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Malspam Targeting Brazil Continues to Evolve

Brazilian malspam campaigns continue evolving, abusing Google URL shortener and Dropbox and using Squiblydoo plus DLL side-loading to deploy likely infostealing botnet malware.

A June 2017 Brazilian malspam campaign spoofed IPTU tax notification emails, using the recipient's address as the sender, and abused Google's URL shortener and Dropbox to deliver a zip containing a malicious Windows shortcut (.lnk) file. The LNK used the Squiblydoo technique (regsvr32.exe) to download and execute a scriptlet with elevated privileges, retrieving a signed G-Buster Browser Defense executable alongside a malicious fltLib.dll loaded via side-loading, likely an information-stealing botnet. Post-infection HTTP traffic exposed over 400 infected Windows hosts, mostly in Brazil, with 2,132 Banload-tagged samples observed in the first half of 2017.

Palo Alto Unit 42 · Aug 17, 2026Malware in the wild

Patchwork Continues to Deliver BADNEWS to the Indian Subcontinent

Unit 42 details Patchwork APT campaigns against the Indian subcontinent using EPS exploits and an updated BADNEWS backdoor targeting Pakistani military and nuclear interests.

Unit 42 observed the Patchwork group (also known as Dropping Elephant and Monsoon) conducting campaigns against targets in the Indian subcontinent using weaponized documents that exploit CVE-2015-2545 and CVE-2017-0261. The documents deliver an updated BADNEWS backdoor that grants attackers full control of victim machines, using dead drop resolvers on legitimate third-party websites for C2 and HTTP for communications. Lures referenced Pakistan Army promotions, the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission and the Ministry of the Interior, and in late January 2018 the group shifted from CVE-2017-0261 to the older CVE-2015-2545.

Palo Alto Unit 42 · Aug 17, 2026Threat actor in the wildCVE-2015-2545CVE-2017-0261

GTIG AI Threat Tracker: From Prompting to Autonomy – The Evolution of Adversarial AI

GTIG's Q2 2026 tracker shows adversaries adopting agentic AI workflows, including credential harvesting in under six hours and supply chain attacks by UNC6780.

Google Threat Intelligence Group's Q2 2026 report documents adversaries moving from basic prompting to agentic AI workflows and automation, including a cloud compromise followed by agent-enabled mass credential harvesting executed in under six hours. It tracks financially motivated actor UNC6780 (TeamPCP) conducting large-scale open source supply chain compromises across PyPI, npm, and Docker Hub since March 2026, deploying credential stealers. The report also highlights growing targeting of proprietary AI models, source code, prompts, and API credentials, plus LLMJacking practices where adversaries steal developer credentials or hijack cloud infrastructure to run unauthorized AI workloads.

Google Threat Intelligence · 8d agoThreat actor in the wild1

Critical N-able N-central Vulnerability and Active Exploitation

N-able N-central pre-auth RCE zero-day CVE-2026-86218 (CVSS 10.0) is exploited in the wild; on-prem admins must upgrade to 2026.3 HF4.

N-able disclosed a third N-central vulnerability, CVE-2026-86218, a pre-authentication RCE rated CVSS 10.0, and released hotfix 2026.3 HF4 superseding build 2026.3.1.13. Huntress reproduced an exploit chain involving an authentication bypass (CVE-2026-86206/CVE-2026-86207) after a fully patched customer's N-central production server was compromised on September 4. Attackers appended strings like .invalid to account names and probed the /remoteControlAction.do?method=getPierDetails endpoint; Huntress worked with Cloudflare to disable adversary tunnel infrastructure. Hosted N-central instances are already patched; on-prem administrators must upgrade immediately.

Huntress · 10d agoExploit / PoC in the wildCVE-2026-86218CVE-2026-86206CVE-2026-86207+2 CVEs

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.

Kaspersky Securelist · Aug 11, 2026Threat actor in the wild