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23 stories

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Attackers use passkey-themed scams to hijack Microsoft 365 accounts

Microsoft tracks ongoing M365 cloud intrusions since May using passkey-themed helpdesk vishing, AiTM phishing, and device-code abuse.

Microsoft Security Research has tracked active cloud intrusions since May in which attackers posing as IT helpdesk staff lured employees with fake passkey/MFA enrollment requests. Attacks used adversary-in-the-middle phishing pages, device-code authentication flows, and Teams messages from compromised accounts. Attackers registered their own MFA methods, enumerated tenants via Microsoft Graph, and accessed SharePoint, OneDrive, and Exchange Online data, throttling activity below 1000 files/emails per hour.

CSO Onlineupdated · 3h agofirst · 5d agoThreat actor in the wild 9 sources1

The 12 Best Extended Detection & Response (XDR) Platforms, Compared and Priced

Buyer's guide compares 12 XDR platforms, favoring Microsoft Defender XDR, Stellar Cyber and CrowdStrike, and warns ingestion pricing inflates costs.

The article compares 12 extended detection and response platforms, distinguishing native XDR (CrowdStrike, Palo Alto Cortex XDR, Microsoft Defender XDR, SentinelOne) from open XDR (Stellar Cyber, Arctic Wolf, Rapid7). It argues data ingestion pricing, not per-endpoint fees, is the main budget risk and should be modeled before signing. It repeats the consolidation note that Sophos acquired Secureworks for approximately $859 million in February 2025, and flags that ExtraHop is NDR rather than full XDR.

GBHackersupdated · 7d agofirst · 7d agoIndustry 3 sources1

The 12 Best Managed Firewall Services, Compared and Priced

GBHackers compares 12 managed firewall service providers, naming Fortinet best value and Secureworks best detection while flagging recent ownership changes.

The buyer's guide evaluates 12 managed firewall/MSSP providers across cost tiers, contract terms, and service models. Fortinet is rated best value, Secureworks best detection, NTT Data best global reach, and Cato Networks best for organizations wanting to stop owning firewalls. The article highlights that Secureworks was acquired by Sophos for roughly $859 million in February 2025, the Trustwave-Cybereason merger was terminated in March 2025, LevelBlue is the rebranded AT&T Cybersecurity business, and Comcast Business absorbed Masergy.

GBHackers · 8d agoIndustry 2 sources

Globalgig expands managed security portfolio to protect enterprise AI

Globalgig adds managed AI security services covering posture management, access control, runtime protection and 24/7 AI threat monitoring built on Palo Alto Networks.

MSSP Globalgig expanded its managed security portfolio with enterprise AI protection spanning AI Security Posture Management, AI Access Security, AI Runtime Security, and AI Security Operations. The offering cites the 2026 Cost of a Data Breach Report finding that shadow AI was involved in 43% of breaches this year and 92% of AI-related breach victims lacked adequate AI access controls. Services are built on Palo Alto Networks technology, with Orchestra Insight supplying network context.

Help Net Security · 1d agoIndustry

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

Hackers Impersonate IT Support on Microsoft Teams to Take Control of Employee PCs

Microsoft warns of a human-operated campaign where attackers pose as IT support in Teams to gain remote PC control and reach domain controllers.

Microsoft Threat Intelligence observed attackers abusing Microsoft Teams external collaboration to impersonate IT/helpdesk staff, persuading employees to grant screen control via Quick Assist or RMM tools. Operators deploy malicious MSI packages via silent msiexec, run encrypted JavaScript implants through portable Node.js, and persist via EdgeUpdate Run keys or Startup folder entries. The Node.js backdoor uses HTTPS long-polling C2, captures screenshots, enumerates Active Directory, and moves laterally over WinRM (TCP 5985) to domain controllers and certificate authorities. Initial access maps to MITRE ATT&CK T1566.003 (Spearphishing via Service); no Teams vulnerability is exploited.

GBHackers · 8d agoPhishing & fraud in the wild

CONTINUITY: Security-Context Contracts for Composable LLM Agent Controls

Researchers introduce CONTINUITY, a framework of assume-guarantee contracts that preserves LLM agent security context across components, verified across 2,560 attack instances.

The paper identifies security-context discontinuity, where individually sound controls drop, widen, or reinterpret security context as actions cross component boundaries, and proposes CONTINUITY, a framework of assume-guarantee contracts using signed root grants, provenance commitments, role-bound transition receipts, and effect-bound execution permits. It formalizes end-to-end consequence integrity, requiring every external effect to be backed by a valid authorization witness linking principal, task, provenance, and policy state. A reference verifier and cross-layer fault-injection suite covering 32 fault classes showed the full configuration committed no harmful external effect across 2,560 parameterized attack instances while completing all 700 benign tasks and escalating all 200 ambiguous cases.

arXiv cs.CR · 12d agoAI safety & security

RMM Tools for MSPs: Features, Risks & How to Stay Secure

Threat actors continue abusing MSP remote monitoring and management tools to reach downstream customers, four years after the Kaseya supply chain attack.

Huntress examines how RMM platforms remain a favored gateway for attackers targeting managed service providers and their clients. A recent incident demonstrates that adversaries still successfully pivot from MSP RMM tooling into downstream customer environments. The piece also covers RMM features, associated risks, and hardening guidance for providers.

Huntress · 15d agoThreat actor in the wild

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, 2026Research

Building a risk-based vulnerability management program that scales

Asimily CEO Shankar Somasundaram outlines a risk-based vulnerability management approach using inventory, attack paths, KEV and EPSS data.

