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61 stories

Cisco Talos details ClearFake's fake-CAPTCHA chain deploying ZigCryptoStealer with a BYOVD attack that kills EDR processes, observed at a Ukrainian government organization in April 2026.

ClearFake compromises websites, injects JavaScript via a malicious Cloudflare Worker, retrieves instructions from BNB Smart Chain contracts (EtherHiding), and presents a fake Google CAPTCHA that tricks Windows users into pasting a command that loads a remote library over WebDAV via rundll32. The crypto-stealer branch uses DLL side-loading with a signed Chrome component to launch ZigCryptoStealer, which hijacks clipboard cryptocurrency addresses, alongside a signed but vulnerable Windows driver used in a BYOVD attack to terminate EDR processes. A parallel branch delivers Amatera secondary payloads that install a hidden remote-access client providing operator desktop control, with Cisco Talos tracking the remote-loader activity as UAT-10820. Talos observed unusual remote library execution at a Ukrainian government organization in April 2026 and assesses the attacks are part of a broader theft operation rather than a single targeted campaign.

Cyber Security NewsSep 9, 14:26 UTC · 7d agoMalware in the wild1

Threat actors hacked US Census Bureau in 2020 by exploiting a Citrix flaw

Security AffairsAug 19, 08:18 UTC · Aug 19, 2021Threat actor CVE-2019-19781

Voting machine vendor says it installed remote software connections in a ‘small number’ of systems

CyberScoopJul 17, 15:58 UTC · Jul 17, 2018Exploit / PoC in the wild

Hackers Use Claude and GPT-Powered Tools to Help Breach Government and Financial Networks

Unit 42 links two Latin America campaigns where operators used Claude and GPT-4.1 during intrusions against government and financial targets.

Palo Alto Networks Unit 42 identified two activity clusters, CL-CRI-1131 and CL-CRI-1163, tied by shared SOCKS5 relay infrastructure and use of large language models during operations. The Mexican cluster targeted a transportation organization, federal ministries and water utilities in Mexico and Ecuador, while the Brazilian cluster used resume-themed phishing, custom remote-access Trojans and SockTz SOCKS5 tunneling against financial organizations. An exposed self-hosted NextChat interface on attacker infrastructure led researchers to assess operators used Claude and GPT-4.1 to generate workaround scripts and troubleshoot execution failures. Unit 42 noted AI reduced time needed to troubleshoot intrusions after initial access, rather than replacing the attacker.

Cyber Security NewsSep 10, 08:06 UTC · 6d agoThreat actor in the wild 2 sources1

Sen. Wyden urges feds to discard older, insecure, public

CyberScoopJul 27, 15:36 UTC · Jul 27, 2026Exploit / PoC in the wild1

Trump Targets Foreign Technology in New U.S. Power Grid Security Order

Trump's Executive Order 14420 declares a national emergency to restrict foreign-made bulk-power grid equipment over cyber, sabotage and supply-chain risks.

Executive Order 14420, signed August 26, declares a national emergency regarding the foreign supply of bulk-power system electric equipment to the United States. It empowers the Energy Secretary to restrict transactions with designated Covered Foreign Entities involving equipment, software, firmware, digital services, maintenance services, and remote-access capabilities. Covered equipment includes transformers, generators, inverters, RTUs, PLCs, intelligent electronic devices, and protective relays, with transmission rated 69 kV or higher in scope while local distribution is excluded. Already-installed foreign equipment may be subject to identification, isolation, monitoring, or replacement requirements, with phased compliance and pre-qualified vendor exemptions permitted.

Security AffairsAug 28, 18:00 UTC · 18d agoPolicy & legal

China-Linked Jewelbug Uses XG-Web for Government Espionage and Crypto Fraud

China-linked Jewelbug runs government espionage and crypto fraud from a single XG-Web browser-based control framework.

Broadcom's Symantec and Carbon Black detail Jewelbug, a China-based hackers-for-hire group conducting espionage against governments and militaries in the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and South Asia, plus crypto fraud against Chinese-speaking victims. Operations center on XG-Web, a browser-centric remote-access and infostealing framework, with implants spanning browsers, Windows, Linux, and network devices. The group overlaps with CL-STA-0049, Ink Dragon, Earth Alux, and REF7707, and compromised a Middle Eastern government's webmail across 15 tenants.

The Hacker NewsAug 15, 00:00 UTC · Aug 15, 2026Threat actor in the wild

DOJ lauds series of gains against North Korean IT worker scheme, crypto thefts

CyberScoopNov 14, 20:20 UTC · Nov 14, 2025Exploit / PoC in the wild

CISA Warns of Critical ScreenConnect Vulnerability Actively Exploited in Attacks

CISA added actively exploited ConnectWise ScreenConnect flaw CVE-2026-84869 to the KEV catalog, setting a September 14 patch deadline.

