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Next.js 16.4.0-canary.13 Image Optimizer DNS Rebinding TOCTOU SSRF Still Exists
Next.js 16.4.0-canary.13 Image Optimizer retains a DNS rebinding TOCTOU SSRF in fetchExternalImage() allowing requests to private network resources.
Next.js 16.4.0-canary.13 contains a DNS rebinding time-of-check-to-time-of-use Server-Side Request Forgery vulnerability in the Image Optimizer's fetchExternalImage() function. The code resolves the supplied hostname and checks the resulting addresses with isPrivateIp(), but a TOCTOU gap between resolution and the actual fetch allows an attacker-controlled DNS record to change and reach private network resources.
xHunt Campaign: New PowerShell Backdoor Blocked Through DNS Tunnel Detection
xHunt's new CASHY200 PowerShell backdoor used DNS tunneling for C2; DNS security blocked beaconing at a Kuwait organization in September 2019.
Unit 42 describes CASHY200, a new PowerShell-based backdoor tied to the xHunt campaign that communicates with its C2 server windows64x[.]com via DNS tunneling, parsing commands from DNS answers. In September 2019, a Kuwait-based organization's DNS security service blocked the beaconing minutes after detection, cutting off adversary access. Samples dating to May and June 2018 and open source collection suggest the tool was used against Kuwait government organizations from spring 2018 through 2019, with malicious Word documents observed installing CASHY200 payloads configured with C2 domains such as firewallsupports[.]com and winx64-microsoft[.]com. The tool's name derives from identifiers stored under the registry key HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Cashe and the command value 200.
[remote] D-Link DNS_340L - OS Command Injection
An OS command injection exploit was published for the D-Link DNS-340L NAS, a flaw relevant to exposed network storage devices.
Exploit-DB published exploit #52643 for the D-Link DNS-340L network-attached storage device. The vulnerability is an OS command injection, which could allow arbitrary command execution on affected devices. The disclosure text does not report exploitation in the wild.
Cavern C2 Uses DNS and Google Apps Script to Blend Into Legitimate Traffic
Kaspersky details Iranian Cavern Manticore's expanded C2 framework using DNS and Google Apps Script, plus APT42's TAMECAT spyware in nuclear-sector phishing.
Kaspersky reported new components in the Cavern (Cav3rn) C2 framework, used by Iranian MOIS-affiliated Cavern Manticore (with overlaps to MuddyWater and OilRig's Lyceum) against Israeli entities, monitored since December 2025. The new GoogleService.dll module performs DNS A-record queries to choose between direct HTTPS and a Google Apps Script relay per transaction, with the DNS infrastructure able to rotate the Google deployment ID; Kaspersky also found an inter-component broker (rnp.dll) and linked the framework's plugin-based pivot to late April 2026. Separately, Group-IB and Kaspersky detailed HOLLOWGRAPH, a .NET NativeAOT DLL first seen in the wild June 7, 2026, that uses Microsoft 365 calendar events via the Graph API as two-way dead drops dated May 13, 2050, with DNS tunneling refreshing Entra ID credentials. DarkAtlas also reported APT42's TAMECAT modular surveillance framework delivered via LNK masquerading as PDFs in spear-phishing targeting the nuclear energy sector in April-May 2026, with the group using generative AI to accelerate operations.
Your DNS Is Hiding in HTTPS — This Is Why It Matters
Akamai argues that unmanaged DNS over HTTPS (DoH) creates enterprise visibility gaps and advocates controlled DoH strategies to restore DNS monitoring.
Akamai published a blog post arguing that unmanaged DNS over HTTPS encrypts DNS queries outside enterprise visibility, creating security monitoring gaps. The post advocates a controlled DoH strategy that restores DNS visibility for defenders while preserving user privacy. No specific incidents, vulnerabilities, or products are cited in the advisory-style piece.
Autoencoder Is All You Need: Profiling and Detecting Malicious DNS Traffic
Palo Alto Unit 42 details an autoencoder-based method that profiles DNS traffic to detect C2 and malicious domains, blocking ~374,000 malicious DNS requests daily.
