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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.

Cisco Secure Firewall Threat Defense Software Snort 2 SSL/TLS Denial of Service Vulnerability

Cisco fixed an SSL certificate parsing flaw in FTD's Snort 2 engine letting unauthenticated remote attackers force detection engine restarts.

Incomplete validation of SSL certificates in the Snort 2 Detection Engine of Cisco Secure Firewall Threat Defense software allows an unauthenticated, remote attacker to send a crafted SSL connection setup request for parsing. A successful exploit restarts the Snort 2 Detection Engine unexpectedly, causing a denial of service. Cisco has released software updates, and no workarounds address the vulnerability.

ConnectSecure helps MSPs automate Microsoft 365 security remediation

ConnectSecure launches Microsoft 365 Auto Remediation and AI-powered Training Assessments to help MSPs automate M365 security fixes and compliance training.

ConnectSecure's platform now automates remediation of supported Microsoft 365 security findings through conditional access policies, covering gaps such as missing MFA enforcement, legacy authentication and risky sign-ins. A new AI-assisted Training Assessments module generates, assigns and measures security assessments with configurable difficulty, pass thresholds and multilingual support. The previously announced Patch 360 patch management capability, including pilot-first validation, staged rollouts and rollback, is also now available.

Help Net Security · Aug 12, 2026Tools

Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center Software sftunnel Root Arbitrary Code Execution Vulnerability

Cisco patched an sftunnel flaw in Secure Firewall Management Center letting an authenticated remote attacker execute arbitrary commands as root.

A vulnerability in the sftunnel inter-device communication protocol of Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center allows an authenticated remote attacker to execute commands as root. The flaw stems from incorrect permissions allowing a registered sftunnel peer to write an arbitrary file anywhere on the device, exploitable via connection hijacking or crafted sftunnel commands. Cisco has released software updates.

Dell Secure Connect Gateway Vulnerabilities Allow Hackers to Gain Unauthorized Access

Dell patches three critical flaws (CVSS up to 9.8) in Secure Connect Gateway 5.0 enabling admin token replay, unauthenticated RCE, and root escalation.

Dell disclosed three critical vulnerabilities in Secure Connect Gateway 5.0 appliance and application deployments. CVE-2026-80172 (CVSS 9.8) lets unauthenticated attackers replay captured requests, which lack nonce validation and time limits, to repeatedly mint administrator access and refresh tokens. CVE-2026-61410 (9.4) is a missing-authorization flaw enabling unauthenticated remote command execution, and CVE-2026-80238 (9.3) is an exposed Docker socket allowing local privilege escalation to root and container escape. Fixes ship in appliance 5.36.00.16 and application 5.36.00.00.

ConnectWise warns of new ScreenConnect flaw without patch

ConnectWise warns of an unpatched ScreenConnect flaw affecting file transfer in support sessions and shares interim mitigations for MSPs.

ConnectWise disclosed a new ScreenConnect Remote Access vulnerability affecting file transfer behavior in both cloud and on-premises deployments; no CVE ID or patch is available yet, with a fix planned later this week. The vendor published temporary mitigation steps that remove TransferFiles permissions from session groups across all roles. Shadowserver tracks nearly 6,000 internet-exposed ScreenConnect instances. Previous ScreenConnect flaws, including CVE-2024-1709, were exploited by ransomware gangs and North Korea's Kimsuky, and three ScreenConnect vulnerabilities are on CISA's actively exploited catalog.

Product showcase: mSecure makes one vault do more than remember passwords

Product showcase reviews mSecure password manager's AES-256 zero-knowledge vault with passkeys, 2FA storage, and multi-device sync options.

mSecure is a password manager and data vault for iOS, Android, macOS, and Windows using AES-256 encryption and a zero-knowledge architecture, with sync via mSecure Cloud, Wi-Fi, iCloud, or Dropbox, plus local-only storage. It supports passkeys, one-time passwords, a Security Center for weak/reused passwords, and a configurable password generator. Recovery features include two-factor authentication, auto-lock, a Self-Destruct option after failed unlock attempts, and iCloud backups on iOS.