CISA added CVE-2026-84869, a critical improper privilege management and missing authorization flaw (CWE-269, CWE-862) in ConnectWise ScreenConnect, to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog on September 11, 2026, confirming active exploitation. The flaw lets attackers transfer files to a device and execute them during an active remote ScreenConnect session without authorization or host-user confirmation, enabling payload delivery, unauthorized tools, and persistence while blending into legitimate remote-management traffic. CISA set a September 14 remediation deadline under BOD 26-04 and flagged the vulnerability as requiring forensic triage. ConnectWise has published a security bulletin, and defenders are urged to review exposure, sessions, file-transfer records, and outbound connections.

Cyber Security News15:31 UTC · 2h agoExploit / PoC in the wild 5 sources CVE-2026-84869

3BB Attacker Used MeshCentral Backdoor for Root Access, Targeted Subscriber Credentials

Hunt.io found an attacker holding root access inside Thai ISP 3BB via a MeshCentral backdoor, targeting subscriber RADIUS credential databases.

Hunt.io discovered an exposed attacker server on June 3, 2026 revealing an ongoing intrusion at 3BB, one of Thailand's largest broadband providers. The attacker maintained hidden MeshCentral agents reporting to www.ayuthayatech[.]com (device group TH-3BB) and held root on internal servers. Recovered scripts sprayed passwords over SSH against more than 55 internal machines, planted web shells, added SSH keys, searched for stored credentials, and targeted RADIUS subscriber credential databases, though exfiltration was not confirmed. The toolkit included a full exploit for FortiGate SSL-VPN flaw CVE-2024-21762 against mail.3bb.co[.]th, but the initial access vector is unestablished, and a cleanup script erased logs while preserving the backdoor.

The Hacker Newsupdated Sep 15, 05:20 UTC · 1d agofirst Sep 14, 18:01 UTC · 1d agoData breach in the wild 3 sources CVE-2024-217621

Pro-Ukraine Hacking Cat group deploying new malware against Russian targets

Kaspersky links pro-Ukraine hacktivist group Hacking Cat to Gorilla RAT and Monkey Ransomware in destructive attacks on Russian targets.

Kaspersky reports that pro-Ukraine group Hacking Cat, active since February 2024, has shifted from defacements to destructive encryption attacks, using a previously undocumented Gorilla RAT remote-access tool and Monkey Ransomware, which appends the .monkey extension to files. Initial access in some attacks came from exploited Microsoft Exchange vulnerabilities, and rapid multi-language malware variants suggest possible generative AI assistance. Shared tools like Nemo Wiper across groups including Ukrainian Cyber Alliance complicate attribution, and targets include Rosatom contractor and heating provider Donbassteploenergo.

The RecordSep 14, 16:15 UTC · 2d agoThreat actor in the wild

Weekly Cybersecurity Newsletter Bulletin – Microsoft 0-day, FortiOS, PAN-OS Flaw, Revolut Data Breach, and 20+ Stories

Weekly roundup: Microsoft patches 973 flaws including two actively exploited zero-days; FortiOS CAPWAP flaw deploys PivotC2 RAT; PAN-OS root RCE disclosed.

Microsoft's September 2026 Patch Tuesday fixed 973 vulnerabilities, including two zero-days under active exploitation: CVE-2026-85880 (Windows ALPC) and CVE-2026-81963 (Windows Update Stack), both elevation-of-privilege bugs. SOCRadar reported active exploitation of CVE-2025-25249 (CVSS 9.8) in FortiOS CAPWAP, deploying a Node.js RAT called PivotC2 that exfiltrates Exchange mailboxes to Wasabi cloud storage; 178 devices were compromised out of 30,000 scanned IPs, attributed to a Russian-speaking financially motivated group. Palo Alto disclosed CVE-2026-0310, a 9.2-rated buffer overflow enabling root code execution on PA-Series firewalls, and Fortinet disclosed CVE-2026-84393, a ZTNA certificate validation MITM flaw. Cyera also revealed CVE-2026-6471 ('PostGREShell'), a 12-year-old PostgreSQL logical-decoding flaw allowing code execution via REPLICATION-privileged accounts.