Unit 42 built an RNN-based autoencoder that compresses DNS traffic time series into fixed-dimensional 'DNS profiles' for each domain and device. Downstream classification, clustering, and anomaly detection modules flag suspicious domains, capturing 170 emerging suspicious domains in May 2024. Signatures block roughly 374,000 malicious DNS requests daily and run in the Advanced DNS Security service, with detections shared to Advanced URL Filtering. Case studies link DNS traffic patterns to C2 beaconing, dynamic DNS abuse, and DNS tunneling for data exfiltration.
Automatically Detecting DNS Hijacking in Passive DNS
Unit 42's machine learning pipeline detected 6,729 DNS hijacking events between March and September 2024, hitting political parties, ISPs, and universities.
Unit 42 processes roughly 167 million new DNS records daily and applies a machine learning model using 74 features over 169 TB of passive DNS and geolocation data to flag hijacked domains. From March to September 2024 the pipeline screened over 29 billion records and classified 6,729 as DNS hijacking, averaging 38 detections per day; a new model detects hijacks in customer traffic within about 10 minutes. Notable cases include a Hungarian political party's hijacked domain, defacement of a large utility company and ISP, and university and research center domains repurposed for illicit gambling. DNS hijacking typically relies on stolen registrar or DNS provider credentials or cache poisoning, enabling MitM attacks, phishing, drive-by downloads, and scams.
Six new dnsmasq vulnerabilities open the door to DNS cache poisoning, local root
Six dnsmasq flaws enable DNS cache poisoning, DoS, memory leaks, and local root code execution; fixes ship in version 2.92rel2.
Researchers disclosed six dnsmasq vulnerabilities spanning memory safety and input validation, including heap buffer overflows in extract_name() and extract_addresses(), DNSSEC infinite-loop and out-of-bounds read flaws, and a DHCPv6 out-of-bounds write allowing local root code execution. Exploitation paths include DNS cache poisoning, bypassing security controls, remote denial of service, and local privilege escalation. Maintainers released version 2.92rel2 with fixes, and a stable 2.93 release is expected within weeks.
Advanced Dns Security
Palo Alto Networks Unit 42 hosts a product archive page for its Advanced DNS Security DNS-layer threat prevention service.
The page is a product category archive on the Unit 42 blog with no article text available. Advanced DNS Security is Palo Alto Networks' DNS-layer threat prevention offering. No research findings, incidents, or vulnerabilities are described.
Hacking Public Wi-Fi DNS to Steal Credentials
Attackers can hijack public Wi-Fi DNS to redirect users to credential-stealing fake login pages; commenters debate HTTPS limits and mitigations like encrypted DNS.
The discussion examines how an attacker controlling DNS on shared or public Wi-Fi networks can redirect requests for legitimate services to attacker-controlled servers to steal credentials. Commenters analyze whether HTTPS and certificates mitigate the attack, noting attackers often rely on HTTP or browser trust quirks. Suggested defenses include encrypted DNS (DoH), DNSSEC, and travel routers running OpenWRT. No specific campaign, victims, or indicators are provided.
1.1.1.1 now supports post-quantum DNSSEC, all 2,420 bytes of it
Cloudflare's 1.1.1.1 resolver now validates post-quantum DNSSEC signatures using ML-DSA-44, a 2,420-byte NIST algorithm, preparing DNS for post-quantum migration by 2029.
Cloudflare enabled 1.1.1.1 to validate DNSSEC signatures using ML-DSA-44 (algorithm 18), a NIST-standardized post-quantum signature with 1,312-byte public keys and 2,420-byte signatures, roughly 38x larger than ECDSA P-256. The large signatures exceed common DNS-over-UDP limits, forcing fallback to TCP and creating downgrade risks while conventional algorithms must be published alongside. Cloudflare cites the risk of a quantum computer breaking RSA/ECDSA signatures by 2030 and plans full post-quantum security by 2029.