Help Net Security · 1d agoTools1

Attackers use rogue ScreenConnect clients to spread malware

Attackers deploy rogue ScreenConnect clients that spread VBScript malware to newly connected machines while ConnectWise patches a file-transfer flaw.

ConnectWise confirmed a file transfer flaw in ScreenConnect affecting both Cloud and On-Premise deployments, with a CVE identifier and official fix promised within the week; administrators can mitigate immediately by disabling TransferFiles (or TransferFilesInSession) in each role. Huntress documented incidents where social engineering installs rogue ScreenConnect clients that spawn Windows Script Host processes running four VBScript files (1.vbs-4.vbs), add a WindowsServiceHost registry Run key, and propagate to newly connected endpoints. Payloads enabled host profiling, persistence, additional ScreenConnect installs, tunneling, security-control changes, and cryptocurrency mining. ConnectWise has not confirmed a technical link between the flaw and this campaign.

Help Net Security · 9d agoExploit / PoC in the wild

Dell Secure Connect Gateway Critical Flaws Allow Unauthenticated Remote Code Execution and Admin Access

Dell patched three critical Secure Connect Gateway flaws (CVE-2026-80172 up to CVSS 9.8) enabling unauthenticated admin access, remote code execution, and host takeover.

Dell Security Advisory DSA-2026-382 fixes three critical vulnerabilities in Secure Connect Gateway (SCG) 5.0, affecting appliances earlier than 5.36.00.16 and applications earlier than 5.36.00.00. CVE-2026-80172 (CVSS 9.8) allows unauthenticated replay of captured requests to obtain ADMIN access due to missing nonce and time validation; CVE-2026-61410 (9.4) enables unauthenticated command execution via missing authorization; CVE-2026-80238 (9.3) involves an exposed Docker socket allowing root access and container escape. Dell urges immediate upgrades and recommends restricting management interfaces to trusted networks and rotating credentials if compromise is suspected.

ConnectWise security advisory (AV26-903)

ConnectWise patches ScreenConnect CVE-2026-84869, reported exploited in the wild; administrators should update to 26.6.5.

ConnectWise shipped ScreenConnect 26.6.5 to fix a vulnerability tracked as CVE-2026-84869 affecting versions prior to 26.6.5. Open-source reporting indicates the flaw is being exploited in the wild. The Canadian Centre for Cyber Security issued advisory AV26-903 urging users and administrators to apply the patch.

Canadian Centre for Cyber Security · 7d agoAdvisory in the wildCVE-2026-84869

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 News · 10d agoExploit / PoC in the wild

Critical HPE Vulnerabilities Allow Remote Attackers to Achieve Complete System Compromise

HPE patched critical EdgeConnect SD-WAN flaws, including CVSS 9.8 unauthenticated API bypass and gateway RCE, enabling full system compromise.

HPE Security Bulletin HPESBNW05135 covers critical flaws in EdgeConnect SD-WAN Orchestrator and Gateways: CVE-2026-76669 and CVE-2026-76670 (CVSS 9.9 authorization bypass/privilege escalation), CVE-2026-76672 (CVSS 9.9, leaks third-party API tokens and credentials), CVE-2026-76673 (CVSS 9.8, unauthenticated Orchestrator API authentication bypass granting administrative privileges), and CVE-2026-76674 (CVSS 9.8, unauthenticated buffer overflow enabling arbitrary code execution on gateways). Fixes are available in ECOS 9.7.1.0/9.6.4.0/9.5.9.0/9.4.9.0 and Orchestrator 9.7.1/9.6.4/9.5.9/9.4.11 or later. HPE reported no public exploit code or active exploitation at publication and recommends isolating management interfaces on a dedicated VLAN.

