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SilkParasite Espionage Campaign Targets Central Asian Governments with Five New RATs

Bitdefender reports SilkParasite, a China-nexus espionage cluster targeting Central Asian governments with seven RATs, five newly documented, delivered via spearphished RAR archives.

Bitdefender Labs assesses with medium confidence that SilkParasite, first discovered in late 2025, is a China-nexus cluster targeting government bodies in Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, and Georgia. Attacks use password-protected RAR archives with malicious Office documents, macro-triggered DLL sideloading, and checks for running Kaspersky AV before execution. The arsenal spans seven RAT families in .NET, C++, Go, and JavaScript with plugin architectures and diverse C2 channels including Google Drive and HTTP cookie/ETag headers; roughly 65 DriveSilkRAT infections were observed, mostly in Asia. Ties to China include BLOODALCHEMY (a Deed RAT/ShadowPad descendant) and an improved SpiceRAT used by SneakyChef, with traces of AI-assisted development in the tooling and lures.

The Hacker NewsAug 20, 05:47 UTC · 27d agoThreat actor in the wild

Hackers Turn Windows Shadow Copies Into a Tool for Credential Theft and Ransomware

Attackers abuse Windows VSS shadow copies to delete recovery points before ransomware and to extract NTDS.dit/SAM credentials, demanding context-aware detection.

Threat actors are weaponizing the Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS) for two purposes: destroying local recovery points via vssadmin.exe, wmic.exe, diskshadow.exe, wbadmin.exe, and bcdedit.exe before encryption, and accessing static copies of locked files such as NTDS.dit and SAM for credential theft. Ransomware families tied to shadow-copy removal include Akira, Black Basta, BlackCat, Conti, LockBit, Qilin, RansomHub, REvil, Ryuk, and WannaCry. Huntress's analysis of the Nightmare-Eclipse tool showed the BlueHammer technique chaining a Windows Defender timing issue with a VSS snapshot to dump the SAM database and decrypt NT hashes. Defenders should correlate VSS operations with parent process, hive access, and subsequent encryption activity, and maintain immutable off-host backups.

GBHackersSep 15, 05:51 UTC · 1d agoResearch in the wild1

Multiple Chinese hacking groups seen using identical Chrome zero-day exploit

Four China-linked espionage groups share identical BlueMoon Chrome zero-day exploit kit targeting US defense contractors and Asian government agencies.

Proofpoint identified at least four Chinese-aligned espionage groups (TA412/RedBravo, UNK_LateNight, UNK_DoubleCheck, UNK_QuietRacket) using an identical Chrome zero-day exploit kit dubbed BlueMoon in late August through this week. Targets include US defense contractors, NGOs, mining companies, and Southeast Asian government agencies. The exploit chains a Chromium patch-gap vulnerability with a Windows flaw, delivering malware such as ShadowPad and a fake Gemini browser extension backdoor, with possible AI-assisted exploit development.

The RecordSep 9, 16:30 UTC · 7d agoExploit / PoC in the wild 2 sources1

Researcher Releases FalconFlank PoC Showing Privilege Escalation in CrowdStrike Falcon

Researcher Chaotic Eclipse released FalconFlank, a zero-day privilege escalation PoC abusing CrowdStrike Falcon's Office macro remediation; CrowdStrike is investigating and issued a tech alert.

Researcher Chaotic Eclipse published FalconFlank, a proof-of-concept zero-day local privilege escalation in CrowdStrike Falcon Sensor that abuses the Microsoft Office malicious macros remediation feature, tested on fully updated Windows 11 25H2 and Windows Server 2025. CrowdStrike said it is investigating, advised disabling the Microsoft Office File Suspicious Macro Removal policy, and pointed customers to a FalconFlank tech alert, noting cloud anti-malware protection remains active. The article also covers related PoCs from the same researcher: HardBreacher against Kaspersky (fixed via update), ShieldBreak (CVE-2026-69414) against Microsoft Defender, an unpatched patch bypass of CVE-2026-50656, GreenSection against NVIDIA, and PrettyPrague against Avast, which Gen Digital patched in versions 26.7.11086 and 26.8.11125.

The Hacker NewsSep 3, 06:26 UTC · 13d agoExploit / PoC CVE-2026-69414 CVE-2026-50656

Novel Blue Moon kit targeting Chrome and Windows reflects new reality of AI-driven exploits

Proofpoint reports the BlueMoon exploit kit, chaining two Chrome V8 zero-days and a Windows ALPC bug, being shared across China-linked espionage groups.