Almost Half of Malware Samples Communicate Direct to IP
Unit 42 analysis of 4 million malware reports finds 45% of C2-active samples connect directly to hard-coded IPs, bypassing DNS defenses.
Palo Alto Unit 42 analyzed over 4 million Advanced WildFire dynamic analysis reports and found that 45.32% of malware samples with C2 activity made at least one direct-to-IP connection, accounting for 23.17% of all C2 connection attempts. The firm proposes zero trust IP (ZT-IP), an enforcement approach that verifies whether outbound destinations were ever sanctioned by a DNS response. ZT-IP analysis surfaced Phorpiex ransomware droppers fetching payloads directly from C2 IPs, a persistent data exfiltration campaign using an obfuscated \GET protocol, and Mozi P2P botnet payloads delivered to IoT devices without DNS. Only 1% of benign samples connected directly to untrusted IP addresses.
USN-8742-1: Netty vulnerability
Ubuntu issues USN-8742-1 fixing a Netty DNS cache poisoning flaw caused by improper NS record bailiwick validation.
Ubuntu Security Notice USN-8742-1 addresses a vulnerability in the Netty framework in which NS records are incorrectly validated for bailiwick. An attacker could potentially exploit this to facilitate DNS cache poisoning attacks. Updated packages are available for supported Ubuntu releases.
Project CAV3RN continues: Google Apps Script as C2 relay and DNS-based C2 channel selection
Project CAV3RN continues targeting Israel, using Google Apps Script C2 relays and DNS-based channel routing in a .NET NativeAOT framework.
Kaspersky Securelist documents the continuation of Project CAV3RN operations against Israel. The modular .NET NativeAOT framework uses Google Apps Script as a C2 relay and DNS-based C2 channel selection, blending command traffic with legitimate Google services to evade detection.
The GNU C Library security advisory update for 2026-09-10
glibc advisory GLIBC-SA-2026-0016: nscd can crash from a stack overflow when an untrusted DNS server returns oversized responses.
A new GNU C Library advisory (GLIBC-SA-2026-0016) describes a stack overflow in the nscd service caused by unbounded alloca use. glibc 2.3.4 and newer may crash when a malicious DNS server returns an oversized response, resulting in degraded DNS resolution. Exploitation requires nscd to be enabled and the system to be using an untrusted DNS server. The advisory was posted to oss-security by glibc maintainer Siddhesh Poyarekar.
September 2026 Patch Tuesday roundup: Plugs for two zero day holes among almost 1,000 fixes in Windows
Microsoft's September 2026 Patch Tuesday ships 964 fixes including two exploited Windows zero-days (CVE-2026-85880, CVE-2026-81963) and a wormable DNS RCE.
Microsoft's September 2026 Patch Tuesday includes 964 Microsoft vulnerabilities requiring customer action, a record attributed to AI-assisted bug discovery, plus 174 third-party/open-source and 23 Chromium/Edge CVEs. Two zero-days are exploited in the wild: CVE-2026-85880, a Windows ALPC heap overflow enabling AppContainer sandbox escape and privilege escalation, and CVE-2026-81963, a Windows Update Stack escalation to SYSTEM. CVE-2026-69730, an unauthenticated Windows DNS RCE, is not yet exploited but Microsoft expects exploitation, and roughly 20 bugs could be wormable. Separately, SAP issued a critical CVSS 10.0 fix for the EPP component used in S/4HANA and NetWeaver.
USN-8753-1: libinput vulnerability
Ubuntu patches libinput flaw letting local attackers inject udev properties and execute arbitrary code as root.
USN-8753-1 fixes a libinput vulnerability where device properties are not properly escaped. A local attacker could inject arbitrary udev properties and execute arbitrary code as root, a full local privilege escalation on affected Linux desktop systems. Ubuntu shipped updated packages.