Cyber Security NewsSep 14, 03:10 UTC · 2d agoExploit / PoC in the wildCVE-2026-85880 CVE-2026-81963 CVE-2025-25249+3 CVEs3

Conti Ransomware Hacker Sentenced After Group Attacked Over 1,000 Victims Worldwide

Ukrainian national Oleksii Lytvynenko sentenced to four years in US prison for his role in Conti ransomware attacks on 1,000+ victims.

Oleksii Oleksiyovych Lytvynenko, 44, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud for working as a developer and intruder in the Conti ransomware operation, coding a malware loader and handling data stolen from 12 victims. Conti compromised over 1,000 victims across 47 US states and 31 foreign countries between 2020 and 2022, generating more than $150 million in ransoms. He was arrested in County Cork, Ireland in July 2023 and extradited to the US. The sentencing is part of a wider US investigation into the Conti and TrickBot ecosystem.

Cyber Security Newsupdated Sep 11, 16:07 UTC · 5d agofirst Sep 11, 12:31 UTC · 5d agoPolicy & legal 7 sources

GoldFactory Weaponizes Open-Source Vwork App Cloner in Gigabud Banking Malware Attacks

Group-IB says GoldFactory's Gigabud Android trojan uses Vwork, a weaponized Shelter fork, to clone banking apps into isolated Work Profiles and evade bank-side detection.

Group-IB's 'Hook for Gold' investigation found GoldFactory ships Vwork, a modified fork of the open-source Shelter app, alongside its Gigabud Android banking trojan, active since 2022. Vwork abuses Android Work Profile provisioning to clone banking apps into an isolated environment, weakening the link between detected malware signals and fraudulent transactions. Gigabud has targeted victims in Southeast Asia, Latin America, the Middle East, Africa, and beyond via fake airline, tax, and government apps requesting Accessibility and overlay permissions. In Indonesia, telemetry recorded about 1,469 compromised devices and roughly $960,939 in estimated losses between February and July 2026.

GBHackersSep 9, 10:49 UTC · 7d agoMalware in the wild

ASUS Control Center Critical Flaw Allows Unauthenticated Attackers to Gain Root Access

ASUS patched CVE-2026-19397 (CVSS 7.7) in Control Center Express Agent, letting unauthenticated nearby attackers with an active session take over the host.

ASUS released version 1.7.24 of Control Center Express Agent to fix CVE-2026-19397, a CWE-306 missing-authentication flaw scored 7.7 on CVSS v4. Exploitation requires an active login session on the target and nearby network access, and agent compromise could lead to complete device takeover where the agent runs with elevated privileges. ASUS also issued a same-day advisory for Armory Crate covering ten additional CVEs.

GBHackersSep 8, 10:37 UTC · 8d agoVulnerability CVE-2026-19397 CVE-2026-12962 CVE-2026-18023+8 CVEs

CVE-2026-33824: CISA Flags Windows IKE RCE as Exploited

CISA added four actively exploited vulnerabilities to its KEV catalog, headlined by CVE-2026-33824, a Windows IKE Service Extensions remote code execution flaw.

CISA's KEV addition, dated August 18, covers CVE-2026-33824 in Windows IKE Service Extensions, CVE-2026-55040 in on-premises Microsoft SharePoint Server, CVE-2026-59310 in Broadcom VMware vCenter, and CVE-2026-65400 in Apple macOS Screen Sharing. KEV listing confirms observed exploitation in the wild. Three of the four products are frequently deployed as high-value enterprise infrastructure, including remote-access endpoints and collaboration platforms.

Web discovery (articles for new exploits & KEV entries)Sep 8, 10:37 UTC · 8d agoExploit / PoC in the wildCVE-2026-33824 CVE-2026-55040 CVE-2026-59310+1 CVEs

MikroTik router flaws allow takeover without a password

Attackers actively exploit chained MikroTik RouterOS SSH flaws CVE-2026-67276 and CVE-2026-86060, bypassing authentication and escalating to admin to seize edge routers.

CERT Polska warns of active exploitation of a two-flaw chain dubbed 'MikroTrick' against internet-exposed MikroTik RouterOS devices with SSH remote management enabled. CVE-2026-67276 is an SSH authentication bypass in RSA public-key handling, and CVE-2026-86060 is a privilege-escalation flaw triggered via a specially crafted username, letting attackers gain full administrator control without a password. Patched RouterOS packages are already public, and MikroTik added a startup detection that flags unauthorized configuration changes. Compromised edge routers enable DNS hijacking, traffic capture, remote-access tunnels, firewall changes, and lateral attacks.