Proofpoint identified a new exploit kit, BlueMoon, first observed on August 28 and used by TA412 (APT31/Violet Typhoon) against US NGOs, mining firms, and commodity trading companies. The kit chains a V8 type confusion RCE (CVE-2026-85046), a V8 sandbox escape, and a Windows Advanced Local Procedure Call privilege escalation (CVE-2026-85880), both patched flaws having been exploited in the wild. At least four espionage groups, most with suspected China nexus including UNK_LateNight, adopted the kit within days, targeting US aerospace firms with defense-sector lures. Fewer than 20 organizations were observed targeted, and researchers believe AI-assisted exploit development against upstream Chromium patches enabled the kit's rapid creation and sharing.

The Register · Securityupdated 16:06 UTC · 5h agofirst Sep 9, 22:28 UTC · 6d agoExploit / PoC in the wild 16 sources CVE-2026-85046 CVE-2026-858801

Researcher Publishes CrowdStrike Privilege Escalation Zero Day

Researcher NightmareEclipse published FalconFlank, a zero-day local privilege escalation in CrowdStrike Falcon Sensor abusing its Office malicious macro remediation feature.

A researcher known as Nightmare Eclipse published details of FalconFlank, a zero-day privilege escalation that abuses the Microsoft Office malicious macro removal feature in CrowdStrike Falcon Sensor, verified working on fully updated Windows 11 25H2 and Windows Server 2025 with Falcon Phase 3 Optimal Protection. CrowdStrike urged customers to disable the Office File Suspicious Macro Removal policy while it investigates, noting customers remain protected via Cloud Anti-malware for Microsoft Office Files; no CVE has been assigned. The same researcher previously released the Exploitarium dump of over 30 PoC exploits, and researcher Kevin Beaumont confirmed FalconFlank works.

Infosecurity MagazineSep 7, 08:28 UTC · 9d agoExploit / PoC

Weekly Cybersecurity Newsletter Bulletin – Microsoft 0-day, FortiOS, PAN-OS Flaw, Revolut Data Breach, and 20+ Stories

Weekly roundup: Microsoft patches 973 flaws including two actively exploited zero-days; FortiOS CAPWAP flaw deploys PivotC2 RAT; PAN-OS root RCE disclosed.

Microsoft's September 2026 Patch Tuesday fixed 973 vulnerabilities, including two zero-days under active exploitation: CVE-2026-85880 (Windows ALPC) and CVE-2026-81963 (Windows Update Stack), both elevation-of-privilege bugs. SOCRadar reported active exploitation of CVE-2025-25249 (CVSS 9.8) in FortiOS CAPWAP, deploying a Node.js RAT called PivotC2 that exfiltrates Exchange mailboxes to Wasabi cloud storage; 178 devices were compromised out of 30,000 scanned IPs, attributed to a Russian-speaking financially motivated group. Palo Alto disclosed CVE-2026-0310, a 9.2-rated buffer overflow enabling root code execution on PA-Series firewalls, and Fortinet disclosed CVE-2026-84393, a ZTNA certificate validation MITM flaw. Cyera also revealed CVE-2026-6471 ('PostGREShell'), a 12-year-old PostgreSQL logical-decoding flaw allowing code execution via REPLICATION-privileged accounts.

Cyber Security NewsSep 14, 03:10 UTC · 2d agoExploit / PoC in the wildCVE-2026-85880 CVE-2026-81963 CVE-2025-25249+3 CVEs3

Prolific Microsoft 0-day hunter drops CrowdStrike Falcon exploit PoC

Researcher Nightmare Eclipse released a PoC for FalconFlank, a privilege escalation zero-day in CrowdStrike Falcon's Office macro remediation feature.

Researcher Nightmare Eclipse published a zero-day PoC dubbed FalconFlank targeting CrowdStrike Falcon's Microsoft Office malicious macro removal feature, achieving privilege escalation on fully updated Windows 11 25H2 and Windows Server 2025 with Optimal Protection and macro removal enabled. Kevin Beaumont independently confirmed the exploit works. The same researcher also released HardBreacher, an elevation-of-privilege bug in Kaspersky Endpoint (since fixed via update), PrettyPrague, an Avast Sandbox flaw that dumps the SAM database for a SYSTEM shell (Gen Digital is developing a patch), and GreenSection, an Nvidia memory corruption bug that crashes systems. CrowdStrike advises customers to disable the Suspicious Macro Removal Windows policy while it investigates.

