GeoServer Zero-Day Is Already Being Probed. That’s the Problem
Unpatched GeoServer zero-day enabling SQL injection and possible RCE is being actively probed across exposed systems.
A zero-day in GeoServer's jsonArrayContains functionality allows unauthorized SQL injection and, in some configurations, remote code execution. Disclosed on August 12, 2026 without a CVE ID, it drew hundreds of exploitation probes from watchTowr within hours. No patch is available yet; GeoServer was previously mass-exploited via CVE-2024-36401.
BigBear 2.0 phishing campaign hijacks Microsoft 365 sessions after MFA
CloudSEK uncovered BigBear 2.0, a PhaaS operation that captured 4,148 Microsoft 365 session cookies, hijacking authenticated sessions after MFA via AiTM proxy.
CloudSEK infiltrated the BigBear 2.0 phishing-as-a-service panel in June, finding 5,137 credential records tied to 461 organizations in over 40 countries, including 4,148 captured session cookies and 474 completed post-MFA logins. The operation, built on Evilginx2, uses an attacker-controlled reverse proxy to steal authenticated session cookies and residential proxies to defeat location-based Conditional Access checks, while custom code disables FIDO2/WebAuthn on phishing pages. At least five affiliates operated 42 VPS nodes, with IT services and managed service providers the most targeted sector.
Persistent Attempts at Cyberespionage Against Southeast Asian Government Target Have Links to Alloy Taurus
Alloy Taurus (GALLIUM) compromised Southeast Asian government networks from 2022 to 2023 using Exchange web shells and undocumented .NET backdoors Reshell and Zapoa.
Unit 42 tracked persistent multiwave intrusions at a Southeast Asian government starting in early 2022 and continuing through 2023, attributing the activity with moderate confidence to Alloy Taurus (aka GALLIUM), a Chinese state-aligned espionage group. Attackers exploited Exchange Server vulnerabilities to deploy web shells including China Chopper, then ran reconnaissance with Fscan and WebScan, created administrative accounts, and installed undocumented .NET backdoors named Reshell and Zapoa. They established resilience by installing SoftEther VPN, brute-forced Active Directory credentials with Kerbrute, and dumped credential stores with GoDumpLsass and LsassUnhooker. The campaign reflects long-term espionage tradecraft to maintain a foothold.
Exposed Vite servers are being probed for AWS and Azure credentials
F5 honeypots logged 32,000+ probes against Vite file-access bypass CVE-2026-39364, hunting AWS and Azure credentials on exposed dev servers.
F5 Labs reported 32,000+ scan attempts (807 attack sessions) against exposed Vite servers in August, up from 1,732 attempts over the prior three months. Attackers exploited CVE-2026-39364 (CVSS 8.2), which bypasses Vite's server.fs.deny protection via parameters like ?raw and ?import&raw, affecting Vite 7.1.0 to before 7.3.2 and Vite 8 before 8.0.5. Scanners cycled wordlists for environment files, AWS keys, Azure tokens and IaC state files, also combining older Vite CVEs (2025-30208, 2025-31125, 2024-45811) and probing a Next.js middleware bypass. Only CVE-2025-31125 is currently in CISA's KEV catalog.
Hackers target exposed Vite dev servers to steal AWS, Azure secrets
Mass scanning campaign exploits CVE-2026-39364 in exposed Vite dev servers to steal AWS, Azure, and Terraform credentials.
F5 honeypots detected over 800 attacks and roughly 32,000 events in a month against internet-exposed Vite development servers, abusing CVE-2026-39364 (file access control bypass in Vite 7.1.0-7.3.2 and 8.x before 8.0.5) via parameters like ?raw and ?import&raw. Attackers used extensive wordlists to harvest .env files, AWS/Azure credentials, Terraform state, and /proc/self/environ, with double-encoded traversal to bypass WAFs. The same IPs also leveraged older Vite flaws CVE-2025-30208, actively-exploited CVE-2025-31125, and CVE-2024-45811, primarily from US, Belgium, and Netherlands using Google Cloud ranges.
Critical ArangoDB Bugs Expose Entire Databases and Enable Remote Code Execution as Root
Two critical ArangoDB flaws (CVSS 9.8/9.9) allow unauthenticated API access and root-level code execution; fixed in 3.12.11.
