Search: “defender-for-cloud”

New ‘ShieldCrash’ Zero-Day Exploit Targets Microsoft Defender

Researcher Nightmare Eclipse released ShieldCrash, a Microsoft Defender zero-day PoC bypassing ShieldBreak patches to gain System privileges on Windows.

The researcher known as Nightmare Eclipse released a PoC zero-day exploit dubbed ShieldCrash against Microsoft Defender on fully patched Windows systems. The exploit grants arbitrary file read with System privileges and can be used to drop the SAM database. It bypasses Microsoft's September 3 fixes for ShieldBreak (CVE-2026-69414), which itself bypassed patches for the RoguePlanet race condition (CVE-2026-50656). Microsoft has been contacted for comment and has not yet responded.

SecurityWeek·updated Sep 10, 12:18 UTC · 5d ago·first Sep 10, 07:09 UTC · 6d agoExploit / PoC 4 sourcesCVE-2026-50656CVE-2026-694141

12 Best CNAPP Platforms Compared (2026): Features & Pricing

Independent comparison of 12 CNAPP platforms finds identical estates draw quotes 2-3x apart; Microsoft Defender for Cloud is the only fully published per-resource option.

A vendor-independent buyer's guide compares twelve CNAPP platforms including Prisma Cloud, CrowdStrike Falcon Cloud Security, Wiz, Uptycs, Aqua, Zscaler, and Microsoft Defender for Cloud on pricing mechanics, procurement leverage, and capability-per-dollar. It finds quotes swing 2-3x on identical estates because vendors define 'workload' differently. Microsoft Defender for Cloud is highlighted as the only major with fully published per-resource rates.

GBHackers·Sep 15, 06:49 UTC · 1d agoIndustry1

Microsoft named a Leader in the Frost Radar™: Cloud Workload Protection Platforms, 2026

Microsoft was named a leader in the 2026 Frost Radar for Cloud Workload Protection Platforms, cited for Defender for Cloud runtime security.

The 2026 Frost Radar for Cloud Workload Protection Platforms placed Microsoft in its leadership tier, calling the company a visionary leader. Microsoft attributes the recognition to unified runtime security delivered through Microsoft Defender for Cloud. The post is vendor marketing with no incident, vulnerability, or technical detail.

Microsoft Security Blog·Aug 19, 17:30 UTC · 27d agoIndustry2

From Hypervisor to Container: Cloud Security Vulnerabilities, Defense Mechanisms, and Open Challenges

Survey of 120+ cloud security papers (2008-2025) reviews hypervisor and container isolation attacks, scoring defenses with the ADPO framework and CIA impact scale.

This survey reviews over 120 security publications from 2008 to 2025 on breaches of cloud isolation boundaries via virtual machines and containers. Threats examined include VM escape, VM hopping, CPU cache side-channels, container breakouts, vulnerable container images, and DDoS attacks. The authors introduce ADPO, a 0-3 scoring framework rating defenses on accuracy, deployment ease, performance impact, and operational overhead, plus a 1-5 CIA severity mapping for attack impact.

arXiv cs.CR·Sep 15, 05:57 UTC · 1d agoResearch

Introducing context-aware vulnerability discovery and remediation with Cloudflare Managed Defense and OpenAI Daybreak models

Cloudflare launches invitation-only Vulnerability Discovery and Remediation within Managed Defense, using OpenAI Daybreak models and WAF context to prioritize and patch vulnerabilities.

Cloudflare announced early access to Vulnerability Discovery and Remediation, an invitation-only service within Cloudflare Managed Defense. The service uses OpenAI Daybreak models, including GPT-5.6 Cyber, via the Daybreak Defense Network to hunt and validate vulnerabilities in customer-authorized codebases across Workers and proxied applications. Findings are prioritized using production traffic, WAF rule, and security event context, and proposed patches and WAF mitigations are automatically checked before customer review.

Cloudflare Blog·Sep 3, 21:03 UTC · 12d agoTools

12 Best CASB Solutions Compared (2026): Features & Pricing

GBHackers' 2026 buyer's guide compares 12 CASB-capable vendors, arguing standalone CASB pricing has dissolved into per-user SSE subscriptions.

The article evaluates twelve CASB-capable platforms including Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps, Palo Alto Networks' Prisma Access CASB, Netskope, iboss, Forcepoint ONE (Bitglass), Trend Micro Cloud App Security, and Skyhigh Security. It frames purchasing around SSE bundle economics, noting Defender for Cloud Apps ships inside Microsoft 365 E5 while Netskope, Zscaler, and Skyhigh price CASB into per-user SSE tiers. It also flags Saviynt, common on legacy roundups, as an IGA vendor rather than a true CASB.