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 Labs · 8d agoExploit / PoC in the wildCVE-2026-67276CVE-2026-860603

Hackers exploit RouterOS flaws to hijack MikroTik devices without authentication

CERT Polska confirms attackers exploit chained MikroTik RouterOS SSH flaws to hijack devices without authentication; patches released in four RouterOS versions.

CERT Polska discovered six RouterOS vulnerabilities and confirmed active attacks chaining CVE-2026-67276 (CVSS 9.2, SSH authentication bypass caused by comparing only RSA key moduli) and CVE-2026-86060 (CVSS 9.2, privilege escalation via crafted usernames), dubbed MikroTrick. A third flaw, CVE-2026-67277 (CVSS 8.8) in the bandwidth-test service, can expose kernel memory or crash devices. Shadowserver counted about 122,500 MikroTik devices with SSH exposed; attackers created a privileged 'ops' account from IP 82.192.72.4, active since September 2. Fixes shipped in RouterOS 7.25beta3, 7.24.2, 7.23.4, and 6.49.21, adding startup configuration scanning with a 'Flagged' marker for unauthorized changes.

Cisco Secure Firewall Adaptive Security Appliance and Secure Firewall Threat Defense Software Remote Access SSL VPN Denial of Service Vulnerability

Cisco patched an unauthenticated remote DoS in ASA and FTD Remote Access SSL VPN that reloads devices via crafted HTTP requests.

Cisco disclosed a denial-of-service vulnerability in the Remote Access SSL VPN service of Secure Firewall ASA and FTD software. Insufficient error checking when processing HTTP requests allows an unauthenticated, remote attacker to send a crafted HTTP request that causes the affected device to reload. Cisco has released software updates addressing the flaw.

Cisco Security Advisories · Aug 11, 2026Advisory

Closing the Loop: Bidirectional Fully Encrypted Protocols

Researchers show naively composing unidirectional fully encrypted protocols is detectable and construct provably secure bidirectional FEPs, validated in Rust.

The paper introduces formal security definitions for bidirectional fully encrypted protocols (BiFEPs), covering exact shaping, delivery, protocol-state integrity, private half-close, and cross-direction isolation. It shows trivially composing two unidirectional FEPs enables detection attacks via cross-direction dependencies like traffic imbalance and connection tear-down. The authors construct provably secure BiFEPs for datastream and datagram settings, validated with a Rust implementation; no surveyed deployed protocol provides the full set of properties.

arXiv cs.CR · 1d agoResearch

ATM Flaws Reveal Key Weaknesses in the Software Supply Chain

A researcher disclosed nine vulnerabilities in ATM encryption and authentication software, highlighting weaknesses across the software supply chain.

WIRED reports that a security researcher found nine vulnerabilities in software used for ATM encryption and authentication. The disclosure matters beyond cash machines because the affected components illustrate broader weaknesses in the software supply chain. The article does not report active exploitation of the flaws.

WIRED · Security · 16d agoVulnerability

Modified ScreenConnect Clients Used in Worm-Like Campaign

Huntress warns of worm-like attacks using modified ScreenConnect clients to spread VBScript payloads; ConnectWise issued an advisory.

Campaigns starting in late August use social engineering, including Quick Assist abuse, to install rogue ScreenConnect clients that spawn wscript.exe and deploy four VBScript files for reconnaissance, staging, and PowerShell execution. The attackers persist via User Run Keys, attempt UAC bypass, install UltraViewer, and propagate the VBScript chain to other connected ScreenConnect endpoints. ConnectWise published an advisory about a file transfer behavior issue affecting cloud and on-premises ScreenConnect, with a CVE identifier and fix expected within a week; it recommends disabling file transfer meanwhile.

SecurityWeek · 9d agoExploit / PoC in the wild

Trusting-Trust Attack against an Entire Linux Distribution (via the strip utility)

ArXiv paper shows the trusting-trust compiler backdoor technique can compromise an entire Linux distribution via the strip utility.