Remedio researchers reported two critical ArangoDB flaws on August 23, 2026: an authentication bypass via URL-encoded underscores (%5f) in path parsing (GHSA-rrgq-978q-36mq, CVSS 9.8) and a task-execution flaw where a client-controlled isSystem flag lets JavaScript run in the internal context (GHSA-rvhw-4hpw-9vrx, CVSS 9.9). Chained, they allow unauthenticated database access, theft of root password hashes, and root-level code execution when arangod runs as root, such as in the official container image. Patches shipped August 31 in ArangoDB 3.12.11, with GitHub Security Advisories published September 6; CVE identifiers were pending at disclosure time.
CVE-2026-50522: Microsoft SharePoint Server RCE Vulnerability
CVE-2026-50522 is an unauthenticated .NET deserialization RCE in SharePoint Server Subscription, 2019, and 2016; Microsoft patched it July 14, 2026.
CVE-2026-50522 (CWE-502) lets unauthenticated attackers send crafted serialized .NET payloads to network-accessible SharePoint endpoints, triggering gadget-chain deserialization and remote code execution under the privileged SharePoint service account. It affects SharePoint Server Subscription Edition, SharePoint Server 2019, and SharePoint Server 2016 Enterprise; Microsoft published the advisory on July 14, 2026. The EPSS score is 20.346%, but no public PoC exists and the flaw is not in CISA's KEV catalog at publication. Mitigations include applying Microsoft updates, rotating SharePoint machine keys, enabling AMSI, and restricting internet exposure.
Unpatched Kaltura mwEmbed Flaws Could Let Remote Attackers Read Files and Run Code
CERT/CC disclosed unpatched Kaltura mwEmbed flaws CVE-2026-19913 and CVE-2026-19912 allowing unauthenticated file reads and remote code execution.
CERT/CC disclosed two unpatched flaws in Kaltura's mwEmbed HTML5 player library, both rooted in unsafe deserialization in mwEmbedLoader.php and exploitable without authentication. CVE-2026-19913 (reporter-scored 9.1) reflects local file contents back via the ServiceUrl parameter, exposing secrets in local.ini; CVE-2026-19912 (reporter-scored 10.0) achieves PHP code execution by writing attacker-controlled objects into web-accessible directories via the uiconf_id parameter. No patch exists and CERT/CC could not reach Kaltura; affected releases include html5lib v2.45, v2.103 and earlier, with the shared multi-tenant CDN hosts also impacted. No exploitation or KEV listing was reported as of August 25, 2026.
Cisco FMC flaws exploited by ransomware gang, state-sponsored hackers
Cisco Talos confirms ransomware and state-sponsored groups exploited CVE-2026-20079 and CVE-2026-20316 in Secure Firewall Management Center, deploying Qilin ransomware and Cyclops Blink.
Cisco Talos identified three threat clusters (UAT-12197, UAT-11823, UAT-11988) exploiting CVE-2026-20079, a CVSS 10.0 authentication bypass, and CVE-2026-20316, a CVSS 5.3 static-credential flaw, in Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center. Qilin affiliates used static credentials for reconnaissance and deployed Qilin ransomware; a Sandworm-linked cluster deployed a Cyclops Blink backdoor via a malicious license.tmp file; a third cluster stole credentials through a JSP web shell. Cisco has released hotfixes and urges immediate installation, with broader patches expected next week.
Breeze Comet Executes Hundreds of Fraudulent Transactions via Brazilian Payment Systems
Google/Mandiant profile Breeze Comet, a Brazil-based e-crime group executing fraudulent Pix and STR payment transactions at banks, retailers, and fintechs.
Google Threat Intelligence Group and Mandiant describe Breeze Comet (formerly UNC5669), a financially motivated threat actor active since September 2023 targeting Brazilian financial services, retail, and e-commerce. The group gains access via password spraying, vishing impersonating IT support to install RMM tools like AnyDesk, WhatsApp social engineering, and exploitation of vulnerable JBoss AS servers for web shell deployment. It uses compromised government websites as C2, deploys the Rust-based COBALTSPIN tunneler and multiple custom backdoors (LIGHTPAINT, MILDFROST, KICKPLATE, BOATBEAM), then clears logs after executing hundreds of fraudulent transactions through Pix, STR, and Boleto payment systems. At least one heist yielded tens of thousands of dollars, with infrastructure suggesting expansion toward Latin America and Africa.