The Register · SecuritySep 3, 18:08 UTC · 13d agoExploit / PoC

Hackers Chain Chrome and Windows Zero-Days in New BlueMoon Exploit Kit Attacks

Multiple espionage actors, mostly China-nexus, are chaining Chrome V8 and Windows kernel zero-days (CVE-2026-85046, CVE-2026-85880) via the BlueMoon exploit kit against government and defense targets.

Proofpoint identified a new exploit kit dubbed BlueMoon chaining a Chromium V8 type-confusion RCE (CVE-2026-85046), a V8 sandbox escape, and a Windows kernel LPE (CVE-2026-85880). At least four distinct threat clusters, most with suspected China nexus, adopted the kit within days starting with TA412 (Violet Typhoon/APT31) on August 28, 2026. Both Chrome-side flaws were patch-gap zero-days with roughly a four-week exploitation window; the Windows LPE only works on Windows 10 and Server 2019/2022. TA412 used spearphishing posing as university interns to deliver the GemStone browser backdoor disguised as a Google Gemini extension; other clusters delivered ShadowPad via DLL sideloading and a Rust loader against targets in aerospace, government, and finance.

Cyber Security NewsSep 9, 16:59 UTC · 7d agoExploit / PoC in the wildCVE-2026-85046 CVE-2026-858801

DeepZero: Open-source hunting for vulnerable Windows drivers

DeepZero, a new open-source engine, automates discovery of exploitable Windows kernel drivers for BYOVD attacks using Ghidra, Semgrep, and an LLM.

DeepZero is a free, open-source Python pipeline orchestrator that automates hunting for exploitable Windows kernel drivers relevant to BYOVD (bring your own vulnerable driver) attacks. Its seven-stage YAML pipeline parses PE headers, filters for kernel-mode drivers with IOCTL surfaces, excludes drivers listed on loldrivers.io, then runs headless Ghidra decompilation, Semgrep scanning, and an LLM-based exploitability assessment. The maintainer reports multiple verified vulnerabilities in the Snappy Driver Installer corpus, some still in the disclosure process, and notes findings involving plug-and-play-created device objects may need physical hardware to confirm.

Help Net Security05:30 UTC · 16h agoTools

Unit 42 Researchers Discover Multiple Espionage Operations Targeting Southeast Asian Government

Unit 42 attributes three espionage clusters targeting a Southeast Asian government to Stately Taurus, Alloy Taurus, and Gelsemium APTs.

Unit 42 investigated espionage attacks starting in late 2022 against multiple governmental entities in a Southeast Asian country, including critical infrastructure, public healthcare, financial administrators, and ministries. Analysis revealed three distinct clusters: CL-STA-0044 attributed to Stately Taurus (Mustang Panda), CL-STA-0045 to Alloy Taurus (GALLIUM), and CL-STA-0046 to Gelsemium. The first cluster used a ToneShell backdoor variant, ShadowPad, China Chopper web shells, Impacket, and credential dumping tools across roughly Q1 2021 to Q3 2023. All three operated with distinct tools, infrastructure, and long-term surveillance tradecraft consistent with APTs.

Palo Alto Unit 42Aug 17, 10:57 UTC · Aug 17, 2026Threat actor in the wild

Abyssos: Technical Analysis of a New Modular RAT

Zscaler ThreatLabz analyzes Abyssos, a new modular C++ RAT offering credential theft, file exfiltration, and VNC-based remote access.

Zscaler ThreatLabz identified a new malware family tracked as Abyssos in late June 2026. Abyssos is a modular remote administration tool (RAT) written in C++ that supports credential theft, file exfiltration, and remote access via VNC. The malware is under active development, with multiple version numbers and obfuscation passes designed to evade security products. The analysis covers its core features, configuration, obfuscation, and network communication protocol.

Zscaler ThreatLabzAug 10, 15:51 UTC · Aug 10, 2026Malware

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 AffairsSep 9, 07:53 UTC · 7d agoExploit / PoC CVE-2026-69414

Hackers Abuse VSSAdmin to Extract NTDS.dit and Delete Windows Recovery Copies

Huntress details intruders using PsExec and VSSAdmin on domain controllers to steal NTDS.dit credentials and delete shadow copies before ransomware.