GBHackers·07:31 UTC · 1h agoIndustry 10 sources

Cloud and SaaS Environments Now Top Targets for Attackers

Infosecurity Magazine·Aug 4, 11:30 UTC · Aug 4, 2026Ransomware

A revisit of remote Spectre attacks on Cloudflare Workers

Cloudflare details its 2024-2025 reassessment of remote Spectre attacks on Workers, covering new attack primitives and hardened defenses.

Cloudflare reassessed the feasibility of remote Spectre attacks against its Workers serverless infrastructure across 2024 and 2025. The write-up describes new attack primitives including Spectre gadgets, remote timers, and techniques for achieving co-location with victim workloads. It also explains new defenses that further harden Cloudflare Workers against speculative-execution side channels.

Cloudflare Blog·Aug 19, 16:00 UTC · 27d agoResearch

Top 10 Best Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB) Solutions in 2026

2026 CASB guide ranks Netskope first for depth and Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps for Microsoft estates, as standalone CASB fades into SSE.

Buyer's guide covers ten CASB products across four enforcement modes: API, forward proxy, reverse proxy and log-based discovery. Netskope leads on SaaS activity context depth, while Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps wins on Microsoft 365 E5 estate economics. The guide argues standalone CASB purchases have largely disappeared into SSE platforms and increasingly overlap with SSPM.

Cyber Security News·Sep 15, 06:24 UTC · 1d agoTools

New Microsoft Defender 'ShieldCrash' zero-day grants SYSTEM access

Researcher Nightmare Eclipse released 'ShieldCrash', a zero-day exploit for Microsoft Defender that grants attackers SYSTEM-level access.

An anonymous researcher known as Nightmare Eclipse published a zero-day exploit for Microsoft Defender, dubbed 'ShieldCrash', that yields SYSTEM-level access. The release came immediately after Microsoft rolled out its September 2026 Patch Tuesday security updates. No CVE identifier has been assigned publicly and no in-the-wild exploitation has been reported yet. Microsoft Defender ships by default on Windows, so potential exposure is broad until Microsoft patches the flaw.

BleepingComputer·Sep 9, 07:30 UTC · 7d agoExploit / PoC

Attack Paths Into VMs in the Cloud

Unit 42 maps attack paths into AWS, Azure, and GCP VMs through intended features like startup scripts and SSH key pushes.

Palo Alto Unit 42 reviewed attack vectors against virtual machine services on AWS, Azure, and GCP, finding that 11% of internet-exposed cloud hosts carry Critical or High severity vulnerabilities. The attack paths rely on legitimate features such as EC2 User Data, VM custom data, EC2 Instance Connect, SSM Run Command, and serial consoles rather than vulnerabilities, and exploiting them requires attackers to first obtain control plane permissions. A compromised VM exposes not only its data but the workload identity and cloud permissions assigned to it, making identity compromise potentially more damaging than data theft. The firm places mitigation responsibility on cloud users and administrators.

Palo Alto Unit 42·Aug 17, 12:36 UTC · 29d agoResearch1

Top 10 Best CNAPP (Cloud-Native Application Protection) Platforms in 2026

GBHackers ranks 10 CNAPP platforms for 2026, naming Wiz, Prisma Cloud, and Microsoft Defender for Cloud as category leaders.

The guide describes CNAPP as the umbrella combining CSPM, CWPP, CIEM, and DSPM, arguing that cross-pillar correlation of attack paths is the platform's core value. Wiz is ranked best for graph-based correlation, Prisma Cloud for the broadest module set, and Microsoft Defender for Cloud for Azure economics. It also cites Google's approximately $32 billion agreement to acquire Wiz, announced in March 2025, as buyer leverage and a reason to seek roadmap and neutrality protections in multi-year contracts.

Cyber Security News·Sep 11, 07:21 UTC · 5d agoIndustry1

Detecting cloud ransomware in Azure with Tenable One’s cloud detection and response capabilities

Tenable details ransomware group Storm-0501's Azure tenant-hijacking tactics and how its cloud detection and response identifies them.

Tenable's blog describes how cybercrime group Storm-0501 conducts cloud-first ransomware campaigns against Azure environments. The group has shifted from endpoint encryption to total hijacking of cloud tenants and systematically neutralizes resource locks, immutability policies, and backups. Tenable outlines its One Cloud Exposure detections, using AI-powered threat stories and precision alerts, to expose these TTPs early.

Tenable Blog·Aug 17, 15:15 UTC · 29d agoThreat actor in the wild

Top 10 Best Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM) Tools in 2026

2026 CSPM comparison ranks Wiz atop cloud posture tools and recaps Google's pending roughly $32 billion acquisition of Wiz.