Hackers Exploit Critical FortiGate Flaw to Deploy AI-Assisted PivotC2 RAT
SOCRadar says attackers exploit FortiGate CVE-2025-25249 to deploy the PivotC2 Node.js RAT, compromising 178 of 30,000 targeted devices and stealing credentials.
SOCRadar's Threat Research Unit reports active exploitation of CVE-2025-25249, a CVSS 9.8 heap-based buffer overflow in the cw_acd daemon of FortiOS and FortiSwitchManager, via crafted CAPWAP requests to UDP port 5246, compromising at least 178 of 30,000 targeted internet-exposed FortiGate devices since July 2026. The campaign deploys PivotC2, a Node.js RAT that provides interactive shells, SOCKS5/HTTP proxying, port forwarding, network scanning, and automated configuration harvesting that decrypts stored FortiGate credentials, including VPN pre-shared keys, SSL-VPN credentials, and LDAP secrets. Russian-language artifacts, AD enumeration, browser credential theft, RDP enablement, and exfiltration of Exchange .pst files to Wasabi S3 point to a Russian-speaking, financially motivated group; two US organizations confirmed full-network intrusions. Fixes include FortiOS 7.6.4/7.4.9/7.2.12/7.0.18+ and FortiSwitchManager 7.2.7/7.0.6+, plus blocking CAPWAP on internet-facing interfaces.
Attackers Expose Ongoing AI Tool Use Targeting Organizations in Latin America
Unit 42 documents two AI-assisted intrusion campaigns against Latin American government, utility, and financial organizations using LLM-orchestrated tooling.
Palo Alto Networks Unit 42 tracks two ongoing intrusion clusters, CL-CRI-1131 (Mexican transportation, federal ministries, municipal water utilities) and CL-CRI-1163 (Brazilian financial sector), both using living-off-the-land techniques, SOCKS5 relays, and custom RATs. The attackers appear to orchestrate operations via commercial LLMs like Claude and GPT-4.1, evidenced by iterative batch scripts and AI-generated tunneling tool naming. The Mexican campaign (also reported as Operation Escaneo by CloudSEK) exfiltrated sensitive data via dynamic-DNS infrastructure with rotated multi-SAN TLS certificates between February and June 2026. This signals broader adoption of AI-enhanced operations by diverse threat groups in the region.
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.
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.
Anthropic Says Russian Hackers Used Claude AI to Automate Malware Evasion
Anthropic disrupted Midnight Blizzard campaigns where AI agents automatically rebuilt malware to evade detection, targeting 20+ government and defense organizations.
Anthropic's threat intelligence report documents the Russian state-nexus actor Midnight Blizzard using Claude to automatically monitor, modify, and redeploy malware until it evaded security products. The campaign hit more than 20 organizations, including Ukrainian and European government ministries, defense bodies, embassies, and think tanks, with mailbox theft from two drone component manufacturers and compromise of hotel guest Wi-Fi via DNS hijacking. The report also describes financially motivated groups GTG-50020 and GTG-50021 targeting AI credentials, including a prompt-injection attack on an automated evaluation sandbox that yielded production API keys and attempts to reach a pre-release Claude model across roughly 30 AI companies.
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.
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.
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.
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.
⚡ Weekly Recap: VMware Exploits, Windows 0-Day, MCP Attacks, Browser Hijacks and More
Weekly recap: suspected China-nexus APT exploited VMware vCenter CVE-2026-59310, Lazarus used Windows zero-day CVE-2026-68820, and macOS flaw dropped Monero miners.
The week's top stories included a suspected China-nexus APT exploiting VMware vCenter CVE-2026-59310 (CVSS 9.8), a directory-traversal flaw enabling arbitrary code execution, with backdoors, reverse SSH and Babuk-derived ransomware deployed, per QUIRSO. NCSC-NL reported active exploitation of macOS Screen Sharing flaw CVE-2026-65400 (CVSS 9.8) to install Monero miners on systems with port 5900 exposed. Lazarus Group exploited Windows zero-day CVE-2026-68820 (CVSS 7.0) in Operation Dream Job, delivering ForestTiger and Troy backdoors to defense and aerospace targets. GeoServer patched a critical SQL injection flaw exploited within hours of disclosure, and Jamf analyzed the new Amnesia Stealer for macOS with live browser control.