Huntress analysts identified attackers launching SYSTEM-level command shells via PsExec on a domain controller, then running 'vssadmin create shadow' to snapshot and copy the NTDS.dit Active Directory database. Shadow copies were later deleted to destroy local recovery options ahead of a likely ransomware stage. Huntress recommends correlating VSS creation/deletion events with remote execution, DNS enumeration, and lateral movement rather than alerting on any single VSS event.

Cyber Security NewsSep 15, 08:29 UTC · 1d agoThreat actor in the wild

Honeypot-Omaha and batch.py [Guest Diary], (Wed, Sep 2nd)

A SANS ISC guest diary describes batch.py, a Python tool that consolidates honeypot logs and enriches IOCs with threat intelligence data.

Written by a SANS.edu BACS intern, the diary explains analysis of the DShield Honeypot-Omaha sensor, which uses Cowrie to emulate SSH and Telnet and log attacker activity. The author's batch.py script implements a four-phase pipeline with SHA-256-generated master and guest authentication to consolidate JSON and log files, correlate data via external APIs, and produce MITRE, CVE, geolocation, threat-score and fingerprint enrichment for investigated indicators.

SANS Internet Storm CenterSep 3, 02:02 UTC · 13d agoTools1

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 ReadingSep 10, 15:29 UTC · 6d agoExploit / PoC1

VU#456290: Hugging Face Transformers library writes remote code to disk prior to consent check

CVE-2026-80047: Hugging Face Transformers 4.49.0 through 5.8.1 writes attacker-controlled Python files to disk before the trust_remote_code consent check.

CERT/CC vulnerability note VU#456290 describes CVE-2026-80047 in the Hugging Face Transformers library, affecting versions 4.49.0 through 5.8.1. The library performs a remote module fetch and writes attacker-controlled Python files to the local disk before evaluating the trust_remote_code consent prompt, without user authorization. This violates the security contract enforced across other dynamic module-loading paths in the library. Transformers is a primary framework for training and inference across NLP, vision, audio, video, and multimodal machine learning systems.

CERT/CC Vulnerability NotesSep 1, 13:35 UTC · 15d agoVulnerability CVE-2026-800471

PAPERMILL Malware Campaign Abuses Signed Notepad++ to Deliver VenomRAT to Windows Users

JUMPSEC tracks PAPERMILL, a China-nexus phishing campaign using a signed Notepad++ binary, libcurl.dll sideloading, and Donut loaders to deploy VenomRAT against Indian tax-audit targets.

PAPERMILL delivers ISO disk images via tax-audit phishing emails that passed SPF, DKIM, and DMARC, containing a renamed Authenticode-signed Notepad++ executable and a malicious libcurl.dll that proxies curl functions while executing loader logic in DllMain. The chain uses Mark-of-the-Web bypasses, anti-sandbox sleeps, UAC elevation prompts, Registry persistence, and a Donut shellcode loader to reflectively load .NET VenomRAT v6.0.3 with HVNC and credential-stealing capability, with C2 at 154.36.188.201:4449. JUMPSEC assesses the campaign as China-nexus, financially motivated, and Silver Fox-adjacent rather than definitively Silver Fox-operated.

GBHackersupdated 12:23 UTC · 9h agofirst 09:36 UTC · 12h agoMalware in the wild 2 sources

PEEP Turns Chrome and Edge Into Post-Compromise Backdoors for Host Command Execution

SOCRadar disclosed PEEP, a post-exploitation Chromium extension toolkit that turns Chrome and Edge into host-level backdoors via native messaging and C2 polling.

SOCRadar researchers detailed PEEP, a Chromium-based post-exploitation toolkit masquerading as a 'Smart Bookmarks' extension injected directly into Chrome and Edge profiles by forging Secure Preferences integrity values, bypassing Web Store checks. A native-messaging host binary (nm_host.exe) extends the browser agent to host-level command execution, file management, credential theft, and session hijacking, while the extension polls C2 endpoints at 206.237.30.232 or xfjcc.fun every 30 seconds over plaintext HTTP and exfiltrates browsing history, cookies, and tab metadata. PEEP is derived from the open-source RedExt red teaming framework, adds PowerShell persistence scripts, and includes a Linux-targeting Python script, suggesting cross-platform intent. The activity is unattributed but contains Chinese-language artifacts; a C2 /health endpoint showed 34 agent entries and 10 active sessions.