Malwarebytes LabsSep 8, 09:49 UTC · 8d agoExploit / PoC in the wildCVE-2026-67276 CVE-2026-860603

PEEP Turns Chrome and Edge Into Post-Compromise Backdoors for Host Command Execution

SOCRadar disclosed PEEP, a post-exploitation Chromium extension toolkit that turns Chrome and Edge into host-level backdoors via native messaging and C2 polling.

SOCRadar researchers detailed PEEP, a Chromium-based post-exploitation toolkit masquerading as a 'Smart Bookmarks' extension injected directly into Chrome and Edge profiles by forging Secure Preferences integrity values, bypassing Web Store checks. A native-messaging host binary (nm_host.exe) extends the browser agent to host-level command execution, file management, credential theft, and session hijacking, while the extension polls C2 endpoints at 206.237.30.232 or xfjcc.fun every 30 seconds over plaintext HTTP and exfiltrates browsing history, cookies, and tab metadata. PEEP is derived from the open-source RedExt red teaming framework, adds PowerShell persistence scripts, and includes a Linux-targeting Python script, suggesting cross-platform intent. The activity is unattributed but contains Chinese-language artifacts; a C2 /health endpoint showed 34 agent entries and 10 active sessions.

The Hacker NewsSep 7, 18:12 UTC · 8d agoMalware in the wild1

Critical N-able N-central Vulnerability and Active Exploitation

N-able N-central pre-auth RCE zero-day CVE-2026-86218 (CVSS 10.0) is exploited in the wild; on-prem admins must upgrade to 2026.3 HF4.

N-able disclosed a third N-central vulnerability, CVE-2026-86218, a pre-authentication RCE rated CVSS 10.0, and released hotfix 2026.3 HF4 superseding build 2026.3.1.13. Huntress reproduced an exploit chain involving an authentication bypass (CVE-2026-86206/CVE-2026-86207) after a fully patched customer's N-central production server was compromised on September 4. Attackers appended strings like .invalid to account names and probed the /remoteControlAction.do?method=getPierDetails endpoint; Huntress worked with Cloudflare to disable adversary tunnel infrastructure. Hosted N-central instances are already patched; on-prem administrators must upgrade immediately.

HuntressSep 6, 11:00 UTC · 10d agoExploit / PoC in the wildCVE-2026-86218 CVE-2026-86206 CVE-2026-86207+2 CVEs

Attackers Hijack MikroTik Routers Through Internet-Exposed SSH Without Authentication

CERT Polska warns attackers exploit internet-exposed MikroTik SSH for unauthenticated full admin control; attacks observed since at least September 2.

CERT Polska warned on September 5 that attackers exploit MikroTik routers with internet-reachable SSH to gain full administrative control without authentication, calling the two-flaw combination 'MikroTrick'. Successful attacks date to at least September 2; no victim count or attacker identity was disclosed. MikroTik shipped fixed RouterOS releases: 6.49.21, 7.23.4 (with 7.23.5 fixing an IPv6 DHCP regression), 7.24.2, and 7.25beta3. CERT recommends immediate updates, checking for unauthorized configuration changes, and restricting SSH, WWW/WWW-SSL, and bandwidth-test services on unpatched devices.

The Hacker NewsSep 6, 09:32 UTC · 10d agoExploit / PoC in the wild

Impersonating IT support: how threat actors turn a remote session into enterprise-wide access

Microsoft details Teams IT-support impersonation campaigns deploying Node.js implants, AD reconnaissance, and WinRM lateral movement toward domain controllers.

Microsoft Threat Intelligence describes a human-operated campaign where attackers impersonate IT/helpdesk staff via Microsoft Teams external collaboration, talk users into granting remote sessions, and use RMM tools for interactive access. During the session they run PowerShell to silently install a malicious MSI that stages a portable Node.js runtime and obfuscated JavaScript implant for C2, executing follow-on payloads via rundll32. Operators then perform host and Active Directory reconnaissance, capture desktop screenshots, and pivot via WinRM on port 5985 to domain controllers and certificate authorities. The hands-on-keyboard chain, which can precede data theft and ransomware, blends into normal operations by relying on Teams, Quick Assist, msiexec, and Node.js; Microsoft shares hunting and mitigation guidance.

Microsoft Security BlogSep 2, 22:51 UTC · 13d agoThreat actor in the wild

Iranian cyber spies target aviation, fintech developers with new malware

Kaspersky links Iranian espionage group Mirage Kitten to fake job offers delivering new NodeRabbit and PollCat malware at aviation and fintech targets.