An editorial guide rates ten cloud security posture management (CSPM) tools, with Wiz ranked first for agentless visibility and attack-path context, Microsoft Defender for Cloud highlighted for Azure-centric economics, and Palo Alto Prisma Cloud noted for the broadest code-to-cloud module set. The article's biggest market note is Google's agreement to acquire Wiz for approximately $32 billion, described as the largest deal in security history, still progressing through regulatory review. It advises buyers to include roadmap-protection language in multi-year commitments and to press on multicloud neutrality post-close.

Cyber Security News·Sep 11, 07:10 UTC · 5d agoIndustry

F5 Bot Defense uses real-time risk scoring to detect fraud and abuse

F5 enhances Distributed Cloud Bot Defense with persistent device identification, real-time risk scoring, and agent-aware policies to manage AI agent traffic.

F5 announced enhancements to Distributed Cloud Bot Defense adding persistent device identification, real-time device risk scoring, risk-based workflow enforcement, and an agent-aware policy framework integrated with the F5 Application Delivery and Security Platform. The features aim to expose multi-account abuse, credential stuffing, and account takeover while allowing trusted AI agents to transact at machine speed. It targets fraud and abuse detection as agentic AI becomes a key interaction channel for sites, apps, and APIs.

Help Net Security·Sep 15, 13:55 UTC · 19h agoTools

Threat Matrix: Mapping threats across cloud web applications

Microsoft released a Cloud Web Applications Threat Matrix, a MITRE ATT&CK-aligned framework mapping threats to cloud-hosted web apps and serverless platforms.

Microsoft introduced the cloud web applications threat matrix, which organizes attack techniques for cloud-hosted web apps and serverless platforms using MITRE ATT&CK tactics, from resource development through impact. The framework covers attack paths spanning application code, managed runtimes, workload identities, and deployment pipelines, cataloging techniques such as subdomain takeover, code injection in connected repositories, compromised registry images, exposed admin interfaces, and serverless trigger injection. It builds on Microsoft's earlier Kubernetes and storage services matrices to help defenders identify visibility gaps, prioritize hardening, and plan investigations in cloud-native environments.

Microsoft Security Blog·Sep 9, 21:30 UTC · 6d agoTools

Investing Together: Wiz Defend and Google Security Operations

Wiz ships a Content Pack for Google Security Operations enabling shared investigations, Blue Agent AI analysis, bidirectional sync and cloud telemetry streaming.

Wiz announced deeper integration between Wiz Defend and Google Security Operations via a shared data model and an official Wiz Content Pack with out-of-the-box rules, dashboards, search queries, playbooks, and response policies. Wiz Blue Agent AI-powered threat investigations, correlating cloud context, runtime signals, and identity data, are now accessible directly within Google SecOps. Status, severity, and comments bidirectionally sync in real time, and sensor runtime events can be streamed into Google SecOps for hunting and retention.

Wiz Blog·Sep 15, 12:49 UTC · 20h agoTools1

Corero brings cloud-based AI threat analysis to SmartWall ONE

Corero adds cloud-delivered AI analysis to SmartWall ONE for faster DDoS attack identification and automated protection policy generation.

Corero Network Security announced AI-Augmented Cloud-Assist for SmartWall ONE, a cloud-delivered AI layer that analyzes DDoS telemetry, identifies emerging attack behaviors, and recommends protection policies that can be applied manually or automatically within seconds. It creates a continuous intelligence loop between Corero's cloud and on-premises SmartWall ONE deployments, with security experts providing oversight. The feature targets AI data centers, NeoCloud providers, service providers, and digital enterprises requiring low-latency edge mitigation.

Help Net Security·Aug 20, 00:00 UTC · 27d agoTools

Top 10 Best Cloud Workload Protection (CWPP) Solutions in 2026

Editorial scorecard ranks 2026 cloud workload protection platforms, placing Prisma Cloud first, Sysdig second, and CrowdStrike third on detection quality.

A research-based scorecard rates ten cloud workload protection (CWPP) platforms across runtime depth, container/Kubernetes support, coverage breadth, cloud context, and value. Palo Alto Prisma Cloud leads at 8.9, followed by Sysdig at 8.8 and CrowdStrike at 8.6, with Aqua Security tying CrowdStrike at 8.6. The piece argues agent-versus-agentless is a false choice, with leaders now pairing agentless visibility with eBPF-based runtime sensors. Scores are editorial assessments, not lab benchmarks.

Cyber Security News·Sep 11, 07:15 UTC · 5d agoIndustry1

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·Sep 9, 07:53 UTC · 7d agoExploit / PoCCVE-2026-69414

BlueSTAR: Tiered Agentic Architecture for Autonomous Cyber Defense

BlueSTAR is a tiered agentic LLM architecture for autonomous cyber defense, validated on live enterprise IT/OT cyber ranges against seven attack chains.