The Hacker NewsSep 7, 18:12 UTC · 9d agoMalware in the wild1

How Attackers Abuse VSS, and How Huntress Detects It

Huntress details how attackers abuse Windows Volume Shadow Copies for ransomware recovery sabotage and NTDS.dit credential theft, plus detection logic.

Huntress explains that attackers abuse VSS in three ways: deleting shadow copies to inhibit recovery before ransomware detonation, creating shadow copies to extract the NTDS.dit Active Directory database for offline credential theft, and manipulating shadow copy configuration. Because backup agents and RMM tools routinely create and delete shadow copies, raw events are too noisy to alert on alone. Huntress detections instead correlate VSS activity with lateral movement and credential harvesting over a time window, such as an observed sequence of PsExec spawning SYSTEM shells on a domain controller, vssadmin create shadow, a blocked deletion attempt, and DNS reconnaissance against another host.

HuntressSep 14, 13:00 UTC · 2d agoResearch

Hackers Use Cross-Platform Noodle RAT to Secretly Control Windows and Linux Systems

Check Point identifies Noodle RAT as a distinct cross-platform Windows/Linux backdoor used by Chinese-speaking actors against Asia-Pacific organizations since 2016.

Check Point assesses Noodle RAT, also known as ANGRYREBEL, as a distinct backdoor family rather than a variant of Gh0st RAT or Rekoobe, with separate Windows (Win.NOODLERAT) and Linux (Linux.NOODLERAT) variants sharing a common command-and-control design. The Windows implant runs filelessly via shellcode with loaders like MULTIDROP and MICROLOAD, while the Linux variant provides reverse shells, file management, and SOCKS tunneling after exploitation or web-shell placement on exposed servers. Groups including Iron Tiger, Calypso APT, Rocke, and Cloud Snooper have deployed it against organizations in Thailand, India, Japan, Malaysia, and Taiwan. Check Point released sample hashes and C2 IP indicators alongside the analysis.

Cyber Security News14:03 UTC · 7h agoMalware in the wild 2 sources

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 NewsSep 9, 06:47 UTC · 7d agoExploit / PoC CVE-2026-694141

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.

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

ZDI-26-593: NVIDIA TensorRT ONNX File Parsing Heap-based Buffer Overflow Remote Code Execution Vulnerability

ZDI disclosed a second TensorRT heap-based buffer overflow RCE (CVE-2026-24268, CVSS 7.8) in ONNX file parsing, requiring user interaction.

The Zero Day Initiative published advisory ZDI-26-593 covering another heap-based buffer overflow in NVIDIA TensorRT's ONNX file parsing. A remote attacker can execute arbitrary code if the target opens a malicious file or visits a crafted page. ZDI rated the vulnerability CVSS 7.8 and assigned CVE-2026-24268.

ZDI Published AdvisoriesAug 24, 05:00 UTC · 23d agoAdvisory CVE-2026-24268

PEEP: A Browser RAT Posing as a Chrome Extension

SOCRadar's STRU analyzed PEEP, an emerging Chromium-based RAT disguised as a Chrome extension enabling post-exploitation control of browsers.

SOCRadar's Threat Research Unit (STRU) identified and analyzed PEEP, a Chromium-based post-exploitation toolkit distributed as a browser extension. PEEP provides RAT-style capabilities while posing as a legitimate Chrome extension. It is assessed as an emerging threat worth monitoring by defenders.

SOCRadarSep 4, 09:50 UTC · 12d agoMalware

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.

Rapid7 BlogSep 4, 12:00 UTC · 12d agoThreat actor in the wild1

Nightmare Eclipse Drops CrowdStrike, Nvidia, Avast Zero-Day Exploits

Researcher Nightmare Eclipse released working zero-day PoCs for Avast, CrowdStrike Falcon, and Nvidia, prompting a Gen patch, CrowdStrike mitigation, and Nvidia investigation.

Security researcher Nightmare Eclipse released three zero-day exploits within a short window: PrettyPrague targeting the Avast sandbox for full system privileges (possibly affecting other GenDigital products including AVG and Norton), FalconFlank exploiting CrowdStrike Falcon Sensor's Office malicious macros remediation feature for privilege escalation, and GreenSection targeting an out-of-bounds memory write in a shared global memory section used by Nvidia user-mode components. GenDigital said it has fixed the Avast issue; CrowdStrike advised disabling the Microsoft Office File Suspicious Macro Removal policy setting; Nvidia said it is actively investigating the PoC. Kevin Beaumont reported that the Avast, CrowdStrike, and Kaspersky exploits work. The researcher previously released the HardBreacher privilege escalation zero-day in Kaspersky endpoint security, patched August 31.