The paper (arXiv 2607.24888) demonstrates that Ken Thompson's trusting-trust attack, long viewed as a compiler-specific threat, can backdoor an entire Linux distribution by targeting the strip utility. A compromised tool reproduces its backdoor in subsequent rebuilds of itself, generalizing the attack surface beyond compilers. The finding has supply-chain implications for build reproducibility and distribution trust, though it is a research result with no observed real-world exploitation.

Lobsters · security · 11d agoResearch

Hackers exploit new MikroTik RouterOS flaws to hijack routers

Attackers actively exploit a MikroTik RouterOS SSH authentication bypass and privilege escalation chain, dubbed MikroTrick, to fully hijack internet-exposed routers.

Poland's CERT, with help from GPT-5.5-cyber and GPT-5.6-sol, discovered and confirmed active exploitation of a MikroTik RouterOS chain dubbed MikroTrick: SSH authentication bypass CVE-2026-67276 (incomplete RSA public key validation) chained with privilege escalation CVE-2026-86060 (crafted usernames granting full administrative privileges). A third flaw, CVE-2026-67277, allows unauthenticated kernel memory leaks or router crashes via the bandwidth-test service. Fixes shipped September 3 in RouterOS 7.25beta3, 7.24.2, 7.23.4, and 6.49.21, adding a startup compromise-detection mechanism. Shadowserver data showed 122,500 MikroTik devices with exposed SSH interfaces as of September 5, and the CERT published IoCs including two attacker IP addresses.

Cisco Patches Nine Crosswork and Secure Workload Flaws, Five Scoring CVSS 10.0

Cisco patches nine Crosswork and Secure Workload flaws, five rated CVSS 10.0, found internally with no exploitation observed.

Cisco released fixes for four Crosswork platform vulnerabilities including CVE-2026-20030 SQL injection and CVE-2026-20357 missing authentication, both scoring CVSS 10.0, affecting Crosswork Release 7.2.1 and earlier. Five additional flaws in Secure Workload, including CVE-2026-20315 and CVE-2026-20317 at CVSS 10.0, affect SaaS and on-premises deployments up to releases 3.10 and 4.0. All issues were found through internal testing and are not known to be actively exploited. The patches follow a broader internal security review that recently addressed 12 Catalyst SD-WAN and IOS XE bugs.

Identity Abuse Through Trusted Communication Channels

Unit 42 explains how attackers abuse trusted enterprise communication and collaboration channels for identity phishing and credential theft, and outlines defenses.

Palo Alto Unit 42 details how attackers exploit enterprise collaboration and communication tools as trusted channels for identity phishing and credential theft. The writeup describes abuse of presumed-trusted messaging paths and outlines defense strategies. It is guidance rather than a report of a specific incident.

Palo Alto Unit 42 · 27d agoPhishing & fraud

On Identifying Sound Conditions for Frontrunning Resistance

Researchers formally define smart-contract frontrunning resistance, showing 55% of 393 audited vulnerabilities escape state-of-the-art detection, and find two undisclosed Ethereum flaws.

The paper gives the first formal definition of frontrunning vulnerability for smart contracts, grounded in how honest users interact with contracts rather than contract code alone. In a large-scale study of 287 smart contract audits, 55% of the 393 vulnerabilities reported by leading auditors fall outside the scope of state-of-the-art dynamic detection criteria. The authors present a sound algorithm for synthesizing secure interaction conditions and apply it to real-world contracts, uncovering previously undiscovered vulnerabilities in two Ethereum contracts.

arXiv cs.CR · 6d agoResearch

Cisco Industrial Ethernet 1000 Series Switches Stored Cross-Site Scripting Vulnerability

Cisco fixed a stored cross-site scripting flaw in Industrial Ethernet 1000 series switches exploitable by authenticated remote users.

Insufficient validation of user-supplied input in the web-based management interface of Cisco Industrial Ethernet 1000 Series Switches allows stored XSS. An authenticated remote attacker can inject malicious code into specific interface pages and execute arbitrary script in another user's context. Exploitation requires valid credentials; Cisco has released software updates.

Cisco Security Advisories · 28d agoAdvisory