The purpose of DNS is to spread scams
Interisle data cited by Terence Eden shows 8.5 million of 85 million new 2025 gTLD registrations blocklisted, implying a 10-20% scam domain abuse rate.
Terence Eden highlights statistics from an Interisle report on Domain Name System abuse. Of 85 million new gTLD registrations in 2025, 8.5 million were added to blocklists by May 2025, suggesting a 10% abuse floor that is likely closer to 20%. Eden calls the roughly one-in-five scam rate for newly registered gTLD domains a crisis and notes ICANN has discussed the problem for years.
Telerik UI Padding-Oracle Bug Chained to Unauthenticated RCE — Public Exploit Released
TantoSec published a working exploit chaining a Telerik UI padding oracle to unauthenticated RCE; Progress patched the flaws in July.
TantoSec's Marcio Almeida released a full exploit chain and tooling for the RadAsyncUpload control in Telerik UI for ASP.NET AJAX, turning a padding oracle (CVE-2026-13182) into unauthenticated RCE via an unguarded type-resolution flaw (CVE-2026-13181, CVSS 8.1). Exploitation requires a rendered RadAsyncUpload handler and an explicit non-default encryption key, and took roughly 127,000 oracle requests (about an hour) in lab testing. Versions 2010.1.309 through 2026.2.519 are affected; Progress fixed the chain in 2026.2.708 on July 8, 2026, and no in-the-wild exploitation has been confirmed. A separate RCE chain in RadPersistenceManager and RadDockLayout (CVE-2026-13185, -13186, -13190) was also patched but has no public exploit.
USN-8730-2: Linux kernel (Azure) vulnerability
Ubuntu fixes a Linux kernel (Azure) vulnerability in the IPv6 networking and Netfilter subsystems.
Ubuntu security notice USN-8730-2 corrects a security issue in the Linux kernel Azure flavor affecting the IPv6 networking and Netfilter subsystems. An attacker could possibly use the flaw to compromise the system.
A rant about phishing: It's not the user's fault (and not DNS either)
Opinion piece argues multi-domain login redirects make legitimate flows indistinguishable from phishing, urging organizations to standardize on one recognizable root domain.
The author shows a real-world login flow that chains through numerous third-party domains (identity providers, cloud auth endpoints, OAuth APIs, 2FA pages), none on the company's own domain, so credentials and 2FA prompts are trivially impersonable. The piece argues URLs are inherently confusing because the security-relevant second-level domain sits mid-string, and that users trained to ignore URLs cannot distinguish legitimate pages from scams. It proposes RFC 2119-style requirements: single recognizable root domain, internal services on its subdomains, emailed or SMS links on that domain, and local redirects instead of third-party hosted pages.
Microsoft Links 30+ Rotating Domains to MacSync Stealer Infrastructure
Microsoft links 30+ rotating domains to the MacSync macOS infostealer, confirming active credential and file exfiltration through chunked HTTP PUT uploads.
Microsoft Defender Experts correlated 30+ domains with MacSync Stealer, requiring aligned endpoint and network behaviors (process ancestry, command-line patterns, /curl/, /dynamic?txd=, and /gate?buildtxd= paths, API-key headers, chunked HTTP PUT parameters) to link infrastructure. Execution begins from an interactive zsh session consistent with ClickFix social engineering, with curl retrieving and Base64/gunzip decoding the payload, followed by collection of Keychain data, browser credentials, SSH keys, AWS credentials, Kubernetes configs, and Apple Notes. Data is zipped to /tmp/osalogging.zip, chunked, uploaded via HTTP PUT, and artifacts are deleted afterward; the analysis builds on RST Cloud's May 8 findings and overlaps with Microsoft's earlier 250+ domain ClickFix campaign distributing MacSync and Atomic Stealer (AMOS).
ZDI-26-609: Linux Kernel Net Scheduler Packet Classifier Use-After-Free Local Privilege Escalation Vulnerability
The Linux kernel net scheduler packet classifier has a use-after-free (CVSS 7.8) allowing local attackers to escalate privileges from low-privileged code.