SecurityWeekSep 7, 12:15 UTC · 9d agoExploit / PoC

Head Mare APT is exploiting vulnerabilities in an unpatched TrueConf server to deliver PhantomCore and PhantomGraph to video conference participants

Head Mare APT exploits unpatched TrueConf server vulnerabilities to deliver PhantomCore and PhantomGraph backdoors to video conference participants.

Kaspersky discovered malicious TrueConf software installers used by the Head Mare APT group to deploy the PhantomCore and PhantomGraph backdoors. The group exploits vulnerabilities in an unpatched TrueConf server to reach targets. Video conference participants are infected via the trojanized installers.

Kaspersky SecurelistAug 11, 12:00 UTC · Aug 11, 2026Threat actor in the wild

New Ted Backdoor Hides Inside Victims' Own HAProxy Builds to Intercept Web Traffic

Rapid7 found a new backdoor, ted, compiled into trojanized HAProxy at two South Korean organizations, with medium-confidence attribution to North Korean actors.

Rapid7 documented a previously undocumented Linux toolkit named ted compiled into the HAProxy load balancer binaries of two South Korean organizations in the automotive and media sectors. The implant intercepts web traffic, serves altered pages only to filtered visitors, and hides C2 exchanges from backend logs and HAProxy statistics; a companion RAT, curlRAT, beacons on a default 12-hour schedule. The toolkit also trojanizes crond, sshd, agetty, atd, and polkitd binaries and sanitizes logs and bash history. Rapid7 attributes the activity with medium confidence to North Korean state-sponsored actors, with domain infrastructure overlapping APT37 listings in maltrail and delivery resembling the Operation SyncHole campaign.

The Hacker NewsSep 4, 14:51 UTC · 12d agoThreat actor in the wild

Serial Microsoft 0-day hunter drops yet another Defender exploit

Researcher Nightmare Eclipse released ShieldCrash, a Microsoft Defender zero-day PoC that bypasses September patches and reads files as SYSTEM.

Zero-day researcher Nightmare Eclipse (MSNightmare) published ShieldCrash, their 11th Microsoft zero-day, a proof-of-concept bypass of the ShieldBreak patch (CVE-2026-69414), which itself had bypassed the fix for RoguePlanet (CVE-2026-50656). ShieldCrash works on Windows 10, Windows 11, and Windows Server systems that have applied the September 2026 patches and allows arbitrary file reads as SYSTEM, though not arbitrary writes or a full SYSTEM shell. Microsoft has not said when it plans to patch the issue. The researcher recently also released zero-days affecting CrowdStrike Falcon (FalconFlank), Kaspersky endpoint antivirus (HardBreacher, patched), and Gen Digital's Avast (PrettyPrague).

The Register · SecuritySep 9, 17:23 UTC · 7d agoExploit / PoC CVE-2026-69414 CVE-2026-50656

UAT-10147 deploys SPECTRE: A cross-platform implant with Linux rootkit and BYOVD capabilities

Cisco Talos identifies UAT-10147 deploying the SPECTRE implant with cross-platform C2, credential theft, and kernel-level EDR bypass.

Cisco Talos reports that the tracked threat actor UAT-10147 is deploying a newly identified implant named SPECTRE. SPECTRE supports cross-platform command-and-control, process injection, credential theft, and anti-analysis protections. It also includes a Linux rootkit and BYOVD (bring your own vulnerable driver) capability enabling kernel-level EDR bypass, marking an evolution in commodity intrusion tooling.

Cisco TalosAug 20, 10:00 UTC · 27d agoThreat actor in the wild

Critical Cisco FMC Flaws Actively Exploited to Gain Root Access and Deploy Malware

Threat actors actively exploit Cisco FMC CVE-2026-20079 (CVSS 10.0) for root access, with clusters linked to Sandworm and Qilin ransomware.