Kaspersky attributes the campaign to Iran-linked Mirage Kitten (also tracked as UNC1549, Smoke Sandstorm and Nimbus Manticore), which targeted developers and specialists in Egypt, Ethiopia and Afghanistan via fake recruiter contacts on LinkedIn and job platforms. Victims were lured into running malicious coding assessments that deployed two previously unknown families: NodeRabbit, a cross-platform RAT for Windows, Linux and macOS, and PollCat, which provides persistence and delivers additional payloads. The group masks activity behind legitimate Microsoft Azure and Cloudflare infrastructure, sometimes embedding victim organization names in Azure subdomains. The group has been active since at least 2022, focusing on aviation, aerospace and financial technology sectors in Africa and the Middle East.

The RecordSep 1, 12:38 UTC · 15d agoThreat actor1

FBI Seizes China-Linked Hacking Platforms QScan and QTRouter Used Against Critical Infrastructure

FBI seizes China-linked QScan and QTRouter hacking platforms used by QTFY to obfuscate intrusions against US federal agencies.

The DOJ and FBI seized domains hard-coded into QScan and QTRouter, two platforms operated by China-based Nanjing Xinjiuwei Network Technology Company on behalf of state-sponsored group QTFY. QScan automatically infected thousands of IoT devices which were added to QTRouter, an obfuscation network routing malicious traffic through compromised and proxy devices outside China. Targets included NASA, the Federal Reserve, Departments of Energy, Justice, and HHS, NIH, and the US Senate, exploiting flaws in Fortinet SSL-VPN, Citrix ADC, Microsoft Exchange, F5 BIG-IP, Log4j, and others.

Security AffairsAug 26, 17:33 UTC · 21d agoThreat actor in the wild

Akira Ransomware Uses Safe Mode to Bypass EDR

An Akira affiliate rebooted a compromised host into Safe Mode to bypass EDR, but constrained memory crashed the encryptor before encryption completed.

Huntress reports an Akira affiliate gained access on August 4 via an MFA-less SonicWall VPN, enumerated Active Directory, archived file shares with WinRAR, and exfiltrated data to an attacker S3 bucket. The attacker rebooted the host into Safe Mode with Networking and preloaded AnyDesk into the Safe Mode service registry, disabling EDR and Defender's real-time protection for roughly ten minutes. The encryptor failed about 13 seconds after launch with out-of-virtual-memory errors caused by Safe Mode's stripped-down environment, and Defender later removed akira.exe after reboot. Huntress says this is the first observed Safe Mode abuse by Akira, following precedents by Snatch and AvosLocker, and provides detection guidance.

Security AffairsAug 17, 07:15 UTC · Aug 17, 2026Ransomware in the wild

N-able ships second N-central hotfix as attackers keep exploiting CVE-2026-18577

N-able shipped a second N-central hotfix as attackers actively exploit authentication bypass CVE-2026-18577, attributed to ransomware group Storm-1175.

N-able released Hotfix 2 (N-central 2026.3.1.10) to counter ongoing exploitation of CVE-2026-18577, an authentication bypass that evades the patch for the earlier CVE-2026-18556; exploitation was first detected on August 1, 2026. Post-exploitation includes using the Take Control feature to reach managed endpoints, registering a Cloudflare tunnel service for persistence, creating a 'veeam' domain account, resetting admin passwords, and disabling Microsoft and Sophos security tooling. Microsoft analysts link the activity to Storm-1175, which now deploys a new StormEncryptor ransomware strain instead of Medusa, often reaching data exfiltration and ransomware within days. Sophos and Huntress expanded the IOCs and warned that partners who patched late should treat environments as potentially compromised.

Help Net SecurityAug 12, 06:48 UTC · Aug 12, 2026Exploit / PoC in the wildCVE-2026-18577 CVE-2026-185561

Nearly 800 Malicious npm Packages Deliver Cross

Nearly 800 typo-squatted npm packages deliver WEL1DROPPER, a cross-platform downloader installing RAT and infostealer payloads on Windows, macOS, Linux.

Researchers found roughly 800 npm packages with AI-generated typo-squat names that trigger a WEL1DROPPER downloader when loaded via require() rather than install hooks. The downloader fetches payloads from Cloudflare Workers hosts, falling back to DNS TXT records from wel1.ru, then achieves persistence, sandbox checks, ETW/AMSI patching and Sliver C2 deployment on Linux. Domains like tcsbank.ru suggest targeting of Russian financial institutions; Sonatype tracks the campaign as Flooding Dropper, a possible evolution of the Moika dependency-confusion campaign. Unit 42 separately documented npm/PyPI crypto stealers and malicious Chrome extensions that turn browsers into residential proxy crawlers.

The Hacker NewsAug 11, 14:37 UTC · Aug 11, 2026Malware in the wild