Understanding Angler Exploit Kit
Unit 42 explains exploit kit fundamentals, describing how landing pages profile victims, deliver exploits, and install malware payloads on Windows hosts.
Unit 42 published a primer on exploit kit fundamentals, defining vulnerabilities, exploits, malware payloads, actors, and campaigns in EK-based attacks. It explains the infection chain: a landing page profiles the victim's Windows system for vulnerable applications such as Flash Player, Java, Silverlight, and Internet Explorer, then a matching exploit executes a downloader or final payload, often delivered encrypted with XOR or RC4. The post also describes the EK-as-a-Service business model, in which leading EKs are rented for a few thousand dollars per month while buyers supply campaign infrastructure.
Critical GitLab flaw allows attackers to modify or delete public projects (CVE-2026-19478)
GitLab patched a critical unauthenticated code injection flaw CVE-2026-19478 (CVSS 9.4) enabling modification or deletion of public projects; upgrades urged.
GitLab released patches for two vulnerabilities affecting Community Edition (CE) and Enterprise Edition (EE) versions 18.2 before 18.11.11, 19.0 before 19.0.8, 19.1 before 19.1.6, and 19.2 before 19.2.4. CVE-2026-19478 (CVSS 9.4) is an unauthenticated code injection via a GraphQL directive, exploitable remotely without user interaction, allowing attackers to modify or delete public projects and user data. CVE-2026-19650 (CVSS 7.1) is a cross-site request forgery issue in the GraphQL multiplex query handler allowing mutations via GET requests with user interaction. Fixes are available in 18.11.11, 19.0.8, 19.1.6, and 19.2.4; both flaws were reported via GitLab's HackerOne bug bounty program.