Cisco Talos warns of active exploitation of CVE-2026-20079, a CVSS 10.0 authentication bypass in Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center allowing unauthenticated root-level code execution, and CVE-2026-20316 (CVSS 5.3), which permits login via a low-privileged static account for privilege escalation. Hotfixes are available now, with a broader hardening release planned for the week of September 14. Three post-compromise activity clusters were identified: UAT-12197 deployed a home.jsp web shell and cmd.jar command executor; UAT-11823, attributed with high confidence to a Sandworm-linked APT, deployed a Netcat reverse shell and Cyclops Blink; and UAT-11988 showed Qilin ransomware tactics including Active Directory enumeration and credential theft before deploying Qilin ransomware.

GBHackersupdated Sep 14, 09:27 UTC · 2d agofirst Sep 11, 05:30 UTC · 5d agoExploit / PoC in the wild 10 sources CVE-2026-20079 CVE-2026-20316

Post-DEF CON Phishing Uses Malicious Google Doc to Deliver Malware

Huntress uncovered post-DEF CON phishing via X direct messages using a malicious Google Doc to deliver AMOS and NetSupport RAT malware.

Huntress uncovered a phishing campaign targeting attendees after Black Hat and DEF CON. Attackers used X direct messages pointing to a malicious Google Doc as the delivery vehicle. Payloads include AMOS, a macOS infostealer, and the NetSupport RAT, among other malware.

HuntressAug 19, 13:00 UTC · 28d agoPhishing & fraud

AsyncRAT Malware Abuses AutoIt and PowerShell to Hide Inside Legitimate Windows Process

Point Wild details a five-stage AsyncRAT campaign using AutoIt abuse and process injection to hide a .NET RAT inside Microsoft's signed charmap.exe.

Researchers at Point Wild Threat Intelligence analyzed a campaign starting from a lure batch file ('Right-click to open Invoice Details.bat') that launches hidden PowerShell to reconstruct a Base64/XOR-obfuscated payload. The stage drops a renamed signed AutoIt interpreter and loader script into %LOCALAPPDATA%\Temp and achieves persistence via a batch file in the user's Startup folder (T1547.001). The loader decrypts the payload in memory with single-byte XOR key 0x36 and injects it into SysWOW64\charmap.exe using OpenProcess/VirtualAllocEx/WriteProcessMemory/CreateRemoteThread, with PE-sieve confirming an in-memory implanted PE and patched AMSI modules. The final AsyncRAT payload performs screen capture and data theft, with observed C2 at 158[.]51[.]122[.]136:4944 over raw TCP.

GBHackersSep 14, 05:24 UTC · 2d agoMalware3· 1 read

Stealth rootkit targeting F5 BIG-IP could expose enterprise identity gateways

Sophos analyzed a stealth Linux rootkit that hides a web shell in memory on compromised F5 BIG-IP APM identity gateways, evading file-based detection.

Sophos analyzed a second-stage Linux rootkit implant found in compromised F5 BIG-IP APM environments running Apache and PHP, linked to exploitation of CVE-2025-53521, an unauthenticated RCE. The implant hooks Apache's PHP-loading process and serves modified in-memory versions of three legitimate webtop PHP files (apm_css.php3, full_wt.php3, webtop_popup_css.php3), leaving on-disk files untouched so hashes and integrity checks pass. It also establishes access via an authenticated local UNIX socket that can provide an interactive /bin/bash session. Experts warn compromised APM appliances, which handle federated SSO and terminate TLS at enterprise perimeters, could enable SSO token theft and lateral movement to trusted downstream applications.

CSO OnlineSep 10, 11:51 UTC · 6d agoMalware in the wildCVE-2025-53521

Chaotic Eclipse Released GreenSection, A PoC For NVIDIA Memory Corruption Zero-Day

Researcher Chaotic Eclipse released GreenSection, a PoC exploiting an unpatched out-of-bounds write in NVIDIA Windows user-mode shared memory.

Security researcher Chaotic Eclipse disclosed an out-of-bounds write in NVIDIA's Windows user-mode components, which share a global memory section (\BaseNamedObjects\{52813408-3561-4705-820a-2b3b78be92ba}) with full read/write access to all users. The PoC crashes applications running Vulkan or OpenGL; the researcher says the bug could cross user boundaries or compromise dwm.exe but did not fully assess the impact. No CVE has been assigned and no patch is mentioned. The researcher recently released zero-day PoCs against Kaspersky, Avast, and CrowdStrike Falcon.

Security AffairsSep 7, 13:42 UTC · 9d agoExploit / PoC 2 sources