Researchers present BlueSTAR, a tiered agentic architecture for autonomous cyber defense in enterprise IT/OT networks that transforms high-volume security telemetry into compact indicators of compromise. It pairs deterministic containment for known threats with LLM reasoning for attacks requiring contextual and cross-cycle analysis, and introduces a resilience metric jointly weighing attacker reach, mission-critical impact, and defensive disruption. Evaluation on two live cyber ranges with seven attack chains based on real-world intrusion techniques covered credential theft, repeated compromise, concurrent attackers, and attacks on physical processes.

arXiv cs.CR·Sep 10, 17:36 UTC · 5d agoResearch

The 12 Best Antivirus (Endpoint Protection) Software for Business, Compared and Priced

GBHackers compares 12 business antivirus products on detection, EDR depth, pricing, and platform coverage, ranking CrowdStrike and Bitdefender joint top at 8.8.

The roundup scores 12 enterprise endpoint protection vendors across detection, EDR depth, management, pricing transparency, and platform coverage. CrowdStrike and Bitdefender tie at 8.8, with Microsoft Defender for Endpoint scoring 8.5 and noted as effectively free for Microsoft 365 E5 licensees. The piece also flags that Kaspersky cannot legally be sold in the US and that Panda and Webroot now sit under WatchGuard and OpenText respectively.

GBHackers·Sep 8, 10:24 UTC · 7d agoIndustry 2 sources1

Cloud Security Assessment

Palo Alto Unit 42·Aug 9, 16:06 UTC · Aug 9, 2026Industry

Product showcase: Material unifies Google Workspace email, file & OAuth defense

Help Net Security·Aug 5, 00:00 UTC · Aug 5, 2026Data breach

Nightmare-Eclipse Strikes Again with 'ShieldCrash' Windows Exploit

A researcher known as Nightmare-Eclipse published another zero-day exploit, dubbed ShieldCrash, targeting Windows Defender.

Dark Reading reports that the disgruntled researcher tracked as Nightmare-Eclipse continued a vendetta against Microsoft by publishing a new zero-day exploit named ShieldCrash for Windows Defender. The brief report does not detail affected versions, exploitation prerequisites, or whether exploitation has been observed.

Dark Reading·Sep 10, 15:29 UTC · 5d agoExploit / PoC1

Identifying a BOLA Vulnerability in Harbor, a Cloud

Unit 42 found a BOLA flaw, CVE-2024-22278 (CVSS 6.4), letting Maintainers improperly alter Harbor project metadata; fixed in versions 2.9.5, 2.10.3, and 2.11.0.

Unit 42 researchers identified a broken object-level authorization flaw, CVE-2024-22278, in Harbor, a CNCF-graduated cloud-native container registry with 1.8 million downloads. The flaw (CVSS 6.4) lets users with the Maintainer role create, update, and delete project metadata, actions reserved for ProjectAdmin, risking data exposure, integrity compromise, and circumvention of vulnerability scanning. Harbor patched the issue in versions 2.9.5, 2.10.3, and 2.11.0. The finding came from Unit 42's automated BOLA detection tool built on generative AI.

Palo Alto Unit 42·Aug 17, 12:35 UTC · 29d agoVulnerabilityCVE-2024-22278

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·Sep 9, 06:47 UTC · 7d agoExploit / PoCCVE-2026-694141

Weak IAM affects up to 98% of cloud environments

Intruder's 2026 Cloud Security Index finds weak IAM controls affect up to 98% of cloud environments across AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud.

Intruder's 2026 Cloud Security Index report analyzed cloud misconfigurations across midmarket and enterprise environments, finding weak IAM controls and missing logging affected 80% to 98% of accounts across all three major providers. AWS recorded the highest prevalence in five of six categories, including exposed services at 76% versus 8% on Google Cloud. IAM weaknesses worsen with scale, affecting 87% of SMEs, 95% of midmarket organizations, and 98% of large enterprises, while remediation times peak at 35 days for organizations with 1,000 to 5,000 employees.

Help Net Security·Aug 14, 00:00 UTC · Aug 14, 2026Research

BTR Reforged: Weaponizing Defender’s Remediation Driver as a Kernel Operation Primitive

Check Point shows attackers can abuse Microsoft Defender's signed remediation driver for arbitrary Ring 0 file and registry operations without exploiting any vulnerability.

Check Point Research presents BTR Reforged, a technique that repurposes Microsoft Defender's trusted remediation driver into an attacker-controlled kernel operation primitive. The signed driver can be instructed to execute arbitrary file and registry operations from Ring 0 without exploits, vulnerabilities, or memory corruption. The work demonstrates how trusted security components can be turned into attacker primitives, which is relevant for defenders assessing driver abuse risks.

Check Point Research·Aug 20, 13:07 UTC · 26d agoResearch