Hugging Face Blog · Aug 10, 2026AI research