ZDI-26-609 describes a use-after-free vulnerability in the Linux kernel's network scheduler packet classifier, with a CVSS score of 7.8. An attacker must first be able to execute low-privileged code on the target system before escalating privileges. The advisory text does not list an assigned CVE identifier.
Hillingar - MirageOS Unikernels on NixOS
A technical write-up details Hillingar, enabling reproducible Nix-based builds and NixOS deployment of MirageOS OCaml unikernels such as authoritative DNS servers.
This blog post (published December 2022, updated February 2025) describes Hillingar, work from the author's master's thesis enabling reproducible builds and deployments of MirageOS OCaml unikernels using Nix and a custom NixOS module, demonstrated with an authoritative DNS server. MirageOS unikernels embed application and low-level OS code in a single kernel, allowing dead-code elimination that reduces attack surface and improves efficiency. The post covers challenges such as solving opam dependency version constraints when linking a single dependency set.
USN-8730-1: Linux kernel vulnerability
Ubuntu issued USN-8730-1 fixing Linux kernel flaws in IPv6 networking and Netfilter that could allow system compromise.
Ubuntu released USN-8730-1 addressing a security issue discovered in the Linux kernel. The update corrects flaws in the IPv6 networking and Netfilter subsystems. Ubuntu states an attacker could possibly use the issue to compromise the system.
Show HN: Check if your IP has appeared in a residential proxy network
Spur Intelligence launches Have I Been Proxied, a free tool that checks if your public IP appeared in residential proxy networks.
Have I Been Proxied is a free one-click web tool that checks whether a user's public IP has been observed routing traffic in residential proxy networks. Devices can be silently enrolled via apps, browser extensions, VPNs, or smart TVs, and the tool offers guidance on which apps and devices to investigate. It is powered by Spur Intelligence's network intelligence data, which serves fraud and trust teams detecting residential proxies, VPNs, and anonymization infrastructure.
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.
**Subject:** CVE-2026-2035703: Tozed ZLT X300 5G CPE — Unauthenticated Remote Root Code Execution via TR-069 Command Injection (CVSS 9.8)
Tozed ZLT X300 5G CPE firmware 6.01.3 has an unauthenticated TR-069 command injection (CVE-2026-2035703, CVSS 9.8) enabling root code execution.
Tozed ZLT X300 5G CPE router firmware 6.01.3 contains an OS command injection (CWE-78) in the TR-069/CWMP client daemon netcwmpd, tracked as CVE-2026-2035703 with CVSS 9.8. The IPPingDiagnostics Host parameter is passed unsanitized into sprintf, and the resulting shell command executes via system_by_root() as root. An attacker operating a rogue LTE base station built from roughly $300 of SDR hardware can impersonate the carrier's Auto Configuration Server and inject arbitrary commands. The disclosure does not report any observed exploitation.
PoisonedRefresh: A Fileless Linux Rootkit That Injects PHP Web Shells Into F5 BIG-IP APM Server Memory
Sophos details PoisonedRefresh, a fileless Linux rootkit that injects a memory-resident PHP web shell into F5 BIG-IP APM after exploitation of CVE-2025-53521.
On September 8, 2026, SophosLabs published an analysis of Linux/Agnt-IC (dubbed PoisonedRefresh by ESET) found in compromised F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager environments. Initial access leverages CVE-2025-53521, an unauthenticated RCE in BIG-IP APM when an access policy is configured on a virtual server; F5 confirmed exploitation and links the activity to cluster c05d5254, while Shadowserver observed 795 exposed vulnerable endpoints. A first stage hidden in a modified umount binary modifies /usr/sbin/httpd and SELinux configuration and embeds itself in BIG-IP upgrade images for persistence. The second-stage ELF intercepts __libc_start_main, hooks apr_dso_load, and injects a PHP web shell into libphp memory via mmap manipulation, leaving no disk artifacts, and exposes a /bin/bash shell via a local UNIX domain socket instead of a TCP port.