In a Help Net Security video, Asimily CEO Shankar Somasundaram argues patching everything is infeasible as AI-driven attacks inflate vulnerability counts, with one customer finding a thousand unknowns for each known one. He recommends building a full inventory of devices, applications, and data flows, mapping attack paths for reachability, and prioritizing with KEV, EPSS, and business impact. Mitigations include patching, virtual patching via NACs and firewalls, segmentation, and configuration snapshots to detect drift.

Help Net Security · 23d agoIndustry

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

Your Cloud Security Checklist Doesn't Work the Way You Think It Does

Intruder's 2026 Cloud Security Index found misconfiguration risk profiles differ sharply across AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud across 3,000 organizations.

Intruder analyzed misconfiguration data from 3,000 organizations across AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud for its 2026 Cloud Security Index. Weak IAM controls and missing logging affected 80-98% of accounts regardless of provider, while exposed services ranged from 76% on AWS to just 8% on Google Cloud. Top issues included S3 buckets without HTTPS enforcement (87% of AWS accounts), Entra ID users without MFA (55% of Azure accounts), and missing OS Login MFA (77% of Google Cloud accounts). Weak IAM prevalence rose with organization size, from 87% at SMEs to 98% at large enterprises, and midmarket organizations took the longest to remediate at 35 days on average.

The Hacker News · 9d agoResearch

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 Blog · 13d agoThreat actor in the wild

12 Best Endpoint Privilege Management (EPM) Tools Compared (2026): Features & Pricing

A 2026 buyer's guide compares 12 endpoint privilege management tools, ranking CyberArk and BeyondTrust as enterprise leaders.

An editorial comparison evaluates 12 endpoint privilege management (EPM) tools on elevation control, manageability, and pricing model. The guide argues that standing local-admin rights fuel ransomware and lateral movement, making their removal a high-impact control that cyber insurers increasingly mandate. CyberArk and BeyondTrust are positioned as enterprise-depth leaders, with Delinea, Heimdal, and ManageEngine for the mid-market, and Admin By Request and CyberFOX AutoElevate for SMBs and MSPs. Pricing is generally per endpoint or per user, and the article is explicitly an assessment rather than a product release or incident report.

GBHackersupdated · 8h agofirst · 5d agoIndustry 14 sources

When AI infrastructure becomes the target: Securing gateways and control points

Microsoft Threat Intelligence details attacks on exposed AI workloads exploiting LiteLLM gateways for credential harvesting, persistence, and cryptomining.

Microsoft Threat Intelligence examines attacks targeting exposed AI workloads, including exploitation of LiteLLM gateway deployments. Post-exploitation activity includes credential harvesting, establishing persistence, and cryptomining. The post urges defenders to secure AI infrastructure gateways and control points; the available text does not name threat actors, CVEs, or provide IOCs.

Microsoft Security Blog · 21d agoExploit / PoC in the wild

US Finance Under Phishing Pressure: What the SOC Data Reveals?

ANY.RUN SOC telemetry shows escalating phishing campaigns against US finance, including Vercel-hosted RMM attacks abusing legitimate services.

ANY.RUN analyzed SOC telemetry data on phishing targeting the US financial sector, concluding that the scale and security impact should not be understated. The analysis highlights modern campaigns such as Vercel-hosted attacks that deliver remote monitoring and management (RMM) tools. It notes that attackers increasingly abuse legitimate services and everyday workflow tools to deliver phishing, making detection harder for SOC teams.

ANY.RUN · 21d agoPhishing & fraud in the wild

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, 2026Research1

One in four MCP servers opens AI agent security to code execution risk

Noma Security whitepaper finds most popular AI Skills and many MCP servers carry high-risk capabilities, with state changes most prevalent.

Noma Security analyzed hundreds of popular MCP servers and Skills across eight risk categories, finding most widely used Skills carry at least one risky characteristic and a typical enterprise runs well over a hundred high-risk agent tools, with arbitrary code execution common across MCP servers. The most prevalent risk is the ability to change state or data, and named toxic combinations include ContextCrush data leakage, ForcedLeak via poisoned Salesforce CRM records, DockerDash supply-chain compromise, the Replit production database deletion, and the hijacked Amazon Q VS Code extension. Building on OWASP LLM06:2025, the paper proposes the No Excessive CAP framework of capabilities, autonomy, and permissions, recommending allowlisting, MCP version pinning, approval gates on irreversible actions, and user-scoped expiring credentials.

Help Net Security · 23d agoAI safety & security

Toward an Empirical Probabilistic Risk Manifestation Model of Organizational Cybersecurity in SMEs

Empirical study of 22 SME security assessments builds a probabilistic risk model and shows assessments can be cut 24-45% while retaining most critical findings.

Researchers analyzed 281 validated security findings from 22 real-world SME cybersecurity assessments conducted over two years via a pro bono university clinic. They derived an empirical Risk Manifestation Model linking eight organizational security functions to two exposure conditions, five attack mechanisms, and six outcome categories, using probability propagation to identify dominant risk pathways. The dominant pathway runs from asset exposure to credential compromise to unauthorized access, stable under leave-one-organization-out analysis. Retaining six functions reduces assessment burden by 24% while preserving 97% of critical findings; five functions cut burden 45% while preserving 89% of critical findings.

arXiv cs.CR · 2d agoResearch